Semipalmated Plover

Charadrius semipalmatusOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Plovers (Charadriidae)

Codes: Common Name: SEPL Scientific Name: CHASEM ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176506

Head

Topo Map: Sandpiper-like Head

Bill Shape: All-purpose
Eye Color: Dark brown.
Head Pattern: Eyeline, Striped, Eyering (complete or broken), Special (unique patterns or features)
Crown Color: Gray brown with black mask.
Forehead Color: White
Nape Color: Gray-brown
Throat Color: White
Cere color: No Data

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Body

Topo Map: Sandpiper-like Body

Length Range: 17-19 cm (6.5-7.5 in)
Weight: 48 g (1.7 oz)
Size: Size 2. Small (5 - 9 in)
Color: White, Brown, Black, Gray
Underparts: White with dark-brown breast band.
Upperparts: Gray-brown
Back Pattern: Solid
Belly Pattern: Solid
Breast Pattern: No Data

Flight

Topo Map: Sandpiper-like Flight

Flight Pattern: Rapidly beating wings., Strong direct flight.
Wingspan Range: 36-39 cm (14-15.25 in)
Wing Shape: Tapered-Wings
Tail Shape: Pointed Tail
Tail Pattern: Solid with white edging.
Upper Tail: Gray-brown
Under Tail: White
Leg Color: Orange

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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.

Semipalmated Plover

Semipalmated Plover: Small plover, gray-brown upperparts and white underparts. Forehead and faint eyebrows are white, while face and collar are black. Bill is orange with black tip. Wings have white stripes visible in flight. Tail is brown with white edges. Orange legs, feet. Strong direct flight.

● Song: "chu-weet"

● Foraging & Feeding: Semipalmated Plover: Eats insects, crustaceans, and mollusks; forages on mudflats or in shallow water, running and scanning for food in short bursts.

● Breeding & nesting: Semipalmated Plover: Three to four buff to olive brown eggs marked with brown or black are laid in a ground depression. In sandy areas, nest is lined with shell fragments and pebbles; on tundra, it is lined with plants. Both parents incubate eggs for 23 to 25 days. Young fly at 23 to 31 days.

● Similar species: Semipalmated Plover: Snowy and Piping Plovers have much paler upperparts, stubbier bills, white lores, broader wing stripes, and less complete breast bands. Wilson's Plover has a thicker bill, single broad black or gray-brown breast band, and flesh-colored legs.

Flight Pattern

Rapidly beating wings., Strong direct flight.

● Range & Habitat: Semipalmated Plover: Breeds on sandy or mossy tundra from Alaska to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Spends winters on mudflats, salt marshes, and lakeshores along coastal California and the Carolinas south.

^BreedingMonogamous, Loose colonies

^Population

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight1.7 Ounces

Sandpiper-like Head

Sandpiper-like Body

Sandpiper-like Flight

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