Dotterel (redirected from dotterels)

dotterel, dottrel

1. a rare Eurasian plover, Eudromias morinellus, with reddish-brown underparts and white bands around the head and neck

2. Austral any similar and related bird, esp of the genus Charadrius

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Dotterel 

(Eudromias morinellus), also dottrel, a bird of the family Charadriidae of the suborder Charadrii. The body length is about 25 cm. The plumage is mottled—black with red and white. The dotterel is distributed in the rocky polar tundras of Europe and Asia, as well as in the mountainous tundras of Northern and Central Europe, the Urals, and Siberia. A migratory bird, it winters in Africa and Southwest Asia. The dotterel nests on the ground. A clutch usually contains three eggs (less commonly two or four), which usually are incubated only by the male for 22 to 25 days. The young are usually reared by the male. The dotterel feeds on crowberries and on insects and other invertebrates.