Piping Plover

Charadrius melodus

To protect their young, parents feign a broken wing to lead predators away from the nest, risking their own lives as a distraction.

Scientific name

Charadrius melodus

Taxonomy

Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Charadriiformes › Charadriidae › Charadrius

IUCN Red List status

Near Threatened

Population trend

increasing

Biome

wetland

Habitat

Sandy coastal beaches, sandbars, and alkaline lake shores with sparse vegetation.

Diet

Insects, marine worms, small crustaceans, and mollusks foraged from the shoreline.

Range

Atlantic Coast of North America, Great Lakes region, Northern Great Plains

Size

Length: 17-18 cm; Weight: 43-64 g

Lifespan

5-14 years

Active

diurnal

Threats

Habitat loss from coastal development, human disturbance, predation by domestic animals and gulls, and sea-level rise.

Safe to approach?

Harmless but highly sensitive to disturbance. Maintain a distance of at least 50 meters. If the bird acts injured (broken-wing display), you are too close to a nest; back away slowly. Keep pets leashed to prevent accidental crushing of camouflaged eggs.

The piping plover ( Charadrius melodus ) is a small sand-colored, sparrow-sized shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches in North America. The adult has yellow-orange legs, a black band across the forehead from eye to eye, and a black stripe running along the breast line. This chest band is usually thicker in males during the breeding season, and it is the only reliable way to tell the sexes apart. The bird is difficult...

Photo: GobyHunter, CC-BY, via iNaturalist

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