Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)Where and when to see it in the UK
Resident · reporting peaks August to September · Plovers and Lapwings · BOU category AF
Peak months
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (grid squares, place names from OS Open Names). Northern Ireland place names: OSNI Open Data, OGL v3.0. County and country boundaries: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0. Coastline: Natural Earth. Bird records from the data partners listed here.
Ringed Plover has been recorded in 1,520 of the 2,971 10 km squares covering UK land (51%) in records to 2026. Resident in the UK. Its strongest squares are in England, Scotland and Wales. Reporting peaks in August to September.
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, LC)
View on the IUCN Red List- Very high
- 29% or more of visits
- High
- 11% to 29%
- Moderate
- 4% to 11%
- Low
- under 4%
- Surveyed, not recorded
- at least 20 qualifying visits, no record
- Insufficient records
- too few visits to say
- Lighter fill
- Few visits, lower confidence
- Small dot
- Occasional: a single record, or out of season
Relative to this species' best squares (how classes are calculated)
Seasonality
| Month | Relative to peak | Share of visits | Typical class |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26% | 3% | Very high |
| February | 27% | 3% | Very high |
| March | 29% | 4% | Very high |
| April | 37% | 5% | Low |
| May | 66% | 8% | Very high |
| June | 49% | 6% | Very high |
| July | 50% | 6% | Very high |
| August | 96% | 12% | Very high |
| September | 100% | 12% | Very high |
| October | 59% | 7% | High |
| November | 31% | 4% | Very high |
| December | 24% | 3% | Very high |
Squares with the highest reporting rate in August
| Square | Where | Share of visits | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| D05 | Causeway Coast and Glens, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| HU37 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HU48 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HU68 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HY53 | Orkney Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HY64 | Orkney Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| J33 | Newry, Mourne and Down, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| J54 | Newry, Mourne and Down, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| J56 | Ards and North Down, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| NB03 | Na h-Eileanan Siar, Scotland | 100% | Very high |