About Oreopholus ruficollis (Wagler, 1829)
Size and Weight
The tawny-throated dotterel (Oreopholus ruficollis) is 25 to 29 cm (9.8 to 11 in) long and weighs 120 to 154 g (4.2 to 5.4 oz).
Plumage Sexual and Seasonal Variation
Males and females are alike in appearance, and the species has no seasonal changes to its plumage.
Nominate Subspecies Adult Plumage
Adults of the nominate subspecies are mostly rich buff, with heavy dark streaking on the back. They have a white chin, an orange-tawny throat, gray neck and breast, and a small black patch on the belly. Their white underwing is visible when the bird is in flight.
Juvenile Plumage
Juveniles have a buff throat, less dense streaking on the back, and paler underparts with a brown belly patch.
O. r. pallidus Subspecies Plumage
Subspecies O. r. pallidus is very similar to the nominate subspecies, but it is smaller and overall paler in color.
Subspecies Distribution Overview
The tawny-throated dotterel has two subspecies with different ranges and habitats.
O. r. pallidus Range
Subspecies O. r. pallidus has a limited range; it is found only in coastal northern Peru, as far south as the Department of La Libertad. Birds assumed to be this subspecies have been recorded as vagrants in Ecuador.
O. r. pallidus Habitat
O. r. pallidus inhabits the coastal plain of Peru.
Nominate Subspecies Range
The nominate subspecies is found from southern Peru south through western Bolivia, Chile, and western Argentina into Tierra del Fuego, and east through southern Argentina into Uruguay and southern Brazil. It has also been recorded as a vagrant on the Falkland Islands.
Nominate Subspecies Elevation Habitat
The nominate subspecies lives in the puna of the Andes up to an elevation of 4,600 m (15,100 ft).
Species-Wide Habitat
Across the whole species, the tawny-throated dotterel inhabits grasslands, heath shrublands, fields, and meadows.
