Black-bellied plovers are medium-sized shorebirds that breed in the High Arctic and winter on warm coasts of all Continents except Antarctica. While their breeding plumage is striking (see photo), their winter plumage is a drab mix of gray and white.
Usually observed alone or in small groups, black-bellied plovers often mingle on beaches with larger flocks of shorebirds, including sanderlings, willets and red knots. While their cohorts tend to be skittish, these plovers are rather tolerant of human beach-combers, tending to walk away when approached. When left alone, they scour the sand for insects, small mollusks and various marine invertebrates.
Black-bellied plovers are usually observed in breeding plumage just before and during their migration to the Arctic. On occasion, however, non-breeding and immature birds sport their handsome coat on southern beaches during the late spring and summer months, as we observed on Longboat Key yesterday.
