A small plover endemic to New Zealand, with a bill that bends to the right and breeding grounds on South Island braided rivers.
It has pale grey upperparts, white underparts, and a long black bill whose tip curves to the right. A black breast band appears in breeding plumage.
It probes beneath river stones for aquatic insect larvae and other food. After breeding, birds move to northern North Island harbours and estuaries, where they roost in dense flocks.
It nests in a shallow gravel scrape lined with small stones, usually laying two eggs. Both parents share incubation.
Chicks freeze when threatened and swim well from a few days old. One or both parents guard them for at least the first three weeks. They can fly at about 35–40 days old.
Its legs are dark gray to black, and juveniles lack the black breast band. Breeding males may have a black line above the white forehead.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.