Double-banded plover

Double-banded plover
Breeding Plumage
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Charadriiformes
Family:	Charadriidae
Genus:	Charadrius
Species:	C. bicinctus
Binomial name
Charadrius bicinctus Jardine & Selby, 1827

The double-banded plover (Charadrius bicinctus), known as the banded dotterel in New Zealand, is a small (18 cm) wader in the plover family of birds. It lives in beaches, mud flats, grasslands and on bare ground. Two subspecies are recognised, the nominate Charadrius bicinctus bicinctus breeding in New Zealand^[2] and the Chatham Islands and Charadrius bicinctus exilis breeding in the Auckland Islands.^[3]

Adults in breeding plumage are white, with a dark greyish brown back, and have a distinctive brown breast, with a thinner band of black below the neck, and between the eyes and beak. Younger birds have no bands, and are often speckled brown on top, with less white parts.

They are fairly widespread in the south of New Zealand, but not often seen in the north. The nominate subspecies is partly migratory, breeding in New Zealand and the Chatham Islands and some wintering in Australia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji, others staying in New Zealand. The Auckland Islands subspecies is sedentary but some birds move from their territories to the shore.

Their eggs are grey, speckled with black, making them well camouflaged against river stones and pebbles, which make up the main structure of their very simple nest.

In 2013 local Maori in the Pencarrow Coast, Wellington region placed a rahui on the area, to protect 20 pairs banded dotterel from dogs and cars.^[4]

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  A double-banded plover nest.

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  Double-banded plover eggs.

Videos

• Play media

  August, SE Queensland, Australia

• Play media

  April, SE Queensland, Australia

References

1. BirdLife International (2013). "Charadrius bicinctus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
2. "Specimens of Charadrius bicinctus bicinctus". Collections Online. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
3. "Holotype of Charadrius bicinctus exilis". Collections Online. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
4. Restrictions in place to protect rare bird. 3 News NZ. 3 October 2013.

• Stephen Marchant (Editor), P. J. Higgins (Editor) (1994) Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds: Volume 2: Raptors to Lapwings. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-553069-8

External links

• photo of eggs - S.Reekie