In the winter, they lose these black stripes and their bill and legs become dark. Male and female piping plovers look alike. Even though plovers are small and hard to see, they make their presence known by their clear, soft song. When feeding, both adult and young piping plovers run rapidly along the water's edge, then stop to pick up fly larvae, beetles, crustaceans, mollusks and other invertebrates. By mid to late April, they fly north to nest on our state's beaches and sandpits.
Plovers are very site tenacious and return year after year to the same nesting territory.
If humans also return to use the same strip of beach each year, as is often the case, the plovers' nests may be repeatedly destroyed and the birds will continually fail to rear any young. Males arrive first, establish territories and defend them from other males. When females arrive several weeks later, the males begin their courtship displays. They try to attract a mate by flying in circles and figure-eights, and by dancing with tail and wings spread, while whistling and rapidly drumming their feet. More than one pair of plovers will nest on the same beach, but pairs generally nest 100 yards or more from each other.