Anarhynchus alticola
The Puna Plover, Anarhynchus alticola, is a captivating medium-sized shorebird, typically measuring 18-20 cm in length and weighing 55-70 grams, perfectly adapted to the harsh, high-altitude Andean environments. Its most striking feature is a unique bicolored bill, bright orange or reddish at the base and sharply contrasting black at the tip, complemented by vibrant orange-yellow legs. Plumage is largely cryptic, with a sandy-brown back and crown, white underparts, and an often-incomplete bla...
This specialized plover inhabits high-altitude wetlands, puna grasslands, and the muddy or sandy shores of saline and freshwater lakes and lagoons in the Andean highlands. It is exclusively found at elevations typically ranging from 3,000 to over 5,000 meters above sea level.
Its diet primarily consists of a variety of aquatic invertebrates, including insect larvae, small crustaceans, mollusks, and worms, which it gleans or probes from mud and shallow water.
Puna Plovers are diurnal foragers, spending much of their day actively searching for food in the shallow waters and mudflats. Their foraging strategy involves a characteristic 'run-stop-peck' technique, often followed by shallow probing with their distinctive bill. During the breeding season, pai...
The Puna Plover is endemic to the high Andes of South America, with its distribution stretching from central Peru, across Bolivia, and into northern Chile and northwestern Argentina. Its core breeding range is concentrated in the Puna ecological zone, specifically around high-altitude lakes, sali...
Least Concern
- The Puna Plover is one of the highest-dwelling shorebirds in the world, regularly found at elevations over 4,500 meters (14,700 feet) and sometimes exceeding 5,000 meters (16,400 feet). - Its strikingly bicolored bill – bright orange at the base, black at the tip – is a unique and defining feat...