Kittlitz's Plover

Kittlitz's Plover

Charadrius pecuarius

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary

In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%

84 Verified sightings at Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary From 2019 to 2026
5,454 In all 19 parks
February Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Kittlitz's Plover

Kittlitz's plover (Anarhynchus pecuarius) is a small shorebird (35–40 g) in the family Charadriidae that breeds near coastal and inland saltmarshes, sandy or muddy riverbanks or alkaline grasslands with short vegetation. It is native to much of Sub-Saharan Africa, the Nile Delta and Madagascar. It is thought to be mainly polygamous and has monomorphic plumage.

Kittlitz's plover is a small shorebird weighing between 35 and 40 grams. Both males and females share similar physical characteristics, with a black bill, dark brown eyes framed by black eyelids, and black legs, although at times, the legs can appear greenish or grey. During the breeding season, the male displays distinct features, including a white forehead, a blackish bar followed by a narrow white bar on the forecrown, while the remainder of the crown appears brown with sandy tips on the feathers. A black stripe, separated from the crown by a white superciliary stripe, runs from the bill through the eye and extends to the side of the neck, forming a collar across the upper mantle. The mantle is dark grey-brown, and the other upperparts are sooty brown with feathers featuring sandy rufous margins. The face...

Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:42

Zambia · 2022

© Dries Van de Loock · XC758524 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song and call0:44

Senegal · 2026

© Peter Boesman · XC1081125 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:08

South Africa · 2020

© Lynette Rudman · XC600651 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 West Coast National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~70%
2 Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary 🇸🇳 Senegal
~50%
3 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~50%
4 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~40%
5 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~40%
6 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~40%
7 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~30%
8 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~20%
9 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
10 De Hoop Nature Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
11 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
12 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
13 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~10%
14 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
15 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
16 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
17 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
18 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
19 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Antananarivo 🇲🇬 Madagascar
<5%
2 Cape Town 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
3 Maputo 🇲🇿 Mozambique
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Tierpark Hagenbeck 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Kittlitz's Plover in Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary?

Likely

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Kittlitz's Plover sighting in Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary on a given day, based on 84 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 50th most-seen of the 173 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Kittlitz's Plover in Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary?

February and March

In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Kittlitz's Plover in Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary on a given day, against about 10% in December, the lowest month. Those are among Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary's driest months, with almost no rain against 55 mm in August. June–July and September–October have too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Kittlitz's Plover?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Kittlitz's Plover sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary the best place to see a Kittlitz's Plover?

2nd of 19

Of the 19 parks where we can rate Kittlitz's Plover sightings, Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary ranks 2nd at about 50%. The best odds are in West Coast National Park (South Africa, about 70%). All parks ranked.

Which relatives of the Kittlitz's Plover live in Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary?

Same genus: Charadrius

The closest relatives of the Kittlitz's Plover that you can see in Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary (genus Charadrius, Holarctic Ringed Plovers and Allies) are Common Ringed Plover (about 70%) and Kentish Plover (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Kittlitz's Plover sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Kittlitz's Plover is recorded against all the birds logged in Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary (84 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.

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