Piping PloverCharadrius melodusBirdOrder CharadriiformesDescription 7 1/4 inch. The upper parts are the color of dry sand and the rump is white. In breeding plumage, the adult as an orange based bill, bright orange legs, a black bar across the fore crown, and a narrow, blackish breast band that is often incomplete. Juveniles have blackish bills and dull orange legs; the black bands on the head and breast are absent, and instead of a breast band there is a sandy patch on each side of the breast. Range Breeds from Quebec to North Carolina and locally from Central Alberta to Minnesota and around Great Lakes. Casual in California, winters on coast from Texas to North Carolina sparsely in Bahamas and Greater Antilles. Status This species is considered threatened in part of it's range and endangered in others, any trade of this species is regulated by the international law. Photo © Greg Neise |
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