From southern Washington to Mexico, Western Snowy Plovers live on beaches and salt ponds along the coast.

Explore the incredible lives of these cute and threatened shorebirds ...

Home on the coast

Amazing Adaptations

Secretive Snowies

Nesting cycle

Why are Snowies threatened?

Help Snowies

Snowy Quiz

Photo Peter Knapp

Home on the coast

The map to the right shows the areas where you may find Western Snowy Plovers along the coast of the U.S. and Mexico. In the U.S., they are found in Washington, Oregon and California.

You may not always find Snowies at every beach because some 'Snowies' migrate between their nesting homes and winter homes. Many beaches are no longer good places for Snowies to nest or spend the winter because there are too many human activities that disturb them. Learn how you can help make your local beach safer for Snowies. On the map there are three different colors that mark the different times of year when Snowies can be found in an area:

• Blue-colored coast means Snowies only live there when they are nesting (from March to September). After nesting the birds must migrate south to warmer beaches, like Mexico.
• Green-colored coast means Snowies live there the whole year (they are residents)
• Orange-colored coast means Snowies only live there in the fall and winter months (from October to March). After the winter, when it is time to nest again, birds must migrate to beaches to the north.

Photo Peter Knapp

Masters of camoflauge

Plovers react to bird predators, like falcons and hawks, by crouching against the sand and blending into the beach around them.

Snowies live in open habitats, like beaches and salt ponds. Like all plovers, they need to see their predators before they get too close. Therefore, they don't like habitats with lots of tall vegetation.

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Scrapes in the sand

Snowies build their nest directly on the ground. They make a shallow bowl called a "scrape."

Did you know? ...

Many other shorebirds also make scrapes for nesting in different habitats all over the world!

Their special nest is called a "scrape" because of the way that Snowies make it and the way it looks.

Snowies scrape the sand using their bellies and feet to make a shallow depression in which the female can lay her eggs.

This nest is well hidden among the beach bursage - a native plant found on beaches and dunes of the West Coast.

Nest Cycle of the Western Snowy Plover

Ask any parent and they will tell you that raising kids is one of the most important and hardest jobs around. Like humans, Snowies have to work very hard to raise strong, healthy, young plovers.

Explore the steps of their nest cycle, what time of year each step occurs, and how long each step takes.

STEP 1: Set up a territory

This is the male's job. He will often return to the same territory on the same beach year after year!

When one male enters another's territory sometimes nasty fights can break out. Snowies are very mellow most of the time, but they can get fiesty, like these two males in this photo. Yikes - watch out!

When? March to June

How long? Days or weeks

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STEP 2. Find a mate

The male courts the female in his territory. This happens throughout the breeding season, when he is looking for a new mate.

To attract females, the dark markings on his face and chest become darker, and he sometimes grows reddish-brown feathers on his head, like this fancy male!

When? March to July

How long? Days or weeks

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STEP 3: Build a nest

The male and female plover, or 'pair', will scrape the sand in several places. The female chooses her favorite scrape, and then the pair tosses pebbles (like this photo) and small shells to line the bottom of the scrape.

When? end of March to early July

How long? Days

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STEP 4: Lay eggs

The female lays three eggs over 5-6 days. Each egg must be fertilized by the male plover.

When? late March to mid-July
How long? 5-6 days

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STEP 5: Incubate eggs

Both male and female help incubate the eggs once the female lays the entire clutch. It takes about 4 weeks to incubate the eggs.

When? late March to mid-August

How long? 28 days (4 weeks)

STEP 6: Hatch eggs

After about 4 weeks of incubation, the eggs hatch! The tiny chicks are covered with downy feathers that match the beach sand. (Notice that a biologist has placed color bands on the legs of this chick. Biologists can now closely follow this chick throughout its life).

When? late April to mid-August

How long? 1-24 hours

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STEP 6: Raise chicks

The male Snowy becomes Mr. Mom! The female often leaves her family several hours after the eggs hatch, and she may nest with another male. The chicks can feed themselves, but cannot fly for about 4 weeks.

The male must keep his chicks protected from predators. In the first 2 weeks, the chicks cannot warm themselves, so the must be kept warm under his belly.

When? mid-April to mid-September

How long? 28 days (4 weeks)

Photo Dave Dixon

When the chicks have grown their wing feathers and are able to fly, they are "fledglings." All together, it takes about 4 weeks from hatching to fledging.

The youngsters that survive the winter may return to the same beach to nest in the next year.

