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Red-kneed Dotterel (Erythrogonys cinctus) Alternate name(s): Misnomer: "Sandpiper*" Size: 17-20 cm; wing span 33-38 cm Body mass: 45-65 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 Red-kneed Dotterels are small waders. They have a black head, breast and ring from chest to nape of the neck, which extends into chestnut-coloured flanks. A large patch around the throat is white, as are belly and vent. The upperwings are brownish-grey. The bill is orange, with a black tip. The upper legs around the knees are reddish, the lower parts and feet are grey-brown. Juvenile Red-kneed Dotterels do not have any black feathers yet. The cap and nape of the neck are the same shade of grey as the upperparts, the entire front is white.

Taxonomy, classification See Red-kneed Dotterel 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 Red-kneed Dotterel is available HERE . Red-kneed Dotterels are endemic to Australia. They are only occasionally reported as vagrants to southern New Guinea. They usually populate the eastern half of the Australian continent, with the exception of Tasmania, and the western half of WA. However, they are well-adapted to life in the semi-arid and arid interior of the continent. After substantial inland rain they can disperse over the entire continent, including the major sandy deserts, the Kimberley and the tropical North. Red-kneed Dotterels can be found in the shallows of various types of aquatic habitats (both freshwater and saline), such as freshwater lakes, irrigation dams and small/farm dams and along the edges of swamps.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Red-kneed Dotterels were first spotted by us on the fringes of Narrabri Lake, Narrabri, NSW, in September 2007, where they have been found infrequently since. Red-kneed Dotterels are spotted by us semi-regularly in mudflats in both permanent and ephemeral wetlands in inland NSW, e.g. at Macquarie Marshes NR in April 2011. C. Hayne reports that Red-kneed Dotterels are very common around farm dams, sewage ponds, ephemeral wetlands and any other type of shallow, vegetated wetland in the Moree area. They are also often seen around lignum swamps. Red-kneed Dotterels were also spotted by us at Goran Lake, an ephemeral lake about 30 km South of Gunnedah, NSW, in 2012. On a trip to outback NSW and south-western QLD we spotted Red-kneed Dotterels in various locations, including Currawinya NP in southern inland QLD. R. Plumtree reports spotting Red-kneed Dotterels at Hollands Landing, Lake Victoria, East Gippsland, VIC, in October 2014, and at Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, in November 2019. P. Brown reports finding Red-kneed Dotterels at Keep River NP, NT, in November 2018, and at Leanyer Swamp, Darwin, NT, in September 2019. In the 2021/2022 season, Red-kneed Dotterels became rare all over Australia (in particular in QLD and northern NSW). During that period, in March 2022, C. Pears managed to find about 10 at Lake Claremont, Perth, WA. Another ca. 10 were found at Herdsman Lake, Perth, WA, also in March 2022. In February 2023, we found two juvenile Red-kneed Dotterels in an ephemeral wetland ca. 40 km S of Mungindi, NSW.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of a Red-kneed Dotterel; note the chestnut plumes on the flank (similar to those found in particular in Plumed Whistling-Ducks) and the even more prominent plumes on the sides of the tail that in field guides are only mentioned as "chestnut barring"
[Near Wanaaring , NSW, September 2012]

Near-lateral view of two Red-kneed Dotterels (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Claremont, Perth, WA, March 2022]

Lateral view of a Red-kneed Dotterel; note the chestnut plumes on the flank (similar to those found in particular in Plumed Whistling-Ducks) and the even more prominent plumes on the sides of the tail that in field guides are only mentioned as "chestnut barring"
[Near Wanaaring , NSW, September 2012]

Lateral view of Red-kneed Dotterels in shallow water (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Keep River NP, NT, November 2018]

5 out of a total of 10 Red-kneed Dotterels with two Grey Teals (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Claremont, Perth, WA, March 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a Red-kneed Dotterel foraging in shallow water
[Near Wanaaring , NSW, September 2012]

