Twelve subspecies occur world-wide. The western snowy plover breeds primarily on coastal beaches of the Pacific coast from southern Washington to southern Baja California and in the interior United States east to the midwestern states. Plovers that nest on the coast winter on the coast primarily from Bodega Bay south. Coastal birds are joined by interior birds on the coast in winter. Although coastal and interior birds mix in winter, the coastal population of the western snowy plover is, for the most part, reproductively isolated from interior birds.
Snowy plovers breed in loose colonies.
Nest sites typically occur in flat, open areas with sandy or saline substrates. The majority of snowy plovers are site-faithful, returning to the same breeding site in subsequent breeding seasons. Birds often nest in the exact same location as the previous year. The breeding season of the coastal population of the western snowy plover extends from mid March through mid September. The usual clutch size is three eggs.