Distribution

Fig. 1. Distribution of American and Pacific Golden-Plovers in N. America and Siberia.

The Americas

Breeding Range

American Golden-Plover. Small populations nest along coast of Hudson Bay at Cape Henrietta Maria in ne. Ontario and near Pen Is. at northernmost tip of Ontario; other localized breeding grounds probably occur in the coastal region between these two widely separated sites (Peck and James 1983, 1993, Ross et al. 2003, Cadman et al. 2007).

Main breeding range (Fig. 1) from ne. Manitoba (Churchill region) across most of Nunavut and Northwest Territories including major islands of Southampton, Victoria, Banks, Melville, Devon, and much of Baffin); south through the Yukon Territory (for recent nesting records in sw. Yukon see Nouvet et al. 2008) to nw. British Columbia (1 confirmed breeding record on Spatsizi Plateau, “probably” American Golden-Plover; see Campbell et al. 1990); west through n. and central Alaska, including entire Seward Peninsula; then south along Norton Sound, to watersheds of the Pikmiktalik and Andreafsky rivers; also Cape Romanzof (B. McCaffery in litt.), Askinuk Mtns. (Conover 1945), Nelson I. (Connors et al. 1993, Am. Ornithol. Union 1998), and Lake Clark/Lake Iliamna region (Bennett 1996).

Pacific Golden-Plover. Sympatric with American Golden-Plover in w. Alaska (Fig. 1). Nests along the Chukchi and Bering Sea coasts of Alaska from at least Cape Krusenstern (Connors et al. 1993) south to at least Cape Peirce and the Ahklun Mtns. (Petersen et al. 1991); inland along entire Seward Peninsula, much of Yukon-Kuskokwim region to at least Kisaralik Lake in Kuskokwim Mtns. (B. McCaffery in litt.); also St. Lawrence, Nunivak, Nelson islands (Am. Ornithol. Union 1998), and Hagemeister I. (A. Aderman in litt.); the upper Nushagak River drainage northwest of Lake Iliamna (Bennett 1996); on the Alaska Peninsula from Naknek and King Salmon southward to Port Heiden at 56.9° N (Savage and Johnson 2005) and beyond to at least 56.2 N in the Big Sandy River region (S. Savage in litt. 2009); and westward from the King Salmon region with reports from Dillingham, Manokotak, and the Nushagak Peninsula (see Johnson et al. 2001a, Savage and Johnson 2005). Possibly, a “rare breeder” on St Matthew I., Bering Sea (Winker et al. 2002). No records of breeding in the Aleutian I. (Gibson and Byrd 2007).

Breeding distribution of both species needs further study and revision. Vast Canadian range of American Golden-Plover shown in Fig. 1 (based mostly on Godfrey 1986, Byrkjedal and Thompson 1998) traverses many remote and nearly inaccessible regions, thus boundaries somewhat arbitrary. In Alaska, American Golden-Plover range probably includes Nunivak I. (Conover 1945) and many high tundra ridges in southwestern and south-central parts of state, including Talkeetna Mtns., s. Wrangell Mtns. (M. Bronson and P. Bruner pers. comm.), and e. Wrangell Mtns. (Sage 1975). Limits of Pacific Golden-Plover range may extend from Barrow region (Conover 1945, Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959, Connors et al. 1993) to tip of Alaska Peninsula (behavior suggesting nest nearby was observed at Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in 1987; R. Gill, Jr., in litt.).

Winter Range

Both species occur in North America (Fig. 1), Pacific Golden-Plover more regular and in greater numbers than American Golden-Plover. Scattered records along Pacific Coast muddled because of past confusion in identifying the 2 forms (see Johnson and Johnson 2004); however, only Pacific Golden-Plover known to winter in California (Mlodinow 1993, Small 1994, Am. Ornithol. Union 1998), suggesting that questionable birds are of this species.

American Golden-Plover. Rare along Atlantic and Gulf coasts of U.S., most records in Florida (see Paulson and Lee 1992). A few probably winter in Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, and Guyana, though late fall stragglers or early spring migrants could be misinterpreted as wintering birds. Some sightings in Central America possibly Pacific Golden-Plover (see Ridgely and Gwynne 1989). Primary winter range is on grasslands, coastal and inland wetlands, and farmlands from s. Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul), Paraguay, s. Bolivia, and Chile (to Santiago) southward through Uruguay and Argentina (to Cordoba, Mendoza, Bahia Blanca; some birds ranging to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego)[Am. Ornithol. Union 1998; Minton et al. 1996; Blanco et al. 2006b]. Wintering also reported from northern-coastal and inland Brazil (see below). Paraguay apparently hosts mostly southbound transients since plovers become rare after mid-Dec (Hayes et al. 1990). Only small numbers occur in Chile, and records might include misidentified Pacific Golden-Plovers. American Golden-Plovers appear to be only occasional transients at San Jose del Cabo and La Paz at the southern end of Baja California Sur (Unitt 2001, Carmona et al. 2008), and they are extremely rare elsewhere on the Peninsula (see Erickson and Howell 2001).

Pacific Golden-Plover. Golden-Plovers (most likely this species) rare along Pacific Coast from s. British Columbia (Fraser River estuary) through Oregon; numbers increase (definite Pacific Golden-Plovers) in California, especially in southern part of state, including offshore islands (Cogswell 1977, Garrett and Dunn 1981, Campbell et al. 1990, Paulson 1993, Small 1994). A few sightings in s. Alaska suggest wintering (Gill et al. 1995), but most or all may be stragglers. Occasional on the Baja Peninsula (Wilbur 1987, see Erickson and Howell 2001), Guadalupe I., Mexico (Jehl and Everett 1985, Howell and Webb 1992a), Revillagigedo I., Mexico (Friedmann et al. 1950, Santaella and Sada 1991, Howell and Webb 1992b, Wanless et al. 2009), and records exist for Galapagos I. and Chile (Ridgely and Gwynne 1989, Am. Ornithol. Union 1998).