Near-dorsal view of Red-kneed Dotterels in shallow water (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Keep River NP, NT, November 2018]

Dorsal view of a Red-kneed Dotterel
[Near Wanaaring , NSW, September 2012]

Dorsal view of two Red-kneed Dotterels with two Grey Teals and a Pacific Black Duck (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Claremont, Perth, WA, March 2022]

Lateral view of a Red-kneed Dotterel in flight, giving a clear view of its underwing pattern (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

Lateral view of a Red-kneed Dotterel in flight, giving a clear view of its upperwing pattern (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

Near-dorsal view of a Red-kneed Dotterel in flight, giving a clear view of its upperwing pattern (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of an immature Red-kneed Dotterel; note that the head is not yet black (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Claremont, Perth, WA, March 2022]

Lateral view of an immature Red-kneed Dotterel (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Claremont, Perth, WA, March 2022]

Near-dorsal view of an immature Red-kneed Dotterel, right, with an adult for comparison (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Claremont, Perth, WA, March 2022]

Frontal view of an juvenile Red-kneed Dotterel starting to moult (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]

Near-frontal view of an juvenile Red-kneed Dotterel starting to moult adult plumage (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]

Lateral view of juvenile Red-kneed Dotterel starting to moult (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]

Lateral view of an immature Red-kneed Dotterel starting to moult (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]

Lateral view of two juvenile Red-kneed Dotterels
[Ca. 40 km S of Mungindi, NSW, February 2023]

Adult, left, with two juvenile Red-kneed Dotterels (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Claremont, Perth, WA, March 2022]

Two adult, left and right, with three juvenile Red-kneed Dotterels (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Claremont, Perth, WA, March 2022]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Sep - Dec

Eggs: 2 - 5

Incubation period: 25 - 26 days

Fledging age: N/A

The breeding season depends on geographical latitude and on weather conditions. In the tropical North they usually breed during the dry season. Given the right circumstances, Black-fronted Dotterels, in principle, can breed any time of the year. Chicks are precocials and will leave the nest very soon after hatching.

Nest building: N/A

Incubation: Female & male

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Scrape

Material: Sandy or rocky soil

Height above ground: N/A

Red-kneed Dotterel nest with 4 eggs (photo courtesy of D. Johnston)
[Macquarie Marshes NP, NSW, 1980ies]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 30 x 21 mm

Colour: Heavily speckled

Shape: Tapered oval

Red-kneed Dotterels (see also Black-fronted Dotterel for comparison!) have the ability to adapt the colour of their eggs to the surroundings of the nest/scrape.

Red-kneed Dotterel egg colour adaptation to wetland fringe with aquatic plants (photo courtesy of D. Johnston)
[Macquarie Marshes NP, NSW, 1980ies]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair/mob

Although spending most of their lives in water, even aquatic birds need to bathe.

Distant view of a Red-kneed Dotterel taking a bath; this is an example of "hiding in plain view"
[O'Brien's Creek, Narrabri Lake, NSW, October 2013]

In good conditions, and most likely outside the breeding season, Red-kneed Dotterels can form significant flocks.

6 of in total 10 Red-kneed Dotterels found in close proximity to a mob of at least 18 Black-fronted Dotterels
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Herdsman Lake, Perth, WA, March 2022]

Food, Diet

Frontal view of an immature Red-kneed Dotterel with an egg? (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]

Near-lateral view of an immature Red-kneed Dotterel with its next meal, an egg? (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]

Near-dorsal view of an immature Red-kneed Dotterel scooping up its next meal, an egg? (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

redkdot_20250315.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact call	© MD
redkdot_20250315_2.m4a	(NW NSW)	Warning/departure + contact calls (+ Red-rumped Parrot)	© MD
redkdot_20180516.m4a	(NW NSW)	Warning/departure?	© MD

More Red-kneed Dotterel sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

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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