Are piping plovers still endangered?

Piping plovers are small, sand-colored shorebirds that nest and feed along coastal beaches in North America. Their populations have declined significantly since the 1800s due to threats such as habitat loss, human disturbance, and predation. Piping plovers were listed as threatened and endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1986. Since then, intensive conservation efforts have been made to protect and recover their populations. However, piping plovers remain vulnerable and their status is still considered threatened or endangered throughout their range.

Quick Answers

Are piping plovers still endangered? Yes, piping plovers are still listed as federally threatened or endangered throughout their U.S. breeding and wintering range.

How many piping plovers are left? Approximately 8,000 piping plovers remain across North America, up from fewer than 3,000 birds when initially listed.

What is their conservation status? Piping plovers are federally listed as:

• Threatened in the Great Lakes watershed
• Threatened along the Atlantic Coast and Northern Great Plains
• Endangered in the Great Lakes watershed

Why are they still endangered? Piping plovers remain at risk largely due to ongoing threats such as habitat loss, human disturbance, predation, and climate change impacts along their migration routes and in both their breeding and wintering grounds.

Background

The piping plover (Charadrius melodus) is a small North American shorebird named for its melodic call. Piping plovers breed and nest along open sandy beaches of the Atlantic coast, Great Lakes, and Northern Great Plains of the United States and Canada during the summer months. They migrate south to spend the winter along the U.S. Gulf Coast and in the Bahamas and Caribbean.

Three separate breeding populations of piping plovers are recognized in North America: the Atlantic Coast population, the Northern Great Plains population, and the Great Lakes population. Each population breeds in different regions during the summer and migrates to separate wintering grounds in the fall.

Atlantic Coast Population

The Atlantic Coast piping plover population nests on coastal beaches from North Carolina to Newfoundland during the summer breeding season. They winter along the southeast Atlantic and Gulf Coasts from North Carolina to Florida, and in the Bahamas and West Indies.

Northern Great Plains Population

Piping plovers in the Northern Great Plains breed in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, and southern Canada during the summer. They winter along the coast of Texas and Louisiana.

Great Lakes Population

The Great Lakes piping plover population nests along shorelines of the Great Lakes in Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ontario, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio during the summer. They winter along the southeast Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

Population Decline

All three breeding populations of piping plovers suffered steep declines in abundance throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries due to uncontrolled hunting for the millinery trade as well as egg collection. Their preferred habitat along wide, open sandy beaches was also becoming lost and degraded due to shoreline development and recreation.

By the 1980s, it was estimated that only 700-800 breeding pairs of piping plovers remained across the Great Lakes and Northern Great Plains, while fewer than 700 pairs remained along the Atlantic Coast. Populations had plummeted to dangerously low levels, leading to the piping plover being listed as federally threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act beginning in 1986.

Endangered Species Act Protections

The piping plover is listed as federally threatened or endangered as follows under the Endangered Species Act of 1973:

• Great Lakes watershed population: Endangered since 1986
• Atlantic Coast population: Threatened since 1986
• Northern Great Plains population: Threatened since 1988

This listing provides piping plovers with legal protections such as prohibition of unauthorized “take” or harm to the birds, conservation requirements for federal agencies, establishment of recovery plans, and authority to acquire protected habitat areas.

Conservation Efforts and Current Status

Since their Endangered Species Act listing in the 1980s, intensive conservation efforts have been made to protect and recover piping plover populations across their breeding and wintering range. These efforts have included measures such as:

• Habitat protection and restoration of nesting and wintering sites
• Establishment of predator exclosures around nests
• Restricted human access zones
• Captive breeding and reintroduction programs in the Great Lakes
• Reduced conflict with shoreline development
• Outreach and education campaigns

Thanks to these dedicated recovery programs, piping plover numbers have rebounded substantially since the initial listing. Current population estimates are as follows:

The total piping plover population is estimated at over 8,000 birds today, up from fewer than 3,000 at the time of ESA listing. However, due to ongoing and emerging threats, piping plovers remain endangered or threatened across their entire range.

Threats and Challenges

Although piping plover numbers have rebounded substantially thanks to concerted conservation efforts, the species still faces numerous threats across its breeding grounds, migration routes, and wintering habitat. Ongoing threats and challenges include:

Habitat Loss and Degradation

• Beach erosion and diminished sediment supply
• Increased shoreline development
• Human recreation and disturbance (vehicles, pedestrians, dogs, etc.)
• Vegetation encroachment

Climate Change Impacts

• Accelerated sea level rise
• Increased storm severity and frequency
• Shifting habitat suitability

Predation

• High nest predation by foxes, raccoons, gulls, and other species

Human-Wildlife Conflicts

• Fisheries bycatch
• Oil spills

With their highly specific habitat requirements, piping plovers remain especially vulnerable to these threats throughout their range. Even their increased numbers today are still well below historical levels. Continued conservation efforts are needed to protect beach habitats, curb climate change impacts, limit human disturbance, and control nest predators.

Delisting Criteria

For the piping plover to be considered fully recovered and delisted from the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has established the following criteria:

• At least 1,950 breeding pairs across the Atlantic Coast for at least 5 consecutive years
• At least 2,000 breeding pairs in the Northern Great Plains for at least 5 consecutive years
• At least 150 breeding pairs in the Great Lakes for at least 5 consecutive years
• Wintering population growth commensurate with breeding population targets
• Legal habitat protections established and enforced
• Threats addressed such that population remains self-sustaining

To date, only the Atlantic Coast and Northern Great Plains populations are nearing their target thresholds. The endangered Great Lakes population remains far below its recovery goal despite intensive captive breeding and release efforts.

Conclusion

In summary, piping plovers across North America remain federally listed as threatened or endangered due to their small population size, declining historical trends, and ongoing threats to their beach habitat. Although significant progress has been made in protecting nesting sites, controlling predators, and bolstering numbers through captive breeding programs, the piping plover is not yet considered fully recovered. Delisting criteria have not yet been met for any of the three designated populations. Continued conservation efforts, habitat protections, and threat abatement will be necessary to reach and sustain target population levels and fully restore piping plovers across their native beach ecosystems in the United States and Canada.