The second population is located in the Midwest , nesting on major river systems and alkali wetlands up into Canada . The third population nests in the Great Lakes Region. Once seen on the beach, it is difficult to tell the female from the male but after taking a closer examination, the female has a thinner, incomplete neckband. The chicks , however, are much different looking than their parents. It is important that chicks feed constantly to gather up enough energy to migrate to their wintering areas.
Plovers gather together in groups prior to their southward migration.
By mid-September, both adults and young plovers will have departed for their wintering areas , at which time their plumage will have changed. They will remain here until their return to their breeding grounds in late March or early April. Although the beach at this time is desolate, it is not this way during the summer months. Human use of the beach during the summer months is a constant threat to the Piping Plovers. Hunting the Piping Plover and other birds became a sport before the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.