One of the 6 plovers on WAnimals
Birds · Charadriiformes · Charadriidae
Piping Plover
Charadrius melodus
Near Threatened
It could become threatened in the near future if current threats go unchecked.
The piping plover is a small, pale wader that nests directly on the sand of beaches and river bars in North America, in a simple scrape with no plant material. That habitat coincides exactly with the beaches busiest with bathers and vehicles, which brought it to the brink of collapse in the 1980s. Programmes of nest fencing and beach access restrictions have allowed a notable recovery.
Weight
43 g – 63 g
Size
15 cm – 19 cm
Life expectancy
14 years
