Mountain Plover [Charadrius montanus]
Description
Mountain Plovers are a migratory shorebird of the family Charadriidae. Despite its name, it does not live in the mountains, but in dry shortgrass prairie and arid environments. It is a medium-sized plover, with a length of 8-9.5 inches and weight about 85-170 grams. The Mountain Plover is pale in color—grayish-brown above and whitish below. It has a narrow dark frontal band and a dark occipital band. Its behavior is characterized by running in short spurts and stopping, and it feeds primarily on insects. This species is notable for its unusual breeding habits, in the sense that it is semi-colonial and the male takes the primary role in parental care.
Taxonomy
| Phylum |
Chordates
Chordata
|
|---|---|
| Class |
Birds
Aves
|
| Order |
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
Charadriiformes
|
| Family |
Plovers
Charadriidae
|
| Genus |
Mountain Plovers
Oreopholus
|