Piping Plover

The piping plover in the Great Lakes area is an endangered species. Endangered species are animals and plants that are in danger of becoming extinct. The Northern Great Plains and Atlantic Coast piping plovers are threatened species. Threatened species are animals and plants that are likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. Identifying, protecting, and restoring endangered and threatened species is the primary objective of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicežs endangered species program.

The Great Lakes population of the piping plover is at a perilously low level. Since 1983, the number of nesting pairs has ranged from 12 to 19. All of the Great Lakes pairs nest in Michigan.

What is the Piping Plover?

Scientific Name

Charadrius melodus

Appearance

These small, stocky shorebirds have a sand-colored upper body, a white underside, and orange legs. During the breeding season, adults have a black forehead, a black breast band, and an orange bill.

Habitat

Piping plovers use wide, flat, open, sandy beaches with very little grass or other vegetation. Nesting territories often include small creeks or wetlands.

Reproduction

The female lays four eggs in its small, shallow nest lined with pebbles or broken shells. Both parents care for the eggs and chicks. When the chicks hatch, they are able to run about and feed themselves within hours.

Feeding Habits

The plovers eat insects, spiders, and crustaceans.

Range

Piping plovers are migratory birds. In the spring and summer they breed in northern United States and Canada. There are three locations where piping plovers nest in North America: the shorelines of the Great Lakes, the shores of rivers and lakes in the Northern Great Plains, and along the Atlantic Coast. Their nesting range has become smaller over the years, especially in the Great Lakes area. In the fall, plovers migrate south and winter along the Gulf Coast or other southern locations. Biologists have a lot to learn about the lives of piping plovers in their winter range.

Why is the Piping Plover Endangered?

Habitat Loss or Degradation

Many of the coastal beaches traditionally used by piping plovers for nesting have been lost to commercial, residential, and recreational developments. Through the use of dams or other water control structures, humans are able to raise and lower the water levels of many lakes and rivers of plover inland nest sites. Too much water in the spring floods the plovers' nests. Too little water over a long period of time allows grasses and other vegetation to grow on the prime nesting beaches, making these sites unsuitable for successful nesting.

Nest Disturbance and Predation

Piping plovers are very sensitive to the presence of humans. Too much disturbance causes the parent birds to abandon their nest. People (either on foot or in a vehicle) using the beaches where the birds nest sometimes accidentally crush eggs or young birds. Dogs and cats often harass and kill the birds. Other animals, such as fox, gulls, and crows, prey on the young plovers or eggs.

What is Being Done to Prevent the Extinction of the Piping Plover?

Listing

The Great Lakes population of the piping plover was listed as an endangered species in 1986, and the Northern Great Plains and Atlantic Coast populations were listed as threatened species that same year.

Recovery Plans

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service developed recovery plans that describe actions that need to be taken to help the bird survive and recover.

Research

Several cooperative research groups have been set up among federal and state agencies, university and private research centers, and the Canadian Wildlife Service. Studies are being conducted to determine where plovers breed and winter, estimate numbers, and monitor long-term changes in populations.

Habitat Protection

Measures to protect the bird's habitat are conducted each year, including controlling human access to nesting areas, nest monitoring and protection, limiting residential and industrial development, and properly managing water flow. In Michigan, several landowners have formally agreed to protect plover nesting habitat.

Public Education

Many states and private agencies are running successful public information campaigns to raise awareness of the plover's plight. In Michigan, residents of coastal communities where the birds nest have been contacted by an žambassadorž and provided with information about the plight of the plover.

What Can I Do to Help Prevent the Extinction of Species?

Learn

Learn more about the piping plover and other endangered and threatened species. Understand how the destruction of habitat leads to loss of endangered and threatened species and our nation's plant and animal diversity. Tell others about what you have learned.

Write

Write to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or your state fish and game agency to learn more about endangered and threatened species.

Join

Join a conservation group; many have local chapters.

How Can I Get More Information?

Call or write to:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Division of Endangered Species
Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building
1 Federal Drive
Fort Snelling, Minnesota 55111-4056
(612) 725-3276

In Michigan:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
302 Manly Miles Building
1405 South Harrison Road
East Lansing, Michigan 48823
(517) 337-6650