Lesser Golden-Plover / Dulili
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Lesser Golden-Plover / Dulili
Pluvialis dominica
Migratory Shorebird
The Lesser Golden-Plover, known in Chamoru as dulili, is Guam's most common shorebird. Each year, this bird arrives by the hundreds from August to October to spend the winter on Guam's warm beaches and lawns. In April, it migrates all the way to Alaska and Russia to raise a family.
Northern summers are short, so these birds hurry to raise their young before the weather becomes cold. The parents make hidden nests on the ground. They feed insects to their chicks. In the fall, plovers fly to the tropical Pacific.
Dulili spend much of their time searching for tiny crabs and marine worms on the reef. They can also be found on lawns in winter, hunting for flies and bugs. Their golden brown feathers fall out as summer gets closer. New black feathers grow out on their front. A dulili's head becomes white on the sides and neck. This beautiful color change attracts a mate to help raise a family.
A few dulili stay all summer and never fly north at all. These are young birds not old enough to breed. Their color never changes and they spend the summer at the beach. Dulili will gather with other shorebirds. Each kind of shorebird hunts a different way or eats a different food so there is plenty of food for all.
Another common kind of plover on Guam is the Mongolian Plover (Charadrius mongolus). Other plovers, although uncommon, are the Black-Bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola), the Great Sand-Plover (Charadrius leschenaultii), the Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula), the Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius), and the Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus). All plovers share the collective Chamoru term "dulili" and all are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Act.
Guam Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, 9/27/2005
