| Hooded Dotterel | |
|---|---|
| Protected breeding sites are located on Bruny Island, Tasmania, Australia | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Charadriidae |
| Genus: | Thinornis |
| Species: | T. rubricollis |
| Binomial name | |
| Thinornis rubricollis (Gmelin, 1789) |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Charadrius rubricollis Gmelin, 1789 |
|
The Hooded Plover or Hooded Dotterel (Thinornis rubricollis) is a species of bird in the Charadriidae family. It is endemic to southern Australia and Tasmania. There are two recognized subspecies, both of which are classifed as Endangered.
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The German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin described the Hooded Dotterel in 1789. Its specific name is derived from the Latin words ruber "red", and collis "neck".
The Hooded Dotterel was placed in genus Charadrius but in the early 2000s it was reclassified into the genus Thinornis, along with Shore Plover (Thinornis novaeseelandiae).[1][2] In 2000 the number of mature individuals was estimated at a mere 7,000.[1] Alternate common names include: Hooded Plover, Hoody, Pluvier à camail (in French), Kappenregenpfeifer (in German), and Chorlito Encapuchado (in Spanish).[2]
Two subspecies of the Hooded Dotterel are now recognized.[1]
The Hooded Dotterel is medium in size for a plover, stocky, and pale in color. Its length is 190–230 mm (7.5–9.1 in) and its wing-span 230–440 mm (9.1–17 in). It has a black hood and throat with a white collar. Its red bill has a black tip. It has a red eye ring and orange legs.[8] Underparts are white. Males and females are similar. Adults and juveniles are similar except the juveniles do not have the black head and hindneck, which are instead a sandy brown.[9]
Its natural habitats are freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, coastal saline lagoons, and sandy beaches. Heavy populations are found on beaches with seaweed and dunes. It is threatened by habitat loss because of its small population and native range. It lives in western Australia, southern Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania and nearby islands. It is a vagrant in Queensland. Fox predation is a major threat to the western subspecies.[3] It is non-migratory.[9]
A clutch of 1-3 eggs is laid from August to March, which is also the peak of the summer tourist season in its range and it is thereby heavily impacted by human activities.[1][10] The eggs are a matte beige or cream colour heavily sprinkled with dark brown and lavender markings, especially at the larger end of the egg. Pyriform in shape, they measure 37 x 27 mm.[11] Eggs hatch in about 30 days. The Silver Gull (Larus novaehollandiae) and Raven (Corvus spp).[1][10] The eastern population eats a variety of invertebrates but little is known of the diet of the western population.[1][10] Specifically it eats insects, bivalves, and sandhoppers. It is usually seen in pairs or small groups near the water. For breeding it will dig a shallow scrape in sand or gravel above high water mark and line it with pebbles, seaweed, and other debris.[9]