- Charadrius melodus
Identification
Sand-coloured, yellow-orange legs, black band across the forehead from eye to eye, and a black ring around the neck during the breeding season. Beak orange and black-tipped.
Distribution
Breeds eastern Canada and U.S., also southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, northern Montana, western and central North Dakota, central South Dakota, and most of Nebraska, localized populations in Colorado and the Great Lakes; winters southeastern U.S., Bahamas and Greater Antilles.
Taxonomy
A monotypic species.
Habitat
Sandy or gravel beaches or sandbars
Behaviour
Diet includes insects, marine worms and crustaceans.
