Elseyornis melanops
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Fronted Dotterel sighting in Phillip Island Nature Park on a given day, based on 171 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 69th most-seen of the 149 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January to March
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Fronted Dotterel in Phillip Island Nature Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–June and September–December, the lowest months.
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.
6th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Black-Fronted Dotterel sightings, Phillip Island Nature Park ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Flinders Ranges National Park (Australia, about 30%), Kakadu National Park (Australia, about 20%) and Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (Australia, about 20%).
Same family: Charadriidae
The closest relatives of the Black-Fronted Dotterel that you can see in Phillip Island Nature Park (family Charadriidae, Plovers and Lapwings) are Masked Lapwing (about 80%), Red-Capped Plover (about 20%) and Double-Banded Plover (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-Fronted Dotterel is recorded against all the birds logged in Phillip Island Nature Park (171 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.
