Common Ringed Plover

Q: What are the chances of seeing a Common Ringed Plover in San Francisco?

Rare. Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Ringed Plover sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 170th most-seen of the 375 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

Q: When is the best time to see a Common Ringed Plover in San Francisco?

Any time of year. In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Ringed Plover in San Francisco on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

Q: What time of day is best to see a Common Ringed Plover?

Between noon and 3 pm. Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Ringed Plover sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Q: Is San Francisco the best place to see a Common Ringed Plover?

32nd of 48. Of the 48 cities where we can rate Common Ringed Plover sightings, San Francisco ranks 32nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Zanzibar City (Tanzania, about 50%), Kuwait City (Kuwait, about 30%) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso, about 30%).

Q: Where does the Common Ringed Plover sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records. It is estimated from how often the Common Ringed Plover is recorded against all the birds logged in San Francisco (8 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

Charadrius hiaticula

Silhouette: Alexandre Vong · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
FamilyCharadriidae (Plovers and Lapwings)
GenusCharadrius (Holarctic Ringed Plovers and Allies)
SpeciesCharadrius hiaticula (Common Ringed Plover)

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

at San Francisco

In 3 days ~10%

8 Verified sightings at San Francisco

8,326 In all 44 parks From 2019 to 2026

September Best month

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Common Ringed Plover

The common ringed plover, great ringed plover or ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula) is a species of bird in the family Charadriidae. It breeds across much of northern Eurasia, as well as Greenland. The common ringed plover was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the current binomial name Charadrius hiaticula. Linnaeus specified the type locality as "Europa & America" but this is now restricted to Sweden. The specific epithet hiaticula is late Medieval Latin for a plover.

Three subspecies are recognised: Lawrence Island (north Bering Sea; erratic... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:09

Norway · 2026

Flight call0:20

Sweden · 2025

Alarm call1:09

Finland · 2025

Global Distribution

Where it is recorded most Our parks where it lives Our cities where it livesIn captivity: 6 zoos & centres

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	West Coast National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~50%
2	Wadden Sea National Park	🇩🇪 Germany	~30%
3	Svalbard	🇳🇴 Norway	~30%
4	Doñana National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	~30%
5	Vatnajokull National Park	🇮🇸 Iceland	~30%
6	Lake Nakuru National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~20%
7	Camargue	🇫🇷 France	~20%
8	Ngorongoro Conservation Area	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
9	Amboseli National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~10%
10	Arusha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
11	iSimangaliso Wetland Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
12	Lake Manyara National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
13	Kiskunság National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	~10%
14	Queen Elizabeth National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~10%
15	Snowdonia National Park	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	~10%
16	Murchison Falls National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~10%
17	Serengeti National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
18	Hortobágy National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	~10%
19	Tsavo East National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~10%
20	De Hoop Nature Reserve	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
21	Liwonde National Park	🇲🇼 Malawi	~10%
22	Nairobi National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
23	Tarangire National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
24	Addo Elephant National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
25	Sierra de Guadarrama National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	<5%
26	Białowieża National Park	🇵🇱 Poland	<5%
27	Fertő-Hanság National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	<5%
28	Garden Route National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
29	Moremi Game Reserve	🇧🇼 Botswana	<5%
30	Samburu National Reserve	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
31	Tsavo West National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
32	Table Mountain National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
33	Niokolo-Koba National Park	🇸🇳 Senegal	<5%
34	Yala National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	<5%
35	Cairngorms National Park	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	<5%
36	South Luangwa National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	<5%
37	Kafue National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	<5%
38	Hwange National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	<5%
39	Etosha National Park	🇳🇦 Namibia	<5%
40	Masai Mara National Reserve	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
41	Chobe National Park	🇧🇼 Botswana	<5%
42	Kruger National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
43	Biebrza National Park	🇵🇱 Poland	<5%
44	Monfragüe National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	<5%

Cities Where Found

#	City	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Zanzibar City	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~50%
2	Kuwait City	🇰🇼 Kuwait	~30%
3	Ouagadougou	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	~30%
4	Manama	🇧🇭 Bahrain	~20%
5	Liverpool	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	~20%
6	Dar es-Salaam	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~20%
7	Casablanca	🇲🇦 Morocco	~20%
8	Maputo	🇲🇿 Mozambique	~20%
9	Mombasa	🇰🇪 Kenya	~20%
10	Jeddah	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	Dresden Zoo	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
2	Slimbridge Wetland Centre	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	In captivity
3	Wildpark Schwarze Berge	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
4	Cologne Zoological Garden	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
5	Aachener Tierpark Euregiozoo	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
6	Cologne Zoo Aquarium	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity

Closest Relatives at San Francisco

Charadrius vociferus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Charadrius semipalmatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Pluvialis squatarola

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Pluvialis fulva

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Larus californicus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Larus occidentalis

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Tringa semipalmata

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Calidris minutilla

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Larus delawarensis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Recurvirostra americana

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Numenius hudsonicus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Himantopus mexicanus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Common Ringed Plover in San Francisco?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Ringed Plover sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 170th most-seen of the 375 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Common Ringed Plover in San Francisco?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Ringed Plover in San Francisco on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Common Ringed Plover?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Ringed Plover sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is San Francisco the best place to see a Common Ringed Plover?

32nd of 48

Of the 48 cities where we can rate Common Ringed Plover sightings, San Francisco ranks 32nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Zanzibar City (Tanzania, about 50%), Kuwait City (Kuwait, about 30%) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso, about 30%).

Where does the Common Ringed Plover sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Common Ringed Plover is recorded against all the birds logged in San Francisco (8 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to San Francisco

Common Ringed Plover

About the Common Ringed Plover

Sounds

Recent sightings of Common Ringed Plover in San Francisco

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

Cities Where Found

Zoos & Centres Where Found

Closest Relatives at San Francisco

Killdeer

Semipalmated Plover

Black-bellied Plover

Pacific Golden-Plover

California Gull

Western Gull

Willet

Least Sandpiper

Ring-billed Gull

American Avocet

Hudsonian Whimbrel

Black-necked Stilt

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Common Ringed Plover in San Francisco?

When is the best time to see a Common Ringed Plover in San Francisco?

What time of day is best to see a Common Ringed Plover?

Is San Francisco the best place to see a Common Ringed Plover?

Where does the Common Ringed Plover sighting chance come from?