The piping plover is a small, pale colored shorebird that nests on beaches across North America. Piping plovers are considered a threatened or endangered species in many parts of their range due to habitat loss, human disturbance, and predation. Understanding how rare piping plovers are provides important context for conservation efforts aimed at protecting these vulnerable birds.
How many piping plovers are there?
The total global population of piping plovers is estimated to be about 8000 breeding pairs. In the United States and Canada, surveys have found approximately 5000 pairs along the Atlantic coast and 2000 pairs in the Great Plains.
So in total, there are roughly 15,000 individual piping plovers across their global range. Compared to other bird species which number in the millions or even billions, 15,000 individuals is extremely small. This makes the piping plover a very rare species of bird.
Piping plover population trends
Unfortunately, piping plover populations have been declining since the mid-20th century when more intensive monitoring began. Between 1986 and 2019, breeding piping plovers along the Atlantic Coast decreased by approximately 11% while Great Plains plovers declined by 5% in the same time frame.
Some specific regions have seen even steeper drops. For example, on the shores of the Great Lakes where habitat loss has been severe, piping plovers have plummeted from several hundred pairs to fewer than 100.
Overall the global population is still decreasing, exacerbating the rarity of this species.
Why are piping plovers rare?
Piping plovers have become rare for a few key reasons:
Habitat loss
Piping plovers rely on wide, open, sandy beaches for nesting and foraging. However, human development has claimed many miles of coastal habitat. Shoreline homes, hotels, recreation areas, and other facilities have all encroached on the beaches piping plovers need.
Additionally, structures such as groins, jetties, and seawalls have interrupted natural beach formation and erosion patterns. This leads to reduced sandy habitat over time.
Disturbance
Piping plovers are highly sensitive to human presence and activities near their nesting and feeding areas. Beach visitors, vehicles, pets, noise, and other disturbances can all negatively impact plover behavior and reproduction.
Even well-meaning individuals observing plovers can scare off adults leading to nest failure or mortality of chicks. Coastal recreation and development brings people into contact with vulnerable plover populations.
Predators
Predators have always been a natural threat to piping plovers. However, habitat loss and human activity makes it easier for predators like foxes, gulls, ravens, and cats to access plover nests. Garbage left on beaches can also subsidize predator numbers above natural levels.
Predation of eggs and chicks is a major cause of nest failure for piping plovers in many parts of the range. For example, rates of predation on Great Plains plovers have increased dramatically in recent decades.
Federal and state protected status
In response to declining piping plover populations, federal and state governments have extended legal protections to this rare species:
Federal status
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service federally listed piping plovers as ‘threatened’ across their northern Great Plains range in 1985. Along the Atlantic Coast, the listing status varied from ‘threatened’ in some states to ‘endangered’ in others starting in 1985. Today, Atlantic Coast piping plovers are federally listed as ‘threatened’ along their entire range.
This status makes it illegal to harm or harass piping plovers under the Endangered Species Act. Habitat designation, nest protection, and limits on human activity are all enforced as a result.
State-level protections
Most states with piping plover populations also list them as either ‘endangered’ or ‘threatened’ under state laws. For instance, Massachusetts classifies Atlantic Coast piping plovers as ‘threatened’ while New York lists Great Plains plovers as ‘endangered’.
State endangered species laws can impose further restrictions beyond federal protections. Penalties for violations may include fines or jail time in some jurisdictions.
Piping plover population targets
Government agencies have established piping plover recovery goals in order to guide conservation efforts. Meeting these targets is crucial for downlisting or delisting the piping plover under the Endangered Species Act.
Recovery goals include:
- At least 2500 breeding pairs across the Atlantic Coast
- At least 2000 breeding pairs in the Great Plains
- Sustained population growth over a period of at least 15 years
Current piping plover populations remain well below these targets. Atlantic Coast pairs number about 1500 while the Great Plains population sits just over 1700. There is also no sustained upward trend.
Much work remains to be done to restore piping plover numbers and achieve recovery benchmarks. This will require habitat protection, predator management, restrictions on human activity, and monitoring across the plover’s range.
