Shore birds of the Chaplin Lake

Piping Plover

Declared an endangered species in 1985, the estimated population of Piping Plovers in North America in 1996 was 5,700. Chaplin Lake provides an important breeding area for this species with 50 to 200 arriving to nest in late April/early May.

A single black stripe around its chest, a black bar on the crown, orange legs, and an orange black-tipped bill help distinguish the Piping Plover from other shorebirds. Its call is a "piping" sound with a single "peep" or "peep-lo."

These birds nest on gravelly, pebble-strewn areas with no vegetation. The female lays four well-camouflaged eggs in small depressions. Both adults incubate the eggs. The young hatch in early June and are able to fly by mid to late July. They leave Chaplin Lake by the end of August to winter along the Gulf of Mexico, from Texas to northern Mexico.

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