Semipalmated Plover

Semipalmated Plover

Charadrius semipalmatus

Chorlito Semipalmeado,
Playero Acollarado

Photo: G. Beaton

IDENTIFICATION: A small shorebird with a short bill, black breast band and black markings on the head. Length: 17-19 cm.; weight: 47 g.

VOICE: A drawn out whistled note. Audio (M. Oberle).

HABITAT: Salt flats, marshes and beaches.

HABITS: Runs along beaches and mudflats until it suddenly stops to inspect an area for prey. It feeds on small crustaceans, insects, worms and molluscs. In winter it flocks with other small shorebirds such as Semipalmated Sandpipers. At high tide it roosts on pilings or higher beaches. On its breeding grounds in North America, the male builds a nest scrape in open areas near lakes or marshes. The female usually lays four eggs, and both sexes take turns incubating the eggs for 23-25 days. The parents lead the chicks away from the nest soon after hatching and lead them to feeding areas. Young fledge about 22-31 days after hatching.

STATUS AND CONSERVATION: A common winter visitor to Puerto Rico. Populations have increased since the intense market hunting of the 19^th Century.

RANGE: Breeds in Alaska and northern Canada. Winters along the southern coast of North America, and in the West Indies, south to the southern coasts of South America. In Puerto Rico, a regular place to see this species is at Cabo Rojo.

TAXONOMY: CHARADRIIFORMES; CHARADRIIDAE; Charadriinae

References

Bent, A.C. 1929. Life histories of North American shore birds, part 2. Smithsonian Instit. U.S. National Museum Bull. 146. (Reprinted by Dover Press, NY, 1962).

Blanken, M. S., and E. Nol. 1998. Factors affecting parental behavior in Semipalmated Plovers. Auk 115:166-174.

Collazo, J.A., B.A. Harrington, J. Grear, and J.A. Colón. 1995. Abundance and distribution of shorebirds at the Cabo Rojo salt flats, Puerto Rico. J. Field Ornithol. 66:424-438.

del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal, eds. 1996. Handbook of Birds of the World, Vol. 3. Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Ehrlich, P.R., D.S. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1988. The birderÆs handbook: a field guide to the natural history of North American birds. Simon and Schuster/ Fireside, NY.

Hayman, P., J. Marchant, and T. Prater. 1986. Shorebirds: an identification guide. Houghton Mifflin, Boston.

Nol, E. and M. S. Blanken. 1999. Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus). in The birds of North America, No. 444 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

Paulson, D. 1993. Shorebirds of the Pacific Northwest. Univ Washington, Seattle.

Raffaele, H.A. 1989. A guide to the birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Princeton.

Raffaele, H.A. 1989. Una guía a las aves de Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes. Publishing Resources, Inc., Santurce, PR.

Raffaele, H.A., J.W. Wiley, O.H. Garrido, A.R. Keith, and J.I. Raffaele. 1998. Guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton.

Saliva, J.E. 1994. Vieques y su fauna: Vieques wildlife manual. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Boquerón, PR.

Wunderle, J.M., Jr., R.B. Waide, and J. Fernández. 1989. Seasonal abundance of shorebirds in the Jobos estuary in southern Puerto Rico. J. Field Ornithol. 60:329-339.

Semipalmated Plover, Spanish text

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