Listen to the European golden plover
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the European golden plover
The European golden plover is a bird in the family Charadriidae (order Charadriiformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 72 cm and weigh around 175 g.
What does the European golden plover sound like?
Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once. Songs tend to be long and patterned and are used to hold territory and attract a mate; calls are short signals for contact, alarm and flight.
The recordings here are labelled as call and nocturnal flight call. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The European golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria), also known as the Eurasian golden plover, greater golden plover, or just the golden plover within Europe, is a relatively large species of plover. This species is similar to two other golden plovers, the American golden plover, Pluvialis dominica, and Pacific golden plover, Pluvialis fulva, which are both slightly smaller, slimmer and longer-legged than European golden plover, and both have grey rather than white axillary (armpit) feathers (visible in flight, and when the bird stretches its wings on the ground).
More from the family Charadriidae
Northern lapwing
Vanellus vanellus
Little ringed plover
Charadrius dubius
Common ringed plover
Charadrius hiaticula
Kentish plover
Charadrius alexandrinus
Sociable lapwing
Vanellus gregarius
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Semipalmated plover
Charadrius semipalmatus
New Zealand dotterel
Charadrius obscurus
Yellow-wattled lapwing
Vanellus malabaricus
Piping plover
Charadrius melodus
Frequently asked questions
What does an European golden plover sound like?
You can hear 2 recordings of the European golden plover on this page, including its call and nocturnal flight call. Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once.
Is the European golden plover endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the European golden plover as “least concern”.
What family does the European golden plover belong to?
The European golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria) belongs to the family Charadriidae in the order Charadriiformes.
Sources & credits
- Call · Dovre, Oppland by Bushman – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call, nocturnal flight call · Latokaski, Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland by Mikko Heikkinen – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q21148 – CC0
- Wikipedia: European golden plover – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by W. Bulach – CC BY-SA 4.0