Smaller than the plover, it has a distinctive black and white colouration on its face. It has a black beak and pale coloured legs. Prior to the Second World War the lrp’s were seldom seen in this country. Since the war they have colonised successfully around the country, preferring habitats such as gravel pits and shingle. Their nests are barely a scrape on the ground but they and their eggs are well camouflaged making them extremely difficult to see from a distance.