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1996: Snowy Plovers

Snowy Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus) are a federally-listed species, whose populations are declining due to habitat loss and population increases in mammalian predators, such as red fox. The historical status of Snowy Plovers is unknown because biologists rarely monitored their populations prior to the 1970s. The only historical data comes from Pacific Coast populations, where plovers have been extirpated from over 55 of 84 historical sites. In addition, plovers no longer breed along most of the Texas Coast and are extirpated from many beaches in Florida. Unfortunately, little is known about the population trends of breeding plovers at interior locations, where the majority of the population now nests in the United States.

Approximately 4,500 plovers currently nest along the Pacific Coast from southern Washington to southern Mexico, and on the Gulf of Mexico from the Yucatan Peninsula to western Florida. The majority of the population, 18,000 birds, breeds at inland saline lakes scattered throughout the Great Basin Desert, and in the mid-west. Plovers do not winter in the interior, and migrate back to coastal wintering grounds. Western populations migrate to the Pacific Ocean coast and Gulf of California, while birds of the Great Plains migrate to the Gulf of Mexico.

The single greatest concentration in North America, and possibly the world, occurs at Great Salt Lake, Utah. Great Salt Lake sustains one of the largest concentrations of waterbirds in the world. It is also a globally important staging area for huge numbers of shorebirds including Wilson's Phalaropes, American Avocets, and Black-necked Stilts. Based on surveys conducted during the early 1990s, it was estimated that up 10,000 plovers nested annually at Great Salt Lake. However, habitat conditions were ideal for Snowy Plovers in the early 1990s due to a massive flood event, and ornithologists were unsure if plover populations were always so plentiful.

In 1997, research sponsored by the American Birding Association and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation revealed that Snowy Plovers were still widespread and plentiful at Great Salt Lake. Hundreds of plovers were found along the southern and northern shores of the lake, although there was some redistribution of birds from historical sites. Most importantly, a favored foraging site at Locomotive Springs Waterfowl Management Area had dried up in 1997, apparently a victim of center-pivot irrigation systems. Based on ABA-sponsored research, this management concern was pointed out to the Utah Division of Wildlife, who manages this area. Fortunately, at Great Salt Lake, much of the shoreline habitat used by Snowy Plovers and other birds is protected by a series of state, federal, and non-government refuges (e.g., Inland Sea Shorebird Reserve, The Nature Conservancy, and National Audubon Society). These protected lands can be the salvation of shorebirds and other species, as long as they have a consistent source of freshwater running through them. Based on recent research, inland populations of Snowy Plovers, such as those at Great Salt Lake, will continue to become more important in maintaining plover populations as coastal populations continue to decline due to habitat degradation.

Dr. Peter Paton
Department of Natural Resources Science
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI 02881