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The European golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria) is a bird found in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, and 1 more countries. Moors and tundra in summer; fields and coasts in winter. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, fruit and seeds and nuts. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

🏡 Where the European golden plover lives

Moors and tundra in summer; fields and coasts in winter.

🍽️ What it eats

• 🐛 Insects & bugs70%
• 🍎 Fruit10%
• 🌰 Seeds & nuts10%
• 🌿 Leaves & plants10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

Hear the European golden plover

Recorded by Stanislas Wroza (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1167994. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the European golden plover

Where does the European golden plover live?

The European golden plover lives in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, and 1 more countries. Moors and tundra in summer; fields and coasts in winter.

What does the European golden plover eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 70%), fruit (about 10%), seeds and nuts (about 10%), leaves and other plant parts (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the European golden plover endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Europe

• Common whitethroat
• Redpoll
• Redwing
• Common crane
• Common merganser
• Red kite

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.