Birds · Charadriiformes · Charadriidae

Dotterel

Charadrius morinellus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The Eurasian dotterel is a mountain wader with a reversed breeding system: the female is larger and more strikingly marked than the male, does the courting, defends the territory and may mate with several males, while it is the male that incubates and raises the chicks alone. It breeds on Arctic tundra and on stony summits in Scotland and the Alps, and spends the winter on the steppes of North Africa and the Near East.

Weight

90 g – 145 g

Size

20 cm – 24 cm

Lifespan

12 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

DesertMountainTundraInsectivore Diurnal Bird Desert Mountain Tundra

13countries 23parks10same family

Fun facts

It reverses the sexual roles: the female is the more colourful, courts the male and may pair with several, while he incubates alone and raises the chicks unaided.
It is astonishingly trusting: it lets people approach within a few metres without fleeing, behaviour that cost it heavy hunting in the 19th century, when its feathers were used to tie fishing flies.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Tundra and stony summits above the treeline; it winters on the semi-arid steppes of the Maghreb
Sexual maturity: 23.9 months
Gestation / incubation: 25 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 3 eggs

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/