THE SNOWY PLOVER 



{^gialitis nivosa.) 



Though the range of this beautiful 

 Plover is fairly extensive, it is much 

 more common west of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains. It is found eastward to Kansas 

 and the western Gulf States. It is 

 known to breed quite throughout this 

 range, and it may also nest in Central 

 America, and western South America. 

 It winters from southern California and 

 Louisana, southward on both coasts of 

 Central America and on the western 

 coast of South America, at least to Chili. 

 It has also been found in western Cuba 

 and Mr. C. B. Cory has recorded it from 

 Long Island, Mr. N. S. Goss f(mnd the 

 Snowy Plover breeding on the salt 

 plains along the Cimarron River in the 

 Indian Territory. In this territority, he 

 saw young birds and several adults. He 

 found the nest to be a "depression 

 marked out in the sand, with no lining, 

 and nothing near to shelter or hide it 

 from view." 



Mr. T. S. Van Dyke says the Snowy 

 Plover is found on the coast of southern 

 California, inland as far as the great 

 Salt Lake. It is abundant on the ocean 

 beaches, frequenting the high dry sand, 

 and has many of the habits of the piping 

 plover. It is generally silent, and the 

 soft coloring of its plumage blends 

 perfectly with the surroundings. Along 

 the California shore this Plover remains 

 through the winter and breeds during 

 the month of May. The nest is a mere de- 

 pression in the saind, and several pairs 

 are often found nesting in a compara- 

 tively small area. The eggs of the 

 Snowy Plover resemble very closely the 

 color of the sand upon which they are 

 laid and for this reason are not easily 



observed. 



When hatched the young at once be- 

 gin a search for food under the guidance 

 of their parents. Their food consists of 

 the various small insects and other mi- 

 nute forms of life that abound on the 

 beaches. If surprised or pursued they 

 quickly run away, and may finally settle 

 upon the sand where they remain per- 

 fectly motionless, and because of their 

 color, easily escape observation. In re- 

 gard to this habit, ]\Irs. Bailey says that 

 on the shores of Salt Lake, while the 

 great white gulls disport themselves in 

 the air and on the water, the plump 

 little Snowy Plover is trotting along the 

 beach gathering his food as he goes. If 

 frightened, he drops into the deep foot- 

 prints of a horse, and is lost to view, so 

 well does his back match the gray sur- 

 face. While leading their brood, the 

 parent birds will feign injury when pur- 

 sued and flutter along in an apparently 

 crippled manner in order to attract at- 

 tention to themselves while their young 

 are escaping. Finally the parent bird, 

 when the young has had sufficient time 

 to escape, and hide, takes to wing and 

 flies, in a roundabout manner back to 

 the vicinity of her young. Mrs. Whee- 

 lock records the finding of a Snowy 

 Plover^s nest near San Diego, California, 

 in the month of April, W^hen dis- 

 covered, it contained three eggs. When 

 the nest was again visited three hours 

 later two little ones bad broken the shells 

 and were crouched in the nest looking 

 like small gray stones. They were about 

 the size of large walnuts and were very 

 pretty creatures. 



Frank Morley Woodruff. 



83 



