Beach stabilization projects have reduced the quality of the remaining sites, forcing the birds to nest in areas with greater vegetation and increased human disturbances. Vegetation provides cover for, and human activities encourage the presence of, predators such as dogs, cats, rats, raccoons and skunks. In the late 1800s, unrestricted market hunting for the millinery trade devastated the piping plover population on the Atlantic coast. Not only were the feathers used to adorn women's hats, but the birds were also used for human consumption. With protection, the species later recovered, only to decline again over the past 40 years as human development and recreational use greatly intensified on coastal habitats.
Plovers have a defined beachfront territory.
Beachgoers are met at the beginning of the territory by the plover and escorted along by the walking bird until the territory ends. Unlike their nesting neighbors, the least terns, that fly and dive at enemies, adult plovers walk and stop, walk and stop to avoid detection by visually blending into the background. Federal - Endangered Species Act of 1973, Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. State - Connecticut General Statutes Sec. Do not approach or linger near piping plovers or their nests.