Key nesting sites
While rare everywhere, piping plovers tend to concentrate their nesting in a selection of key sites across North America:
Atlantic Coast
- Long Island, New York
- Cape Cod, Massachusetts
- Eastern Shore, Virginia
- Outer Banks, North Carolina
These sites comprise over 50% of the Atlantic Coast piping plover population. Other important nesting beaches occur in Maine, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Georgia.
Great Plains
- Lake of the Woods, Minnesota
- Missouri River, Nebraska
- Lake McConaughy, Nebraska
- Great Salt Lake, Utah
The alkali flats surrounding the Great Salt Lake host one of the densest breeding concentrations of piping plovers in the interior. These four Great Plains sites have some of the highest nesting densities across the region.
Great Lakes
Very small numbers of piping plovers persist at a handful of scattered sites around the Great Lakes including:
- Long Point, Lake Erie, Ontario
- Sleeping Bear Dunes, Lake Michigan, Michigan
- Whitefish Point, Lake Superior, Michigan
Protection efforts at these locations focus on boosting the last remnants of Great Lakes piping plovers.
Wintering and migration sites
The rarity of piping plovers extends across their wintering and migration range as well:
Wintering
Most piping plovers winter along the coasts of the southeastern U.S. and Mexico. Key sites include:
- Laguna Madre, Texas
- Florida Gulf Coast
- Northern Gulf of Mexico Coast
- Mexican Yucatan Peninsula
Threats on the wintering grounds include habitat loss, human disturbance, and predation. Survival here is crucial for plovers to return north and breed.
Migration
Piping plovers use beaches, sandflats, and alkali lakes during spring and fall migrations. These high quality stopover sites are scarce. Major migration sites include:
- Atlantic Coast beaches
- Central Platte River, Nebraska
- Eastern Rainwater Basin, Nebraska
- Shorelines of the Great Lakes
Careful management is needed at these locations to provide rare undisturbed resting and foraging habitat for migrating plovers.
Challenges to recovery
Restoring piping plover populations to sustainable levels faces many challenges:
Continuing habitat loss
Coastal development, shoreline armoring, and habitat degradation still whittle away at piping plover nesting and wintering grounds each year. For instance, 79% of piping plover habitat in New York is currently classified as degraded. Habitat loss must be halted and reversed.
Increasing recreation pressures
More people than ever are using beaches for recreation, especially along the densely populated Atlantic Coast. The resulting disturbances reach piping plovers on even remote beaches and islands. Limiting recreational impacts will require increasing education, restrictions, and enforcement.
Predator management difficulties
While predators are a natural component of plover nesting habitat, human changes have helped increase piping plover predation rates. Lethal predator control is unpopular and controversial in many areas. Non-lethal techniques like exclosures and nest monitoring require substantial funding over long time periods.
Climate change
Rising seas and increased storms threaten to severely degrade and shrink piping plover beach habitat in the coming decades. Adaptation measures such as habitat creation and enhancement may become essential to provide adequately safe nesting grounds.
Overcoming these recovery obstacles will demand commitment, creativity, resources, and coordinated human action.
Outlook
Piping plovers are one of the rarest shorebirds in North America. Less than 8000 breeding pairs remain across their range. Habitat loss, disturbance, and predation have all contributed to piping plover declines.
While legally protected, piping plover populations continue to face immense challenges for recovery. Achieving sustainability for these vulnerable birds will only come through tireless multi-partner conservation efforts across their breeding, wintering, and migration sites.
If current trends persist, the already rare piping plover may slide even closer to extinction. But with rapid, dedicated action to manage threats and restore habitat, recovery remains possible for these special shorebirds.
Conclusion
In summary, piping plovers are an extremely rare species, numbering only about 15,000 total individuals. Their populations have declined over the past several decades primarily due to habitat loss, human disturbance, and increased predation. They are federally listed as threatened or endangered, and also receive state-level protections.
While main nesting areas are known, piping plovers face immense challenges to recovery including ongoing habitat degradation, recreation pressure, predation issues, and climate change impacts. Concerted conservation efforts across the plover’s range are needed to reverse declines and return populations to sustainable levels. With coordinated action, recovery remains possible, but piping plovers will continue to be a rare shorebird into the foreseeable future.