American Golden-Plover
Learn to identify the American Golden-Plover by ear. Master the "toodlink... wit-weeyou-wit" phrase and tell it apart from similar species.
What the American Golden-Plover sounds like
A sleek, elegant plover with a back sprinkled in gold and wings that seem too long for its body. In breeding plumage it looks stunning—inky black below with a crisp white border—while fall birds melt into fields in soft brown and gray.
“toodlink... wit-weeyou-wit”
How to tell it apart
Where you'll hear it
Breeds on dry Arctic tundra with lichens, moss, and low shrubs. During migration, it turns up in plowed fields, short grass, sod farms, shorelines, and mudflats.
Most birders find it in spring and fall, often in open farm country or mixed shorebird flocks. Late-spring adults can look sharply black-and-white; fall birds are plainer, softer, and easy to overlook.
Similar species
Black-bellied Plover
Black-bellied Plover is bulkier, with a bigger head, heavier chest, and stouter bill.
Pacific Golden-Plover
Pacific Golden-Plover usually looks more compact and shorter-winged; American looks longer-winged and sleeker.
European Golden-Plover
European Golden-Plover is stockier and shorter-winged, with a rounder, less streamlined look.