The double-banded plover wears two chest bands where most of its relatives wear one. A black upper band sits above a rufous lower band, a double stripe across the chest that gives the bird its name. It looks as though someone decided a single band was insufficient decoration. The plumage is pale grey-brown above and white below. The face features a white forehead and a dark line through the eye. The legs are pinkish. In flight, the tail shows white outer edges. It is a neat, tidy bird. Well assembled. Feeding involves running and stopping on mudflats and riverbeds. The bird targets insects, worms, and small crustaceans. The stop-start motion is standard plover behaviour: run, peck, stop, run again. It works. It has always worked. Occasionally it takes seeds, but meat is the main course. The call is a sharp, two-note "pip-pip," often given in alarm. This sound gives the bird its Māori name, pohowera. A pohowera on the nest will call loudly, then run away while feigning injury to draw predators off. It is a classic distraction display. It works well enough that the species still uses it. Small, neat, unassuming. Breeding takes the bird to South Island riverbeds. The nest is a shallow scrape in gravel, lined with small stones. Two or three eggs are laid. They are well camouflaged, almost invisible against the stones. A sitting bird is hard to see. That is the point. The braided rivers of Canterbury and Otago are the stronghold. The Waimakariri, the Rakaia, and the Waitaki provide the stage. These are wide, shallow rivers that flood and shift. Dangerous places to nest. The plovers have adapted. After breeding, many double-banded plovers migrate to Australia. They spend the winter on Australian estuaries, then return to New Zealand in spring. It is a Tasman crossing for a bird the size of a sparrow. They make it look easy. Not all birds leave, however. Some stay in New Zealand year-round. They move to coastal estuaries such as the Firth of Thames, Kaipara Harbour, and Manukau Harbour. They do not need to cross the sea. They stay where they are. The population faces pressure from habitat loss due to hydroelectric development and river management. Breeding sites suffer disturbance from vehicles and livestock. Introduced mammals prey on eggs and chicks. The global population is estimated at 500,000 to 1,000,000 birds. The New Zealand population is concentrated in the South Island, particularly in braided river systems. Some decline has been noted. The numbers are not encouraging. Yet the bird persists on the gravel bars. It carries on.