When? April to September

How long? It takes 28 days for chicks to fledge

Photo Peter Knapp

STEP 9: Start nest cycle again

If his chicks fledge by early July, the male may start the nest cycle again with another female.

When? March to early-July

How long? 2 months for entire nest cycle to be complete

When numbers of Western Snowy Plovers along the Pacific Coast dropped to very low numbers, many biologists decided that they should be protected under the Endangered Species Act (E.S.A.). In 1993, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) gave Snowies special protection under the E.S.A. by declaring them "threatened." Learn more about national efforts to remove Western Snowy Plovers from the Endangered Species List by downloading the USFWS Western Snowy Plover Pacific Coast Population Draft Recovery Plan.

These are the main reasons why Western Snowy Plovers along the Pacific Coast continue to be threatened:

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There are many of us who want to be as close to the beach as possible. But when hotels, homes, bike paths, and roads are built on beaches, that beach habitat is lost to Snowies - sometimes forever. Also, roads and hotels attract more people to the beach which can lead to problems with human recreation.

Development on Beaches

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There's almost nothing more fun than spending a day swimming and playing on the beach; however, the times that we most want to visit the beach - the summer months - are the same as the nesting time for Western Snowy Plovers. Our activities can hurt Snowies and their chicks. Snowy Plover biologists have found that our beach activities can cause these terrible things to happen:

1. Snowies abandon nest when we are too close for too long;
2. Snowy eggs are crushed by our feet as we walk or play on the sand;
3. Snowy chicks are crushed under feet and tires;
4. Snowies never return to the beach to nest ever again.

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On some beaches along the U.S. West Coast, off-road vehicles, like dirt bikes, jeeps, and dune buggies, are allowed on beaches. It is very difficult for Snowies to nest on these beaches because these things can happen:

1. Snowy eggs are run over;
2. Snowy chicks are run over;
3. Activity and noise from vehicle traffic can cause Snowies to abandon their nest;
4. Snowies never return to the beach to nest ever again.
   

Off-road vehicles

Walking dogs on beaches without a leash

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When a Snowy Plover sees a dog - even the sweetist, nicest dog - it sees a predator. Snowies often run or fly away from the dog. Snowy Plover biologists have found that off-leash dogs can cause these things to happen:

1. Snowy flies away from nest, leaving eggs cold and unprotected from predators;
2. Snowy chicks are killed by dog;
3. Snowies never return to the beach to nest again.

Photo NPS

Non-native plants are plants that are not supposed to be living in a certain place. Some of these non-native plants are very invasive, which means that they take over habitat very fast, and often leave no space for native plants to grow.

This picture shows one of the worst non-native plants found in beach habitat, European beachgrass, which people brought to the U.S. West Coast from Europe so that dunes and beaches would not erode. European beachgrass is bad for Snowies because:

1. It grows in thick mats over beaches and dunes, which plovers cannot walk though or nest in.
2. It stops beach sand from moving, which can cause the beach to become very narrow and steep in places - not good for nesting plovers!

Non-native plants

Too many predators

When too many predators of Snowy Plovers, eggs, and chicks move onto a beach, there can be many problems. Predators, like this Common Raven, are often attracted to the places where we live and play because we leave food behind in open trash cans and in our litter. The best thing that you can to do is to: 1. Pack out all your trash; 2. never feed wildlife; 3. make sure that your favorite beach has predator-proof trash bins

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Beach signs are set up by Snowy Plover biologists and beach managers, and will tell you if the area is safe to walk, play, or take your dog. It's always a good idea to ask a ranger or volunteer where it's safe for you and your pet to go.

Snowy Plovers and their chicks spend most of their time on the dry sand, so walking on the wet sand will help you stay clear of sensitive plover families.

Driftwood posts and forts provide perches for predatory birds, like falcons, hawks, crows, and ravens.

Plovers think that your kite is a predator, like a hawk or raven. To avoid scaring plovers, choose safe areas for kite flying - far from beaches where plovers live.

Many birds and wildlife that beg on beaches and in parks actually prey on eggs and chicks of birds, like Snowy Plovers. It's very important that we don't feed wildlife so that numbers of predators on our beaches and wild areas stay healthy and safe.

When you become a Snowy Plover volunteer or help restore beach and dune habitat, you are taking care of our enivironment and are showing others that beaches, dunes, and wildlife are important things to protect.

Together we can work toward removing Western Snowy Plovers from the Endangered Species List by being Snowy Stewards. Check out these volunteer opportunites ...