“I was passing through this area and stopped to check out the waders. It was extremely hot at 12 noon and I spotted this Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius curonicus) that was employing a gular flutter to keep cool.
“Frank B. Gill. Ornithology 3rd Edition 2007 states: ‘To supplement panting when they are hot, some birds rapidly vibrate the hyoid muscles and bones in their throats. This action, called gular fluttering, increases the rate of evaporative water loss from the mouth lining and upper throat.‘
“I was a bit puzzled by the plumage. The brown fringes to the plumage suggested the bird was moulting. The presence of ‘golden-buff’ on the forehead suggest a juvenile bird (1st Winter, see Helm guides descriptions). Juveniles are also described as having ‘warm-buff fringes’ and ‘faint buff supercilium’.
“The bird was standing on one foot for a while and ignored me in the heat. So I managed a few short video of the heating loosing behaviour and plumage, see video below:”
Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
16th December 2015
Location: Malim Nawar Wetlands, Perak, Malaysia
Habitat: Extensive ex-tin mining area with extensive pond/lakes, wetlands, fish farming