Plovers
The Red-capped Plovers (Charadrius ruficapillus), also known as the Red-capped Dotterel, is a small plover closely related to the Kentish Plover.
Description
Red-capped Plovers White underparts and forehead; upperparts mainly grey-brown. Adult male has rufous crown and hindneck.
Adult female has paler rufous and grey brown crown and hindneck, with pale loral stripe (= loral area is the area between beak and eyes). Upperwing shows dark brown remiges (flight feathers – typically only visible in flight) and primary coverts with white wingbar in flight.
Measurements: length 14-16 cm; wingspan 27-34 cm; weight 35-40 g.
Distribution
Widespread in Australia; straggler to New Zealand
Habitat
Coastal estuaries, bays, beaches, sandflats and mudflats; inland saline wetlands.
Food
Mainly small invertebrates, especially mollusks, crustaceans and worms.
Breeding
Nests on ground in vicinity of wetlands; nest a small depression with no minimal lining. Clutch of 2 pale yellowish-brown eggs, irregularly spotted black. Incubation period 30 days; incubating mainly done by female. Young precocial and nidifugous.
Conservation
With a large range and no evidence of significant population decline, this species’ conservation status is of Least Concern.
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia.org … Additional information and photos added by Avianweb.
Please Note: The articles or images on this page are the sole property of the authors or photographers. Please contact them directly with respect to any copyright or licensing questions. Thank you.
