A practical guide to bird watching in Sonoma County, California
(Unless otherwise indicated, all phone numbers are in the 707 area code)
Common (at times abundant) in Sonoma County from mid-July through early May of the following year. Least likely to be seen in late May through mid-July, but a few birds may stay through the summer. Most common at the coast, but appears further inland from time to time. We usually see Black-bellied Plover in winter (non-breeding) plumage, as in the photo above, but some birds that arrive early (in August, for example), may still be in breeding plumage, which is characterized by a black belly, throat, and face, white undertail coverts, and mostly black and white patterning on the back and wings, without the warm tones characteristic of Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva) or the much less common American Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica). Black-bellied Plovers that have overwintered will begin to show breeding plumage from around late April, so, breeding plumage is perhaps most likely in Sonoma County in May and August. Probably best seen in the county at Bodega Bay or Shollenberger Park. Note that prior to 1994, American Golden Plover and Pacific Golden Plover were considered a single species--Lesser Golden Plover (as Pluvialis fulva). Black-bellied Plover is known as Grey Plover outside of the Americas.
Black-bellied Plover is distinctive in breeding plumage, with a short black bill, black face and belly, pale cap, and black and grey back. In the locally more common non-breeding plumage, however, the face, throat, and belly all become pale (although during molt some birds may look splotchy on the belly). The diffuse, dark ear patch is a distinguishing feature in non-breeding plumage. Both Pacific and American Golden Plover are noticeably warmer in tone in all plumages (particularly Pacific Golden Plover) and will have darker caps and usually have pronounced pale "eyebrows."They are both considerably less common birds in the county (American Golden Plover is rare enough here to cause a stir among local birders when it does show up). Fresh juvenile Black-bellied Plover can show spots tinged with warm tones, so young birds require special scrutiny. Juveniles are similar to non-breeding adults but show more patterning on the back and folded wings and have a streaky breast. Also, Black-bellied Plover is larger than any of the Golden Plovers and has a distinctly larger bill. In flight, Black-bellied Plover shows a distinctive black patch at the base of the wing (or at the "armpit"). Underwings are otherwise mostly white. The black patch at the base of the wing is present in Black-bellied Plovers in all plumages (photo below). Tail and rump mostly pale.
Further reading:
Bolander and Parmeter, Birds of Sonoma County California, rev. ed., 2000, p. 48
Brinkley, National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Birds of North America, 2007, p. 209
Dunn and Alderfer, eds., National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 5th ed., 2006, p. 154
Dunn and Alderfer, eds., National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 6th ed., 2011, pp. 164, 208
Dunne, Pete Dunne’s Essential Field Guide Companion, 2006, pp. 193-195
Ehrlich, Dobkin, and Wheye, The Birder's Handbook, paperback edition, 1988, p. 116
Fix and Bezener, Birds of Northern California, 2000, p. 135, 136, 153
Floyd, Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 2008, p. 150
Kaufman, Field Guide to Birds of North America, 2000, p. 166
Kaufman, Field Guide to Advanced Birding, 2011, pp. 210-241 (general notes on shorebird ID), pp. 214, 215, 217, 225
Lukas, Bay Area Birds: From Sonoma County to Monterey Bay, 2012, pp. 89-90, 110
O’Brien, Crossley, and Karlson, The Shorebird Guide, 2006, p. 27, 29-33, 35, 37, 38, 48, 130, 135, 137, 181, 320-322
Parmeter and Wight, Birds of Sonoma County California, Update (2000-2010), 2012, p. 26
Paulson, Shorebirds of North America: The Photographic Guide, 2005, pp. 28-32
Peterson, Birds of Eastern and Central North America, 5th ed., 2002, p. 132, 144
Peterson, Field Guide to Birds of Western North America, 4th ed., 2010, pp. 130, 154
Peterson, Western Birds, 3rd ed., 1990, p. 122
Sibley, Field Guide to Birds of Western North America,1st ed., 2003, p. 142
Stokes, Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 1st ed., 2010, p. 210
Vuilleumier, American Museum of Natural History, Birds of North America: Western Region, 2011, p. 133
Voice: Cornell Lab of Ornithology: All About Birds--Black-bellied Plover
© Colin Talcroft, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
Unless noted, all photos by the author. If you would like to use one of my images, please ask for permission for non-commercial use with proper credit or commercial use with proper compensation.
Black-bellied Plover (non-breeding), Oakland, November 22, 2010 (with Sanderling in the background)
Black-bellied Plover
Pluvialis squatarola
1990-2013 Sonoma County data. Graph provided by eBird (www.ebird.org), generated May 30, 2013
EBird reported occurrence in Sonoma County
Black-bellied Plovers, Bodega Bay, September 17, 2013. The bird on the right is molting out of breeding plumage but still has the black belly that gives the bird its name. The bird on the left may be a first-year bird retaining a little streaking on the belly and white notches in the feathers of the back and wings, both juvenile traits.
Black-bellied Plovers, Bodega Bay, September 17, 2013. The bird in the middle is molting out of breeding plumage but still has the black belly that gives the bird its name. The birds on either side are already in winter plumage, but note that the black at the “armpit” is present in all plumages.
Black-bellied Plover, Bodega Bay, September 17, 2013.
Note the tiny hind toe--a feature rare in other plovers