The bill is black and the legs are fairly long and pale brown or brownish-yellow. In flight, the best field marks are a thin white wing stripe and black tail band fringed with a white border. Wintering plumage is pale and the dark head bands are absent. Males and females are similar in size and color. Habits Little information describing mountain plover migration is available.
Shorebirds are strong flyers and often cover several hundred miles a day.
The mountain plover may cover distances of 800 to 1,000 miles on its migration between breeding and wintering areas. Fall flocking begins as early as July, with birds leaving the breeding grounds by August and arriving on the wintering grounds in early November. They depart from the wintering grounds in mid-March and arrive or. When approached, a mountain plover is more likely to crouch or walk away than to fly. If disturbed, a bird may move a few steps then stop abruptly, standing silent and motionless.