Piping Plover :: science

Piping Plover Introduction The piping plover, a bird now going extinct, was once very bountiful. When an animal is going extinct, it could mean a lot of things. The Piping Plover is an endangered species. An endangered species is a name for a plant or animal that is slowly dying out. This bird is experiencing population drops, so it is called endangered. It is known to scientists as the Charadrius Melodus (ES: Piping Plover). It mainly resides around the Great Lakes and sometimes lives along the Atlantic coast in Canada and the United States (Piping Plover Page). Piping plovers are sometimes found in Alberta as well (ES: Piping Plover). People used to hunt this bird for sport, or for it’s feathers, which was a leading cause of its dramatic decline in population (Piping Plover Page). Piping plovers always return to the spot in which they were born, and find females to breed with (Piping Plover Page). They woo the female, and mate with her, producing eggs. Many efforts are being made to maintain, and incr ease the population of this struggling bird, and so far, they have maintained the species very well. Habitat The Piping Plover is a small, endangered bird. It is otherwise known as the Charadrius Melodus (ES: Piping Plover). It lives, and breeds along the Atlantic coast of Canada, but usually around the Great Lakes, in Canada and the U.S.A (Piping Plover Page). Recently, it has been found in the Wasaga Beach area (Springwater News). This bird has not been seen in this area since 1978, so an area of Beach 1, where the Nottawasaga River enters Nottawasaga Bay was fenced off, and could remain closed until July (Springwater News). It also lives in and around Alberta (ES: Piping Plover). These birds generally live on or close to beaches and lakes, usually places with water. This bird generally likes to be around places with sand, like beaches, because it can blend easily. The bird has a back that is sandy brown in colour, so predators can’t see it (Piping Plover Page). They are constantly losing their habitat to buildings, pollution of lakes and ponds, and clearing of forests. Why the Species is At-Risk This bird was added to the list of endangered species in 1986, when a total count of 300 was produced in the Alberta region (Piping Plover Page). There was a significantly large drop in the Plover population in the twentieth century, because people wanted them for their feathers, and also hunted them for sport (Piping Plover Page).