The Red-kneed Dotterel is a small plover with a black head and breast band and reddish legs. After heavy rain it may move inland to breed, returning toward the coast as wetlands dry.
The black head, nape, and breast band contrast with a white triangle across the throat and sides of the neck. The bill is red with a black tip; the legs are pink above the knee and gray below.
It searches for aquatic invertebrates and their larvae by wading or running along shallow shorelines. Outside the breeding season, it occurs alone or in small loose flocks.
It nests in a ground depression near water, lined with fine twigs, grass or other plant material. A clutch usually contains four eggs. Both parents incubate, starting when the clutch is complete.
Chicks can swim when they hatch. At a parent’s alarm call they swim or wade to plants in the water to hide. An adult may stand over a chick to shelter it.
It has a chestnut patch on the upper flanks. Juveniles have a gray-brown head and nape, with the breast band absent or indistinct. The chestnut flank patch is initially absent.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.