Western Snowy Plover
Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus
The western snowy plover is a shorebird with pale brown wings, back, tail and head and white under parts. It has dark patches on either side of the upper breast, dark gray to blackish legs and a black bill.
Length 5.9-6.6 inches
Weight 1.2-2 ounces
Lifespan About 3 years
Diet
Invertebrates and insects
Population
There are an estimated 2,600 western snowy plovers along the Pacific coast.
Range
Western snowy plovers are found throughout the southwestern United States from Texas to California and up to Colorado, as well as Washington and Oregon.
Behavior
Snowy plovers are primarily visual foragers, using the run-stop-peck method of feeding typical of most plover species. They forage on invertebrates in the wet sand and amongst surf-cast kelp within the inter-tidal zone, in dry, sandy areas above the high tide, on salt pans, on spoil sites and along the edges of salt marshes, salt ponds and lagoons. They sometimes probe for prey in the sand and pick insects from low-growing plants.
Western snowy plovers make nests on sand spits, dune-backed beaches, beaches at creek and river mouths and the banks of lagoons and estuaries. The nests, or scrapes, are made in small depressions, often human footprints in the sand, and are constructed using pebbles, shell fragments, fish bones, mud chips, vegetation fragments, or invertebrate skeletons.
Reproduction
Mating Season Early March to late September
Gestation 1-2 months
Clutch size Usually 3, but can lay 2-4 eggs
Plover chicks leave the nest just hours after hatching to forage for food under the watchful eyes of their parents. The parents try to distract any predators or people that approach and lead them away from the chicks, which are not able to fly for about a month.
Threats
The western snowy plover is threatened by human activity on the beaches where the bird lives, primarily because feet and vehicles smash the eggs.
Legal Status/Protection
Listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act*.
* The Endangered Species Act requires the U.S. federal government to identify species threatened with extinction, identify habitat they need to survive, and help protect both. In doing so, the Act works to ensure the basic health of our natural ecosystems and protect the legacy of conservation we leave to our children and grandchildren.
How You Can Help
- Help Western Snowy Plovers and other wildlife by adopting an animal at our Wildlife Adoption Center.
- Take Action for Wildlife at our Wildlife Action Center.
