The Piping Plover is endangered, except where it spends some time in the summer along the New England coast where it is considered Threatened. But, New England coastal communities are not it's greatest preference. These lovely little birds are most often found along the Missouri River.
They like the sand along waterways. they eat a wide variety of aquatic marine worms, insects, mollusks, and crustaceans.
They live and nest on land. They fly, but, they don't nest in trees.
When pairs are formed, the male begins digging out several scrapes (nests) along the high shore near the beach-grass line.
The males also perform elaborate courtship ceremonies, including stone tossing and courtship flights featuring repeated dives. Scrapes, small depressions in the sand dug by kicking the sand.. Females will sit and evaluate the scrapes, then choose a good scrape and decorate the nest with shells and debris to camouflage it.
Size: 18 cm (7.25 in) in length. Color: Breeding season: Pale brown
above, lighter below; black band across forehead; bill orange with black
tip; legs orange; white rump. Male: Complete or incomplete black band
encircles the body at the breast. Female: Paler head band; incomplete
breast band. Winter coloration: Bill black; all birds lack breast band
and head band. 
