What they like

Open, wet and wide. Short vegetation, muddy edges, bare fields, salt marshes and shore flats. Above all: quiet—fewer throngs of people and dogs, more time to feed. Make it easy for them with wet, muddy patches in pasture or arable land, and just let wet corners stay wet.

Ecological importance

A tasteful clean-up crew. He probes out earthworms, insect larvae and small snails from the soil; in winter also seeds. He themself is on the menu of the peregrine and the goshawk. Grey plovers are also a quick gauge: where the soil life is rich and the land is open, they turn up.

When in the Netherlands

Mostly a passage migrant and winter visitor. From autumn through early spring, with peaks in migration periods. In summer you see them much less.

Status

Not a breeding bird in the Netherlands. As a winter visitor and passage migrant common, but dependent on quiet, wet open spots. Give space, give wet edges, and let the soil live.