The Piping Plover is a small, endangered shorebird that lives and breeds primarily in the Great Lakes region, the shores of the Atlantic coast, and the Northern Great Plains of the United States and Canada during the warmer months. Piping Plovers migrate south to the Gulf Coast, southern Atlantic Coast, and Caribbean for the winter. Currently, Piping Plovers can be found nesting and breeding in the following states during the spring and summer months:
Great Lakes Region
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Wisconsin
In the Great Lakes region, Piping Plovers nest on wide, flat, open, sandy beaches or shorelines along lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior. Some key nesting areas include Long Point on Lake Erie in Ontario, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan in Michigan, along Lake Superior in Minnesota, and on the shores of Lake Ontario in New York.
Atlantic Coast
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Georgia
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Virginia
Along the Atlantic Coast, Piping Plovers nest on coastal beaches ranging from North Carolina to Canada. Some key nesting areas include Fire Island in New York, Sandy Hook in New Jersey, Cape Cod in Massachusetts, and beaches along the Delmarva Peninsula in Delaware and Virginia.
Northern Great Plains
- Iowa
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
In the Northern Great Plains, Piping Plovers nest inland along shorelines of prairie lakes, rivers, and wetlands, as well as alkali lakes. Some major nesting areas include Lake of the Woods in Minnesota, the Missouri River in Montana, and the Platte River in Nebraska.
Breeding and Nesting Habits
Piping Plovers arrive at their breeding grounds from mid-March through May. Shortly after arriving, they establish territories and begin courtship rituals. Piping Plovers are monogamous and mate for life.
The male will begin scraping out several shallow depressions in the sand or gravel to form potential nests. The female then selects the nest site she prefers. The nest is simply a scrape about 2-3 inches deep lined with small pebbles or shells.
Piping Plovers lay a clutch of 2-4 eggs, which are incubated by both parents for about 27-31 days before hatching. The eggs and chicks are well-camouflaged and blend right into the sandy or pebbly background of the nesting habitat.
The chicks hatch with their eyes open and are able to feed themselves within hours. The parents will brood them for a short time, then lead them away from the nest to forage for food. The young plovers fledge and become capable of flight within 25-35 days after hatching.
Piping Plovers only raise one brood per breeding season. They may re-nest up to two more times if the eggs or young from the first nest are lost or don’t survive.
Population Status and Threats
The Piping Plover is listed as federally endangered in the Great Lakes region and threatened in the Northern Great Plains and on the Atlantic Coast. At the time of its initial listing in 1986, there were only about 1,000 breeding pairs left. Thanks to conservation efforts, the population has rebounded somewhat and was up to about 5,300 pairs as of the last census in 2019.
However, Piping Plovers still face a number of serious threats and challenges:
- Habitat loss and degradation due to shoreline development, dredging, pollution, etc.
- Human disturbance of nesting areas from recreational beach use
- Predation by foxes, raccoons, skunks, raptors, gulls, and other predators
- Extreme weather events like flooding or drought
- Sea level rise and erosion of coastal habitats due to climate change
Many coastal and inland beaches where Piping Plovers nest are popular recreation destinations, putting their nesting habitat in close proximity to human activities. Nests and chicks are very difficult to see and are easily crushed, leading to low survival rates in disturbed areas.
Preservation of their specialized sandy, pebbly or gravelly beach habitats is key to the continued survival of the Piping Plover across its breeding and wintering range. Ongoing conservation efforts aim to protect and manage important coastal habitats, curb pollution, restrict human disturbance, and limit predation during nesting season.
Wintering Range
During fall migration from late July through September, Piping Plovers leave their Great Lakes and northern breeding grounds and fly south to winter along the coasts of:
- Florida – Both the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts
- Alabama
- Louisiana
- Texas
- Mississippi
- Georgia
- South Carolina
- North Carolina
- Virginia
- Mexico – along both the Pacific Coast and Gulf Coast
- The Bahamas
- West Indies
On their wintering grounds, Piping Plovers inhabit wide, flat sandy beaches, mudflats, sandflats, algal flats, and shorelines around bays, estuaries, and lagoons. They forage along the surf line, on intertidal mudflats, and around sand spits or pannes.
Some major wintering sites include Biscayne Bay in Florida, Laguna Madre in Texas, Dauphin Island in Alabama, Sanibel Island in Florida, and wetlands along the central Gulf Coast and Atlantic Coast.
Identification
Piping Plovers are small, stocky, athletic shorebirds approximately 7 inches long with a wingspan of about 15 inches. During the breeding season, they have single black bands around their necks and across their foreheads. Their upper bodies are pale gray or sandy brown in color with a white underside. They have orange legs and a black tip on their slender, black bills.
During nonbreeding months, the black bands disappear and their plumage is more solidly gray above and white below. Their bills turn mostly black.
Piping Plovers run rapidly in short bursts across the beach. They forage for food by picking at prey along the ground or very shallow water. Their diet consists of insects, small crustaceans, mollusks, and marine worms.
When alarmed or defending nests, Piping Plovers will utter a clear, piping whistle and run quickly away from threats while fanning their tail and wings to distract attention.
Similar Species
The Piping Plover could potentially be confused with other small, pale shorebirds like Semipalmated Plovers and Sanderlings. However, Piping Plovers have thicker bills and brighter orange legs compared to the black legs of those species. Piping Plovers also lack the brown cap or “beret” that breeding Semipalmated Plovers display.
Conservation Efforts
Because of the Piping Plover’s endangered or threatened status, a variety of conservation actions and protections are in place across its breeding and wintering range:
- Habitat management programs, including vegetation control, to maintain suitable open, sparsely vegetated nesting areas
- Predator management to limit disturbances to nests
- Exclosure fencing around nests to protect from predators
- Monitoring and banding programs to track populations
- Restrictions on recreational activities near nesting sites during breeding season
- Public education campaigns to raise awareness and limit disturbance
- Law enforcement presence to enforce protections and monitor compliance
- Volunteer stewardship programs to monitor and protect nests
In addition, many key nesting areas and wintering sites are specially designated and protected, including:
- National Wildlife Refuges – for example, Cape May National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey
- National Seashores – for example, Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts
- State beaches and parks – for example, Sleeping Bear Dunes State Park in Michigan
- Nature Conservancy Preserves – for example, Bahia Grande Unit in Texas
Continued habitat protection and management, public education, and enforcement of regulations around nesting areas will remain crucial to allow Piping Plover numbers to rebound further. Ongoing challenges posed by climate change and sea level rise also need to be addressed through coastal resiliency planning focused on preserving Piping Plover beach habitats.
With the combined commitment of wildlife agencies, conservation groups, local communities, volunteers, and beachgoers, the unique Piping Plover can be conserved so future generations can witness this species gracing North American coastlines and inland shores.
Conclusion
In summary, Piping Plovers currently breed in eight states across the Great Lakes region, thirteen Atlantic coastal states from North Carolina to Maine, and seven states across the Northern Great Plains. They migrate in late summer to winter along the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and southern Atlantic from Florida to Mexico, and in the Bahamas and West Indies.
On their breeding grounds, they nest on open sandy beaches, shorelines, and alkali wetlands. On wintering grounds, they inhabit barrier island beaches, coastal wetlands, lagoons, and tidal flats.
Piping Plovers are listed as federally endangered or threatened due to habitat loss, disturbance, predation, and climate impacts. Ongoing conservation efforts aim to protect important coastal and inland habitats, curb disturbance and predation, and raise public awareness to support the continued recovery of Piping Plover populations.