Alternative names: Chilean Plover; Peruvian Plover
- Anarhynchus nivosus
Charadrius nivosus
Identification
15-17 cm
- Upperparts greyish brown
- Underparts white
- Black legs
Female: has a grey head, lacking any black markings
Distribution
North America to South America
Taxonomy
Formerly considered conspecific with Kentish Plover.
Subspecies1
- A. a. nivosus (includes West Indian birds sometimes placed in C. a. tenuirostris):
- US to Mexico and West Indies; winters to Panama
- A. a. occidentalis:
Habitat
Sandy coasts and brackish inland lakes, and is uncommon on fresh water.
Behaviour
Breeding
It nests in a ground scrape and lays 3-5 eggs.
Diet
Diet includes insects and other invertebrates.
References
- Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2023. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2023. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Birdforum thread discussing AOU NACC proposal to split Snowy Plover and other taxonomic changes
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Snowy Plover. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Snowy_Plover
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1