29/10/2026
When is a dotterel not a dotterel? 🤔
When it's a Pacific Golden Plover.... Had me fooled for a few seconds..
Here's your chance to see one... Right here in Ōrere Point.
We have one at present resting & feeding in around our intertidal zone at the river mouth.
It seems to be enjoying the dotterel enclosure and really dislikes the big Black backed gulls.
This bird has made the huge journey to NZ to rest and feed up before flying back to the Artic Tundra where they breed.
The Pacific golden plover, known as kuriri in New Zealand, is a medium-sized migratory shorebird that breeds in the Arctic tundra of Alaska and Siberia and spends the southern summer in Australasia and the Pacific.
A 25-27,000 km round trip!
Key Characteristics
• Size & Weight: Measures about 23–26 cm in length and weighs roughly 100–192 g (increasing significantly before long migrations).
• Plumage:
• Breeding adults feature striking black underparts and face bordered with white, with upperparts spangled in gold, black, and white.
• Non-breeding adults and juveniles transition to a grayish-brown and buff-apricot wash.
• Habitat: Found in harbours, estuaries, saltmarshes, and short-grass fields in New Zealand from September to November until late March or early April.
• Diet: Feeds on insects, spiders, worms, crabs, molluscs, and seeds.
