Snowy Plover - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Dan E
Sanibel Island, Florida, USA, July 2010

Alternative names: Chilean Plover; Peruvian Plover

Charadrius nivosus

Identification

15-17 cm

• Upperparts greyish brown
• Underparts white
• Black legs
  

Female: has a grey head, lacking any black markings

Distribution

North America to South America

Taxonomy

Formerly considered conspecific with Kentish Plover.

Subspecies¹

• C. a. nivosus (includes West Indian birds sometimes placed in C. a. tenuirostris):

• US to Mexico and West Indies; winters to Panama

• C. a. occidentalis:

• Coastal Peru to south-central Chile

Habitat

Sandy coasts and brackish inland lakes, and is uncommon on fresh water.

Behaviour

Breeding

It nests in a ground scrape and lays 3-5 eggs.

Diet

Diet includes insects and other invertebrates.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
2. Avibase
3. Birdforum thread discussing AOU NACC proposal to split Snowy Plover and other taxonomic changes

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Snowy Plover. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 12 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Snowy_Plover

External Links

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