TheEurasian dotterel (Eudromias morinellus), also known inEurope as justdotterel, is a smallwader in theplover family ofbirds. It is the only species placed in thegenusEudromias.
The dotterel is a brown-and-black-streaked bird with a broad, white eye stripe and an orange-red chest band when in breeding plumage. The female is more colourful than the male. The bird is tame and unsuspecting, and the term "dotterel" has been applied contemptuously to mean an old fool.
The Eurasian dotterel is a migratory species, breeding in Northern Europe andEurosiberia andmigrating south to North Africa and the Middle East in the winter. It nests in a bare scrape on the ground and lays two to four eggs. The male does the incubation and rears the chicks, with the female having gone off to find another male and lay another clutch of eggs. It is a common bird with a wide range and theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being of "least concern".
The Eurasian dotterel wasformerly described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus in thetenth edition of hisSystema Naturae under thebinomial nameCharadrius morinellus.[2][3] The species was moved fromCharadrius to the resurrected genusEudromias when phylogenetic studies found thatCharadrius wasparaphyletic.[4][5] The genusEudromias had been originally introduced in 1830 by the German ornithologistChristian Ludwig Brehm.[6] The genus nameEudromias isAncient Greek meaning "good runner". The specific morinellus is derived from Ancient Greekmoros meaning "foolish", due to the bird's trusting nature.[7]
The English name dates from 1440 when it was used to refer to the bird and also as an insult for someone considered simple or a dotard. Which use is the oldest is unclear,[8] but the link is its tame and unsuspecting nature, which made it easy to catch; itsScottish Gaelic name isamadan-mòintich, "fool of themoors."[9] KingJames VI and I went every year toRoyston, Hertfordshire, to shoot dotterels.[10] It was also easy prey for illegal poaching, which depleted its stocks.[citation needed] It was also prized as a delicacy; in 1534, QueenAnne Boleyn was presented with "a brace of dotterels".[11]
This plover is smaller and more compact thanEuropean golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria). It has a striking whitishsupercilium in all plumages and has plain wings in flight. Adults in summer are unmistakable, with a chestnut breast bordered above with white, black belly, and warm-brown back. The legs are yellow, and the short bill is black. As with thephalaropes, the female is brighter than the male. Winter birds lack the rich underpart colouration, apart from the white breast line, and are greyer above. Young birds are similar, but have a scaly appearance to their backs. The flight call is a softpyurr. The female's song is a simple, repetitive whistle.
It breeds in the Arctic tundra of northernEurosiberia, fromNorway to easternSiberia, and on suitable mountain plateaus such as theScottish highlands and theAlps. This species ismigratory, wintering in a narrow belt across northAfrica fromMorocco eastwards toIran. Migration stopovers are traditional, and small parties (trips) of dotterels pass through each year at these usually inland arable or grassy sites. The winter habitat is semi-desert.
The dotterel's diet is made up ofinsects and other smallinvertebrates such as snails, worms, and shellfish. These are obtained by a run-and-pause technique, rather than the steady probing used by other waders.
The male dotterel generally is responsible for incubation and looks after the chicks. In most cases, the cock dotterel successfully prevents other males from getting his mate and fertilizing her eggs. He usually rears chicks that he has fathered and only 4.6% (2/44) of chicks were not the genetic offspring of the caring male, corresponding to 9.1% (2/22) broods affected.[12]
