Also known as: Hooded Dotterel, Australian Plover,
The Hooded Plover is a medium-sized shorebird native to parts of Australia. They are found in both freshwater and saltwater habitats.
Hooded Plovers, also known as Hooded Dotterels, have black heads, grey-tan bodies, and red eye-rings. Males and females look alike and their plumage does not change with the seasons. They are named for the hood-like black plumage over their heads that contrasts with the white neck and chest.
The population trend for the Hooded Plover is decreasing, and the species has a conservation status of Vulnerable as of March 2014. Loss of suitable breeding habitat is a major threat to this species. Beach disturbance by animals, vehicles, and pedestrians all contribute to the decline of the Hooded Plover's breeding success.
From IUCN Red List: The Hooded Plover is listed as Vulnerable
on the IUCN Red List and was last assessed in 2014 by BirdLife International. This species has been uplisted to Vulnerable because it has a small population, which has been estimated through monitoring to be undergoing continuing declines of over 10% in three generations (39 years). Declines in eastern Australia are caused by reduced breeding success as a result of disturbance by people, dogs and horses, as well as predation by introduced foxes and native Silver Gulls and Australian Ravens that have increased as a result of human activity; in Western Australia declines are less marked and driven by habitat degradation arising from cattle grazing and water abstraction for agriculture.
