Piping Plover

Charadrius melodus

Audubon Illustration

John James Audubon, Birds of America (1827-1838). Public domain.

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About the Piping Plover

The piping plover (Charadrius melodus) 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. There are two subspecies of piping plovers: the eastern population is known as Charadrius melodus melodus and the mid-west population is known as C. m. circumcinctus.

Source: Wikipedia

Classification

Scientific name: Charadrius melodus
Family: Plovers and Lapwings
Order: Charadriiformes

Similar species

Other members of the plovers and lapwings family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.

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