The black-bellied plover is a medium-sized shorebird that breeds in the Arctic tundra and winters along coastlines around the world. Known for their distinctive black bellies in breeding plumage, these elegant birds undertake remarkable migrations spanning thousands of miles between their breeding and wintering grounds. Their preferred habitats and geographic distribution during the year makes the black-bellied plover a fascinating species to learn about.
Breeding Range
Black-bellied plovers breed in the high Arctic tundra, where conditions allow them to successfully raise young during the short summer season. Their breeding grounds extend across:
Northern Canada and Alaska
– Northern Yukon Territory
– Mackenzie River Delta
– Northern Northwest Territories
– Northern Alaska along the Arctic Coastal Plain
Russia
– Northern Siberia
– Taymyr Peninsula
– Far Eastern Siberia
Scandinavia
– Northern Norway
– Northern Sweden
– Northern Finland
On the tundra breeding grounds, black-bellied plovers nest on open ground with low vegetation, often seeking out elevated mounds and slopes with good visibility. The tundra provides a vast expanse of nesting habitat far from most human disturbance. The open landscape allows the birds to spot and react to potential predators like arctic foxes, jaegers, and snowy owls. Small tundra pools and ponds provide feeding habitat where the birds forage on invertebrates.
After arriving at the breeding grounds in early June, females lay a clutch of 4 eggs in a shallow scrape on the ground lined with lichens and leaves. Both parents incubate the eggs for around 26 days before they hatch in early July. The precocial downy chicks are able to feed themselves soon after hatching while the parents lead them to suitable foraging sites. They fledge and gain flight capabilities after around 35 days. The family groups remain together until the young are ready to make their first migration south in late August or early September.
Wintering Range
After departing the Arctic, black-bellied plovers undertake long migrations to coastlines around the world to spend the winter. Their wintering grounds extend along:
Atlantic Coast of North America
– From Nova Scotia south to Florida
– Caribbean Islands
– Coastal Mexico and Central America
Pacific Coast of North America
– From southern British Columbia south to Baja California, Mexico
Northern and Eastern South America
– Coastal Venezuela
– The Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana)
– Brazil
Western Europe
– Coastal Portugal, Spain, and France along the Bay of Biscay and English Channel
– Britain and Ireland
– North Sea coasts of Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark
Africa
– West Africa from Mauritania to South Africa
– Madagascar
– East Africa from Kenya to South Africa
Middle East
– Persian Gulf coasts
– Red Sea coasts
Southern Asia
– Coastal Pakistan and India
– Sri Lanka
– Bangladesh
Australia
– Around the entire Australian coastline
Along these coasts, black-bellied plovers inhabit beaches, estuaries, mudflats, salt marshes, lagoons, and wet agricultural fields. Their diet shifts during winter to marine invertebrates like crabs, mollusks, and marine worms. They aggressively defend feeding territories on the tidal flats.
Some key wintering sites host enormous numbers of black-bellied plovers each year. For example, up to 250,000 birds may winter along the western Gulf Coast of Florida. The Guianas host at least 200,000 birds annually. Other top sites are along the Brazilian coast, the Banc d’Arguin in Mauritania, and northern Australia.
Migration Routes
The migration journeys of the black-bellied plover are among the longest of any shorebird species. After breeding, the birds take different routes depending on the side of the Atlantic where they nested.
East Atlantic Population
Plovers from Scandinavia, Russia, and western Siberia migrate southwest over continental Europe before fanning out to winter sites along the East Atlantic coasts of Europe and Africa. Some go as far south as South Africa.
Central Canadian Population
Central Canadian breeders migrate down the Great Plains through the interior of North America, gathering in large flocks at key stopover sites. They continue south to winter along the U.S. Gulf Coast, Caribbean, and northern South America.
West Canadian/Alaskan Population
Birds from Alaska and northwest Canada migrate down the Pacific Coast of North America to wintering grounds stretching from southern British Columbia to South America.
When returning north in spring, these pathways are reversed as the plovers make their way back to the Arctic breeding grounds. Migrating flocks stop over at critical staging sites to rest and feed, often mingling with other shorebirds. Birds from the East Atlantic wintering population funnel through the Wadden Sea between Denmark and the Netherlands, where over 100,000 plovers may gather. Delaware Bay along the U.S. Atlantic Coast hosts a huge spring gathering of over 100,000 red knots intermixed with black-bellied plovers pausing to feed on horseshoe crab eggs before final migration to the Arctic.
Satellite tracking studies have revealed the long distances traversed by some individuals over the course of the year. One bird nesting in Alaska wintered along the coast of Venezuela, covering over 15,000 km on its round trip migration. Another individual breeding in the central Canadian Arctic migrated to winter on the southeast coast of Brazil, an astonishing round trip of over 26,000 km each year.
Year-Round Range
A portion of the global black-bellied plover population remains on the non-breeding grounds year-round, choosing not to make the long migrations north to Arctic nesting sites. This includes birds resident along both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America, coastal Brazil, west Africa, south Asia, and Australia. However, the breeding origins of these year-round residents are not well understood.
Population Status
According to the 2019 State of North America’s Birds report, black-bellied plover populations are declining across North America. Breeding Bird Survey data indicates a population decline of 2.4% per year between 1966-2015. Canadian Breeding Bird Atlas data shows a 32% drop in occupancy rates between breeding bird atlases completed in the 1980s and 2000s.
Partners in Flight estimates the global breeding population at 680,000 individuals. Important wintering regions include:
| Region | Estimated Population |
| Southeast U.S. Coast | 250,000 |
| Northeast Coast of South America | 200,000 |
| West Africa | 50,000 |
| Southern Africa | 100,000 |
| Australia | 50,000 |
The key threats facing black-bellied plover populations are likely occurring on their wintering grounds and migration stopover sites. Coastal habitat loss, human disturbance, pollution, aquaculture, and hunting pressure may all negatively impact the birds. More research is needed to fully understand the drivers of decline and determine effective conservation strategies across the plover’s broad range. Maintaining healthy coastal ecosystems will be vital for the future of these epic migratory shorebirds.
Conclusion
Black-bellied plovers are a fixture of coastlines around the world due to their expansive breeding range across the Arctic tundra and wide distribution on wintering grounds. From summer nesting on remote Arctic plains to defending winter territories on tidal flats thousands of miles away, the migration journey of the black-bellied plover is an amazing odyssey connecting ecosystems across continents. Although facing concerning population declines, learning about their habitat use and migratory routes can help inform conservation efforts for this far-reaching species. Their global travels highlight the importance of international cooperation for protecting migratory birds throughout their life cycles.
