Submission No 193: American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica, Cairns Esplanade, QLD. 24 February 1995.

Verdict: Not Accepted

This case concerns a Pluvialis plover seen and photographed on the Cairns Esplanade, NE. Qld on 24 February 1995. The bird was viewed by two experienced observers for up to one and half hours in clear bright conditions and to within two metres as it foraged on tidal mudflats in association with other golden plovers considered to be Pluvialis fulva. The notes submitted detail a Pluvialis plover with a distinct grey appearance to most wing coverts, a grey breast and some golden spangling present on the mantle, back, scapulars and tertials. Particular attention was paid to the markedly attenuated appearance of the rear end and to the extent of the primary projection beyond the tail relative to the length of the tertials. Four primary-tips were visible beyond the tip of the longest visible tertial, and the extension of the primaries beyond the tail-tip was estimated to be >2 cm. The observers felt after close scrutiny that all of the remiges were new and in a fresh, fully intact condition. Taking this into account and comparing identification characters mentioned in Shorebirds (1986) the observers understandably considered that they had reasonable grounds for a claim as P. dominica.

The Committee fully acknowledges how notoriously difficult it can sometimes be to separate P. dominica from Pacific Golden Plover P. fulva in the field, and we cannot emphasize enough the amount of detail required to reach a 100% positive identification. Many ornithologists consider this species pair among the most difficult of wader identification challenges. It is fairly well known that the plumage characteristics of fulva vary considerably, both individually and with such factors as wear, fading and moult, and that overlap is possible in many of the plumage characters useful in identification, including some often considered diagnostic for dominica. In particular, many fulva can show a markedly grey appearance (lacking any buff tones) coupled with bold whitish supercilia, a strongly-capped and seemingly rather long-winged attenuated appearance in addition to other more subtle characters often considered as indicative of dominica. However, much depends on age, wear, moult and an accurate assessment of these aspects. To adequately accept an American Golden Plover beyond all reasonable doubt will therefore require that all characters important in identification be carefully and fully documented. Furthermore, we cannot emphasise more strongly the need to consider such factors as age and the effects plumage wear, fading and moult when arriving at an identification. From our research some of the key features relevant to the identification of birds in juvenile and non-breeding plumage include:

• Are all the tertials present? (on each wing there should be three obvious ones staggered in length plus a less obvious relatively short forth one partly visible beneath the longest one).
• The ratio of primary projection compared with the length of the longest tertial.
• The number of primary tips-visible beyond the longest tertial and beyond the tip of the tail and their relative spacing.
• The position of the tip of the longest tertial relative to the tip of the tail.
• The strength and extent of any buff tones and golden or buff spangling anywhere on the bird.
• In flight views, the presence and extent of any foot-projection beyond the tip of the tail.
• The flight call and any other calls.
• Any differences in overall size and structure; note, these are rather subtle, subjective and difficult to appreciate and are of only minor importance compared with the above characters.

In summary the committee felt that the notes and photograph provided with this submission do not adequately detail all of the above features well enough to prove the identification beyond all reasonable doubt. Moreover, several members noted from the photograph that the tertials were in active moult: of the two visible tertials, the outermost is an old basic (=non-breeding) feather and the inner one an alternate (=breeding) feather, very fresh and judging by its length, not fully grown. The adjacent (next inner) tertial (which should be the longest) is not visible and is almost certainly missing through moult; it’s absence, coupled with the apparently still-growing alternate tertial, naturally gives the bird a longer-winged appearance than would otherwise be the case had the longest tertial been present. The photograph also hints at buff tones around the face which, if real and not an artifact of the photograph, would favour P. fulva and not P. dominica; however, this is difficult to determine accurately from the photograph and this point is inconclusive.

The committee would like to add that to date there is only one confirmed record of this species for Australia, that being a worn and faded juvenile seen and photographed at Byron Bay, NSW on 8 November 1994 (BARC case no. 189). Detailed field notes and photographs were invaluable in confirming the identification of that individual.

References and Bibliography

• Alstrom, P. British Birds 83: 70-2.
• Chandler, R.J.1989. North Atlantic Shorebirds. London and Basingstoke.
• Hayman, P. et al. 1986. Shorebirds. Croom Helm, London.
• Lewington I, Alstrom P. & Colston P. 1991. A Field Guide to the Rare Birds of Britain and Europe. Harper Collins.
• Rosair D. & Cottridge D. 1995. Photographic Guide to Waders of the World. Hamlyn.
• Golley, M & Stoddart, A. 1991. Identification of American and Pacific Golden Plovers. Birding World: 4: 195-204
• Stoddard, A. 1989. Pacific Golden Plover in Norfolk. Birding World 2: 244-247
• Gantlett, S & Millington R. 1995. The Pacific Golden Plover at Cley, Norfolk. Birding World [CITE VOL. NO.]:438-439.
• HANZAB Vol 2 (note: the only currently available ID info written from an Australian/southern hemisphere perspective).

Tony Palliser
Chairman Birds Australia Rarities Committee (BARC)