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We produce a range of brochures and other information on birds in Queensland, and on all aspects of birding in Queensland.
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“Of those bird species known to have been present or to have visited regularly in Australia when Europeans settled in 1788, 1.9% are Extinct and a further 11.5 % are considered Threatened. Some 6.0 % are Near Threatened.”
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A dainty shorebird with striking plumage often abundant on inland wetlands, the black-fronted dotterel (Elseyornis melanops) has often intrigued me with its adaptability and its seemingly sudden appearance at any shallow wetland that forms in the outback.  I first got to know them well as a former resident of Cloncurry, in North West Queensland where they were common on many isolated wetlands; but I have found them equally at home on subcoastal freshwater wetlands at Coombabah Creek on the Gold Coast.  In fact, this representative of the Subfamily Charadriinae (Marchant and Higgins 1993) is widespread throughout Australia, with a smaller population in New Zealand (Marchant and Higgins 1993).   The sexes are similar in appearance and it is unlikely to be confused with any other waders in its preferred habitat, except perhaps for the frequently co-occurring Red-kneed Dotterel (Erythrogonys cinctus).

Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops) © Neil Fitzgerald: Birds of New Zealand Online Website

This species is generally sedentary in its preferred habitat, favouring freshwater wetlands, inland or coastal waterways, farm ponds, reservoirs, lagoons, on stony river beds and sewerage sedimentation ponds; more rarely it can be found on estuaries, but not on coastlines (Marchant and Higgins 1993).   However, it can move long distances in the inland in response to fluctuations in rainfall and I have found it to be particularly common where previous heavy rainfall has created receding floodwaters.  Black-fronted dotterel are generally not gregarious, with birds usually seen singly, in pairs or groups of up to 4-5 birds.

The black-fronted dotterel builds solitary nests close to fresh water, in open ground, fields, gravel pits, river beds, stony or shingle land, between August and March.  The nest is usually a depression in the ground, mostly unlined or is surrounded by a few twigs, stones or grass. Both sexes share in incubation of the 2-3 brown or black-speckled eggs, with several clutches common (Marchant and Higgins 1993).

Black-fronted dotterels consume small invertebrates including insects, small earthworms, snails, crustaceans, spiders, mites and seeds; mostly found by foraging on damp ground by walking, running, and pecking at the water’s edge (Marchant and Higgins 1993). While feeding the birds are typically silent; the call in flight is a simple high-pitched pip.

At inland sites in Australia, Black fronted Dotterel is often associated with sympatric Red-kneed Dotterel and I have spent many hours observing both species. The unpublished results (Humpherys, 2019) of research by me observing the feeding behaviour of co-occurring Red-kneed Dotterel and Black fronted Dotterel at Chinamen Creek Dam near Cloncurry suggests that despite having similar food and habitat requirements, niche partitioning probably limits direct competition between co-occurring E. cinctus and E. melanops.

Red-kneed & Black-fronted Dotterel (Erythrogonys cinctus & Elseyornis melanops) © Ian and Jill Brown

For instance, at foraging sites where they co-occur at Chinamen Creek Dam, E. melanops appears to occupy a microhabitat ‘zone’ on the mudflat typically above E. cinctus, which can be found at the waterline or wading in shallow water.  The dominant behaviour regime displayed by E. cinctus, was typically deliberate walking and picking in shallow water suggests a preference for non-mobile prey occurring within this microhabitat type (Marchant and Higgins 1993).

The food items taken by E. cinctus were too small to see, although it is likely that annelids, insects and molluscs (Marchant and Higgins 1993) are taken. E. melanops showed a higher frequency of scanning, striking and sprinting.  These behaviours all suggest a preference for larger, more mobile prey possibly crustaceans and insects, also possibly related to microhabitat type (Marchant and Higgins 1993).  These microhabitat differences could be related to preferences for different sediment conditions) or visual or tactile feeding techniques that are related to prey specialisation (Marchant and Higgins 1993).

Despite these behavioural differences in feeding behaviour, evidence from my observations infers potential competition between these species for resources at this location.  This is exemplified by numerous observations of antagonistic behaviour displayed by the larger E. cinctus towards the smaller E. melanops wherever they were observed together at Chinamen Creek Dam.  E. cinctus was observed to expend considerable time and energy chasing E. melanops away from the waterline. Hence, in this instance E. cinctus appeared to be trying to aggressively exclude E. melanops from optimal shorebird microhabitat where they co-occurred, perhaps restricting E. melanops to sub-optimal habitat on the shore above the waterline.

It would be interesting to conduct further studies at other similar sites in Australia where these two wader species co-occur to establish if these behavioural characteristics are observed elsewhere.

REFERENCES

  1. Marchant S & Higgins P.J (editors) 1993. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds. Volume 2, Raptors to lapwings. Melbourne, Oxford University Press. pp892-902

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Sahul Sunbird (Cinnyris frenatus) © Vince Bugeja