| Shore Dotterel | |
|---|---|
| Male | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Charadriidae |
| Genus: | Thinornis |
| Species: | T. novaeseelandiae |
| Binomial name | |
| Thinornis novaeseelandiae (Gmelin, 1789) |
|
The Shore Dotterel or Shore Plover (Thinornis novaeseelandiae) is a small species (20 cm in length, 60g)[1] of Plover endemic to New Zealand. Its Māori name is Tuturuatu.
The Shore Dotterel is an endangered species with a world population of around 200 birds. It once was found across the South Island in New Zealand but became extinct there, probably due to the predations of introduced cats and rats. It survived on one island, Rangatira, in the Chatham Islands, from where it has been introduced to other offshore islands in the Chathams (Mangere Island) and near the North Island.
A number of captive-reared juvenile Shore Dotterel were moved to Mana Island, off Wellington's westcoast, between March and May 2007, as part of a Department of Conservation plan to ensure their long-term survival. The Shore Dotterel surprised conservationists by breeding within months of their release. In February 2008, twenty more shore plover were released on Mana Island. The small flock there is monitored by the Department of Conservation, members of the Ornithological Society and Friends of Mana Island.