Pacific Golden Plover

The Pacific golden plover is a medium-sized migratory plover that breeds in summer in Alaska and Siberia and migrates widely across the Pacific in the non-breeding season. Adults are about 25 cm long with a wingspan averaging 61 cm. Lean birds weigh about 135 g, rising to about 200 g before the flight north (Wikipedia, general species account).

In breeding plumage the male is spotted gold and black on the crown, back and wings, with a black face, neck and breast bordered in white; the female is similar but with a mottled, less distinct black breast. Non-breeding birds look alike in both sexes. The species has no subspecies (Wikipedia, general species account).