Biometrics and moult of Grey Plovers, Pluvialis squatarola, in Australia

Abstract

Data on 299 Grey Plovers, Pluvialis squatarola, banded in north-western Australia (NWA) and in Victoria, south-eastern Australia (SEA), in 1980–99 were analysed. Sightings of birds leg-flagged in SEA indicated refuelling sites in Japan on both northward and southward migration. A POSCON discriminant analysis on biometrical data suggested that Grey Plovers caught in Australia originated from populations breeding in Siberia east of the Lena River and that the discrete population of Wrangel Island was better represented in SEA. In NWA, departures to the breeding grounds occurred mainly in April, with an average departure body mass of 311 g. This would allow a non-stop flight of c. 4200–5400 km, enough to reach the coasts of northern Vietnam or China. Primary moult duration and mean starting date were 128 days and 5 October in SEA, and 121 days and 10 September in NWA. Grey Plovers departed northwards with little or no breeding plumage.