Male: Breeding: Forehead, eyebrow, underparts, including underwing, white. Lores, short eyestripe, forecrown, patches at the sides of breast, black. None of the patches join. Eye, dark brown. Crown, nape, fox-red. Back, wing coverts, grey, greater and primary coverts tipped white forming a white wing bar with white bases to primaries and secondaries. Center of rump, central tail feathers, dark brown. Sides of rump, outer tail feathers, white. Bill, black. Legs, black.
Female: Breeding: Black areas of breeding male plumage are less distinct. Crown, nape, sandy brown.
Immatures: Paler, with a scaly pattern to upperparts.
Other Names (World)
Red-capped Plover, Red-capped Dotterel, Red-necked Plover, Sand-lark
Red-capped Plover (Charadrius ruficapillus) [XC859727]
by nick talbot from Copley dam, South Australia, Australia (call)
Red-capped Plover (Charadrius ruficapillus) [XC65960]
by Peter Boesman from Lake Tasitolu, East Timor (call)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Mainly August - March in coastal regions, and June - September in the interior.
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Nest
A depression in the sand, usually lined with broken pieces of shell or tiny pebbles, usually near water.
Eggs (Guide)
2 - 3; pale green or stone, liberally spotted and dotted with dusky, with numerous underlying markings of lavender; oval to pyriform; about 29 x 21 mm. Incubation: 31 - 33 days; both sexes.
Young
Precocial, nidifugous.
Subspecies
Forms superspecies with White-fronted Plover (Charadrius marginatus), Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) and Javan Plover (Charadrius javanicus). All have on occasion been considered conspecific.
No subspecies.
Similar Species
Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)
Slightly larger. Paler, with a taller stance. More uniform back and underwing coverts. Has a complete white collar. Head and shoulders are cinnamon rather than fox-red. Eyestripe, extends further behind eye. Dark bands on sides of breast darker and longer. Bill, thinner and longer. Legs, longer and greyer.
Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)
Similar size. Female Red-capped Plover (Charadrius ruficapillus) with non-breeding. Has a black bill, with base of lower mandible yellow. Face is darker. Has a white collar. Has an incomplete breastband. Legs, longer and yellow or pale pink.
Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
Larger. Female Red-capped Plover (Charadrius ruficapillus) with non-breeding. Has a yellow bill, with a black tip. Face is darker. Has a white collar. Has a complete or almost complete breastband. Legs, longer and orange yellow.
Double-banded Plover (Charadrius bicinctus)
Larger. Female Red-capped Plover (Charadrius ruficapillus) with non-breeding. Face is darker. Remnants of two breast bands may be visible. Legs, dull yellow grey or grey green.
Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) may be a rare vagrant to Australia. Not yet observed, but there are many claims. Double-banded Plover (Charadrius bicinctus) is a winter visitor to Australia so only likely during late spring.
Compare Images
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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