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9

Double-banded Plover (Charadrius bicinctus) Alternate name(s): "Double-banded Dotterel", "Banded Dotterel" Size: 18-21 cm Weight: 55-75 g

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Double-banded Plovers are small, mostly coastal waders. Their plumage changes between breeding season and non-breeding season. During the breeding season the back (cap, sides of head, mantle, upperwings and uppertail) is dark brownish-grey, while the front (forehead, throat, chest, belly and vent) is white, dissected by a black throat band and a second, wider brown chest band. The bill is dark-grey, the legs and feet are yellow. In eclipse the back remains roughly the same, while the two bands across the front disappear and are replaced by faint brown partial bars where the brown chest band is usually located. Twitcher's tip Due to its relatively short migration to New Zealand, compared to other small species of plovers, the Double-banded Plover is the one that can most easily be seen in Australia in its breeding plumage. The correct identification of waders ("shorebirds"), e.g. of the Calidris, Tringa, Actitis and related families or of the Charadrius, Pluvialis and related genera in the field can be quite tricky. We have therefore made an attempt to give some advice HERE.

Taxonomy, classification See Double-banded Plover at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Double-banded Plover is available HERE . Double-banded Plovers breed only in New Zealand. In Australia, Double-banded Plovers, nominate race "bicinctus", are non-breeding migrants. They spend the winter mostly along the Australian East coast and offshore islands, ranging from about Cape Melville, QLD, in the North, to Tasmania (except its far south-western part) in the South. Along the South coast of the Australian continent Double-banded Plovers can be found as far as Eyre Peninsula and Kangaroo Island; there are only very infrequent sightings along the South coast of WA. Inland they are found regularly only in an area from about Melbourne, VIC, towards the North-West, to the north-western border of VIC with NSW, on the Murray River. In wet years they can also be found along inland waters elsewhere. Double-banded Plovers are mostly found foraging along saltwater and brackish water, on beaches and in mudflats, but they can also be found around fresh water, even on grassland and bare ground.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "bicinctus" Two Double-banded Plovers, race "bicinctus", in non-breeding plumage were first spotted by us at Goran Lake, an ephemeral lake about 30 km South of Gunnedah, NSW, in March 2012, when we observed them foraging along the water's edge. In May 2012 a flock of about 50 birds, mostly in non-breeding plumage, was seen by us at the same location. A flock of about 50 birds was still present at Goran Lake in June 2012, when the first birds were observed moulting into their breeding plumage. Double-banded Plovers, race "bicinctus", were seen by us at Goran Lake on subsequent visits, usually in mixed flocks with Red-capped Plovers. B. Hensen reports spotting Double-banded Plovers, race "bicinctus", at the boat harbour at Kurnell, NSW, in August 2017. M. Eaton reports finding Double-banded Plovers, race "bicinctus", at Broadwater, Gold Coast, QLD, in March 2019. M. Windeyer reports finding Double-banded Plovers, race "bicinctus", in an ephemeral wetland near Gilgandra, NSW, in June 2020.

Photos

Race "bicinctus"

ADULT

BREEDING

MALE

Pair of Double-banded Plovers in breeding plumage - male on the right, female on the left (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Boat Harbour, Kurnell, NSW, August 2017]

Near-lateral view of a male Double-banded Plover in breeding plumage
[Goran Lake, NSW, June 2012]

Group of Double-banded Plovers, with three males in full breeding plumage
[Goran Lake, NSW, June 2012]

FEMALE

Pair of Double-banded Plovers in breeding plumage - male on the right, female on the left (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Boat Harbour, Kurnell, NSW, August 2017]

NON-BREEDING

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of a Double-banded Plover in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Broadwater, Gold Coast, QLD, March 2019]

Near-frontal view of a Double-banded Plover in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Broadwater, Gold Coast, QLD, March 2019]

Near-lateral view of a Double-banded Plover in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Broadwater, Gold Coast, QLD, March 2019]

Lateral view of a Double-banded Plover in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Broadwater, Gold Coast, QLD, March 2019]

Lateral view of a small group of Double-banded Plovers in various stages of moulting into their breeding plumage - full breeding plumage, front, transitional plumage, left and back, non-breeding plumage, right
[Goran Lake, NSW, June 2012]

Near-dorsal view of a Double-banded Plover in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Broadwater, Gold Coast, QLD, March 2019]

Dorsal view of a Double-banded Plover in non-breeding plumage
[Goran Lake, NSW, March 2012]

Double-banded Plovers in non-breeding plumage banking to land
[Old Bar, NSW, July 2013]

Double-banded Plovers in non-breeding plumage banking to land
[Old Bar, NSW, July 2013]

Flock of Double-banded Plovers, with a few Red-capped Plovers mixed in
[Goran Lake, NSW, May 2012]

Flock of Double-banded Plovers, with a few Red-capped Plovers mixed in
[Goran Lake, NSW, May 2012]

Flock of Double-banded Plovers touching down
[Goran Lake, NSW, June 2012]

Double-banded Plovers taking a bath
[Goran Lake, NSW, June 2012]

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Wed, 1 July 2020, 8:48 +00:00