Rufous-Chested Dotterel

About the Rufous-Chested Dotterel

The rufous-chested dotterel (Zonibyx modestus) or rufous-chested plover, is a species of bird in subfamily Charadriinae of family Charadriidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands. The rufous-chested dotterel is placed by itself in genus Zonibyx by several authors and International Ornithologists' Union, but that treatment had not been widely accepted before 2023. There is some 21st century evidence that it does not belong in Charadrius. The rufous-chested dotterel is monotypic.

The rufous-chested dotterel is 19 to 22 cm (7.5 to 8.7 in) long and weighs 71 to 94 g (2.5 to 3.3 oz). Adult males in breeding plumage have a gray face with a bright white supercilium, a gray throat, and a brown crown. Their breast is bright rufous with a black band below it; the rest of the underparts are white and the upperparts brown. Adult females are similar but duller. Non-breeding adults replace the rufous and gray with pale brown; their upperparts feathers have bright fringes and their supercilium is creamy. Juveniles resemble the non-breeding adult but have darker brown upperparts and breast. Wikipedia →