BLACK-FRONTED DOTTEREL Elseyornis melanops

An Australian species (hence Dotterel) which has spread in small numbers to New Zealand, this is a distinctive bird, especially in flight when the purplish patches of the small scapulars are obvious. Its ecology and behaviour are similar to the previous species, whilst not migratory it is obviously capable of long flights as its colonisation of New Zealand (1954) shows.

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