In this picture you see an adult male Kentish plover in breeding plumage. Breeding plumage is marked by the black band on the crown and the eye patch. The neck ring is incomplete in all plumages. The Kentish Plover shown here is from İzmir Kuş Cenneti, Gediz Delta, situated on the Aegean coast of Turkey. This is an important bird area. The area is 40,000 hectares in size with 40/60 wetland and farmlands/hills.(ref; Ortaç Onmus, Raika Durusoy, Güven Eken. Zoology in the Middle East 47, 2009: 39-48). Kentish Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus) are quite widespread with the North American species varying slightly phenotypically with shorter legs and wings. The American Ornithology association has accepted the Snowy plovers to be a different species rather than a subspecies along with Kentish Plovers. Nuclear and Mitochondrial genetic studies have shown differences between the two supporting this distinction (Küpper et al. The Auk 126(4):839−852, 2009). In Europe they will be referred to as Kentish Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus alexandrinus) and Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) while in the Americas they will be seprately Charadrius alexandrinus and Charadrius nivosus respectively.
