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The little ringed plover (Thinornis dubius) is a small plover native to the Old World. It has mostly brown upperparts, a black neckband and a black mask around the eye with a noticeable yellow eyering. Its forehead, belly and the rest of the breast are white. A migratory species, it breeds in open gravel areas near freshwater, including gravel pits, islands and river edges. Its diet consists mainly of insects and worms, which it forages for in muddy areas.
The little ringed plover was formally described in 1786 as Chadrius dubius by the Austrian naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli. The specific dubius is Latin meaning "doubtful", "uncertain" or "dubious" since French naturalist Pierre Sonnerat in 1876 had thought this bird might be just a variant of the common ringed plover. The little ringed plover is now one of seven plovers placed in the genus Thinornis that was introduced in 1789 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek this meaning "beach" or "sand" with ornis meaning "bird".
