Anarhynchus montanus
The Mountain Plover (Anarhynchus montanus), a fascinating and often elusive shorebird, stands apart from its coastal relatives, preferring the vast, arid landscapes of North America's shortgrass prairies. Measuring approximately 21-24 cm (8.3-9.4 inches) in length with a wingspan of 53-58 cm (21-23 inches) and weighing 94-130 grams (3.3-4.6 oz), this medium-sized plover exhibits a pale, sandy-brown upperparts and pristine white underparts, providing superb camouflage against its grassland bac...
Exclusively found in open, arid shortgrass prairies, semi-deserts, and agricultural lands (especially fallow or tilled fields) with sparse vegetation, from low to moderate elevations.
Mainly insectivorous, consuming a wide variety of ground invertebrates including grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, ants, and their larvae, primarily caught by visual foraging.
Mountain Plovers are primarily diurnal, often foraging in the cooler parts of the day or at dawn and dusk. They employ a classic 'run-stop-peck' foraging technique, visually scanning for prey on the ground before making swift dashes. During the breeding season, males establish and defend territor...
The breeding range of the Mountain Plover is centered in the Western Great Plains of North America, primarily across eastern Colorado, Wyoming, western Nebraska, eastern Montana, and parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and the Texas Panhandle. Migration routes typically follow these plains sta...
Near Threatened
- Often called the 'Prairie Ghost' due to its superb camouflage and tendency to disappear into the arid landscape. - Unlike most plovers, it is rarely found near water, preferring dry, open uplands. - It is one of the few bird species in North America known for facultative polyandry, where female...