The black-fronted dotterel (Charadrius melanops) is a small plover in the family Charadriidae that is found throughout much of Australia and New Zealand.

The black-fronted dotterel was formally described in 1818 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot under the binomial name Charadrius melanops.

Juveniles are duller in colour with a greyish beak and lacking the black breast band and forehead.

It inhabits the edges of freshwater sources including wetlands, lakes, swamps, dams and billabongs, and in shallow, temporary claypan pools.

Black-fronted dotterels are typically sedentary, with a single bird, a pair, or a family group occupying a stretch of habitat on a more or less permanent basis.

Twenty-four hours after they hatch the chicks leave the nest to hide in less exposed areas, while at the same time both parents look after them.