Bird
Bird
Semipalmated Plover
Charadrius semipalmatus
The Semipalmated Plover is a small, compact shorebird that visits Trinidad's mudflats and beaches in large numbers during the northern winter, having bred on Arctic and subarctic tundra far to the north.
The Semipalmated Plover is a small, compact shorebird that visits Trinidad's mudflats and beaches in large numbers during the northern winter, having bred on Arctic and subarctic tundra far to the north.
Identification
A small plover around 17 to 19 cm long, with brown upperparts, white underparts, a single dark breast band, and an orange bill tipped black in breeding plumage that becomes duller in the non-breeding season. Its small, partial webbing between the toes gives the species its name, though this is rarely visible in the field.
Migration
A common non-breeding migrant present in Trinidad roughly from August to April, having bred on Arctic and subarctic tundra across Canada and Alaska. It winters along coasts throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, and is essentially absent from Trinidad outside this non-breeding season.
Status in T&T
A common non-breeding visitor to mudflats, beaches, and wetland edges across Trinidad, including Caroni Swamp, foraging for small invertebrates by running and pausing along the shoreline. Not threatened, and it is protected as a migratory species under the Conservation of Wildlife Act.
Threats
- Loss and disturbance of coastal mudflat and beach habitat
