Crab Plover Dromas ardeola or Kavalye in Creole is an unmistakable black and white bird with a heavy black beak for crushing and eating crabs. Around the southern coral islands of Seychelles, this bird is seen in huge flocks. Around the granite islands it occurs in smaller numbers.
Scientific Name: Dromas ardeola
Creole name: Kavalye
Wingspan: 75-78cm.
Population in Seychelles: Unknown
World Distribution: Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, Red Sea and Somalia in April to July then disperse across the Indian Ocean in August as far as the Andaman Islands and Sri Lanka in the east and Tanzania and Madagascar. Also the coasts and islands of the Indian Ocean,
Habitat: sandy coastlines and islands, intertidal sandflats and mudflats, estuaries, lagoons and exposed coral reefs
Nests: Burrows in sandy banks
Eggs: 1-2 white egg
Diet: Predominantly crabs as well as other crustaceans, small molluscs and marine worms
Identification: Adults – long-legged, black and white with heavy dark bill. Juvenilles – same as adult but greyish plumage
See more
Species Fact Sheet at BirdLife Data Zone
(Photo credit: Martijn Hammers)