The piping plover is a small North American shorebird that is known for its distinct appearance and behaviors. Some key things that make the piping plover unique include its plumage, its melodic call, its threatened conservation status, and its specialized nesting habits. In this article, we will explore what defines this charming little shorebird.
Distinct Plumage
The piping plover is easily identified by its plumage. Adults have pale sandy-colored upperparts, a white underside, and orange legs. They have a black band across their forehead from eye to eye, and a black patch on either side of their neck. Their orange bill is short and stout.
During breeding season, the plumage is more distinct. The black bands on the head and neck become bolder, and a black collar appears on the nape. The orange bill brightens as well. The plumage is drabber in winter, with the black bands fading. Juveniles resemble winter adults, but have a speckled back and an overall grayish cast.
The piping plover’s pale upperparts helps camouflage it against open, sandy beaches where it feeds. When it crouches on the sand, it becomes nearly invisible. The striking black and white head pattern distinguishes it from other shorebirds and makes identification easy even during its subtle winter plumage phase.
Melodic Call
The piping plover’s common name comes from its melodic call. Its most frequent vocalization is a soft, whistled “peep-lo” or “pee-e-pit” sound. This call is used during breeding and migration seasons to communicate with other birds in the flock. Listeners often describe it as sounding plaintive or soothing.
Piping plovers also have an alarm call, which is a short “pip pip” note. They use this call to signal danger or approach by predators. It alerts the flock to be on high alert. The alarm call is sometimes the only way a person might notice these well-camouflaged birds on the beach.
The piping plover’s melodic calls contribute to its gentle and charming personality. Bird enthusiasts find these shorebirds a delight to observe and listen to as they forage along the shoreline. Even as their numbers have declined, their lovely calls can still be heard on beaches during migration.
Threatened Species Status
Piping plovers are considered a threatened and endangered species. In the 1980s, their populations declined to dangerously low levels due to habitat loss and predation. Conservation efforts helped piping plover numbers begin to recover, but they are still vulnerable.
There are only about 8,000 breeding pairs left across North America. Two subspecies show significantly reduced numbers:
- Great Plains piping plover – 1,300 breeding pairs
- Great Lakes piping plover – 71 breeding pairs
Both of these subspecies are federally listed as endangered in the United States. The Atlantic Coast piping plover is listed as threatened. Through conservation protections, this subspecies has rebounded to around 5,000 breeding pairs. However, more recovery work is still needed.
Threats that contributed to the piping plover’s decline include:
- Habitat loss due to shoreline development
- Human disturbance of nesting areas
- Predation by foxes, raccoons, gulls, and other animals
Ongoing conservation efforts aim to protect crucial habitat, monitor nests, use predator controls, and raise public awareness. Recovery goals have been set to guide the restoration of piping plover numbers and genetic diversity. Achieving a sustainable thriving population remains an active but challenging goal.
Specialized Nesting
Piping plovers nest right on open sandy beaches, often near dunes or beach grass. Nesting on the ground makes their eggs and chicks vulnerable to predators and disturbances. Their adaptations for beach nesting give piping plovers unique behaviors and requirements.
Nest Site Selection
Piping plovers seek wide, sparsely vegetated shorelines for nesting. Ideal sites have a mix of sand, gravel, or cobble substrate. These sites allow for camouflage while providing drainage and warmth for eggs. Traditional nesting areas are returned to year after year.
Scrape Nest
The pair of plovers will work together to create a shallow depression in the sand or gravel. This “scrape” has a lined bottom to hold the eggs safely. The birds may decorate the nest with small pebbles, seashells or debris.
Brood-rearing
Chicks leave the nest within hours after hatching. The mobile chicks feed themselves while attended by the parents. Fledging occurs around 4 weeks. The family may continue using the nesting territory for several more weeks.
Shared Nesting Sites
Piping plovers prefer to nest in loose colonies. Their territorial boundaries are flexible. It is common for multiple nests to occur within 30 meters of each other. This communal nesting offers some safety benefits.
Year-Round Habitat Needs
Although piping plovers nest on beaches, they utilize a variety of coastal habitats throughout the year:
Wintering Grounds
Migrating south after breeding, piping plovers winter along the coasts of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and south to the Caribbean and Bahamas. They frequent beaches, mudflats, sandflats, algal flats and shorelines of lakes, lagoons and ponds.
Migration Stopovers
Piping plovers follow migratory flyways along the Atlantic coast and through the Great Plains. Stopovers allow the birds to rest and feed. Habitats used include beaches, sandflats, alkali wetlands and lakeshores.
Feeding Grounds
Piping plovers feed on invertebrates found on moist substrates. They run and pause to pick up food from the ground. Feeding often occurs on mudflats, sandflats, and beaches. Foraging sites usually provide both wet and dry substrates.
Diet
The piping plover is specially adapted for its insectivorous diet at the water’s edge. Some key attributes include:
- Wide flat bill optimized for picking up small prey on wet ground
- Large eyes placed high on the head for scanning the ground
- Stout orange legs designed for running on soft, wet soils
Piping plovers eat a variety of small invertebrates:
| Invertebrates | Examples |
|---|---|
| Insects | Fly larvae, beetles, ants, grasshoppers |
| Worms | Sandworms, bristle worms |
| Crustaceans | Amphipods, isopods, shrimp |
| Mollusks | Gastropods, bivalves |
| Other | Spiders, ticks |
This protein-rich diet provides the energy piping plovers need for their active lifestyles and long migrations. Parents also gather this high-protein food to feed their chicks.
