Western Snowy Plover

The western snowy plover is a small, white North American plover that wears two black patches on its shoulders. It makes its home on sand, dry mud or salt flats on the edges of ocean beaches, rivers, lakes or ponds in widespread areas around the world. It nests in shallow nooks in the sand—sometimes even using human footprints to keep its eggs.

​

On March 5, 1993 the western snowy plover was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. As of June 19, 2012, the habitat along the California, Oregon, and Washington Coasts have been listed as critical.