Adults: Upperparts, brownish, with dark chestnut shoulder bars. Underparts, white, with a broad, black 'V' mark on the lower breast. Face, white. Frons, black. Eyeline, black. Wing-coverts, pale and streaked, with a chestnut shoulder patch. In flight, faint white wing-bar is visible. Tail, black, tipped and edged white. Eyering, red. Bill, red with black tip. Legs, reddish to yellowish.
Juveniles: Plainer, with no black 'V' mark on lower breast.
Immatures: Lacks breastband and black frons. Shoulder patch is paler chestnut.
Other Names (World)
Black-fronted Dotterel, Black-fronted Plover, Guttersnipe
Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops) [XC611844]
by Marc Anderson from Mount Wood Homestead area, Sturt NP, New South Wales, Australia (call)
Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops) [XC270003]
by Greg McLachlan from Tinaroo, Queensland, Australia (call)
Nest
A slight depression in the ground, lined with tiny pebbles, on shingles, usually close to water.
Eggs (Guide)
2 - 3; dull grey-green or stone, speckled dusky; oval to pyriform; about 29 x 20 mm. Incubation: about 26 days; by both sexes.
Young
Precocial, nidifugous.
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Similar Species
Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)
Smaller. Adult with breeding Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius). Eyebrow is narrower and does not form a thin white collar. Forehead is white. Eyering is bright yellow. Bill is shorter, thinner and black. Breastand is not shaped like a V and occurs on the upper as opposed to lower breast.
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