Courtship and Parenting
One of the delights of piping plovers lies in observing their graceful courtship dances and attentive parenting:
Courtship Displays
In courtship display, the male plover runs behind the female with ruffled feathers, puffed chest, and energetic steps to get her attention. He may initiate courtship feeding by presenting her with a food item. If interested, she will crouch down and accept the offering.
Shared Incubation
The mated pair share responsibility for incubating the eggs. They take turns sitting on the nest while the other goes off to feed. Incubation lasts about 27 days. Eggs hatch in the order they were laid, so chicks emerge over several days.
Brood Defense
Piping plover parents actively defend their nests and chicks. They frequently perform distraction displays such as false brooding, false injury limping, or rodent runs to lure predators away from the nest area. Their alarm calls warn chicks to freeze or hide.
Double Brooding
If the first nest fails early in breeding season, piping plovers may re-nest. Some pairs even raise two broods per season. The second nest may occur at a different site from early nest attempts. This double brooding helps maximize reproductive success.
Migration
The piping plover is a long-distance migrant that travels up to 2,000 miles between Atlantic, Gulf Coast, Great Plains, and Great Lakes breeding areas and wintering grounds on the Gulf of Mexico, southern Atlantic coast, and Caribbean.
Migration Distance
| Breeding Grounds | Migration Route | Approximate Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Coast | Along Atlantic Coast | 1,000 miles |
| Great Plains | Through Central U.S. | 1,500 miles |
| Great Lakes | Along U.S. Gulf Coast | 2,000 miles |
Migration Timing
The timing of migration depends on subspecies and breeding locality. Most piping plovers migrate through August and September after nesting season. By mid-October, most have arrived on the wintering grounds. Return migration peaks in mid-April.
Stopover Sites
During migration, piping plovers stop to rest and feed at beaches, sandflats, and alkali wetlands. These stopovers allow them to make the trip in multiple short hops rather than a single long flight. Abundant food at stopover sites helps fuel the next phase of their journey.
Population Monitoring
Extensive monitoring programs track piping plover populations, productivity, survival, and habitat use. This ongoing research is vital for recovery efforts. Some techniques used in monitoring include:
Breeding Surveys
All known and potential nesting sites are surveyed multiple times each year. Observers search for territorial and nesting adults. Locations of nests are marked and monitored. Productivity per nesting pair is calculated based on chick survival to fledging.
Banding
Adult piping plovers and chicks are banded with metal and colored bands engraved with unique alphanumeric codes. Banding allows individual identification. Resightings of banded birds provide data on survival, movements, longevity and more.
Population Counts
Population censuses are conducted during both breeding and wintering seasons. Counts determine population size, distribution and use of habitat sites. Census methodology varies by region but may include ground surveys, aerial surveys and mark-resighting techniques.
Genetic Monitoring
Blood samples taken from banded birds allow analysis of population genetics. Genetics help determine population structure, diversity, relatedness and mixing between subspecies. This guides breeding and reintroduction programs.
The data gathered from monitoring provides metrics on how recovery efforts are impacting population numbers, breeding success, and expansion into historical habitat. Monitoring leads to recommendations to continually guide effective management of this threatened shorebird.
Conservation Efforts
Many organizations and agencies are working to conserve and recover piping plover populations through various programs:
Habitat Protection
Protection and restoration of habitat sites focuses on maintaining suitable conditions for feeding, nesting, brooding and migration stopovers. Methods can include managing vegetation, providing predator exclosures, posting warning signs, closing access paths and restricting dogs.
Captive Rearing
Eggs may be removed from the wild for captive rearing programs. The chicks are raised in protected settings and released back into the wild when old enough to avoid high mortality rates. This boosts reproductive success.
Public Education
Outreach programs provide education on avoiding disturbance and monitoring nests. Public lands managers, schools, homeowners and beachgoers are targeted to raise awareness and support.
Predator Management
Select practices reduce nest losses to predation. Trapping and relocation of problem animals may be used. Nest exclosures provide a physical barrier. Human monitors can also alert birds to nearby predators.
Banding Studies
Marking birds with bands allows tracking and study of critical population data like survivorship, dispersal, habitat use, causes of mortality and migratory connectivity. These inform management decisions.
Partners in piping plover conservation include federal and state wildlife agencies, nonprofits like Audubon societies, universities, and public land managers. Recovery depends on combined commitment to legislation, land protections, habitat management and public education across the plover’s range.
Conclusion
The piping plover holds distinction as a unique and specialized shorebird. Its delicate plumage, melodious voice, threatened status and devoted beach nesting behaviors make it a one-of-a-kind species. Ongoing conservation efforts aim to ensure the future of this beautiful little plover along our beaches and shorelines. Piping plovers face many challenges, but they continue to persist as a symbol of the link between shorebirds and humans who treasure the coast.
