Despite its name, the Mountain Plover is actually a resident of arid plains and prairies, rather than mountains. This unwary species is often quite approachable, a trait which has proven most unfortunate over the past century and a half. When intruded upon, the Mountain Plover will often choose to run rather than fly. A disturbed bird may simply crouch low to the ground, relying, for better or worse, upon the disguise of its earthy colored plumage to avoid detection.   

The summer range of the Mountain Plover stretches across the Great Plains region, from Canada to Texas. Most breeding occurs in Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado. Up to 85% of the total population is thought to winter in California's Imperial and San Joaquin valleys, with smaller numbers spending the winter in Arizona, southern Texas and northern Mexico. The bird's range has been decreasing. The species no longer breeds in many areas where it was once found, particularly in the eastern and southern portions of its range.

 

A legend for the range map to the right can be found here.

Once a common bird of the Great Plains, the Mountain Plover has been decreasing steadily in number since the west was first settled. Audubon's WatchList 2002 classified the species "red"— or of global conservation concern — due to its small population, limited range, and declining numbers. In 1999, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service nominated the Mountain Plover for protection under the Endangered Species Act, but the nomination was withdrawn in 2003, upon determining that the Mountain Plover was not declining as quickly as previously feared across its entire range. Nonetheless, the total population remains quite low, especially when compared to historic levels. The total population declined an estimated 3% annually from the 1970s to the early 1990s, and is presently half of what it was in 1966.

Several factors have negatively affected the Mountain Plover over the past 150 years. Hunters once found this relatively tame, approachable bird to be exceptionally easy prey. A single gunner could take dozens with little effort. While the birds are now protected from hunting in the United States, they face additional challenges. Loss and alteration of habitat on both the breeding and wintering grounds constitute major threats to the species' survival. Historically, the Mountain Plover nested in prairies inhabited by larger grazing animals, such as bison, pronghorns, and prairie dogs. The decline of these species has coincided with the decline of the Mountain Plover. Much of the Mountain Plovers' former short-grass prairie breeding grounds are now farmland. When the birds attempt to breed in agricultural areas, their nests are often destroyed by farm equipment. In such cases, plovers often attempt to re-nest in newly planted fields, only to abandon the area when the crops grow too tall.

 

Stay clear of Mountain Plover breeding colonies. Although the birds may seem easily approachable, bird watchers, photographers, outdoor enthusiasts, and landowners should avoid disturbing this at-risk species.

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Conservation Reserve Program rewards farmers and benefits wildlife through the establishment of environmentally responsible land management techniques.

 

For more actions you can take, including Audubon activities, please visit our resources page.

Visit our resources page for more information about this species.

Bent, A. C. Life Histories of North American Shorebirds. U.S. Natl. Mus. Bull. 146. 1929.

 

Kaufman, Kenn. Lives of North American Birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, 1996.

 

Knopf, F. L. 1996. Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus). In The Birds of North America, No. 211 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and the American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.

 

Richards, Alan. Shorebirds: A Complete Guide to Their Behavior and Migration. Gallery Books, New York. 1988.