Wilson's Plover
Wilson's Plover: Medium plover, gray-brown upperparts and cap. Underparts are white except for black upper breast band. Head has black forehead patch and white eyebrows joining above bill. Wings are dark with white stripes visible in flight. White tail with faint brown central strip and dark tip.
● Song:
"whit", "jrrrrrid jrrrrrid"
● Foraging & Feeding:
Wilson's Plover: Eats mostly crustaceans, such as fiddler crabs, crayfish, and shrimp, but also feeds on mollusks, marine worms, and insects. Usually forages on beaches or around ponds left by high tides.
● Breeding & nesting:
Wilson's Plover: Two or three brown and black marked, buff eggs are laid in a depression in the sand lined with broken shells, grass, and debris, usually built from several to as much as 100 feet back from the water; always well above normal high tide. Both parents incubate eggs for 23 to 25 days. Young are precocial and can fly at 21 days old.
● Similar species:
Wilson's Plover: Heavy black bill and flesh-colored legs distinguish this species from other small plovers, including Piping Plover, Semipalmated Plover, and Snowy Plover. Killdeer has two breast bands.