Oriental Plover

1. Tall, slender plover with long legs and upright stance

2. Sandy-olive to golden-brown upperparts and clean white underparts in non-breeding plumage

3. Dark brown underwing coverts visible in flight, no prominent wingbar

Oriental Plovers feed mainly on insects such as beetles, grasshoppers, and termites, occasionally taking seeds. They forage by making short runs and abrupt stops to pick prey from the ground. At some sites, such as Eighty Mile Beach, they may feed at night and rest during the day. The species breeds in the arid steppes of Mongolia and northern China, nesting on the ground. After the breeding season, most of the world’s population migrates to Australia, arriving from September and departing between March and May. Juveniles are precocial and mobile soon after hatching.

Oriental Plovers are most often found in open, dry grasslands and plains across northern and northwestern Australia, especially in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland. They tend to avoid coastal areas, instead favouring inland claypans, sparsely vegetated plains, burnt fields, and occasionally the grassy margins of wetlands. Flocks can range from a few to several hundred birds, and their distribution can shift rapidly in response to rainfall. During periods of extreme heat or drought, some individuals may move closer to the coast.