Birds of the World
 - Red-breasted Dotterel
 - Red-breasted Dotterel
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 - Red-breasted Dotterel (Northern)
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Red-breasted Dotterel Anarhynchus obscurus Scientific name definitions

Guy M. Kirwan, Josep del Hoyo, Popko Wiersma, Nigel Collar, Peter F. D. Boesman, and Christopher J. Sharpe
Version: 2.2 — Published November 13, 2024
Revision Notes

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Introduction

A large plover with a big and heavy bill, the Red-breasted Dotterel is endemic to New Zealand, where its size, structure, and underparts coloration render it unlikely to be mistaken for any other species. There are two widely disjunct subspecies: the northern subspecies, aquilonius, is a reasonably familiar bird of northern North Island’s sandy beaches; whereas the southern nominate subspecies was formerly widespread on South Island (and perhaps also the central North), but is now confined as a breeder to Stewart Island. The two taxa differ in morphology and breeding ecology, sufficient that one recent global checklist treated them as separate species. Both subspecies are reliant on human management, particularly nest protection and non-native predator control. The northern subspecies is impacted by coastal developments, but the population now appears to be stable at approximately 1,500 individuals, while the southern subspecies is of critical conservation concern, numbering fewer than 250 individuals with exceptionally high rates of annual adult mortality.

Recommended Citation

Kirwan, G. M., J. del Hoyo, P. Wiersma, N. Collar, P. F. D. Boesman, and C. J. Sharpe (2024). Red-breasted Dotterel (Anarhynchus obscurus), version 2.2. In Birds of the World (B. K. Keeney, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.rebdot1.02.2
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