The piping plover is a sand-colored, sparrow-sized 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.
Region
North America and the Caribbean
Typical Environment
Breeds on sparsely vegetated sandy beaches, dunes, barrier islands, and gravelly shorelines along the Atlantic Coast, Great Lakes, and parts of the Great Plains. Inland populations use alkali flats, riverine sandbars, and lakeshores with wide, open substrates. In winter it frequents coastal beaches, tidal flats, sand spits, and lagoon edges along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and into the northern Caribbean. The species favors broad, flat areas with minimal vegetation and good visibility, often near the wrack line or moist sand where prey is abundant.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Piping plovers nest in simple scrapes on open sand and rely on superb camouflage to avoid predators, making them hard to spot when still. Human disturbance, beach development, and roaming pets are major threats, so beaches may be seasonally fenced to protect nests. Their clear, mournful 'peep-lo' call gives the species its name, and conservation efforts have helped some populations rebound.
A plover on sand
![Charadrius melodus (piping plover), nest on a beach of île de la Grande-Entrée, Magdalen Island, Quebec, Canada[10]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/960528_17_nid_pluvier.jpg/1280px-960528_17_nid_pluvier.jpg)
Charadrius melodus (piping plover), nest on a beach of île de la Grande-Entrée, Magdalen Island, Quebec, Canada[10]
Parent and chick on the Atlantic coast, Cape May, New Jersey, USA
Piping plover chick on a beach in Queens, New York
Piping plover chick with band at two weeks old.
![Aerial photos showing two general types of mining sites and the aftermath of mining operations. Piping plovers benefit from large white waste sand piles, which are the most abundant on traditional mining sites.[12]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Jorgensen-2021-mining-sand-habitats.jpg/1280px-Jorgensen-2021-mining-sand-habitats.jpg)
Aerial photos showing two general types of mining sites and the aftermath of mining operations. Piping plovers benefit from large white waste sand piles, which are the most abundant on traditional mining sites.[12]
![Piping plover habitat in Nebraska.[7]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/Zeigler-2017-plover-metapopulation.jpg/1280px-Zeigler-2017-plover-metapopulation.jpg)
Piping plover habitat in Nebraska.[7]
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low over the surf
Social Behavior
Breeding pairs defend small territories on open sand and nest in shallow scrapes lined with small shells or pebbles. Clutches typically contain four speckled eggs, and downy chicks are precocial and leave the nest within hours to forage. Outside the breeding season they may roost loosely in small groups on quiet beaches and flats.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
Soft, whistled notes with a clear, piping 'peep-lo' that carries over surf noise. Calls become more insistent near nests or chicks and include sharp alarm chips.
