Piping Plover Below: Note the color of the sand and the plover s back. Above: Chicks and one egg left in the nest. Once the eggs hatch the chicks leave the nest to forage for food on the sandbar. Plovers eat macro invertebrates including small insects, insect larva and small worms such as blood worms.
Piping Plover Breeding Range Atlantic Coast North Carolina to Newfoundland Great Lakes Michigan & Wisconsin Northern Great Plains Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Alberta, Manitoba & Saskatchewan The most recent International Census indicated at approximately 4800 piping plovers use the Northern Great Plains breeding range. MT WY CO ND SD MN NE IA KS MO Piping plovers only come to the areas shaded red to nest and raise their young. When the chicks are able to fly they migrate south to the areas marked in Green.
Piping Plover Identification Smaller than a robin 1. Single black neck band 2. Black-tipped orange bill and orange legs 3. 1. 3. Black line across forehead Upper body has the color of dry sand 2. A very distinct song
Similar Species Piping Plover Killdeer Snowy Plover Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover Nest The piping plover normally will lay 4 eggs in a nest bowl lined with small stones. Incubation lasts from 24 28 days with both parents taking turns incubating the nest. The eggs are conical (top-like) in shape and are almost always arranged so that the pointed end of the egg is directed to the middle of the nest.
Piping Plover Chicks Once the plover chicks hatch they spend most of their time feeding in the wet sand found In their nesting area. The chicks are protected by the parents. If a predator comes into the area the parent gives a warning call at which time the chicks lay perfectly still on the sandbar. At the same time the parents are doing the broken wing display in an attempt to lure the predator away from the chicks.
Piping Plover Fledglings Fledged (have the ability to fly) Plovers differ from the parents breeding plumage in that they have a totally black beak and they lack the black head and neck bands. When the parents reach the wintering grounds they will look like the fledged birds.
Broken Wing Display Piping plovers protect their nests and chicks by doing a broken wing display. When a predator comes into a nesting area, the plovers first walk some distance from their nest; vocalize, and then begin the broken wing display in an attempt to lure the predator away from the nest or chicks. The main predators in the Northern Great Plains population are: raccoons, great horned owls, mink, coyotes, foxes, gulls; plus several other species of mammals and birds.
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Predators - Mammals Raccoon Mink Fox Coyote
Predators Avian (Birds) Photos Provided by Terry Sohl Visit his website at: http://sdakotabirds.com Great Horned Owl Franklin Gull American Crow
This bull snake is enjoying a meal of piping plover eggs. Snakes also eat least tern eggs and chicks.
The Piping Plover is listed as Threatened on the Missouri River The primary reason for the decline in numbers of piping plovers is the Loss of Habitat which resulted from: Construction of the dams on the upper Missouri River The Channelization of the lower Missouri River, and The regulation of flows from the dams which is done to either prevent flooding or provide water for navigation on the lower Missouri.
How Can You Help? Avoid nesting areas -Entering Nesting Areas disturbs the birds which can result in: nest failure, chicks and/or eggs overheating interruptions in feeding behavior, and the scattering of the chicks from their parents. Obey the restriction sign shown on the next slide
Restriction Signs
Monitoring of the endangered least tern on the Missouri River has been conducted since 1986. Two types of surveys: Adult Census counts the number of adults Productivity involves locating the nests, determining the nest fate, and counting the chicks that live to fly away to the wintering grounds. Survey History
Adults 2000 Piping Plover Adult Census Missouri River 1986-2010 1800 1600 1587 1764 1400 1200 1000 800 Goal 850 790 1136 1048 1313 1311 12511274 906 600 400 344 365 576 625 438 521 480 415 356 394 471 541 606 200 0 191 86 Plover Adults Goal
Piping Plover Nest Success Missouri River 1986-2010 human, 91, 1% abandoned, 323, 4% predator, 544, 6% collected, 179, 2% erosion, 29, 0% animal, 34, 0% flood, 640, 8% weather, 572, 7% no evidence, 866, 10% hatched, 4758, 56% undetermined, 543, 6% Total = 8,932
Fledge Ratio = 1.00 21
Fledglings per Adult Pair Piping Plover Fledge Ratio Missouri River 1986-2010 2.00 1.80 1.89 1.60 1.40 1.20 1.00 0.80 0.60 0.40 0.20 0.00 0.09 Goal = 1.22 0.75 0.71 0.32 0.72 0.63 0.67 0.67 0.55 0.58 0.30 0.58 1.56 0.99 1.59 1.40 1.54 1.49 1.15 1.06 1.00 0.94 0.77 0.66 Plover Fledge Ratio Fledge Goal
For More Piping Plovers Information www.moriverrecovery.org Click on Feedback http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/0 02/articles/introduction http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/ pipingplover/pipingpl.html