Adults: Breeding: Forehead, white, sometimes with a narrow black line at base of bill. Eyestripe, from lores to ear, black. Forecrown, black. Eyebrow, short, white, connecting across crown forming a white posterior border to the black forecrown. Eye, dark brown. Eyering, yellow and broad. Crown, hind neck, back, rump, uppertail coverts, wing coverts, greyish-brown, greater coverts lightly edged white forming an inconspicuous wing bar. A narrow collar, white, and bordered behind by black, which continues forming a narrow black breast band. Tail, greyish-brown, distal half becoming black with a white tip, outmost feathers nearly all white. Throat, breast, belly, undertail coverts, underwing, white. Bill, black, with base of lower mandible yellow. Legs, yellow or pale pink. Non-breeding: Black of head replaced with brown or blackish-brown. Eyebrow, buff. Forehead, buff. Breastband browner or mixed black and brown and incomplete.
Immatures: Similar to non-breeding adult, but head markings less distinct, buff edges to back feathers and buff feathers in breast band. Legs, pale yellowish.
Derivation
Cha-rad'-ri-us - Gk, charadrios, valley bird: dubius - L., uncertain, doubtful (Scopoli, the first describer, was uncertain whether the bird was a distinct species)
Habitat
Sandy or pebbly river banks, mudflats and occasionally arable land, prefering freshwater to coastal regions.
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