Plovers
Plovers are shore birds in the family Charadriidae, order Charadriiformes. Plovers have short circuit, straight bills, with a little swell towards the peak. Their wings are pointed at the tips, normally with a ashen wing-stripe on the bottom, and the flight of these birds is fast and directly. Plovers and the closely relate sandpipers ( family Scolopacidae ) are dearly known as “ peeps ” by bird watchers, because of the piano, high-pitched vocalizations that these birds make .
Plovers are active feeders, constantly walking and running along the shores, mudflats, prairies, tundra, or fields in search of a meal of small invertebrates. Plovers typically feed by poking their charge into mud for invertebrates, or by picking arthropods from the surface of mud, soil, shore debris, or sometimes leaf.
Reading: Plovers
Plovers nest on the reason in dim-witted open scrapes that blend well with the surroundings and can be identical unmanageable to locate. When a predator or other intruder, such as a human, is close to its nest, a plover will normally display a “ broken-wing ” charade. This remarkable behavior aims to lure away the likely cuddle predator, and during this routine the plover often comes perilously conclude to the threatening animal. however, the plover is actually very alert and agile, and stays just beyond reach while doggedly leading the intruder away. plover chicks are capable of leaving their nest within hours of their think up, and they immediately move with their parents and feed themselves .
Plovers are monogamous, which means that each coupling season the male and female pairs are close to each early, with both parents sharing in the incubation of eggs and care of their young. The only exception is the mountain plover ( Eupoda montana ) of southwest North America ; this species is polyandrous, meaning that a finical female will mate with one or more males, leaving at least one of them a clutch of eggs to incubate and care for while the female lays another batch to incubate and care for by herself. This interest breeding strategy is more common among species of sandpipers.
There are 63 species in the Charadriidae, which are found worldwide with the exception of Antarctica. Most species breed on marine or freshwater shores, but a few species breed in prairies, savannas, or deserts. Plovers that breed in Arctic regions undertake long-distance migrations between their breed and winter ranges. For exemplar, the semipalmated plover ( Charadrius semipalmatus ) and the black-bellied plover ( Pluvialis squatarola ) breed in the Arctic of North America, but may winter as far south as Tierra del Fuego at the southerly tip off of South America. Plovers are gregarious during their migrations, appearing in flocks of their own species, and often with other, similar-sized shore birds such as sandpipers. tropical species of plovers are relatively sedentary, except for those species that breed in deserts ; these may be widely mobile or migratory .
Nine species of plover regularly breed in North America. The black-bellied plover, lesser fortunate plover ( Pluvialis dominica ), ringed plover ( Charadrius hiaticula ), and semipalmated plover all breed in the Arctic tundra, and are long-distance migrants. The mountain plover breeds in shortgrass prairie and semi-desert of the western United States.
The piping plover ( C. melodus ), the snow-white plover ( C. alexandrinus ), and Wilson ‘s plover ( C. wilsonia ) breed on arenaceous beaches and mudflats in respective areas. however, all of these plovers are rare and to versatile degrees endangered, largely because of the loss of much of their natural habitat to urbanization and the recreational use of beaches .
The killdeer ( Charadrius vociferous ) breeds widely in temperate and southerly regions of North America. This is the plover most frequently seen by north Americans, because the killdeer is an abundant species that normally breeds in disquieted environments, normally in proximity to water. The killdeer was directly named after the loudly address that it gives when alarmed, specially around the nest. many species of birds have been named after their classifiable vocalizations, a practice known to etymologists as onomatopoeia .
During their migrations and on their winter grounds, many species of plovers appear predictably in large flocks in especial places, frequently in association with big numbers of early shore birds. These particular natural habitats represent critical ecosystems for these species, and must be preserved in their natural condition if these birds are to survive.
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.