A 1986 survey found fewer than 300 piping plovers in Alberta, mostly near Provost, Hanna and Medicine Hat. Since 1985, this species has been considered endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.
Species Appearance
Small, stocky shorebirds, extremely well camouflaged on sand or pebble beaches.
Species Preferred Food
Small insects, and grasshoppers on the surface of the sand along the shoreline.
Risks to the Species
Piping plovers compete with people for open sand and pebble beaches, particularly in June and July when young birds are active. Human activity on a beach can result in adult birds being unable to start a nest or abandoning their eggs or young.
In Alberta, piping plovers scrape out small, shallow nests in bare areas of sand, small pebbles or gravel. They prefer shorelines of prairie lakes and sloughs with heavy concentrations of mineral salts.
Species Behaviour
Piping plovers probably winter in the southern and south eastern U.S., Mexico and a few Caribbean islands.
