Birds · Charadriiformes · Charadriidae

Piping Plover

Charadrius melodus

Near Threatened

It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary

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

Lifespan

14 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

Estimated population

Around 8,000 breeding pairs

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Fun facts

Its recovery rests on exclosures placed over the nests: cages that let the plover through but keep foxes, gulls and raccoons out, and that have multiplied breeding success on the Atlantic beaches.
It is so pale and its eggs so well matched to the sand and pebbles that most losses on busy beaches are due to accidental treading, not predation.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Sandy beaches, dunes and the shores of alkaline lakes in eastern and central North America
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 28 days
Litter / clutch size: 4

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charadrius_melodus