MOUNTAIN PLOVER

Dan Edge

Latin name: Charadrius montanus

...mountain plovers selectively use black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) towns for breeding, nesting, feeding, and rearing young. This affinity for prairie dog towns has not been noted elsewhere. They also found that horizontal visibility and amount of bare areas were significantly greater inside towns than in adjacent areas. Declining populations and habitat loss throughout wide portions of mountain plover range intensify the need for improved knowledge of habitat requirements....

More information

Did you know? This species is thought to have evolved with heavy grazing by American Bison. It nests in areas that are devoid of vegetation. On our study site this included prairie dog towns.

Publications: 

Publication

Olson, S. L., and W. D. Edge. 1985. Nest site selection by mountain plovers in northcentral Montana. Journal of Range Management 35:275–280. 

Olson-Edge, S. L., and W. D. Edge. 1987. Density and distribution of the mountain plover on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. Prairie Naturalist 19:233–238.