PLOVERS Family Charadriidae 

 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER 



270. Squatarola squatarola. 11.5 in. 



Hind toe very small. Bill short and stout. Adults 

 in summer with the back, wings and tail barred or 

 marked with black and white; top of head and nape 

 white, except for a few black markings on the crown: 

 face, throat, breast and fore part of belly, black. In 

 winter, brownish-black, somewhat mottled, above; below 

 dull white. Young similar to winter adults, but the 

 back is spotted with yellowish-white. While these hand- 

 some plover migrate to some extent, and sometimes in 

 large flocks, through the interior of the United States, 

 they are chiefly and most abundantly found on the coast. 

 They are the plover most eagerly sought by gunners. 



Call. A plaintive whistle, " ter-lee." 



Nest. Grass-lined hollows in marshes or dry land, 

 back from the beach ; eggs greenish-buff, spotted with 

 black. 



Range. Breeds in the Arctic regions; winters in 

 South America, migrating through the U. S. in Sept. 

 and Mav. 



