# Eurasian dotterel (*Charadrius morinellus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/eurasian-dotterel  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The Eurasian dotterel (Charadrius morinellus), also called the Dotterel, is a bird in the family Charadriidae and the order Charadriiformes. It is a small bird with an adult body mass from 100 to 117 g, a representative mass of 108.5 g and a wingspan of 60 cm. This terrestrial, migratory invertivore lives in grassland and has a geographic range of 3,830,000 km². Clutches hold 3 eggs, incubation lasts 26 days, sexual maturity comes at 2 years, and its lifespan is up to 11.83 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 100 g – 117 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 60 cm |
| Lifespan | 11.8 years |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 11.8 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | grassland |
| Egg incubation | 26 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3 |
| Age at maturity | 23.9 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.5 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Charadriiformes
- family: Charadriidae
- genus: Charadrius
- species: *Charadrius morinellus* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Charadrius morinellus*, *Charadrius morinellus morinellus*, *Charadrius morinellus morinellus*, *Eudromias morinella*, *Eudromias morinellus*, *Morinellus anglorum*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the Eurasian dotterel?

The Eurasian dotterel is a bird in the family Charadriidae, order Charadriiformes. It belongs to the genus Charadrius.

### How much does a Eurasian dotterel weigh?

An adult Eurasian dotterel weighs from 100 to 117 g, with a representative mass of 108.5 g. Its wingspan is 60 cm.

### What does the Eurasian dotterel eat?

The Eurasian dotterel is an invertivore, placing it at the carnivore trophic level.

### What habitat does the Eurasian dotterel live in?

The Eurasian dotterel lives in grassland and forages on the ground as a terrestrial bird.

### Is the Eurasian dotterel migratory?

Yes, the Eurasian dotterel is migratory. Its geographic range covers 3,830,000 km².

### How many eggs does the Eurasian dotterel lay?

The Eurasian dotterel lays clutches of 3 eggs, with 1.5 clutches per year. Incubation lasts 26 days.

### How long does the Eurasian dotterel live?

The Eurasian dotterel lives up to 11.83 years. It reaches sexual maturity at 2 years.

### Who named the Eurasian dotterel?

The Eurasian dotterel was named Charadrius morinellus by Linnaeus, 1758.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Eurasian dotterel (Charadrius morinellus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/eurasian-dotterel