Species
Semipalmated plover
Charadrius semipalmatus
A small, brown-backed plover with a single black collar, common on Georgia's beaches in migration.
Photo Rhododendrites (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 17 to 19 cm long
- Weight
- About 40 to 60 g
- Habitat
- Beaches, mudflats and shores
- Diet
- Marine worms, small crustaceans and insects
- In Georgia
- A common migrant; some winter on the coast
- Voice
- A rising, whistled "chu-wee"
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Brown back the colour of wet sand; one black band across the breast; orange legs; short orange-and-black bill
- Told apart from
- Piping plover, which is much paler, the colour of dry sand
- Told apart from
- Wilson's plover, which has a heavy black bill
- Told apart from
- Killdeer, which has two breast bands
- Where to look
- Mudflats and wet sand at low tide
Behaviour
Semipalmated plovers run, stop and peck, feeding by sight. Their name refers to small webs between their toes.
Why they matter
These plovers breed across the Arctic and subarctic and pass through Georgia in large numbers on their way to and from South America. They depend on undisturbed beaches and mudflats as refuelling stops.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A scrape on gravel or sand in the north
Eggs — Usually four
Incubation — About 23 to 25 days
Chicks — Leave the nest within a day
Flight — At about three to four weeks
Lifespan — Wild birds over ten years are recorded
Living around people
- Shorebirds resting on the beach spend energy every time they are flushed; walking around flocks helps them.
Misconceptions
- It is a small killdeer. It is a separate species with one breast band rather than two.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | A few wintering | A few wintering | Migrants passing | Migrants passing | Peak spring migration | Nesting in the north | Adults returning south | Migrants | Migrants | Migrants | A few wintering | A few wintering |
Where it lives
Recorded in 85 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
- Alabamain winter
- Alaskabreeding
- Arizonapassing through
- Arkansaspassing through
- Californiain winter
- Coloradopassing through
- Connecticutpassing through
- Delawarepassing through
- District of Columbiapassing through
- Floridain winter
- Georgiain winter
- Idahopassing through
- Illinoispassing through
- Indianapassing through
- Iowapassing through
- Kansaspassing through
- Kentuckypassing through
- Louisianain winter
- Mainepassing through
- Marylandpassing through
- Massachusettspassing through
- Michiganpassing through
- Minnesotapassing through
- Mississippiin winter
- Missouripassing through
- Montanapassing through
- Nebraskapassing through
- Nevadapassing through
- New Hampshirepassing through
- New Jerseypassing through
- New Mexicopassing through
- New Yorkpassing through
- North Carolinain winter
- North Dakotapassing through
- Ohiopassing through
- Oklahomapassing through
- Oregonpassing through
- Pennsylvaniapassing through
- Rhode Islandpassing through
- South Carolinain winter
- South Dakotapassing through
- Tennesseepassing through
- Texasin winter
- Utahpassing through
- Vermontpassing through
- Virginiapassing through
- Washingtonin winter
- West Virginiapassing through
- Wisconsinpassing through
- Wyomingpassing through
Canada
- Albertapassing through
- British Columbiabreeding
- Manitobabreeding
- New Brunswickpassing through
- Newfoundland and Labradorpassing through
- Northwest Territoriesbreeding
- Nova Scotiapassing through
- Nunavutbreeding
- Ontariopassing through
- Prince Edward Islandpassing through
- Quebecpassing through
- Saskatchewanpassing through
- Yukonbreeding
Mexico
- Baja Californiain winter
- Baja California Surin winter
- Campechein winter
- Chiapasin winter
- Colimain winter
- Durangopassing through
- Guanajuatoin winter
- Guerreroin winter
- Jaliscoin winter
- Mexico Cityin winter
- Michoacanin winter
- Nayaritin winter
- Oaxacain winter
- Queretaroin winter
- Quintana Rooin winter
- Sinaloain winter
- Sonorain winter
- State of Mexicoin winter
- Tabascoin winter
- Tamaulipaspassing through
- Veracruzin winter
- Yucatanin winter
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