The inland dotterel is an endemic bird of the arid Australian interior. It forms loose flocks in sparsely vegetated gibber plain and claypans in the day where it loafs in the shade and eats shoots of shrubs. It is most often encountered at night when it forages on roads for insects. The relative remoteness of its habitat means that it is not well studied. The most detailed observations of the species were made by the South African arid-zone ornithology specialist Gordon Maclean in the 1970s. Alternate English names include Australian plover, inland plover, desert plover and prairie plover.
Region
Australian interior
Typical Environment
Occurs across the arid and semi-arid interior of Australia, especially on gibber plains, claypans, and saltbush (chenopod) shrublands. It favors open, sparsely vegetated terrain with scattered low shrubs that provide daytime shade. The species also uses the margins of dry lakebeds and lightly grassed plains. Local occurrence can shift after rainfall as it tracks food availability. Overall it is widespread but patchy due to the vastness and variability of its habitat.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1000 m
Climate Zone
Arid
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This little plover is largely nocturnal in the harsh Australian interior, often seen at night hawking insects along remote tracks and roads. By day it rests in the scant shade of saltbush or low shrubs, where its sandy plumage makes it hard to spot. It can supplement moisture by nibbling chenopod leaves and excretes excess salt via nasal glands. Its remote range means it remains one of Australia’s lesser-studied shorebirds.
Captive bird photographed at Healesville Sanctuary, Victoria, Australia
Gibber plains, Sturt National Park
Photo of nest site with eggs by Whitlock, East Murchison, 1909.
Temperament
wary and cryptic, but tolerant in loose groups
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats low over the ground
Social Behavior
Often forms loose aggregations by day, loafing in shade on open plains. Breeding involves ground scrapes placed on bare clay or among stones, with minimal lining. Pairs are likely monogamous during the season; both adults share incubation and brood care. Chicks are precocial and leave the nest soon after hatching.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Vocalizations are soft piping whistles and thin, high-pitched calls, especially given at night. Alarm calls are sharper and more repeated when birds are flushed from day roosts.
