Wilson’s Plover
Anarhynchus wilsonia
Content and photos by James Giroux
I always get excited when I find a Wilson’s Plover. Probably because they are not very common, and generally you can only find one or two on a given day. This bird, along with four other North American birds, was named after the ornithologist Alexander Wilson. Most people have never heard of Wilson, but he is widely considered as the father of American Ornithology. He published his nine-volume American Ornithology in 1814, and it contained illustrations of 268 species. That’s 30 years before Audubon’s Birds of America. Can you name the four other birds named after Wilson? See answers at the bottom of this article.
Wilson’s Plover – April
My stepfather, who got me started on birding, gave me the key to IDing this bird when he described it as the “cigar-billed” bird. That bill along with the single neck ring distinguishes it from the similar-looking double-ringed Killdeer. Killdeer can be so ubiquitous that if you are not careful, you can assume a Killdeer, and pass over a Wilson’s Plover. That has almost happened to me on a couple occasions. Note the double neck rings and the smaller pointier bill on the Killdeer, and the single neck ring and “cigar bill” of the Wilson’s Plover in two photos below.
Killdeer
Like Killdeer, Wilson’s Plovers nest on the ground, usually in an area with gravel or small rocks. A few years ago, my wife and I found one of these nests just a few steps from a parking lot at Sea Rim State Park. Since it was in an area with foot traffic, we notified the park rangers that afternoon. By 9:00 AM the next morning, they had set up a barrier around the nest. The three photos below show the eggs, the male on the nest, and one of the parents inside the barrier on the nest.
Wilson’s Plover nest and eggs
Wilson’s Plover – male on nest – April
Wilson’s Plover on nest, inside a protective barrier – Sea Rim State Park
Males and females can usually be distinguished from each other during the breeding season. Males have black rings around their necks and a black forehead. These areas are brown on the female.
Male – April
Female – April
Unlike most shorebirds that consume a variety of food like worms, crabs, shrimp and crab eggs, the Wilson’s Plover feeds almost exclusively on Fiddler Crabs. The stout cigar-shaped bill is used to shake the legs and pinchers off the crab. Once that is done, the body or carapace is often swallowed whole.
The State of the Birds Report published by the North American Bird Conservation Initiative lists Wilson’s Plover as a Red Alert Tipping Point species. This designation means that the bird has a perilously low population, has lost more than 50% of its population in the past 50 years,and has shown steep declining trends.
As the range map below shows, Wilson’s Plover is in Texas only during the breeding season. It is strictly a coastal bird, so if you live in Central Texas you will need to drive to the coast to see it. Sea Rim State Park, East Beach in Galveston, and Bolivar Flats are all good places to look.
Don’t forget to check your answers below on the question of Which North American birds were named after Alexander Wilson?
Answers to the birds named after Alexander Wilson:
Wilson’s Warbler
Wilson’s Snipe
Wilson’s Phalarope
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel
Sources:
