Hi,
I was asked by a birding friend what I made of her photo of an unusual plover. The photo was taken at the southern end of Tin Can Bay in Queensland’s Great Sandy Straits by Dorothy Pashniak. I am posting on Dorothy’s behalf, as she doesn’t subscribe to b-a, but is an ardent follower of the archives.
I believe it’s a Red-capped Plover, especially because of the scale and structure provided by the other redcaps in the first photo. However, the soft amber colouring on the breast doesn’t appear to me to be staining. The white throat patch seems too conveniently clear of colour for it to be random stain.
We have discussed various possibilities, but rather than give voice to them, I’ll wait to see what others think.
Has anyone experienced this before, and does anyone have a similar photo? How would you explain it?
You can view the photos at: http://sandystraitsandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/01/red-capped-plover.html
Cheers,
Jill
Hi Jill, There’s a mention of something like this in HANZAB, for Red-capped Plover.
HANZAB Volume 2, page 844, under sub-heading Aberrant plumages: .”……Two records ……. from Vic Feb & Mar 91 (D.W.Eades; T.Reid). These were adult females with solid rufous loral lines broadening below eye to meet rufous ear-coverts. They had large rufous patches at sides of breast that broadened towards the centre of breast but did not form complete band. Pale rufous (almost buff) wash across whole central breast, formed by rufous feather-tips, contrasted with complete white of throat and belly; …………..”
Cheers, Steve McBride