RINGED PLOVER

One of the most familiar wading birds, the ringed plover has a typical plover appearance with bold black and white markings. A black band runs around the breast and hind neck, and another runs across the cheeks, through the eyes and over the forehead. The underparts are a contrasting white, while the upper parts are a camouflaged brownish-grey.

A yellow ring surrounds each eye and the short beak is bright orange with a black tip. The common ringed plover forages on open ground, at both day and night, for a variety of invertebrates, including crustaceans, isopods and various insects. It is a resident on Arran, breeding around the coastlines.

4cm x 9cm