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Piping Plover
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The Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) is a small sand-colored, sparrow-sized shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches. The adult has yellow-orange legs, a black band across the forehead from eye to eye, and a black ring around the neck during the breeding season. It runs in short starts and stops. It is difficult to see when standing still as it blends well with open, sandy beach habitats.
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Encyclopedia
The Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) is a small sand-colored, sparrow-sized shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches. The adult has yellow-orange legs, a black band across the forehead from eye to eye, and a black ring around the neck during the breeding season. It runs in short starts and stops. It is difficult to see when standing still as it blends well with open, sandy beach habitats. Males and females are difficult, if not impossible to tell apart. During the breeding season the males generally have a thicker black band around the neck while females have a thinner band.
There are 2 subspecies of Piping Plovers: the eastern population is known as Charadrius melodus melodus and the mid-west population is known as Charadrius melodus circumcinctus. The bird's name is derived from its plaintive bell-like whistles which are often heard before the bird is visible.
Total population is currently estimated at about 6,410 individuals. A preliminary estimate showed 3,350 birds in 2003 on the Atlantic Coast alone, 52% of the total. The population has been increasing since 1991.
Their breeding habitat includes beaches or sand flats on the Atlantic coast, the shores of the Great Lakes and in the mid-west of Canada and the United States. They nest on sandy or gravel beaches or sandbars. These shorebirds forage for food on beaches, usually by sight, moving across the beaches in short bursts. Generally, Piping Plovers will forage for food around the high tide "wrack line" and along the waters edge. They mainly eat insects, marine worms and crustaceans.
Description
The Piping Plover is a stout bird with a large rounded head, a short thick neck and a stubby bill. It is a sand-colored, dull gray/khaki, sparrow-sized shorebird. The adult has yellow- orange legs, a black band across the forehead from eye to eye, and a black ring around the neck during the breeding season. Its bill is orange with a black tip. It ranges from 6.75–7 in (17–18 cm) in length, with a wingspan of 18–18.75 in (45–47 cm) and a mass of 1.5–1.7 oz (43–47 g).
Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized, including nominate C. m. melodus of the Atlantic Coast and C. m. circumcinctus of the prairies. On average, circumcinctus is darker overall with more contrastingly dark cheeks and lores. Breeding male circumcinctus shows more extensive black on forehead and bill-base and more often shows complete breast-bands. Some overlap exists.
Vocalizations
Flight call is a soft, whistled peep given by standing and flying birds. Frequently heard alarm call is a soft pee-werp, which the second syllable lower pitched. Male's display song is a repeated, high-pitched pirp, pirp, pirp, pirp, pirp... or more drawn-out pooeep, pooeep, pooeep...,and once in a while ka-weep, ka-weep often repeated 40 or more times per flight. Display flight is often in the shape of a figure eight[4]
Habitat
The Piping Plover lives the majority of its life on open sandy beaches or rocky shores, often in high, dry sections away from water. They can be found on the Atlantic coast of the U.S. and Canada on ocean or bay beaches and on the Great Lakes shores. It builds its nests higher on the shore near beach grass and other objects. It is very rare to see a Piping Plover anywhere outside of sand or rocky beaches/shores while not migrating.
Migration and breeding
Piping Plovers migrate north in the summer and winters to the south on the Gulf of Mexico, the southern Atlantic coast of the United States and the West Indies. They begin migrating north beginning in mid-March. Their breeding grounds extend from southern Newfoundland south to the northern parts of South Carolina. They begin mating and nesting on the beach in mid-April.
Males will begin claiming territories and pairing up in late March. When pairs are formed the male begins digging out several scrapes (nests) along the high shore near the beach grass line. The nests, known as scrapes, are small depressions in the sand, dug by kicking the sand out forming the depression. Many times in the same area that Least Terns choose to colonize. Females will sit and evaluate the scrapes. The female will choose a good scrape and will decorate the nest with shells and debris to camouflage it. Once a scrape is seen as sufficient, the female will allow the male to copulate with her. The male begins a mating ritual of standing upright and "marching" towards the female, puffing himself up and quickly stomping his legs. If the female had seen the scrape as adequate she will allow the male to stand on her back and copulation occurs within a few minutes.
Most first time nest attempts in each breeding season are 4 egg nests. Nests appear as early as mid to late April. Females lay 1 egg every other day. Second, third and sometimes fourth nesting attempts may only have three or two eggs. Incubation of the nest is shared by both the male and the female. Incubation is generally 27 days and eggs usually all hatch on the same day.
