Meridan Tapert Environmental Science P3 February 8 th, 2014.

Piping Plover

Meridan TapertEnvironmental Science P3February 8th, 2014

Name

Piping Plover Charadrius

melodus

Life History

Nesting takes place on the ground Their life span is less than five years,

on occasion up to 14 years Piping plovers spend three to four

months on their breeding grounds in the Great Lakes

Migrate to wintering areas along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts

They start arriving in Michigan and Wisconsin in late April

Physical Characteristics

Small shore bird 7 1/4 inches long with a 15 inch

wingspan Sandy-colored feathers Grayish-brown crowns and backs White foreheads Dark bands across their crowns

Physical Characteristics

Yellow-orange legs Black bands across their foreheads

from eye to eye Black rings around the base of their

necks Small, stocky, with short, stubby bills Weight ranging from 1.5-2.2 oz (43-

63 grams)

Reproduction

Reach sexual maturity at one year Mate from late March through April Females will lay about 4 gray to pale

sand-colored eggs with a few dark spots

Eggs go through an incubation period of 25 days

Reproduction

Fledge 30 to 35 days later Females leave the young when the

hatchlings are 14 to 20 days old Males remain with them until they

can fly There are just over 5,000 known

pairs of breeding piping plovers

Food

Marine worms Beetles Spiders Crustaceans Mollusks

Habitat

Shoreline; Open sandy beaches or lakeshores, especially above tideline

Coastal beaches Alkalai Flats

ephemeral lakebed which consist of fine-grained sediments infused with alkali salts

Distribution: Territory & Range Territorial

over nests

Behavior

Ground forager Search for prey visually and then

pecks or quickly snatches at prey Males compete against each other

for females' attention by performing elaborate flights

Once he has her attention, he begins a high-stepping "dance," continuing the courtship ritual

Ecology

Invertebrate Population Control The piping plover feeds along sandy

shorelines and acts as a population control factor for its prey

Predators keep prey populations at sustainable ecologically healthy levels

Pest Control Fly larvae make up a significant portion

of their diet Control of pest species is useful to

breeding mammals in the area and to human neighbors

Ecology

Avian/ Mammalian Food Source Other birds such as gulls, crows, owls, merlins and falcons

utilize their eggs as a food source Provide a meal for red foxes, coyotes and striped skunks etc.

An Umbrella of Protection Environmental protection that shelters a number of other

organisms in the ecosystem as well American oystercatchers Least terns Wilson’s plovers Red knots Sea turtles Northeastern beach tiger beetles

Predators, Parasites, & Diseases

Gulls, crows, raccoons, foxes and skunks are threats to the eggs

Falcons, domestic and feral cats may prey on the adult birds

There are no known parasites or diseases that affect the bird

Cause for Listing

Habitat Alteration & Destruction Loss of sandy beaches and lakeshores due to

recreational, residential, and commercial development (i.e. on the Great Lakes, Atlantic Coast, and the Gulf of Mexico)

Reservoir construction, channel excavation, and modification of river flows have eliminated sandbar nesting habitat along hundreds of miles of the Missouri and Platte Rivers

Winter habitats along the Gulf coast are threatened by industrial and urban expansion and maintenance activities for commercial waterways

Pollution from spills of petrochemical products and other hazardous materials is also a concern

Cause for Listing

Human Disturbance Vehicular and foot traffic Inhibits incubation and other breeding behavior Agricultural development and

urbanization Beach raking disrupt nutrient cycles and

remove prey organisms from foraging areas

Status

Endangered; Listed 1985 In 2001, the total population of Piping

Plovers in North America was estimated to be 5,945 breeding adults

The Texas Gulf Coast had the highest wintering population, with about 1,042 individuals detected

This represents about 44% of birds detected on the wintering grounds during the 2001 International Piping Plover Census

Conservation Management Needs

Signs or fences are being implemented to reduce human disturbance

Vegetation management Predator control Pollution abatement Habitat creation/restoration Biologists continue to assess habitat availability

and quality Public information campaigns concerning Piping

Plover conservation take place Bird banding Recovery plans currently exists in all areas where

the bird breeds

Impact

Impacts the food chain Beaches will no longer be under

critical habitat protection The other animals that live in a

beach habitat will be effected

References

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/piping_plover/lifehistory

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/piplover/

http://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/explorer/species.cfm?id=10978

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/pipingplover/overview.html