Elseyornis melanops
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The black-fronted dotterel (Thinornis melanops) is a small plover in the family Charadriidae that is found throughout much of Australia and New Zealand. The black-fronted dotterel was formally described in 1818 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot under the binomial name Charadrius melanops. The type locality was subsequently designated as New South Wales. The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek melops meaning "black" with ōps meaning "face". This species was previously placed in the monotypic genus Elseyornis but a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2022 found that it was embedded in a clade containing members of the genus Thinornis. The black-fronted dotterel was therefore moved to Thinornis. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
As an adult, this small shorebird has an overall length of 16–18 cm (6.3–7.1 in), a wingspan of 33–35 cm (13–14 in) and a weight of 30–35 g (1.1–1.2 oz). The sexes are similar in appearance. It has a distinct black face mask, forehead and v-shaped band across the chest. Dorsally it is a mottled brown colour with the wings and crown of the head the same colour. This colouration...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Phillip Island Nature Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Fronted Dotterel sighting in Kakadu National Park on a given day, based on 245 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 65th most-seen of the 189 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Fronted Dotterel in Kakadu National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May and December–March, the lowest months. That is one of Kakadu National Park's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 350 mm in January.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-Fronted 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.
2nd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Black-Fronted Dotterel sightings, Kakadu National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Flinders Ranges National Park (Australia, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-Fronted Dotterel is recorded against all the birds logged in Kakadu National Park (245 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
