Little Ringed Plover

1. Bright yellow eye-ring sharply set against a black-and-white face

2. Plain brown wings in flight (no bold white stripe)

3. Slender build with pale legs and a single black breast band

Little Ringed Plovers feed mainly on insects and small invertebrates, using quick movements and sometimes foot-trembling to disturb prey on wet mud. Unlike many plovers, they are usually solitary or in small loose groups. Their breeding grounds are in Eurasia, where they nest on bare or sparsely vegetated ground near freshwater, often making use of artificial sites like gravel pits. Both parents share incubation duties. In Australia, only non-breeding birds are seen in spring and summer; usually arriving in August and leaving by April. Breeding does not occur locally.

In Australia, Little Ringed Plovers are rare but regular summer visitors, especially in the north-Queensland, the Northern Territory, and occasionally further south. They favour the muddy edges of freshwater wetlands, lakes, and sewage ponds rather than coastal tidal flats, often mixing with other small waders. They are most active at dawn and dusk, foraging along the water’s edge. Careful scanning of mixed flocks during the non-breeding season increases your chances of a sighting.