Characteristics of the Egyptian Plover

Appearance

• The Egyptian plover is a very bright and distinctive bird. It's small, up to 8 inches tall, with a tawny orange breast and blue-gray wings. Its head is black with strong white markings, and it has black bands down the sides of its breast and the middle of its back.

Habitat and Diet

• Egyptian plovers live mostly along rivers in sub-Saharan Africa, although they may occasionally appear around ponds or lakes. Egyptian plovers are often found near settlements and towns. They prefer sandy banks to grassy ones and do not like forested areas or saltwater estuaries. In the wild, Egyptian plovers eat insects, worms, seeds and mollusks. Egyptian plovers are particularly fond of small flies and enjoy a primarily carnivorous diet, so when these birds are kept in a zoo, the zoo staff feeds them, among other things, dog food.

Reproduction

• Egyptian plovers mate in solitary pairs during times when water is low. They lay two or three eggs at a time and make their nests in a sandy bank. When they leave, they cover the eggs with sand. This may be to protect the eggs from predators or to help regulate their temperature. Both males and females will sit on the nests. Because it's so hot where they live, Egyptian plovers spend a lot of time actually cooling their eggs off by first wading in the water, then using their wet feathers to wet down the eggs.

Chicks

• Chicks are born with the ability to get around quickly. They can leave the nest after just one day and start feeding themselves soon after. Parent Egyptian plovers treat their chicks similarly to eggs in that they will hide them in the sand to protect them and will cool them off with wet feathers.

Relationship to Crocodiles

• Plovers are called crocodile birds because they live in such close contact with the Nile crocodiles. An ancient story exists of plovers sitting in the mouths of crocodiles to pick out meat from between their teeth. This behavior has never been documented as fact, but if it is true, then it is believed that the crocodiles leave them alone because they know that the birds are providing them with a valuable dental service.