# Snowy Plover

Scientific name: Charadrius nivosus

Bird group: [plover](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/plover)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/118/Snowy-Plover

## Identification

The snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus) is a small wader in the plover bird family, typically about 5-7" in length. It breeds in Ecuador, Peru, Chile, the southern and western United States and the Caribbean. Long considered to be a subspecies of the Kentish plover, it is now known to be a distinct species.


## Distribution and habitat

The Snowy Plover ranges from the Western and Southern United 
States to northern and western South America and the Caribbean 
(Raffaele and others 1998). 
Within the Caribbean, it occurs 
commonly in the southern 
Bahamas north to San Salvador, 
and in Hispaniola and Anguilla, 
while it is considered uncommon 
in the northern Bahamas, Puerto 
Rico, the Virgin Islands, St. 
Martin, and St. Barthélemy, and 
very rare on Cuba (Raffaele and 
others 1998). It is an uncommon 
and localized permanent resident 
in Puerto Rico (Oberle 2018, 
Raffaele and others 1998), limited 
to the extreme southwestern 
corner of the main island, where 
it can be regularly seen in the 
salt fl ats of Cabo Rojo. The 
species has not been recorded 
from Vieques (Gemmill 2015), 
and only one published record 
exists for Culebra, at least at the time of publication of the field 
guide by Raffaele and others 
(1998). This species habitat 
includes mostly sandy beaches 
and lagoon edges with salt fl ats 
or salt ponds (Oberle 2018, 
Raffaele and others 1998). The 
atlas fieldwork yielded a total of 
14 records within three hexagons 
or 0.6 percent of the 479 total 
hexagons (see map). Of the three 
hexagons where this species was 
found, breeding met the atlas 
definition of confirmed in 33 
percent (one) of the hexagons 
and possible in 33 percent (one) 
as well, while the species was 
observed in 33 percent (one) 
of the hexagons but without 
evidence of breeding (see map). Snowy Plover distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life zones in 
Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.      109Snowy Plover/Chorlito Blanco

## Breeding

The Snowy Plovers nest consists of a depression made in the 
sand, sometimes bordered 
with shell pieces (Biaggi 1997, 
Oberle 2018, Raffaele and others 
1998), and it generally nests in 
small colonies (Biaggi 1997). 
Previously published reports 
indicate that it breeds from 
January to August (Raffaele and 
others 1998). Atlas results based 
on small sample size show that 
this species breeds mostly from 
October to December but also 
during the months of March, 
May, June, and August (see 
chart). Overall, the breeding activity peaks in October and 
takes place in coastal areas 
within the subtropical dry forest 
life zone (100 percent of the 
hexagons) (see table and map).

## Conservation

The current population trend of the Snowy Plover is described 
as decreasing throughout the 
Western Hemisphere following 
evidence of regional declines 
and due to ongoing threats 
like habitat degradation and 
disturbance (Page and others 
2009, Thomas and others 2012). 
This species is currently listed 
as a Near Threatened species by the IUCN (BirdLife International 
2017), and locally it is classified 
as critically endangered 
(PRDNER 2016). In Puerto Rico, 
the Snowy Plover has a protected 
habitat in land of 21 percent or 
10 km2 of the total area where evidence of breeding was 
found for this species (48 km2). However, this value represents 
an underestimation of the actual 
terrestrial habitat protected 
(estimated to be about 80–100 
percent) as a large portion of the 
hexagons for this species lay on 
the water. 

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_118_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_118_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.