Tawny-throated Dotterel Oreopholus ruficollis Scientific name definitions

The Tawny-throated Dotterel is a distinctive plover of temperate and open South American habitats. It belong to the monotypic genus Oreopholus, and is comprised of two disjunct subspecies. The northern subspecies, pallidus, is a year-round resident of the arid coast of northern Peru. The southern subspecies, nominate ruficollis, breeds on the the Patagonian steppe, grazed puna grasslands, and sandy areas with sparse vegetation in the southern Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru; its range extends north at least to Lake Junín, and also occurs in the Sierras de Comechingones in central Argentina. In the nonbreeding season, nominate ruficollis migrates to coastal sites in Uruguay and Argentina, especially agricultural fields and meadows. It has a wide elevational range, but is rare and local except at some localities in its breeding range during the austral spring. It is usually observed in pairs or small groups, although during the nonbreeding season it can gather in large groups of more than 100 birds. A particularly stately and handsome species, it has an upright posture and a striking facial pattern with a narrow white supercilium, a black band that crosses the eye, a dark gray crown, and a warm chestnut throat. Despite its bold plumage and preference for open habitats, it can be cryptic and secretive, and will freeze and turn its buff-and-black striped back towards an observer to hide. Relatively little is known about its natural history, with more work needed to better understand its breeding biology, diet, and seasonal movements.