American Golden-Plover
Adobe Stock
L 10.5”, WS 26”, 5 oz. Breeding/spring plumage: black breast and belly, golden yellow spots on back. Fall/nonbreeding plumage: lack black breast and belly, yellow spots fade to white.
Status in North Dakota
Migrates through North Dakota in mid-April to late May and early August to early November.
Range Map
American Golden-Plover primary (dark gray/hatch) and possible/uncommon (light gray/hatch) migration range.
Reason for SWAP Designation
- Regionally or globally imperiled, at-risk based on expert review (SGCN a., c.).
- The peak week for American Golden-Plover migration in ND (~4-Oct) hosts >15% (16.62) of the global population.
- The American Golden-Plover population is suspected to be slowly declining.
Threats
- Loss and degradation of grasslands.
- Loss of wetlands, drainage and wetland consolidation.
- Loss of habitat on the breeding and wintering grounds and amplified effects of climate change in arctic habitats.
- Classified as climate-threatened, American Golden-Plover is projected to lose more than half of its current distribution by 2080, with potential net gains of new areas (Audubon).
- Hyperabundant geese populations alter tundra habitat and may limit the availability of nesting habitat for artic-breeding shorebirds.
- Increasing applications of agrochemicals and adverse impacts to water quality, the wetland vegetative community, and the aquatic invertebrate community. American Golden-Plover may be exposed to high concentrations of synthetic insecticides in non-buffered cropland ponds during the spring migration.
- More frequent or intense harmful algal blooms.
- Aquatic nuisance species spreading and damaging wetland ecosystems.
Research and Monitoring
- Habitat requirements and demographic studies have been broadly researched on the breeding grounds.
- Information lacking on migration strategies, stopover sites, and wintering behaviors.
- Multiple large-scale shorebird monitoring programs are key sources of information on distribution and population trends.
- However, minimal focus has been directed at research or monitoring migrant shorebirds in ND.
Management Recommendations
- Maintain wetland complexes.
- Conserve shallow, working wetlands in cropland.
- Plant vegetative buffer strips around wetlands in cropland.
- Protect and conserve intact tracks of native prairie/unbroken grassland and maintain grazing operations.
- Identify and target high priority landscapes, habitats, and stopover sites for protection.
- Burn, mow, and graze grasslands to provide areas of shorter, sparser vegetation.
- Conscientious and appropriate application of agrochemicals.
Primary Geological Regions
Habitat Associations
Habitat Use
American Golden-Plovers breed in the far northern tundra of North America and winter in the grasslands and coastline of southern South America.
This shorebird is one of the longest-distance migrants in the Western hemisphere.
Historically, during migration golden-plovers would stopover in the natural grassland and wetland habitat of the Midwest, including North Dakota.
Presently, much of the traditional stopover habitat has been converted to other uses, mostly tilled agriculture.
Golden-plovers now use tilled cropland, untilled harvested fields, short grasslands and native prairie, cropland ponds, mudflats, and shallow water or exposed shorelines of wetlands.
More likely to be find in crop fields with standing water than fields that are wet or dry. Feed on earthworms and a variety of terrestrial invertebrates, some aquatic invertebrates, and seeds.