Adults: Upperparts, pale grey-brown. Underparts, white. has a black hood, and a white nape. Lower neck and side of breast, black. White wing bar visible in flight. Eyering, red. Tail and rump, black, edged with white. Bill, red with black tip. Leg and feet, reddishish.
Juveniles: Pale overall, and brown where adult is black.
Immatures: Lacks hood. Upperparts, scaly, silvery grey, with a white collar. Smudgy, grey lapels. Bill, base pink, tip black. Eyering, pinkish. Legs, pinkish or pale yellow.
Other Scientific Names
Charadrius rubricollis [Collar and Andrew (1988)], Charadrius rubricollis [Collar et al. (1994)], Charadrius rubricollis [Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)], Charadrius rubricollis [BirdLife International (2000)]
Other Names (World)
Hooded Plover, Hooded Dotterel
Habitat
Sandy, ocean beaches, with the highest densities on beaches with large amounts of beach-washed seaweed, that are backed by extensive open dunes. Occasionally the margins of coastal lagoons and inland salt lakes.
Coastal southern Australia, including Tasmania, north to about Geraldton, WA in the west to about Jervis Bay, NSW in the east.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is 7,000 (2010) and decreasing.
Status VU
Low breeding success and thus low recruitment due to nesting failure resulting from the crushing of nests and eggs by off-road vehicles, trampling by livestock, disturbance by people and their dogs, flooding by spring tides, predation, and ill-considered beach erosion management is the main threat.
Nest
A depression in sand or among pebbles, shells or seaweed.
Eggs (Guide)
2 or 3; pale buff-brown or light stone, blotched dusky and lavender; oval; about 39 x 27 mm.
Young
Precocial, nidifugous.
Subspecies
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
cucullatus (Vieillot, 1818) - Coasts of southern New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia. Formerly coast of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales.
tregellasi Mathews, 1912 - Coastal and inland south-western western Australia.
Similar Species
Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops)
Smaller. Lacks the black hood, having a dark brown crown with a distinct white eyebrow. Has a distinct, solid black 'V' mark on the lower breast. Has faint white-wing bars. Legs longer. Normal found near freshwater and only rarely in tidal areas. Utters a metallic 'pink' when flushed.
Red-kneed Dotterel (Erythrogonys cinctus)
Smaller. Also has a black hood but lacks a white nape. Has a distinctive, solid black band on the breast. Has rufous flanks. Has trailing white edges to the wings. Has a black eyering. Legs and feet are brown-grey, knees reddish. Normal found near freshwater and only rarely in tidal areas.
Banded Lapwing (Vanellus tricolor)
Much larger. Also has dark brown upper parts and a wide black breast band. Bill is yellow. Has red lore wattle. Eyering is yellow. Legs and feet are dark reddish. Has a distinctive white wing-stripe which is readily visible in flight. Has a white rump and terminal black tail band. Usually on open grassland not usually near water.
Sanderling (Calidris alba)
Smaller. With immatures. Longer, all-black bill. Legs, black. Shoulder-patch, blackish. Lacks a white collar.
Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
Smaller. Underparts, off-white. White wing-bar, shorter and narrower. Breast patches larger. Stubbier bill. Legs, orange.
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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BirdLife International Species Factsheet