Piping Plover Meridan Tapert Environmental Science P3 February 8 th , 2014
Feb 23, 2016
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