Charadrius bicinctus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The double-banded plover (Anarhynchus bicinctus), known as the banded dotterel or pohowera in New Zealand, is a species of bird in the plover family. Two subspecies are recognised: the nominate Anarhynchus bicinctus bicinctus, which breeds throughout New Zealand, including the Chatham Islands, and A. b. exilis, which breeds in New Zealand's subantarctic Auckland Islands.
A 2015 study by Phylogenetics and Evolution found its closest relatives to be two other plovers found in New Zealand, the New Zealand dotterel (A. obscurus, also called the New Zealand plover) and the wrybill (A. frontalis, which the study found to be in the Charadrius clade).
The double-banded plover is distinguished by a dark, grey-brown back with a distinctive white chest and a thin band of black situated just below the neck running across the chest along with a larger brown band underneath. During breeding season, these bands are more dominantly shown on the males compared to females. Younger birds have no bands, and are often speckled brown on top, with less white parts. These shorebirds have relatively long legs to allow them to easily wade around shallow waters and move efficiently...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Arthur's Pass National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 5 | Phillip Island Nature Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 7 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Double-Banded Plover sighting in Phillip Island Nature Park on a given day, based on 60 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.
April
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Double-Banded Plover in Phillip Island Nature Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and September–March, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Double-Banded Plover sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Double-Banded Plover sightings, Phillip Island Nature Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Rakiura National Park (New Zealand, about 20%), Abel Tasman National Park (New Zealand, about 20%) and Booderee National Park (Australia, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Double-Banded Plover is recorded against all the birds logged in Phillip Island Nature Park (60 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.
