This is a companion to my other Bird of the Day blog, which focuses on birds I have seen in Victoria, Canada.

In March 2014, my husband and I traveled to Australia. These are the birds I photographed during our time in Melbourne and Tasmania. All of the pictures were taken with my Nikon D3100, which is an entry-level digital SLR camera, and my new AF-S VR 70-300 mm f/4.5-5.G IF ED lens.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Hooded Plover


Thinornis rubricollis

Adult
Appearance:
Juvenile
Medium-sized, stocky plover
Sandy-brown above
White nape
White underparts
Dark brown iris with red eye ring
Red bill with black tip
Pinkish-orange legs
Adult:
    Black head
    Black hindneck
Juvenile:
      Sandy-brown head and hindneck

On Maria Island in Tasmania, we saw a small groups of these birds while walking on the beach. They were bobbing and pecking along the shore, keeping just in front of us.  Then, as a group, they all flew out to sea and circled around to land on the beach behind us.  They must have felt threatened by us, after all they are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Learn more about the Hooded Plover.

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