Baby Birdorable: Piping Plover

If you think our Birdorable birds are cute as adults, what about when they are babies? Below are some baby photos (shared via Flickr Creative Commons) of the Piping Plover.

When it comes to cute baby birds, it's hard to beat precocial shorebird chicks. Precocial chicks are ready and able to leave the nest soon after hatching. So they are covered in downy feathers, their eyes are open, but they are still tiny.

Piping Plovers are threatened, so their nests are monitored in several locations, leading to some spectacular photos of the extremely adorable chicks as they first make their way in the world.

Piping Plovers use a scrape on open beach habitat to nest. The scrape may be lined with small pebbles and shells. Incubation is performed by both the male and female, and takes around 26 to 28 days. They can walk away from the nest within hours of hatching.

Piping Plover chicks by USFWS Mountain-Prairie (CC BY 2.0)
Piping Plover chicks and eggs by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (public domain)
Piping Plover chicks by USDA NRCS Montana (public domain)
Piping Plover chick by Russ (CC BY 2.0)
Piping Plover chick by Russ (CC BY 2.0)
Piping Plover chick by Russ (CC BY 2.0)
Piping Plover chick by Seney National Wildlife Refuge (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Piping Plover chick by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (public domain)
Piping Plover chick by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (public domain)
Piping Plover chicks by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (public domain)
Young Piping Plover by Isaac Sanchez (CC BY 2.0)

Comments

Spurwing Plover on May 18, 2022 at 6:49 AM wrote:
The Offspring on Monte and Rose

Leave a comment

Comments with links or HTML will be deleted. Your comment will be published pending approval.
Your email address will not be published
You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information on how to unsubscribe, our privacy practices, and how we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy. By clicking submit below, you consent to allow Birdorable to store and process the personal information submitted above to provide you the content requested.

The Saker Falcon — a Falconer's Bird in Peril

The Saker Falcon is one of our newest additions to Birdorable. The falcon, which is almost as large as the Gyrfalcon, breeds across parts of eastern Europe and much of central Asia. They prefer open plains and desert-type habitats...

Explore the 23 Vulture Species from Around the World

Vultures are nature’s cleanup crew, often misunderstood but incredibly vital to the health of our ecosystems. These magnificent birds are found around the world, from the vast open skies of North America to the rugged mountain ranges of Africa and Asia. With their sharp...

Head-Bobbing Explained: How Pigeons and Other Birds Stabilize Vision

If you’ve ever watched a pigeon strut across a sidewalk, you’ve probably noticed its distinctive head-bobbing walk. It looks quirky, even a little funny, but there’s an important reason birds like pigeons move this way—it helps them see the world clearly as they move. Birds...

Flamingo Extreme Facts & Oddities

Flamingo Week continues today with some interesting flamingo extremes and odd facts about this family of pink birds. Extremely Social Birds Flamingos live in colonies that may number thousands of individuals. Breeding is also colonial, with birds typically separating into smaller groups of 7-25 pairs. Breeding follows synchronized dancing displays...