Common name: Kentish Plover.
Scientific name: Charadrius alexandrinus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Charadriidae
Distribution and Habitat: It occurs in the Madeira Archipelago, more precisely on the island of Porto Santo, occupying essentially coastal habitats, especially sand dunes.
Description: Bird with white underparts and dark upperparts. It has an incomplete dark breastband and dark feet.
Conservation statute and Threats: Critically endangered, it has an extremely reduced population (less than 50 adult individuals). There are no specific measures applied to the conservation of this species or its habitat.
Observations: The loss of its habitat caused by urban and tourist development constitutes, undoubtedly, the biggest threat to this species. It is a bird that you may easily see at the beach, which probably misleads you as to the species actual number.