Piping Plover
    Image: Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Piping Plover

    Charadrius melodus

    Waterbirds
    Near Threatened

    Quick Facts

    Mass0.055 kg

    Facts sourced from Wikidata (CC0).

    Conservation Status

    Conservation hub
    NT - Near Threatened

    Close to qualifying as threatened in the near future.

    The piping plover is a small, sand-colored shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches in North America. The adult has yellow-orange-red 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 to see when it is standing still, as it blends well with open, sandy beach habitats. It typically runs in short, quick spurts and then stops.

    Description adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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