Plovers & Lapwings in Suffolk

5 species matching this filter.

All birds in SuffolkView family page

Suffolk's diverse coastal habitats, estuaries, and inland wetlands provide excellent conditions for plovers and lapwings, with five species recorded across the county. The shingle beaches of Orford Ness and the mudflats of the Stour and Deben estuaries are particularly important for Ringed Plover and Grey Plover, while the Northern Lapwing remains an iconic sight across Suffolk's farmland and marshes. Little Ringed Plover can be found breeding at gravel pits and reservoir margins during the summer months, and large flocks of Golden Plover gather on arable fields in winter.

Little Ringed Plover
Little Ringed PloverSmallest · 14cm
to
Northern Lapwing
Northern LapwingLargest · 31cm
Ranges from the Little Ringed Plover (14cm) to the Northern Lapwing (31cm)4 year-round residents
Golden Plover

Golden Plover

Pluvialis apricariaLC

An uncommon visitor to ploughed fields and coastal marshes, mainly outside summer. Large winter flocks sometimes gather on arable land inland.

Jul–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Grey Plover

Grey Plover

Pluvialis squatarolaLC

Found year-round on Suffolk's estuarine mudflats and shingle shores, with numbers peaking in winter at sites like the Deben.

Year-round

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Little Ringed Plover

Little Ringed Plover

Charadrius dubiusLC

An uncommon summer breeder favouring gravel pits and reservoir margins in Suffolk, arriving from March and departing by September.

Mar–Sep

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Northern Lapwing

Northern Lapwing

Vanellus vanellusNT

A common year-round resident of farmland and wet grassland. Winter flocks can be impressive, though breeding numbers have declined significantly.

Year-round

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Ringed Plover

Ringed Plover

Charadrius hiaticulaLC

An uncommon resident nesting on Suffolk's shingle beaches, with numbers boosted by passage migrants in spring and autumn.

Year-round

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

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