Semipalmated Plover
Charadrius semipalmatus
Also known as: Semi-Palmated Plover, Pond Bird, Ringed Plover, Ringnek
Habitat
Ground
Diet
Invertebrate
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
47 g
About This Species
This small shorebird breeds on gravel bars and tundra in the north and turns up on beaches, mudflats, and coastal shorelines during migration, where its stop-run-peck feeding style, dashing forward then pausing to snatch a small invertebrate, is distinctive. Look for a single black breast band and orange-based bill, and listen for a soft, whistled call given in flight. Spring and fall migration along coastlines offer the most reliable views, often in mixed flocks with other small shorebirds.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Approach roosting or feeding flocks slowly and stay well back, since repeatedly flushed shorebirds burn energy they need for long migratory flights, and disturbance is a particular concern at high-tide roost sites where birds have few alternative places to rest.
- It is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the United States and equivalent migratory bird law in Canada.
- Viewing from a vehicle or a fixed spot on the beach, letting birds approach rather than walking toward them, works well.
Seasonal Activity
1,617,529 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Charadriidae
Traits
- Diet
- Invertebrate
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 47 g
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.