Piping Plover Nature Canada
These birds may be small, but they’re mighty—they defend their nests fiercely from intruders by pecking and biting. Save endangered species today by joining one of our campaigns! Help End the Extinction
The Piping Plover is a small, grey-brown bird with black markings on its breast, forehead, wings, and tail. It also has white on its wings, forehead, and behind. Piping Plovers also have bright orange legs!
The biggest threats to the Piping Plover are caused by human activity. Piping Plovers are losing habitat to human beach use, and this also causes nest sites to be disturbed. Further, animals such as dogs and cats eat eggs and plover chicks, and so do raccoons and gulls—these two are attracted by garbage people leave behind.
Piping Plovers are also threatened by climate change, which is causing severe storms and rising sea levels. On the prairies, climate change is also causing drier conditions that aren’t suitable for this plover’s habitat and pose a risk to their populations.
This subspecies of Piping Plover (circumcinctus) is federally protected under the Species At Risk Act, and provincially protected in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. It is also protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act (1994) and by the Canadian National Parks Act (in Point Pelee National Park).
In Saskatchewan, the Quill Lakes area is recognized as an Important Bird Area (IBA).
Canada has committed to the goal of protecting 30% of lands, ocean, and freshwater in Canada by 2030. This goal will help protect ecosystems, restore habitats, and fight climate change. All these things are a step in protecting Canada’s at-risk animals—so let’s hold the federal government to their promise.
Hello nature life wilderness is the world’s envy. It’s our duty to keep our true north strong and green.
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