Bird name:

Black-bellied Plover

Pluvialis squatarola

Order

CHARADRIIFORMES

Family

Plovers (Charadriidae)

Code 4

BBPL

Code 6

PLUSQU

ITIS

176567

Breeding Location:

Seashore, rocky or sandy, Swamps, Grasslands, Marshes

Breeding Type:

Monogamous

Breeding Population:

Uncommon to common on coasts

Egg Color:

Gray, green, white or brown with dark brown spots

Number of Eggs:

3 - 5

Incubation Days:

26 - 27

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Tundra moss lined with dried grasses and moss.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Black-bellied Plover: Medium-sized shorebird with black upperparts vividly marked with a white spot on each feather. Face, throat, and belly are black. Black armpit and white rump, vent, and wing stripe are visible on all plumages in flight. Underparts on female have less black. Winter adult and juvenile are mottled gray and white.

Range and Habitat

Black-bellied Plover: Breeds in northwestern Alaska and Arctic Canada. Spends winters mainly along the coasts from British Columbia and Massachusetts southward. Breeds on tundra; spends winters on beaches, mudflats, marshes, lakeshores, and plowed fields.

Breeding and Nesting

Black-bellied Plover: Three to five dark brown-spotted, gray, green, brown or white eggs are laid in a shallow depression lined with moss, lichens, and grass. Incubation ranges from 26 to 27 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Black-bellied Plover: Principal foods include small crabs, sandworms, mollusks, and crustaceans.

Vocalization

Black-bellied Plover: Song is a clear, whistled "pee-a-wee."

Similar Species

Black-bellied Plover: American Golden-Plover is smaller and has darker underwings. Pacific Golden-Plover is smaller and has smaller black bill.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Face

The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

Vent

Birds do not have two separate cavities for excrement and reproduction like humans do. In birds, there is one single entrance/exit that suits both functions called the vent, cloaca or anus.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America