- Semipalmated Plover
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Semipalmated Plover Breeding plumage, Nunavut, Canada Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Charadriiformes Family: Charadriidae Genus: Charadrius Species: C. semipalmatus Binomial name Charadrius semipalmatus
(Bonaparte, 1825)Synonyms Charadrius hiaticula semipalmatus
The Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) is a small plover.
This species weighs 22–63 g (0.78–2.2 oz) and measures 14–20 cm (5.5–7.9 in) in length and 35–56 cm (14–22 in) across the wings.[1] Adults have a grey-brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with one black neckband. They have a brown cap, a white forehead, a black mask around the eyes and a short orange and black bill.
Their breeding habitat is open ground on beaches or flats across northern Canada and Alaska. They nest on the ground in an open area with little or no plant growth.
They are migratory and winter in coastal areas ranging from the United States to Patagonia. They are extremely rare vagrants to western Europe, although their true status may be obscured by the difficulty in identifying them from the very similar Ringed Plover of Eurasia, of which it was formerly considered a subspecies.
These birds forage for food on beaches, tidal flats and fields, usually by sight. They eat insects, crustaceans and worms.
This bird resembles the Killdeer but is much smaller and has only one band.[2] The term "semipalmated" refers to its partly webbed feet. Like the Killdeer and since its nest is on the ground, it uses a "broken-wing" display to lure intruders away from the nest.
References
- ^ CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), ISBN 978-0849342585.
- ^ Kaufman, Kenn. (2000) Kaufman Field Guide to Brds of North America. New York: Houghton-Mifflin.
- BirdLife International (2004). Charadrius semipalmatus. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
External links
- Semipalmated Plover Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Semipalmated Plover Information - South Dakota Birds and Birding
- Semipalmated Plover, Birds of Nova Scotia
- Semipalmated Plover, Environment Canada
Categories:- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Charadrius
- Shorebirds
- Birds of the United States
- Birds of Puerto Rico
- Birds of Canada
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