The New Zealand Dotterel or Red-breasted Plover (Charadrius obscurus) is an endangered species and it is found only in certain areas of New Zealand. Its M?ori names include T?turiwhatu, Pukunui, and K?kuruatu. It is related to the Eurasian dotterel.

New Zealand Dotterels are shorebirds and are usually found on sandy beaches and sandspits or feeding on tidal estuaries.

Dotterels are nearing extinction with about 1300 northern dotterels, and approximately 75 or so southern dotterels.

Breeding New Zealand Dotterel nest with two eggs

Parents lay eggs in the spring and summer. They nest on beaches above the high tide mark, and the nest is just a shallow hole dug in the ground, not made of twigs like a nest in a tree. The chicks hatch about 28 days after the eggs have been laid. Because the nests are on the ground, chicks can walk the day they hatch and can usually fly within 6-8 weeks.