Granddad’s Camera
Dotterel, as it appears in the game

No.081 · Birds · Very rare

Dotterel

Charadrius morinellus

A tame, round-eyed mountain plover; the female is the brighter bird and the male raises the chicks on the high plateau.

When to look

May to July, mostly at dawn and day.

Time of day

Best time
Day, May–August, on the high tops; arrivals in late April to May.
Where in the game
the Cairngorms (mountain)
Size
20–22 cm
Wingspan
57–64 cm
Weight
90–145 g
Lifespan
Oldest ringed bird 10 years 10 months (BTO)
Population
An estimated 112 breeding males in the UK in the 2025 survey, down 89% from 981 in 1987/88 (RSPB); 425 males in 2011 (BTO)
Status
Red (UK Birds of Conservation Concern)

Diet

Insects and other invertebrates on mountain tops.

Habitat

Bare, stony summits above about 900 m.

Breeding

The male incubates 3 eggs in a scrape for 24–28 days (late May–June); chicks are led away soon after hatching (late June–July) and fledge after 25–30 days

Field signs

  • A soft 'pit-pit' call
  • A white eyestripe forming a V on the nape
  • Nesting scrapes among lichens
  • Rusty belly with white band

Did you know?

  • Females are the brighter sex and often mate with several males, leaving each to sit on the eggs.
  • Dotterels are famously tame, which once made them easy to shoot.
  • The UK breeding population fell from an estimated 981 males in 1987/88 to 112 in 2025, and the RSPB warns it could become the first UK bird lost to climate change.

Moments worth waiting for

  • Male on the nest May to July, day
    The male dotterel crouches motionless on a lichen-covered scrape, rusty breast flush against the stones.

Photo tip

Shoot only from a distance with a long lens. You may need a long, early hike, so check weather and follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

Be a good naturalist

This is one of Britain's most threatened breeding birds. Do not search for nests, keep to paths, and never approach an incubating bird. If a bird seems tame, back away.

The law

Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981: disturbance at or near the nest is an offence.

Checked against