Dotterel
Scientific Name: Charadrius morinellusMaltese Name: Birwina
Family: Charadriidae (Plovers)
Occurence: Regualar
Breeds in Malta: No
Overview:
The Dotterel is a plover-like bird, a species of tundra and mountains. On the contrary to many other bird species, the female Dotterel is larger and brighter than the males. Females have a rich rusty orange-red underside with a blackish belly, a white throat and brownish upperparts. Males have duller plumage but white strip over eye and nape still evident. It has a soft pip pi or sweet wit-eee-weee call which is often heard in flight. It feeds on earthworms, spiders and other terrestrial creatures. It scrapes a shallow cup on ground under cover of low vegetation where it lays 3 eggs. Breeds in tundra and mountain areas in northern Europe and the whereabouts of France, and in autumn it migrates to Africa for the winter.
Status:
Frequent autumn migrant and rare in winter and spring. It is normally seen in individuals or in small flocks.
When to See:
Is mostly seen in autumn; best time being last week of August and first weeks of September.
Where to See:
Rarely stops over as it is normally seen migrating overland. A few individuals are recorded flying over Buskett each year.
Photographs:
 |
Dotterel, Dingli Cliffs, 19th September 2007 |
 |
Dotterel, Ta' Cenc, 27th March 1989 |
Back to Bird Species List