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Piping Plover Charadrius melodus Chorlito Silbador,
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Breeding plumage - Photo:
G. Beaton
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Piping Plover Charadrius melodus Chorlito Silbador,
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Breeding plumage - Photo:
G. Beaton
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In breeding plumage this species has a full or partial black breast band, which is reduced to light brown bars on the side of the neck in winter. Length: 17-18 cm.; weight: 43-64 g. Breeds in two populations: in central North America and on the Atlantic coast. It prefers dry sandy beaches; declining due to habitat destruction and recreational use of beaches. The total breeding population in 1996 was only 2,800 pairs. The federal government lists it as a threatened species. Accidental winter visitor on Puerto Rico (e.g. Cabo Rojo, 27 Jan. 2001, 2 on 7 April 2002 ; 2 at Fajardo, 21 December 1997; 30 September 2001, Rφo Pitahaya, Luquillo; 14 to19 January, 2002, "Middles" beach, Isabela) . The Piping Plover was featured in a series of U.S. Postal Service, 32-cent stamps on Endangered Species (Catalog item 4493) in 1996. TAXONOMY: CHARADRIIFORMES; CHARADRIIDAE; Charadriinae |
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Non-breeding plumage, Isabela, PR, Jan. 2002 -
Photo: A. Lewis |
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Non-breeding plumage, Isabela, PR, Jan. 2002 -
Photo: A. Lewis |
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Breeding plumage - Photo: J. Hornbuckle
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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). BirdLife International. 2000. Threatened birds of the world. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona and Cambridge, UK.
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. Ferland, C.L. , and S.M. Haig. 2002. International Piping and Snowy Plover winter and breeding census. USGS Forest and Rangleand Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis OR 97331. Haig, S. 1992. Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus). No. 2 in The birds of North America (F. Gill, A. Poole, and P. Stettenheim, eds.). Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia, PA, and Am. Ornithol. Union, Washington, D.C. Hayman, P., J. Marchant, and T. Prater. 1986. Shorebirds: an identification guide. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. 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. http://biology.usgs.gov/s+t/noframe/b243.htm Information and video clip [hyperlink = "View Video Clip" on upper right: http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/hww-fap/plover/plover.html. Next related species in taxonomic order Previous related species in taxonomic order |