Nombre en español: Chorlitejo Piquigrueso

Nombre en ingles: Wilson’s Plover

Nombre científico: Anarhynchus wilsonia

Familia: Charadriidae

Canto: Andrew Spencer

El títere playero, frailecillo de Wilson, chorlo de pico grueso, chichicuilote, chorlito gritón, turillo o chorlitejo picudo (Anarhynchus wilsonia) es una especie de ave Charadriiforme de la familia Charadriidae de las costas americanas desde el sudeste de los Estados Unidos hasta Brasil, incluyendo las Antillas; en el Caribees poco común. Habita todo el año en regiones subtropicales con un comportamiento migratorio.

Características

Mide entre 16 y 20 centímetros de longitud, 10 centímetros de alto y un peso de 55 a 70 gramos. En la época reproductiva el plumaje del dorso es de color pardo, cabeza café claro, frente blanca con una banda negra sobre ésta, la garganta y abdomen grisáceos divididos con una tenue línea café. En la época de reposo, no presenta la banda negra en la frente y la banda pectoral es poco notoria. El pico es negro y grueso, la cola es pequeña redondeada con plumas exteriores blancas y patas largas de color rosa grisáceo.

Hábitat

Es una especie estrictamente costera, habita en playas de arena, limo y roca, bordes de lagunas costeras, esteros y bancos de lodo en ríos y lagos.

Alimentación

Se alimenta de pequeños crustáceos, poliquetos, moluscos e insectos.

Etimología

La palabra chichicuilote, proviene del náhuatl tzitzicuiltic: Tzitzi = delgado y huilotl = paloma. Paloma delgada.

Subespecies

Se conocen cinco subespecies de Charadrius wilsonia:

Charadrius wilsonia beldingi (Ridgway, 1919)
Charadrius wilsonia brasiliensis Grantsau & Lima,P.C., 2008
Charadrius wilsonia cinnamominus (Ridgway, 1919)
Charadrius wilsonia rufinucha (Ridgway, 1874)
Charadrius wilsonia wilsonia Ord, 1814

Wilson’s plover

The Wilson’s plover (Anarhynchus wilsonia) is a small plover.

Wilson’s plover is a coastal wader which breeds on both coasts of the Americas from the equator northwards. Its range extends north to include much of the U.S. eastern seaboard, and the Pacific coast of Mexico on the west.

It is a partial migrant. Birds leave the United States, except Florida, to winter south in Brazil. Some Mexican birds leave in winter for Peru. Furthermore, a small resident population is known from Brazil, it being named as a new subspecies, brasiliensis, in 2008. In 2012 it was established that this is a junior synonym, and the correct name for the subspecies is crassirostris. This also means that one of the subspecies of the greater sand plover had to be renamed.

This strictly coastal plover nests on a bare scrape on sandy beaches or sandbars.

This is a small plover at 17–20 cm. The adult’s upper parts are mainly dark grey, with a short white wing bar and white tail sides. The underparts are white except for a breast band, and the legs are pink, brighter when breeding. The dark bill is large and heavy for a plover of this size. The call is a high weak whistle.

The breeding male has a black breast band, lores and forecrown, and a rufous mask. Females and non-breeding males have a similar plumage, but the black of the breeding male is replaced by brown or rufous. Non-breeders have a greyer tint to the head and breast band. Immature birds are similar to the female, but the breast band is often incomplete.

Wilson’s plovers forage for food on beaches, usually by sight, moving slowly across the beach. They have a liking for crabs, but will also eat insects and marine worms.

This bird was named after the Scottish-American ornithologist Alexander Wilson by his friend George Ord in 1814.