The snowy plover is a small shorebird found in the Americas. It is a member of the bird family Charadriidae, which includes the plovers, dotterels, and lapwings. The snowy plover was originally described by John Cassin in 1858, but was classified as a subspecies of the Kentish plover in 1922. Since 2011, the snowy plover has been recognized as a distinct species based on genetic and anatomical differences from the Kentish plover. Two or three subspecies are recognized, distributed along the Pacific coast of North America, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile, in several inland areas of the US and Mexico, along the Gulf Coast, and on Caribbean islands. The coastal populations consist of both residential and migratory birds, whereas the inland populations are mostly migratory. It is one of the best studied endemic shorebirds of the Americas, and one of the rarest.
Region
Pacific, Gulf, and Caribbean coasts of the Americas with inland sites in western North America and Mexico
Typical Environment
Breeds and winters on sandy ocean beaches, barrier islands, estuaries, saline and alkali lakes, and salt pans. Inland, it favors the shores of shallow saline lakes and mudflats with sparse vegetation. Coastal birds often roost above the high-tide line and forage along the wet sand and tidal flats. During nonbreeding, it uses lagoons, river mouths, and protected bays. Nest sites are typically on open, flat substrates with minimal cover for clear predator detection.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Other
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Snowy plovers nest in shallow scrapes on open sand or salt flats, where their pale plumage provides excellent camouflage. Both parents incubate, but males often take the lead in chick care after hatching. Coastal disturbance, predators, and habitat loss are major threats; the U.S. Pacific population is listed as Threatened. Chicks are precocial and feed themselves within hours of hatching.
The subspecies A. n. occidentalis, walking between bivalve shells on a beach near Ica, Peru
Snowy plover in non-breeding plumage near Cayucos, California
Snowy plovers in their habitat on Bolivar Peninsula, Texas
Snowy plover catching a worm
Roosting snowy plovers at Moss Landing State Beach, California
Nest scrape with three eggs
Adult with two chicks
Snowy plover standing over half of an empty egg
Snowy plover feigning a broken wing to distract predators from its offspring
At Point Reyes National Seashore in California
Trackway of a snowy plover
Snowy plover flight formation
Fencing of a breeding area to protect against disturbance by humans at Dockweiler State Beach, California
Enclosure to protect snowy plover nests from egg predators at Santa Monica State Beach
Temperament
wary and cryptic
Flight Pattern
low, fast flight with short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Breeds in loose colonies or dispersed pairs on open substrates. Both sexes incubate; males frequently guard and tend chicks after hatch while females may renest. Adults defend territories around nest scrapes and use distraction displays to deter predators.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Vocalizations are soft, thin whistles and peeping notes, often given in short series. Alarm calls are sharper, high-pitched chips; display calls include quick, plaintive whistles over breeding areas.
Plumage
Pale sandy-gray upperparts with clean white underparts; fine, smooth feathering suited to dry, open habitats. Breeding males show darker ear patches, side-neck patches, and a thin blackish forehead bar; females and nonbreeding birds are duller and browner.
Diet
Feeds mainly on small invertebrates such as beetles, flies (including brine flies), marine worms, amphipods, and small crustaceans. Occasionally takes tiny mollusks and other shoreline arthropods. Forages using a run-stop-peck method, visually detecting prey on wet sand or mud. Inland birds exploit insect swarms and invertebrates concentrated along lake margins and salt pans.
Preferred Environment
Forages along the swash zone of sandy beaches, tidal flats, wrack lines, lagoon margins, and the edges of saline and alkali lakes. Selects moist, open substrates with minimal vegetation and shallow water for rapid prey capture.
