piping plover

noun

|Updated on: 3 Jun 2018

Definition of piping plover

: a small pale plover (Charadrius melodus) chiefly of eastern North America

Recent Examples of piping plover from the Web

And the uptick in piping plover nests is a testament to hard work.

— denise coffey, Courant Community, "Connecticut Audubon Hosts Migration Madness Weekend," 29 May 2018
Yet the island is also the seasonal home to piping plovers, a small bird that returns every year to dig its nests on the beach.

— rick rojas, New York Times, "Trapping Foxes to Save Plovers Sets Off Showdown at Jersey Shore," 6 May 2018
The most infamous Cape bird might be the piping plover.

— susan moeller, BostonGlobe.com, "A beachcombing guide: Things to find at the beach," 2 May 2018
Less than two decades ago, there were 17 pairs of piping plovers in the Brigantine area; last year there were four.

— Washington Post, "Needs of birds, wants of drivers collide on unspoiled beach," 5 Mar. 2018
From just 18 remaining breeding pairs of piping plovers in the entire Great Lakes region in 1993, the birds have recovered to about 75 pairs in 2016.

— keith matheny, Detroit Free Press, "Endangered piping plover's recovery may get derailed, thanks to another bird," 23 Jan. 2018
At issue is a 2.5-mile stretch of undeveloped sand home each year to the piping plover that nests in shallow indentations in the sand, and the seabeach amaranth, a plant that was thought to be extinct before it was rediscovered in 2001.

— Washington Post, "Needs of birds, wants of drivers collide on unspoiled beach," 5 Mar. 2018
Without considering merlins' impact, the piping plover population was otherwise projected to continue rebounding to 91 pairs by 2026.

— keith matheny, Detroit Free Press, "Endangered piping plover's recovery may get derailed, thanks to another bird," 23 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'piping plover.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.