The Crab-plover, a suburb of southern Iran

The Crab-plover

The Crab-plover (Dromas ardeola) is a bird related to the waders. It is endemic to Iran and is lived in the Mangrove Area of the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea.

Crab plovers are tame, noisy birds about 40 cm long. They flock on beaches and reefs, where they hunt mollusks and crabs, The Crab-plovers live on mud, sand, coral, and lagoon shores and in the tunnels they have created inside the beach sands, they make their nests.

It is a very distinctive bird with a white head and plumage with a black marking on its back and black coloring on the primary wing feathers. Its legs are long, thin, and grey in color with more thickness at the knee joints and it has a short tail. Males and females are practically the same in appearance except for the male’s beak which appears longer and heavier.

This bird is found all over the southern margin of Iran and is very social. This bird is well adapted to the saline waters of the seas and estuaries.

Crab-plovers typically feed on Crabs, Crustaceans, some Mollusks, Marine Worms, and invertebrates.

The Crab Plover is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The Crab Plover is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. Potential threats, however, are the risks of oil spills and the introduction of nest predators. Coastal development and expansion of the tourist industry could also pose threats.