The mountain plover (Charadrius montanus ) is a medium-sized ground bird in the plover family (Charadriidae). It is misnamed, as it lives on level land. Unlike most plovers, it is usually not found near bodies of water or even on wet soil; it prefers dry habitat with short grass (usually due to grazing) and bare ground.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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Wading birdsWading birds forage along shorelines and mudflats searching for small aquatic prey crawling or burrowing in the mud and sand. These birds live in w...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Wading birds forage along shorelines and mudflats searching for small aquatic prey crawling or burrowing in the mud and sand. These birds live in w...
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Serial monogamySerial monogamy is a mating system in which a pair bonds only for one breeding season.
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PolyandryPolygyny is a mating system in which one female lives and mates with multiple males but each male only mates with a single female.
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FlockingFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withThe Mountain plover is a medium-sized ground bird. Unlike most plovers, it is usually not found near bodies of water or even on wet soil; it prefers dry habitat with short grass and bare ground. Both the male and the female in this species are of the same size. The upperparts are sandy brown and the underparts and face are whitish. There are black feathers on the forecrown and a black stripe from each eye to the bill (the stripe is brown and may be indistinct in winter); otherwise, the plumage is plain.
Mountain plovers breed in North America from extreme southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan to northern New Mexico and the Texas panhandle, as well as an isolated site in the Davis Mountains of West Texas. Most of the birds winter in the San Joaquin and Imperial Valleys in California. Their winter range also extends along the U.S.-Mexican border, more extensively on the Mexican side. Mountain plovers can be found in high plains, grasslands, shortgrass prairie, grassy semidesert, xeric scrub, and in agricultural fields.
Mountain plovers are gregarious birds and often spend time in loose flocks, especially in winter. They forage by day in a typical for plovers run-and-stop method. The birds move forward quickly, then stop and scan the area, prob the soil with their bill and then repeat the process. They often associate with livestock, which attract and stir up insects. Around late July, Mountain plovers leave their breeding range for a period of post-breeding wandering around the southern Great Plains. Little is known about their movements at this time, although they are regularly seen around Walsh, Colorado, and on sod farms in central New Mexico. By early November, most move southward and westward to their wintering grounds. Mountain plovers communicate with the help of variable calls, often low-pitched trilled or gurgling whistles. In courtship, they are known to make a sound much like a far-off cow mooing.
Mountain plovers are carnivores (insectivores). They feed mainly on various insects and will also take scorpions, centipedes, and occasionally seeds.
Mountain plovers are serially monogamous and usually form pair bonds that last only during one breeding season. However, females sometimes may mate with several males and exhibit polyandrous behavior. During mating, the male will set territory and perform displays to attract a female. Mountain plovers nest on bare ground in early spring (April in northern Colorado). The nesting territory must have a bare round with short, sparse vegetation. The breeding season usually extends over the summer months and ends sometime around late July or early August. Females lay multiple clutches of eggs with 3 eggs to a clutch; the eggs are off-white with blackish spots. Females leave their first clutch to be incubated and tended to by the male and then lay a second clutch, which she tends to herself. Females that mate with several males have several male tended nests in one breeding season. If the eggs survive various dangers, especially such predators as coyotes, snakes, and swift foxes, they hatch in 28 to 31 days, and the hatchlings leave the nest within a few hours. In the next 2 or 3 days, the family usually moves 1-2 kilometers (0.6-1 miles) from the nest site to a good feeding area, often near a water tank for livestock. The chicks usually fledge and are able to fly well when they are 33 to 36 days old.
The population of Mountain plovers is in decline because of cultivation, urbanization, and over-grazing of their living space. Other important threats include hunting, human disturbances, mining activities, and pollution.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Mountain plover is around 15,000-20,000 individuals, roughly equivalent to 10,000-14,000 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on The IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...