Plovers & Lapwings in Dorset
Our list for Dorset has 5 plovers & lapwings recorded regularly there: 1 resident, 2 summer visitors and 2 winter visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Dorset in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 5, most common first
Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusResidentCommon28–31 cmRecorded all year
Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticulaSummer visitorCommon17–19 cmRecorded all year
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaWinter visitorUncommon27–30 cmRegularly Aug–May
Little Ringed PloverThinornis dubiusSummer visitorUncommon14–17 cmRegularly Mar–Aug
Golden PloverPluvialis apricariaWinter visitorUncommon26–29 cmRegularly Aug–Mar
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Little Ringed Plover 14–17 cm
- Ringed Plover 17–19 cm
- Golden Plover 26–29 cm
- Grey Plover 27–30 cm
- Northern Lapwing 28–31 cm
Body length, bill to tail. Rare birds in grey.
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made