Four Black-fronted Dotterels mill around each other trying to establish their individual feeding areas on the algae covered mangrove mudflats.

---

This shorebird is easily recognizable with its distinct black face mask, forehead and v-shaped band across the chest. Dorsally it is a mottled brown colour with the wings and crown of the head the same colour. This colouration is particularly useful for camouflage against aerial predators. Orbital eye rings and the first section of the bill are red, with the latter being black at the tip. The legs are pale orange. Unlike many other wading birds, black-fronted dotterels retain the same plumage all year round.

---

Size: 7342px × 4895px
Location: Cairns Esplanade, Queensland, Australia
Photo credit: © Photography By Marco / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: algae, attraction, australia, beach, bill, bird, birders, birds, black, black-fronted, broad, cairns, charadriidae, chest, concern, destination, doterals, dotterals, dotterel, dotterels, elseyornis, endemic, environment, esplanade, eye-line, eye-ring, fauna, feeding, flats, flock, forager, hotspot, legs, mangrove, mangroves, melanops, mudflats, native, north, orange, pale, plover, queensland, red, shorbirds, shore, shorebird, shorebirds, shoreline, small, tourist, travel, tropical, waders, wading, waterbirds, wild