Crab plover, Dromas ardeola, photographed at the Indian Ocean.
Image: Peter Wächtershäuser, October 2007 [velociraptorize].
Question: This AfroAsian mystery bird is truly strange as birds go. Can you name the species and tell me about one of its many peculiar characters?
Response: This is an adult crab plover, Dromas ardeola. This is a species of shorebird that appears to resemble plovers (hence its name), but its relationships are confusing and still being investigated.
There are many characters that are peculiar to this bird, but I am most impressed by its breeding habits. These birds dig a nest burrow in sandy banks (you wouldn't expect this with those long legs, would you?) and they rely on the sun to incubate their eggs for as long as 58 hours at a stretch. Another oddity is that, after hatching, the chicks are unique amongst wading birds because they cannot walk. So the chicks remain in the nest for several days after hatching, whilst both parents feed them. After fledging, the chicks remain dependent upon both of their parents for a long time.
You are invited to review all of the daily mystery birds by going to their dedicated graphic index page.
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