Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)
(Federally listed as Endangered)
Description: A small shorebird (similar to a sandpiper) about
seven inches in length and height. The coloration on the back is
a light gray-brown and the breast and belly are white. A single,
black ring wraps around the back and sides of the neck, but does
not connect in the front. The legs are yellowish in color and
the bill may be solid black or yellow at the base and black at
the tip. Piping Plovers feed on insects and small invertebrates
that they pick off the surface of the ground.
Habitat: Piping Plovers are found on mudflats, sandy beaches and
shallow wetlands with sparse vegetation. They may be found along
the margins of lakes and large rivers where there is exposed
(bare) sand or mud.
Current and Historic Distribution: The Piping Plover was once
widespread on beaches, river sandbars and shorelines along the
Atlantic Coast, the Great Lakes and inland rivers in the Midwest
and Great Plains. Today it is listed as an endangered species in
the Great Lakes and a threatened species across the rest of its
range. There are two nesting records for the Piping Plover in
the Oklahoma panhandle, but this species is normally a spring
and fall migrant through our state. Most records for migrating
Piping Plovers occur across the main body of the state; recent
records have come from Woodward, Alfalfa, Oklahoma, Cleveland,
Tulsa and Washington counties. Spring migration occurs in April
and early May; fall migration occurs between the last week of
July and late September.
Reasons for Decline: Piping Plover populations have declined in
their nesting range as a result of habitat destruction and
alteration due to dam construction and channelization projects
along rivers and streams, as well as the draining and filling of
shallow wetlands. Other threats include human disturbance of
nests and nesting beaches, encroachment of vegetation into
nesting habitats, predation and increased recreational use of
nesting and wintering habitats.
County by County List of Endangered and Threatened Species
US Fish and Wildlife Endangered Species Lists