Many conservationists use exclosures, round turkey wire cages with screened top, to protect the nests from predators during incubation. These allow the adults to move in and out but stop predators from getting to the eggs. When the chicks hatch many areas will put up snow fencing to restrict driving and pets for the safety of the chicks. The threats to nests include predators such as crows, cats, racoons, fox and various other animals to less extents. Ghost Crabs have been noted as being a possible predator of young chicks. These "exclosures" are what protect the nest from predators. Exclosures are not always used; sometimes they will draw more attention to the nest than they would without the exclosure. Other natural hazards to the eggs and chicks include storms, high winds, and abnormal high tides. Various human disturbances have caused the abandonment of nests and chicks as well. As a precaution it is best to stay away from any bird that appears distressed to prevent any unintended consequences.
After a chick hatches it is able to feed within hours. The adults role is then to protect them from the elements by brooding them. They also alert them to any danger. Adults will feign a broken wing, "broken wing display", drawing attention to itself and away from the chicks when a predator may be threatening the chicks safety. The "broken wing display" is also used during the nesting period to distract predators from the nest. A major defence mechanism in the chicks is their ability to blend in with the sand. It takes about 30 days before a chick achieves flight capability. They must be able to fly at least 50 yards before they can be considered as fledglings.
Migration south begins in August for some adults and fledglings, by mid-September most Piping Plovers have headed south for winter.
Behavior
An inconspicuous bird of dry sandy beaches. Breeds in open sand, gravel, or shell-strewn beaches and alkali flats. Nest site is typically near small clumps of grass, drift, or other windbreak. In winter prefers sand beaches and mudflats. Migrants seldom seen inland but occasionally show up at lake shores, river bars, or alkali flats. Forages visually in typical plover fashion, employing and run-stop-scan technique. Captures prey by leaning forward and picking at surface. Also employs a "foot-tremble" feeding method, causing prey to move and become more conspicuous. Feeds by day and night. Eats a wide variety of aquatic marine worms, insects, mollusks, and crustaceans. Seldom found in large numbers except at a few favored wintering or staging sites, where numbers sometimes reach 100 or more. More typically seen in pairs or in groups of 3 or 4. When approached, more often runs than flies.
Status
The Piping Plover is globally threatened and endangered; it is uncommon and local within its range. The piping plover has been listed by the United States as "endangered" in the Great Lakes region and "threatened" in the remainder of its breeding range. While it is federally threatened, the Piping Plover has been listed as state endangered in many, if not all, of the states it breeds in. In Canada the Piping Plover is listed as endangered.
Historical and current conservation
In the 1800's and early 1900's the Piping Plover was utilized for its feathers, as were many other birds at the time, as decoration in womens hats. These decorations, called plumes, became a symbol of high society, especially those from larger rare birds. This led to its initial population decline. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 helped the population recover through the 1930's. The second decline in the Piping Plover's population and range has been attributed to increased development, habitat loss and human activity near nesting sites in the decades following WWII.
Critical nesting habitats are now being protected to help the population during its breeding season. Populations have significantly increased since the protection programs began, but the species remains in serious danger. Current conservation strategies include identification and preservation of known nesting sites, public education, limiting pedestrian traffic near nests, preventing off-road vehicle traffic near hatched chicks, and limiting predation of free-ranging cats, dogs and other pets on breeding pairs, eggs and chicks. Measures to protect breeding and wintering beaches are having mixed results. Roughly $3 million a year is being spent for the U.S. Atlantic Coast population alone.
In coastal areas such as Cape Cod, Long Island, and most recently, Cape Hatteras National Seashore in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, beach access to pedestrians and Off Road Vehicles (ORVs) has been limited or even sometimes prohibited near nesting Piping Plovers as a result of management plans and lawsuits filed by environmental organizations such as the National Audubon Society and the (SELC). As with any other endangered species conflicts arise and compromises have to be made between those protecting the species and those who use the habitat.
Increased restrictions to areas near , , and other areas within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore have been viewed as excessive by the and the . Similar issues have continued to be a challenge to those working with the plovers across their breeding range.
In Eastern Canada, the Piping Plover is only found on coastal beaches. In 1985 it was declared an endangered species by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.
Further reading
External links
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- - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- - South Dakota Birds and Birding
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