This coastal bird has black-and-white plumage and a heavy bill, and feeds on crabs. A field study in India’s Gulf of Kachchh recorded wintering birds foraging at low tide.
Adults have a white body with a black back and wings, and a heavy bill. Juveniles have a pale brown back.
Researchers tracked six Crab Plovers wintering at Barr Al Hikman, Oman, between 2011 and 2014. All followed similar spring routes, crossing desert and the Oman Mountains before turning northwest along Iran’s southern coast. Four reached breeding sites in southwestern Iran and two reached an island in Kuwait.
In autumn, four returned along the coast, while two crossed about 760 and 780 km of the Empty Quarter. The study mapped 23 spring and 37 autumn stopover places. Of 625 recorded migratory flight points, 82% fell between 17:00 and 06:00; most flights were less than 25 m above ground. Spring journeys lasted 3–24 days, and birds spent 96–174 days at breeding sites. The shortest distance from the wintering site to breeding areas was about 1,600 km.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Tagged birds were followed from Barr Al Hikman, Oman, to breeding sites in southwestern Iran and Kuwait, with stopover places recorded on both seasonal journeys. The study documents routes connecting one wintering area with several breeding locations.