Wilson’s Plover
Charadrius wilsonia
This small (about seven or eight inches) coastal bird breeds on both
coasts of the Americas from the equator north. Its range includes most of the
eastern seaboard of the United States but is limited to coastal areas. It has light
underparts, mainly dark gray upperparts with a single wing bar, a dark breast
band and pinkish legs. Its dark beak is longer and heavier than that of most
plovers of its size. Male and females are similar in appearance but the male’s
breast band becomes lighter during mating season. They forage on the beach for
crabs and insects. They nest on both ends of the Kiawah beach where caution by
humans is essential because their nests are built in small, shallow scrapes in the
dunes and their eggs are light buff in color and hard to spot. Wilson’s plovers
are partially migratory, leaving most of the United States except for some parts
of Florida to winter in Mexico and South
America. They are named for Alexander
Wilson who collected the species in
Cape May, New Jersey, where
they are rarely spotted
today. n
33
Photograph courtesy of Jack Kotz