Charadriisimilis essexensis was a small, modern type charadriiform with an overall build close to the lineage containing plovers and their allies. It was about the scale of a small plover and helps show that recognisably modern shorebird body plans were already present in the early Eocene.

Its exact habitat and diet are not preserved, but a ground foraging ecology is strongly suggested by comparison with related charadriiforms. Small invertebrates taken from exposed sediment or damp ground are plausible prey. It should not, however, be presented as a modern plover in behaviour or family membership because its precise placement within Charadriiformes remains outside a named living family.