The golden orbital plover (héng), a genus of plovers in the family Ploveridae, has 3 subspecies differentiation: nominate subspecies, common subspecies, and South-West Asian species. It is a small wader with a body length of 153–183 mm and a weight of 28–48 g. The eyelids are golden yellow around them, hence the name. It is a migratory bird that winters in Africa and breeds in Europe and western Asia at other times. It often inhabits lakes, river beaches or rice paddies. Single or paired activities, occasionally also integrated into small groups, especially during the migration season and winter.
The upper body is sandy brown and the lower body is white. Summer feathers have white forehead and eyebrow lines, and the frontal base and the front of the head are black. The auricular, peri-eye, and posterior ear areas are black and are connected to the frontal base and the front of the crown of the head. The back of the neck has a white ring band that is connected downwards to the chin and larynx white, followed by a black collar around the upper back and upper chest. The black of the forehead and frontal base of the winter feathers is replaced by brown, and the forehead is brownish white or yellowish white. The primary flight feathers are black brown, the central tail feathers are grayish brown, and the outer pair of tail feathers are white.
It is often active on the beach or sand and gravel ground by the water, and walks very fast when active. It is often foraging as it walks, accompanied by a monotonous and delicate call. It feeds mainly on insects, and also eats plant seeds, worms, etc. The breeding season is from May to July, and nests on the banks of rivers, lakes or small islands and sandbars in the center of rivers. 1 clutch of eggs is laid per year, and 3-5 eggs are laid per clutch. The eggs are sandy yellow or duck eggs green and covered with brown spots. The chicks are early, able to walk shortly after their shells and fly with their parent birds in less than 1 month.
Plover genus, a total of 30 species of small and medium-sized waders, including sword plover, red-breasted plover, golden plover, red-crowned plover, thick-billed plover, oriental plover, sacred island sand plover and so on. The color of the feathers is mostly gray-brown, which often changes with season and age. The tarsals are slender and the lower part of the shin is bare. Widely distributed all over the world. It is a migratory bird with extremely strong flight ability. They usually migrate along coastlines and rivers. The living environment is mostly related to wetlands and cannot be separated from water. The beak is short and feeds mainly on insects , worms , and other invertebrates.