Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Piping plover: Michigan's Migratory Bird Treaty Centennial Featured Bird

If you're heading to a Lake Michigan, Huron or Superior beach this summer, you may encounter one of Michigan's endangered species: the piping plover. These diminutive brown and white birds blend in easily with Michigan's sandy beaches. The dark brown bands across its neck and forehead help to camouflage the bird further by mimicking pebbles and debris on the beach.

In mid to late April and early May, piping plovers begin arriving on Michigan's shorelines from their Atlantic and Gulf Coast wintering grounds. The males quickly begin the business of attracting a mate with elaborate flights, tail fanning and even a dance!

Once mating has occurred, the female lays four small, spotted eggs in the sandy, pebbly nest on the ground that her mate created as part of his courtship display. The young hatch about three and a half weeks later and stay close to their parents as they grow. They learn to fly after about one month of age.

Adult birds protect their young from predators by feigning a broken wing to lure predators away from their chicks while the chicks sit motionless in the sand. Sometimes the chicks will even take to the water and swim away from predators. Adults don't swim, but do wade in the water looking for food.

The Great Lakes population of piping plovers has declined over the last several decades due to habitat destruction from human and commercial development and human encroachment on the piping plovers' nesting grounds. Nests sometimes are inadvertently crushed by people and pets. Another factor leading to the decline of the piping plover is the increase of human-tolerant predators like gulls, raccoons, feral cats and skunks.

In places where piping plovers are nesting, stretches of beach often are closed to visitors to protect the nests and young birds. Hundreds of people volunteer to guard piping plover nests in the Great Lakes region, educating visitors and chasing off gulls and other predators to help boost populations of the piping plover.

Today, the Great Lakes region boasts about 70 pairs of piping plovers. In 1986, when piping plovers were listed as federally endangered, there were only 13 pairs. International cooperation between Mexico (wintering grounds) and Canada (North Atlantic breeding grounds) also helps to keep populations growing.

This year marks the centennial of the Convention between the United States and Great Britain (for Canada) for the Protection of Migratory Birds (also called the Migratory Bird Treaty), signed on Aug. 16, 1916. Three other treaties were signed shortly thereafter with Japan, Russia and Mexico. The Migratory Bird Treaty, the three other treaties signed later, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act form the cornerstones of efforts to conserve birds that migrate across international borders.

The 2016 Migratory Bird Treaty Centennial celebration will include monthly featured bird stories to our DNR Wildlife Viewing email subscribers, celebration events including a weekend of bird-based programming at state parks and visitor centers June 24-26, an education program for schools and conservation groups, and more.

To learn more about the Migratory Bird Treaty Centennial, visit www.fws.gov/birds/MBTreaty100. To sign up for DNR Wildlife Viewing emails, click on the red envelope on the DNR website at www.michigan.gov/dnr.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.