Plovers & Lapwings in Northamptonshire
6 species matching this filter.
Northamptonshire supports six recorded species from the Plovers & Lapwings family, ranging from familiar farmland birds to scarce passage visitors. The county's mix of reservoirs, gravel pits, and open agricultural land provides important habitat for species such as the Northern Lapwing and Little Ringed Plover, while rarer visitors like the Kentish Plover and Grey Plover occasionally appear during migration periods.

Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricariaLC
An uncommon non-breeding visitor forming flocks on ploughed fields and pastures from autumn through spring.
Sep–Apr

Grey Plover
Pluvialis squatarolaLC
A rare spring passage migrant, occasionally stopping at reservoir margins and flooded fields in April and May.
Apr–May

Kentish Plover
Charadrius alexandrinusLC
An exceptionally rare spring passage migrant, with only occasional April records at the county's reservoir and gravel pit margins.
Apr

Little Ringed Plover
Charadrius dubiusLC
An uncommon summer breeder at gravel pits and bare-ground sites, arriving in March and departing by September.
Mar–Sep

Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
A common resident of arable farmland and wet grassland. Winter flocks gather on ploughed fields, though breeding numbers are declining.
Year-round

Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
An uncommon breeder at gravel pits and reservoir margins, present from February to October with peak passage in spring.
Feb–Oct