Red-kneed Dotterel - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by Nora
Lake Wendouree, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, October 2007

Erythrogonys cinctus

Identification

Juvenile
Photo © by peterday
Magazine Rd Wetland, South Australia, Dec 2020

Immature
Photo © by Ken Doy
Kianawah Road, Queensland, May 2017

17–19·5 cm (6½-7¾ in)

• Black cap
• White throat
• Black breastband
• Greyish-brown of back
• Chestnut flank stripe
• White belly and vent
• Black upperwing with white trailing edge
• Red upper leg
• Red bill with dark tip

Distribution

Southern New Guinea and Australia.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

Habitat

They are to be found in inland wetlands, such as swamps, lakes and creeks.

Behaviour

Diet

They probe the mud for snails, crustaceans, spiders, a variety of insects and their larvae; also some seeds.

Breeding

Photo © by peterday
Bowra Station, Queensland, Australia, October 2015

Ground nesters, they sometimes utilise nests of other birds such as Hoary-headed Grebes. The clutch consists of 4 cream eggs, which are lined, speckled or blotched.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved May 2017)
4. Wikipedia

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Red-kneed Dotterel. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Red-kneed_Dotterel

External Links

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