These birds were quite common in a variety of open habitats. This individual is in non-breeding plumage. They are long-distance migrants breeding in the Russian Far-East and northern Alaska, and migrating as far as Australia and New Zealand. They usually arrive in Hawaii in August, but some individuals (mostly first year birds) may remain over the summer. The yellowish eyebrow, extensive gold spangling and short primary projection help distinguish this species from the similar American Golden-Plover (P. dominica). The two species were split in 1993. Formerly they went under the combined name, "Lesser Golden-Plover." The American Golden-Plover is not yet officially recorded in Hawaii, but there are a few controversial sight-records. Canon PowerShot SX60 HS.
References:
Chandler, R. (2009). Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia: A photographic guide. Princeton.
Johnson, O. W., P. G. Connors, and P. Pyle (2019). Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva), version 3.1. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.pagplo.03.1
O'Brien, M, Crossley, R. & Karlson, K. (2006). The Shorebird Guide. Houghton Mifflin.
Paulson, D. 2005. Shorebirds of North Amrica: The Photographic Guide. Princeton Univ. Press.
Pratt, H.D., Bruner, P., and Berrett, D.G. (1987) A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton University Press.
Pyle, R.L., and P. Pyle. 2017. The Birds of the Hawaiian Islands: Occurrence, History, Distribution, and Status. B.P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI, U.S.A. Version 2 (1 January 2017) http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/birds/rlp-monograph/
Wiersma, P. & Kirwan, G.M. (2020). Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/53818 on 24 January 2020).