Golden Plover Call MP3s
A clear, whistling golden plover call recorded for upland and coastal wader hunters working open ground during migration.
Also known as
Recordings (4)
About this species
A migratory wader (shorebird) measuring roughly 28 cm, the Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria) is unmistakable — spangled gold and black above, glowing in the low light of upland moors. It breeds on open upland moor and tundra, wintering on lowland fields and coasts.
It calls with a plaintive, liquid 'tlui' whistle, mournful across open ground. It gleans insects, worms and small seeds from short turf and bare ground. It gathers in spectacular flocks, wheeling in tight formation over roost and field. A traditional quarry of coastal marshes, it is most numerous on migration and through the winter.
Legal use
The European Golden Plover is one of the few wader species with a legal open hunting season in Great Britain, typically running from 1 September to 31 January, though it remains protected outside that window under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (and its quarry status is itself under review, with Wales proposing removal from the huntable list). Legal status elsewhere in its European and North African range is inconsistent — some countries permit limited seasonal hunting while others protect it fully — so this is not a species you can assume is huntable EU-wide. Confirm your country's current season dates and rules before hunting; see our full country-by-country disclaimer.