This species is neither a plover nor a sandpiper, but a unique shorebird classified in its own family the Pluvianellidae. It is scarce and locally distributed breeding inland in extreme southern Chile and Argentina and wintering along the coast. Birdlife International considers this species to be "near threatened" because of its very small population, estimated at fewer than 10,000 birds. On this visit we were able to read two band numbers. Several chicks had been banded in January as part of the Wader Quest Magellanic Plover ringing project. It was thought the nesting season had come to an end but our observations suggested continued nesting. We observed a Magellanic Plover intruder aggressively excluded from an apparent territory while another pair exhibited courtship flights.