Crab-plover

Dromas ardeola Paykull, 1805

Dromadidae — Crab-plover

Crab-plover, Dromas ardeola, is a coastal wader found on sandy coasts and islands in Africa and the Indian Ocean, breeding around the Red Sea, the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf, and ranging more widely outside the breeding season to coasts from south-western Africa to Mozambique and KwaZulu-Natal, as well as Madagascar, the Seychelles, Chagos, the Maldives, India, Sri Lanka and the Andaman Islands. It is the only species in its family. It stands out among waders for using ground warmth to help incubate its eggs, and it nests in burrows in sandy banks.

Order
Charadriiformes
Family
Dromadidae — Crab-plover
Breeding range
Africa, Indian Ocean: sandy coasts and islands of Red Sea, Arabian Pen. and Persian Gulf (nw Indian Ocean)
Nonbreeding range
e AF, India : tropical to subtropical Indian Ocean coasts: sw Indian Ocean coast to Mozambique and KwaZulu Natal, Malagasy region including coralline atolls of s, c Seychelles, Chagos Arch., Maldives (wc Indian Ocean), w coast of India, Sri Lanka and Andaman Is.
Crab-plover
© AL BADUSH · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Tours where you can spot this bird

14 tours in India 11, Kenya 2, Seychelles 1

Andaman Fixed Departure Birding Tour
Andaman Fixed Departure Birding Tour
India / Port Blair Group tour 7 days

A seven-day scheduled Andaman tour gives you a full day for shorebirds around Port Blair before visiting Shoal Bay, Chidiya Tapu and the Mou...

Next: Nov 7, 2026
Private 15-Day Gujarat Birding and Wildlife Expedition
Private 15-Day Gujarat Birding and Wildlife Expedition
India / Ahmedabad Custom tour 15 days

A 15-day private Gujarat circuit linking major wetlands, the Little and Greater Rann, Jamnagar coast, Gir, Velavadar and the Dang forests....

Private 18-Day Rajasthan and Gujarat Desert Birding Expedition
Private 18-Day Rajasthan and Gujarat Desert Birding Expedition
India / Delhi Custom tour 18 days

An 18-day private expedition from Delhi through Rajasthan and Gujarat for bustards, desert specialists, coastal waders and western India's a...

19 Days Kenya and Tanzania Birding: Coast and Eastern Arc
19 Days Kenya and Tanzania Birding: Coast and Eastern Arc
Kenya / Mombasa Private tour 19 days

Start on Kenya’s coast and cross through Tsavo and Taita to Tanzania’s Usambaras, South Pare and Arusha, finishing with lark-country bir...

17 Days Kenya Birding Photography: Coast, Taita and Highlands
17 Days Kenya Birding Photography: Coast, Taita and Highlands
Kenya / Nairobi Photo tour 17 days

Photograph birds from Tsavo and the Taita Hills to Arabuko-Sokoke and Mida Creek, then continue through Mount Kenya, Samburu, Nakuru and Kin...

Private 4-Day Jamnagar Coastal Birding Tour
Private 4-Day Jamnagar Coastal Birding Tour
India / Jamnagar Custom tour 4 days

A four-day private exploration of Jamnagar creeks, mudflats, mangroves and wetlands for Crab-plovers, flamingos, pelicans and migratory shor...

20-Day Rajasthan & Gujarat Birding Tour with Nikhil Devasar
20-Day Rajasthan & Gujarat Birding Tour with Nikhil Devasar
India / New Delhi Custom tour 20 days

Twenty days across Rajasthan and Gujarat link the Great Indian Bustard search near Jaisalmer with Mount Abu and both the Little and Great Ra...

17-Day Western India Birding Tour with Nikhil Devasar
17-Day Western India Birding Tour with Nikhil Devasar
India / Mumbai Custom tour 17 days

A specialist Western India Birding Tour itinerary from Bird Tour India....

14-Day Gujarat Birdwatching Tour with Nikhil Devasar
14-Day Gujarat Birdwatching Tour with Nikhil Devasar
India / Ahmedabad Custom tour 14 days

A specialist Gujarat Birdwatching Tour itinerary from Bird Tour India....

Private Cousin Island Special Reserve Birding with Steve Agricole
Private Cousin Island Special Reserve Birding with Steve Agricole
Seychelles / Cousin Island Private tour 1 day

A private Cousin Island Special Reserve birding visit focused on endemic conservation success stories and coastal or seabird species....

Gujarat Birding and Wildlife Tour
Gujarat Birding and Wildlife Tour
India / Bhuj Private tour 14 days

Ahmedabad - Velavadar - Gir National Park - Jamnagar - Great Rann of Kutch - Little Rann of Kutch - Ahmedabad...

Andaman Birding Tour
Andaman Birding Tour
India / Port Blair Private tour 6 days

Six days from Kolkata include South Andaman’s coastal and forest birds plus an extra field day to revisit a site before the flight back....

Andaman Islands Short Birding Tours
Andaman Islands Short Birding Tours
India / Port Blair Private tour 5 days

A five-day South Andaman trip from Port Blair combines a ferry to Shoal Bay, an evening owl search at Chidiya Tapu and birding in the Mount ...

Fixed Departure Gujarat Birding and Wildlife Tour
Fixed Departure Gujarat Birding and Wildlife Tour
India / Bhuj Group tour 14 days

Ahmedabad - Velavadar - Gir National Park - Jamnagar - Great Rann of Kutch - Little Rann of Kutch - Ahmedabad...