Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 8.3–9.1 in
21–23 cm - Weight
- 3.2–3.9 oz
90–110 g
Other Names
- Pluvier montagnard (French)
- Tildío montañés, Chichicuilote montañés (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Mountain Plover is one of the species that uses prairie dog towns to provide suitable breeding habitat in areas of longer grasses.
Habitat
Grassland
Breeds on open plains at moderate elevations. Winters in short-grass plains and fields, plowed fields, and sandy deserts.
Food
Insects
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 1–4 eggs
- Condition at Hatching
- Downy and active, able to leave nest as soon as down dries.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Ground Forager
Conservation
Near Threatened
Populations have been declining for many years. A proposal to list the species as "endangered" was rejected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2003, stating that species was more common than was believed.
Credits
- Knopf, F. L. 1996. Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus). In The Birds of North America, No. 211 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists_ Union, Washington, D.C.