{"id":9162,"date":"2013-08-09T03:45:19","date_gmt":"2013-08-09T09:45:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=9162"},"modified":"2025-06-12T06:42:45","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T11:42:45","slug":"snowy-plovers-north-americas-smallest-plover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/08\/09\/snowy-plovers-north-americas-smallest-plover\/","title":{"rendered":"Snowy Plovers – North America’s Smallest Plover"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SnowySnowy Plover in seashells – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1\/800, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

A while back I did a post on the Least Sandpiper<\/a><\/span> which is the world’s smallest sandpiper so I thought I would do a post about North America’s smallest plover, the Snowy Plover.<\/p>\n

As adults these plovers are about 7.25 inches in length and weigh approximately 1.4 ounces or close to the weight of 7 U.S. quarters. They are very pale and blend in very well in the light sandy habitat they prefer.<\/p>\n

I didn’t really sand crawl to get this low angle image, it was more like a “seashell slither” which is a bit uncomfortable. Okay, more than a bit but I have a high pain tolerance level.<\/p>\n

\"SunriseSunrise Snowy Plover – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1\/1250, ISO 250, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I found it amazing to lay still and watch these small plovers as they foraged, preened, yawned, walked and rested through my view finder because they seem so tiny and delicate.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately Snowy Plover<\/span><\/a> populations are declining due to human disturbance and habitat destruction. I feel like I write those words often (far too often) about so many different bird species. Didn’t I write that yesterday about the Greater Sage-Grouse?<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Snowy Plover photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A while back I did a post on the Least Sandpiper which is the world’s smallest sandpiper so I thought I would do a post about North America’s smallest plover, the Snowy Plover. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":148242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,25,704,2000,266],"tags":[4004,4191,4039,173,4077,5094,5841,275,4017,274,11004,3978,3996],"class_list":["post-9162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-florida","category-fort-de-soto-county-park","category-pinellas-county-florida","category-snowy-plovers","tag-adult","tag-anarhynchus-nivosus","tag-beach","tag-gulf-coast","tag-gulf-of-mexico","tag-north-americas-smallest-plover","tag-plover","tag-plovers","tag-sand","tag-shorebirds-2","tag-smallest-plover","tag-snowy-plover","tag-water"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/snowy-plover-seashells-mia-mcpherson-6562.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-2nM","jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":38424,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/04\/16\/a-fort-de-soto-snowy-plover\/","url_meta":{"origin":9162,"position":0},"title":"A Fort De Soto Snowy Plover","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 16, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This Gulf Coast Snowy Plover was photographed at Fort De Soto County Park in Florida and the park was the first place I had ever photographed this species.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Gulf Coast Snowy Plover, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/snowy-plover-resting-mia-mcpherson-3156.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/snowy-plover-resting-mia-mcpherson-3156.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Plovers","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 16, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Throughout the year you can see and photograph many different species of Plovers on Fort De Soto\u2019s beaches, tidal lagoons and spartina marshes.","rel":"","context":"In "Black-bellied Plovers"","block_context":{"text":"Black-bellied Plovers","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/shorebirds\/black-bellied-plovers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Semipalmated Plover in early morning light, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/semipalmated-plover-mia-mcpherson-fort-desoto-5817.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/semipalmated-plover-mia-mcpherson-fort-desoto-5817.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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2017","format":false,"excerpt":"When I was at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge on the 12th of April I spotted a Snowy Plover way out on the flats and that thrilled me because it was only my second sighting since my move to Utah back in 2009.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Snowy Plover wing lift after bathing in a lagoon at Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/snowy-plover-leap-mia-mcpherson-6129.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/snowy-plover-leap-mia-mcpherson-6129.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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