The red-capped plover, also known as the red-capped dotterel, is a small species of plover.
Region
Australia
Typical Environment
Widespread around Australia’s coasts and many inland saline wetlands, including estuaries, tidal flats, and salt lakes. Common on sandy beaches, lagoon margins, and around river mouths with open, sparsely vegetated shores. Inland birds track ephemeral waterbodies after rain and use the edges of drying saltpans. They frequently nest just above the high-tide line or on open salt crusts. Occasional vagrants reach nearby islands and New Zealand.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 600 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the red-capped dotterel, this tiny shorebird is notable for the male’s bright rufous cap during breeding season. It nests in a simple scrape on open sand or salt flats, and chicks are precocial, running and feeding themselves soon after hatching. Adults perform broken-wing distraction displays to draw predators away from nests. It uses a characteristic run-stop-peck foraging style common to small plovers.
"Nest" with eggs
Female
A chick, adopting a camouflaged position that helps it avoid detection by predators such as gulls and crows.
Temperament
wary and alert
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low over the waterline
Social Behavior
Outside the breeding season they often forage in loose groups, especially on productive tidal flats. Breeding pairs nest on open ground in shallow scrapes, sometimes with sparse shell or pebble lining. Both sexes incubate and brood, and adults frequently use distraction displays to protect chicks. Chicks are mobile soon after hatching and feed themselves under parental guidance.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Vocalizations are soft, high-pitched piping and chit notes, often given in short series during foraging and flight. Alarm calls are sharper and more insistent near nests or when predators approach.
Plumage
Fine, smooth plumage with sandy-brown upperparts and clean white underparts. Breeding males show a rich rufous crown and nape with a contrasting white forehead and a dark loral line; females and non-breeding birds have a paler, buffy crown and less distinct facial markings.
Diet
Feeds mainly on small invertebrates, including insects, marine worms, tiny crustaceans, and mollusk larvae. On salt lakes it takes brine shrimp and other micro-crustaceans. It forages visually, using quick dashes and pecks to pick prey from wet sand, mud, and shallow water. Occasional gleaning occurs on damp wrack lines.
Preferred Environment
Favors the edges of tidal flats, estuaries, sandy beaches, and saline lake margins with minimal vegetation. Often works the zone just above the waterline or on exposed mudflats as the tide falls.
