Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria)Where and when to see it in the UK
Status not yet classified · reporting peaks October · 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.
Golden Plover has been recorded in 1,915 of the 2,971 10 km squares covering UK land (64%) in records to 2026. Its strongest squares are in England, Scotland and Wales. Reporting peaks in October.
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, LC)
View on the IUCN Red List- Very high
- 30% or more of visits
- High
- 7% to 30%
- Moderate
- 2% to 7%
- Low
- under 2%
- 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 | 65% | 5% | Very high |
| February | 59% | 5% | Very high |
| March | 36% | 3% | Very high |
| April | 19% | 1% | Very high |
| May | 10% | <1% | Low |
| June | 8% | <1% | Very high |
| July | 18% | 1% | Very high |
| August | 44% | 3% | Very high |
| September | 69% | 5% | Moderate |
| October | 100% | 8% | Very high |
| November | 81% | 6% | High |
| December | 65% | 5% | Very high |
Squares with the highest reporting rate in October
| Square | Where | Share of visits | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| HU16 | Sea, off Shetland Islands | 100% | Very high |
| HU25 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HU49 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HU58 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HU68 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| J34 | Newry, Mourne and Down, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| J53 | Newry, Mourne and Down, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| J56 | Ards and North Down, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| NC03 | Highland, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| NG55 | Highland, Scotland | 100% | Very high |