Lincoln Park Zoo helps the Piping Plover

Piping plovers (Charadrius melodus circumcinctus) are small migratory shorebirds that weigh 50 to 60 grams and are 15 to 18 centimeters in length. The color patterns of white, browns and black allow the small birds to camouflage exceptionally well in their sand and grass habitat along river basins, lakes and other coastal areas. There are three distinct populations of piping plovers: the eastern, the great lakes and the great plains. These three groups of birds all have separate summer breeding grounds which means that the populations do not inter-breed and have shown to be genetically different from each other.

The ability of the plovers to blend in with their surroundings is the origin of the name "ghost" bird since they frequently may be heard but not seen. This camouflage trait is critical to the survival of the adult birds, their eggs and chicks along the open sand beaches where they choose to nest.

Ironically, however, the trait has also added to their demise. Along with habitat loss the birds are particularly susceptible to all-terrain vehicles, trucks and boat trailers that may never even see the birds or their nest prior to a fatal encounter. The wide range of difficulties the plovers face has left it's mark, the eastern and great plains populations are considered threatened while the great lakes birds are seriously endangered.

Operation Plover Lift:

The addition of piping plovers to zoological collections was the result of a crisis situation. Near record precipitation in the upper Missouri River Basin and above normal mountain snowpack caused extremely high basin runoff. As water began to inundate plover nesting grounds the loss of an entire breeding season of the great plains population was eminent. Several measures were implemented to protect the nests from flooding, however, rains continued as did flooding. At this point, Lincoln Park Zoo was asked to participate in an egg rescue effort with Milwaukee County Zoo under the direction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A private jet was donated to aid the rescue team and thirty piping plover eggs were collected along the Missouri River Basin in North and South Dakota. Detailed records were kept on each egg which would become a tracking means for individual birds throughout their life. Portable incubators kept the eggs warm while "Operation Plover Lift" consumed an entire day of boats, beaches, wind and water. The first step of the project ended when fifteen eggs were securely in an incubator at the Lincoln Park Zoo at one a.m. the next morning. The challenges ahead were just as exciting: hatching, raising and studying piping plovers.

Plover eggs began to hatch about two weeks after their arrival at the zoo revealing chicks about the size of a cotton ball. Each 6 to 7 gram chick was monitored with excruciating care to verify that everyone got a nutritional ration of fly larvae, mini mealworms, tiny crickets, brine shrimp and vitamins. As they grew so did their gape, allowing them to consume wax worms, black worms and adult crickets and mealworms. The birds are still closely watched to determine food preferences and individual weights as well as behavior patterns, social interactions and specific habitat requirements.

Lincoln Park Zoo is part of a team studying these birds to ultimately help with the conservation of piping plovers and other shorebirds. Stop by the McCormick Bird House and visit these rare birds.

	Piping plovers (Charadrius melodus circumcinctus) are small migratory shorebirds that weigh 50 to 60 grams and are 15 to 18 centimeters in length. The color patterns of white, browns and black allow the small birds to camouflage exceptionally well in their sand and grass habitat along river basins, lakes and other coastal areas. There are three distinct populations of piping plovers: the eastern, the great lakes and the great plains. These three groups of birds all have separate summer breeding grounds which means that the populations do not inter-breed and have shown to be genetically different from each other.
The ability of the plovers to blend in with their surroundings is the origin of the name "ghost" bird since they frequently may be heard but not seen. This camouflage trait is critical to the survival of the adult birds, their eggs and chicks along the open sand beaches where they choose to nest.
	Ironically, however, the trait has also added to their demise. Along with habitat loss the birds are particularly susceptible to all-terrain vehicles, trucks and boat trailers that may never even see the birds or their nest prior to a fatal encounter. The wide range of difficulties the plovers face has left it's mark, the eastern and great plains populations are considered threatened while the great lakes birds are seriously endangered.
Operation Plover Lift: The addition of piping plovers to zoological collections was the result of a crisis situation. Near record precipitation in the upper Missouri River Basin and above normal mountain snowpack caused extremely high basin runoff. As water began to inundate plover nesting grounds the loss of an entire breeding season of the great plains population was eminent. Several measures were implemented to protect the nests from flooding, however, rains continued as did flooding. At this point, Lincoln Park Zoo was asked to participate in an egg rescue effort with Milwaukee County Zoo under the direction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A private jet was donated to aid the rescue team and thirty piping plover eggs were collected along the Missouri River Basin in North and South Dakota. Detailed records were kept on each egg which would become a tracking means for individual birds throughout their life. Portable incubators kept the eggs warm while "Operation Plover Lift" consumed an entire day of boats, beaches, wind and water. The first step of the project ended when fifteen eggs were securely in an incubator at the Lincoln Park Zoo at one a.m. the next morning. The challenges ahead were just as exciting: hatching, raising and studying piping plovers.