Semipalmated Plover

Overview

Semipalmated Plover: Small plover, gray-brown upperparts and white underparts. Forehead and faint stripe sometimes seen over eye, while face and collar are black. Bill is orange with black tip. Wings have white stripes visible in flight. Tail is brown with white edges. Orange legs, feet. Strong direct flight.

Range and Habitat

Semipalmated Plover: Breeds on sandy or mossy tundra from Alaska to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Spends winters on mudflats, salt marshes, and lakeshores along coastal California and the Carolinas south.

INTERESTING FACTS

It has been seen swimming short distances across small water channels during foraging while on migration. Chicks also swim short distances to follow parents to small islets on shallow lakes.
The Semipalmated Plover is the most common plover seen on migration in most areas.
The term "semipalmated" refers to its partly webbed feet.
A group of plovers has many collective nouns, including a "brace", "congregation", "deceit", "ponderance" and "wing" of plovers.

The Semipalmated Plover has a large range, estimated globally at 4,900,000 square kilometers. Native to the Americas and nearby island nations, this bird prefers inland wetland and intertidal or coastal marine ecosystems. The global population of this bird is estimated at 150,000 individuals and does not show signs of decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. For this reason, the current evaluation status of the Semipalmated Plover is Least Concern.