A small sand-colored, sparrow-sized shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal on open sandy, gravel or shell beaches. They forage for food along the high tide wrack line eating insects, marine worms and crustaceans. All of the piping plovers within the New York portion of the Atlantic Coast plover population occur on Long Island. Nests appear on barrier beaches as early as mid-to-late April and young fledged by late August. Habitat destruction is the biggest threat to piping plovers. The piping plover is globally threatened and endangered. Protection and recovery actions include NYSDEC’s Long Island Colonial Waterbird and Piping Plover Survey and installation of symbolic fencing to protect breeding areas and nest exclosures to protect nests.
