A small plover with a very short bill. Its pale back matches the white sand beaches and alkali flats that it inhabits. While many shorebirds have wide distributions, this one is a North American specialty, barely extending into Mexico in winter.

Plovers are found throughout North America. There are at least seven species of plovers found on the continent. The American Golden-Plover, Black-bellied Plover, Pacific Golden-Plover, Piping Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Snowy Plover and the Wilson's Plover are native to the continent.

Little round Piping Plovers hide in plain sight on sandy ocean and lake shores, blending right in with their sandy gray backs. It's not until they scurry down the sand on their orange legs that you're likely to spot these big-eyed shorebirds with a sharp black collar and an orange bill.

Apr 2, 2025 · We are celebrating 10 years since threatened piping plovers found a literal “field of dreams” at Prime Hook, and to commemorate this momentous occasion, we are running a new digital interpretive series, Plover Primetime. ... Plover Primetime. In this series we will introduce our plovers and show you a little bit of what they get up to out ...

This stocky plover breeds in high Arctic zones around the world, and winters on the coasts of six continents. Some can be seen along our beaches throughout the year (including non-breeding immatures through the summer).

A trim, elegant plover. Swift and graceful in flight, probably one of the fastest fliers among shorebirds, and with good reason: it migrates every year from Arctic Alaska and Canada to southern South America.

Aug 29, 2022 · Maine Audubon biologists and naturalists commonly field identification questions along the lines of is it this, or is it that? . Many species look similar from a distance, but there are some great telltale signs, both visual markers and behaviors, that can help identify species.

One of the smaller plovers of North America, weighing only about 46 to 63 grams, the Piping Plover is approximately 17 to 18 cm long with an average wingspan of 48 cm. The back, wings, cheek patches, crown, and breast band are a pale gray.

Feb 19, 2020 · Not unlike humans, as winter approaches and the weather cools, piping plovers seek the warmer climates of the southern Atlantic and Gulf coasts. These preferred wintering grounds, include the sand flats of Gulf Islands National Seashore! Breeding piping plover have eye-catching features.

Description: Small plover with a short, stout, black bill, yellow to greenish-olive legs, and very pale upperparts. In Florida, usually encountered in winter plumage. Black band across forehead and dark ring partly around neck, present in breeding birds, …