Audubon California and Audubon chapters are heavily invested in saving the Pacific Coast population of the Western Snowy Plover. Here are ten things about this cool bird that you should know:

The Pacific Coast population of the Western Snowy Plover is considered a distinct sub-species from other Snowy Plover populations.

Although there have been Western Snowy Plovers on the Pacific Coast for thousands of years, there are fewer than 2,400 birds in the Pacific Coast population of the Western Snowy Plover today.The Pacific Coast population of the Western Snowy Plover listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The bird is about the size of a sparrow.

The birds breeding season is March through September.

They don’t nest in trees. Instead, they will nest on the ground using whatever they can find: kelp, driftwood, shells, rocks, and even human footprints.

Nests usually contain three eggs.

Young Western Snowy Plovers grow up fast. They can often leave the nest within three hours of hatching, and know to get low when a parent warns of a nearby predator or other danger.

If you’re on the beach and think you’re looking at hundreds of Western Snowy Plover, it’s more likely that you’re looking at Sanderlings, which look similar and are much more numerous.

Female plovers typically depart the nest after hatching, leaving the male to attend to the chicks until they fully fledge. Adult plover don’t feed their young, rather they lead them to food.

(photo of a Western Snowy Plover stretching its wings by Alan Vernon)