Why are plovers endangered

The sandy-coloured shorebird, with its distinctive black collar and black head band, has a Canadian range covering the prairies and Ontario circumcinctus subspecies as well as Quebec and Atlantic Canada melodus subspecies. Over time, primarily due to a decline in habitat extent and quality, as well as predation, the piping plover disappeared from many of the beaches that had been ideal habitat for nesting; a census found less than adults across Canada, which happens to contain over one half of the global breeding range.

Before this past May, the last sighting of the piping plover in Toronto was in and in the wider Canadian Great Lakes in The future looked bleak for the piping plover but scientists and concerned citizens — determined not to let the species slide into extinction — have researched and worked tirelessly for decades to educate the public especially beach goers, who value the same beaches for recreation as the piping plovers for breeding and protect the fragile nesting sites of this North American migratory bird.

From building predator exclosures and creating interpretative materials for beach users, to counting eggs and banding birds, countless scientists, students, and volunteers have worked to help recover the piping plover.

The pandemic meant that she and the team had fewer staff members and volunteers to provide care for abandoned eggs after a record-high number of nest washouts. Photo by Naomi Snyder. Vince Cavalieri Photo by Naomi Snyder. Normally, zookeepers from all over the country travel to the University of Michigan Biological Station near the northern tip of Lower Michigan to incubate and rear abandoned eggs and chicks.

There were travel bans, and the biological station was temporarily closed to researchers, Cuthbert said. She had lost her mate the previous season; a merlin probably ate him, Cavalieri said. This year, the plover mom had a new mate, but he disappeared as well. Piping plover eggs need hour warmth, and a mating pair takes turns sitting on the eggs while the other parent looks for food.

A single parent is a death sentence for the eggs, as the surviving parent will abandon the nest rather than starve. But all was not lost. A piping plover monitor spotted the abandoned nest near the Maritime Museum on Sleeping Bear Dunes and took the eggs to the park office, where Cavalieri set up an incubator to keep the eggs warm. After eight days, staff relayed the eggs across the state in a heated brooder, which looks just like a picnic cooler that can be plugged into the cigarette lighter of a car.

After a few days, Joe hatched on June 13 at the Detroit Zoo; the newborn chick weighed about 7. The bird looked like a cotton ball on sticks. Cuthbert named Joe after the blue band on his leg, a nod to presidential candidate Biden. By June 24, Joe was making it. He was practicing his flying skills outdoors at the University of Michigan Biological Station and eating mealworms, waxworms, and some local insects.

For more information:. The U. Questions and answers about piping plovers. Go to the Endangered Species Home Page. Go to the U. Fish and Wildlife Home Page. All About Piping Plovers. Piping plovers Charadrius melodus are small shorebirds approximately seven inches long with sand-colored plumage on their backs and crown and white underparts. 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 coast of the Gulf of Mexico or other southern locations.

Biologists have a lot to learn about the lives of piping plovers in their winter range.