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Home/Species/ Semipalmated Plover

Charadrius semipalmatus

Bonaparte, 1825

Semipalmated Plover

G5Secure Found in 29 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103068
Element CodeABNNB03060
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderCharadriiformes
FamilyCharadriidae
GenusCharadrius
Other Common Names
Batuíra-da-Bando (PT) Chorlo Semipalmeado (ES) Pluvier semipalmé (FR)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
C. hiaticula and C. semipalmatus are considered conspecific by some authors (AOU 1983). It has been suggested that semipalmatus and hiaticula represent two morphs of a single species.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-07
Change Date1996-11-25
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Range Extent Comments
BREEDS: western and northern Alaska across low arctic and boreal areas of northern Canada, south to Queen Charlotte Islands, James Bay, and Nova Scotia; also recorded nesting in Oregon. NORTHERN WINTER: from central California, coastally along Gulf of Mexico, and South Carolina south, including West Indies, to southern Argentina and Chile (Godfrey 1966); also Hawaiian Islands (uncommon). Nonbreeders often summer in wintering areas south at least to Panama and Colombia.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Nonbreeding: mudflats, shallow marshes, beaches, flooded fields, salinas, shores of river mouths, and shores of lakes and ponds (AOU 1983). Use of freshwater habitats occurs mostly during migration.

Nests on grassy or mossy tundra, river gravel bars, coastal flats and dunes, beaches, stony ridges, and other rocky well-drained, and/or barren habitats (Johnson and Herter 1989). The nest may be a shallow depression scraped out by the bird; may also nest in moss or lichens.

Ecology

Forages singly or in loose groups; roosts at high tide in compact flocks (Stiles and Skutch 1989).

Reproduction

Breeding begins early June in south to late June in north. Both sexes, in turn, incubate 3-4 eggs, for 23- 25 days. Young precocial, tended by both parents, can fly at 22-31 days. Nests in loose colonies. At Churchill, Manitoba, nesting density was 0.01-4.00 (mean 0.36) pairs/ha in coastal areas, 0.03-140 (mean 1.26) pairs/ha at inland sites (Wilson Bull. 105:455-464).
Terrestrial Habitats
Grassland/herbaceousAlpineTundraSand/duneBare rock/talus/screeCropland/hedgerow
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5B
ProvinceRankNative
NunavutS4BYes
Island of NewfoundlandS1B,S4MYes
AlbertaSUBYes
Nova ScotiaS1B,S4MYes
Northwest TerritoriesS5Yes
QuebecS3BYes
LabradorS3B,S4MYes
British ColumbiaS4BYes
Yukon TerritoryS4BYes
ManitobaS4BYes
SaskatchewanSUB,S5MYes
OntarioS4B,S5MYes
New BrunswickSNRB,S4MYes
Prince Edward IslandSHB,S4MYes
United StatesN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
AlaskaS5BYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNAYes
KansasS3NYes
ArizonaS4MYes
NebraskaSNRNYes
PennsylvaniaSNAYes
MontanaSNAYes
MarylandSNAYes
UtahSNAYes
HawaiiSNAYes
West VirginiaSNAYes
MaineS4NYes
MinnesotaSNRMYes
New MexicoS4NYes
WisconsinSNAYes
GeorgiaS5Yes
MississippiSNAYes
South CarolinaS4NYes
AlabamaS4NYes
WyomingS4NYes
IowaS5NYes
New HampshireSNAYes
ArkansasSNAYes
OhioSNAYes
FloridaSNRNYes
ColoradoS4NYes
New JerseyS4NYes
MassachusettsS4NYes
LouisianaS4NYes
MissouriSNAYes
TennesseeS4NYes
OregonSNAYes
TexasS4Yes
WashingtonS4NYes
IndianaSNAYes
IllinoisSNAYes
New YorkSNRNYes
Navajo NationS3MYes
IdahoS1MYes
North CarolinaS4NYes
OklahomaSNRNYes
North DakotaSXYes
VermontSNAYes
ConnecticutSNAYes
MichiganSNRNYes
KentuckySNAYes
VirginiaSNAYes
South DakotaSNAYes
DelawareS4NYes
District of ColumbiaS2NYes
NevadaS4NYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
11 - Climate change & severe weatherPervasive (71-100%)UnknownLow (long-term)
11.1 - Habitat shifting & alterationPervasive (71-100%)UnknownLow (long-term)

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Roadless Areas (29)
Alaska (20)
AreaForestAcres
Boston BarChugach National Forest53,617
ChichagofTongass National Forest555,858
Chilkat-West Lynn CanalTongass National Forest199,772
College FiordChugach National Forest1,130,818
Copper River WetlandsChugach National Forest85,972
Fidalgo-GravinaChugach National Forest257,968
Juneau UrbanTongass National Forest101,581
Kenai LakeChugach National Forest213,172
Middle KruzofTongass National Forest14,724
North BaranofTongass National Forest314,089
North KruzofTongass National Forest33,146
Pavlof-East PointTongass National Forest5,399
RedoubtTongass National Forest68,347
Sitka UrbanTongass National Forest112,003
South KruzofTongass National Forest55,193
SpiresTongass National Forest533,746
Taku-SnettishamTongass National Forest664,928
Tenakee RidgeTongass National Forest20,527
Upper SitukTongass National Forest16,789
Yakutat ForelandsTongass National Forest323,648
California (1)
AreaForestAcres
Glass MountainInyo National Forest52,867
Montana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Cube Iron - SilcoxLolo National Forest36,998
Oregon (1)
AreaForestAcres
TahkenitchSiuslaw National Forest5,799
Pennsylvania (1)
AreaForestAcres
Tracy RidgeAllegheny National Forest9,034
Utah (1)
AreaForestAcres
WellsvilleWasatch-Cache National Forest1,717
Wyoming (4)
AreaForestAcres
Gros Ventre MountainsBridger-Teton National Forest106,418
Munger MountainBridger-Teton National Forest12,827
Teton Corridor TrailheadsBridger-Teton National Forest286
Wilderness Study AreaTarghee National Forest51,961
References (32)
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