ECO by Peter Roos
One of the great pleasures of living near the beach is the opportunity to see so many native species in their natural environments. We love to watch the herons, egrets, skimmers and pelicans hunt for fish. We take many of the beach birds for granted – the gulls, sandpipers and of course the tiny Snowy Plovers.
The Snowy Plover is Tampa Baywatch’s bird of the month. They are vulnerable to disturbance by people since it only nests on white sandy barrier beaches, near passes and intertidal sand flats. They are members of the small shorebird family known as “peeps.” They can be found along Florida’s coastlines year-round, nesting in dune ecosystems that regularly face development pressure, disturbance, and predation from February through August. These tiny birds can live to be 15 years old! There are approximately 200 breeding pairs of Snowy Plovers in the state of Florida, all of which are located on the beaches along the Gulf of Mexico. The breeding season runs from March through mid-summer and nests are located on the open beach, somewhat back from the waterline. While the state of Florida considers the Snowy Plover to be endangered; the federal government does not.
During the courtship ritual, the male and female will make a “scrape” in the sand and then line it with broken pieces of shells. This forms the nest site. Over a 5 to 10-day period, the female will lay three eggs, which is considered to be a full clutch. The male and female then take turns incubating the eggs, which takes 28 days. As soon as an egg hatches, the adults take the empty shell far away from the nest site as it will attract fire ants that could attack the chicks. Normally, all three eggs hatch the same day. The adults also must “brood” the chicks. Brooding is where the adult provides body heat or shade as the chicks are unable to regulate their own body temperature. The chicks periodically must seek refuge under the adult.
The adults remain with the chicks for 30-45 days, or until the chicks have fledged. At times, shortly after the chicks have hatched, the male takes over protection and brooding duties and the female starts another nest with a new mate. The chicks spend all day foraging and grow quite quickly. Snowy Plover chicks become sexually mature during their first year and can find a mate and start a family the next season. The snowy plover is protected by the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act and as a state-designated Threatened Species by Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Species Rule.