Outside The Americas

Breeding Range

American Golden-Plover. Reported breeding on Chukotskiy Peninsula, Russia, in late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (Vaurie 1965, Portenko 1972). Present status in the region needs clarification, but subsequent observations and collections indicate probable nesting there (Tomkovich 1988a, Tomkovich and Soloviev 1988). Parents with chicks reported on Wrangel I., Russia (though sighting questioned by Russian Wader Records Committee; see Kondratiev 1989); possible breeding pair seen on nearby Herald I. (Stishov and Pridatko 1990).

Pacific Golden-Plover. Nests across n. Siberia from Yamal Peninsula (where sympatric with Eurasian Golden-Plover) eastward to Chukotskiy Peninsula; also on Dikson I. (Tomkovich and Vronski 1988), Bol’shoy Lyakhovskiy I. (Kistchinski 1988), Wrangel I., and possibly Herald I. (Dorogoy 1982, Stishov and Pridatko 1990). Breeding range above the Arctic Circle, except for southward extension from Chukotskiy Peninsula, through Anadyr region, to Kolpakova River on Kamchatka Peninsula (Vaurie 1965, Flint et al. 1984, Lobkov 1986,Kistchinski 1988, Gerasimov et al. 1999). Breeding much farther south in the Stanovoi Mtns. near Manchurian border (Dementiev et al. 1951, Am. Ornithol. Union 1998) was considered invalid by Vaurie (1965). As in the Alaska breeding range, southern boundaries in some regions of Russia uncertain pending additional field studies.

Winter Range

Pacific Golden-Plover. Winters over about half the earth’s circumference. Occupies upland and coastal habitats from Hawaiian I. to e.-central Japan, Okinawa, Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Australia (especially along coasts of s. Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and se. South Australia), s. China, Taiwan, se. Asia (including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines,), Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran, Bahrain, and ne. Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia) [Ali and Ripley 1980, Hayman et al. 1986, Inskipp and Inskipp 1991, Am. Ornithol. Union 1998, Islam and Islam 2002, Zöckler et al. 2005, Bishop 2006, Crossland et al. 2006, Round 2006, Bamford et al. 2008, Li et al. 2009].

Extralimital Records

Casual or accidental in many places (Cramp and Simmons 1983, Am. Ornithol. Union 1998). Some wanderers probably result of breeding-ground sympatry and occasional association with the “wrong flock,” such as Pacific Golden-Plovers from western end of range migrating with Eurasian Golden-Plovers to Europe. Notable records, American Golden-Plover: Okinawa (Brazil 1991), New Zealand (Marchant and Higgins 1993), Japan (Watanabe 2000), Mauritania (Schmaljohann and Toma (2005); Pacific Golden-Plover: male in breeding plumage, Yukon Territory (Eckert and Sinclair 2000), spring migrant (probable female), Texas (Lockwood 2007), fall migrant, New York State (McGuinness (2003); both species: Netherlands (mostly Pacific Golden-Plover) and in Britain and Ireland (mostly American Golden-Plover) reviewed in Roselaar 1990 (also see Jukema 1992, and annual British Birds Rarities Committee reports at http://www.bbrc.org.uk/waders.htm). Several reports of American Golden-Plovers in Australia were considered unacceptable by Marchant and Higgins (1993).

Historical Changes

Some of the following probably reflect more thorough ornithological exploration in recent years rather than actual changes in distribution.

American Golden-Plover

Small numbers wintering along northern coast of Brazil (Morrison and Ross 1989). Extensive deforestation in Amazonia producing new habitats for migrating and wintering plovers (Stotz et al. 1992, Sick 1993); according to Sick, American Golden-Plovers are “abundant in central Brazil until end of February.” Favorable habitats resulting from settlement may account for occasional wintering in e. U.S. (Paulson and Lee 1992). Likely breeding (“probably” American Golden-Plover) in Ithca Mtns., British Columbia, about 600 km south of previously known range (Campbell et al. 1990).

Pacific Golden-Plover

Nesting on n. Taymyr Peninsula, Russia, 76°11' N, at Nizhnyaya Taymyra River (Rogacheva 1992), previously to 75°N (Vaurie 1965). Presence of birds in Yugorskiy Peninsula-Bolshezemelskaya Tundra Region of Russia during breeding season (Estafiev 1991) suggests possible nesting westward from known range on Yamal Peninsula. A few birds, presumably wintering, found at Diego Garcia I., Indian Ocean, in Mar 1995 (P. Bruner pers. comm.). A population of Pacific Golden-Plovers that previously wintered in The Netherlands (presumably birds of western Siberian provenance) has possibly disappeared in the past few decades (Jukema et al. 2001, Jukema and Piersma 2002).

Fossil History

Little is known concerning fossil history of Charadriidae (Olson 1985). Bones of “Pluvialis sp.” found in late Pleistocene cave sediments, ne. Mexico (Steadman et al. 1994). Olson and James (1982) reported Pacific Golden-Plover fossils ranging from “6,700 ybp [years before present] to much younger” from Oahu, Molokai, and Kauai, Hawaiian I. Fossil bones of Pacific Golden-Plover dating to 120,000 ybp in Pleistocene lake deposit on Oahu represent “oldest available evidence” for transpacific migration in this species (James 1987).