Red-kneed Dotterel

Red-kneed Dotterel

Erythrogonys cinctus

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Sydney

In 3 days <5%

19 Verified sightings at Sydney
72 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Red-kneed Dotterel

The red-kneed dotterel (Erythrogonys cinctus) is a species of plover in a monotypic genus in the subfamily Vanellinae. It is often gregarious and will associate with other waders of its own and different species, even when nesting. It is nomadic and sometimes irruptive.

Adults distinctively marked: black cap or hood from bill, extending below eyes, merging at nape to grey-brown of back. White chin and throat. Broad black band on breast joining nape and also extending to flanks as chestnut stripe. Belly and vent white. Back and mantle grey-brown, mainly black upperwing with white trailing edge. Upper leg, including tarsal joint or "knee", red. Bill red with dark tip.

The red-kneed dotterel is native to mainland Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia, and has occurred as a vagrant in Tasmania, Palau and New Zealand. Mainly margins of shallow ephemeral and permanent freshwater wetlands, occasionally saline wetlands, but rarely tidal wetlands.

The red-kneed dotterel is long-legged and medium-sized (length 17–20 centimetres (6.7–7.9 in), wingspan 33–38 centimetres (13–15 in), weight 40–55 grams (1.4–1.9 oz)). ��2... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Flight call0:05

Australia · 2015

© Marc Anderson · XC283418 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:17

Australia · 2023

© Peter Boesman · XC859867 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Recording0:43

Australia · 2018

© deborod · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kakadu National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
2 Hattah-Kulkyne National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Perth 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
2 Brisbane 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
3 Melbourne 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
4 Sydney 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Red-kneed Dotterel in Sydney?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red-kneed Dotterel sighting in Sydney on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 199th most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Red-kneed Dotterel in Sydney?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red-kneed Dotterel in Sydney on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Red-kneed Dotterel?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-kneed Dotterel sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Sydney the best place to see a Red-kneed Dotterel?

Among the best

Of the 4 cities where we can rate Red-kneed Dotterel sightings, Sydney ranks 4th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Perth (Australia, under 5%), Brisbane (Australia, under 5%) and Melbourne (Australia, under 5%).

Where does the Red-kneed Dotterel sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Red-kneed Dotterel is recorded against all the birds logged in Sydney (19 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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