Description: The largest in its subfamily, this plover weighs 170-225 gr, with the wing length of 18-20 cm. In adult males, the under-parts, sides of the neck and head, and the forehead are black, with the undertail being white. The back side is black with clear-marked white lateral streaks. The females are somewhat red-brownish on the back, with white marks on the under-parts of the body. In the autumn, the birds have whitish under-parts, and upper-parts are red-brownish with golden yellow streaks, and this makes them resemble golden plovers in this season.
Habitat: This is a migratory bird making nests in wet, yet not too mushy tundra and river flood plains; nesting in relatively dry areas of tundra are not uncommon either.
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