Semipalmated Plover

(Charadrius semipalmatus) (SEPL)

Photographic Identification Guide

Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) (SEPL) nests in subarctic and low arctic regions of North America. It is a common spring and fall migrant on New England shores. In all plumages, recognize this small plover by its short bill, single dark collar-band, brown back (mantle), short yellow to orange legs and hunched posture.

In this guide, we cover the features, in order of importance, to look for on these birds. When discussing plumages, we use the terms winter, spring and summer to refer to northern hemisphere seasons. Because some of these birds spend parts of the year in the northern and southern hemispheres, the correct technical terms for the plumage stages—basic and alternate—help avoid the confusion of seasonal terminology.

visual gallery

species account

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Fig. 1. Semipalmated Plover. Winter (basic) plumage. Winthrop Beach, Winthrop, MA. 18 October 2018.
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Fig. 2. Semipalmated Plover. Winter (basic) plumage. Winthrop Beach, Winthrop, MA. 1 October 2016.
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Fig. 3. Semipalmated Plover. Spring (alternate) plumage. Winthrop Beach, Winthrop, MA. 17 May 2022.
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Fig. 4. Semipalmated Plover. Spring (alternate) plumage. Note narrow webbing between inner toes. Parker River NWR, Newburyport, MA. 19 May 2021.
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Fig. 5. Semipalmated Plover. Summer (alternate) plumage showing worn back (mantle) feathers. Nahant Beach, Nahant, MA. 22 August 2014.
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Fig. 6. Semipalmated Plover. Juvenile plumage, back (mantle) with narrow scalloped margins. Winthrop Beach, Winthrop, MA. 18 September 2016.
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Fig. 7. Semipalmated Plover. Juvenile plumage. Outside of breeding season, leg color is often dull, sometimes bicolored. Parker River NWR, Newburyport, MA. 9 October 2021.
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Fig. 8. Semipalmated Plovers in flight. Dark center and blackish tip to tail conspicuous even in out-of-focus flight shot. Parker River NWR, Newburyport, MA. 15 August 2021.
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Fig. 9. Semipalmated Plovers (SEPL) and Semipalmated Sandpipers (SESA) in flight. Parker River NWR, Newburyport, MA. 21 August 2021.
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Fig. 10. Comparison of Semipalmated Plover (SEPL) and Semipalmated Sandpiper (SESA), both in juvenile plumage. Note size difference, bill length difference and pale legs on SEPL vs. dark legs on SESA. Winthrop Beach, Winthrop, MA. 18 September 2016.
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Fig. 11. Comparison of SEPL and CRPL. Note differences in size of supercilium and facial mask. Plum Island, Newburyport, MA. 21 May 2013.

The photos in this species account are arranged in this order:

Basic: winter plumage, roughly October to March.

SEPL begins its molt to winter (basic) plumage while it is here in the late summer and fall; full basic plumage may be attained by October; see Fig. 1, Fig. 2.

Alternate: first spring and summer after hatch year or adult breeding plumage, March to September.

Beginning in spring, winter (basic) feathers on SEPL are gradually replaced by spring (alternate) feathers; see Fig. 3, Fig. 4.

Juvenile: young birds, recently hatched, July to October.

These feathers are acquired on the breeding grounds immediately after the natal down is shed and before the young begin their southbound migration; see Fig. 6, Fig. 7. In the fall, juvenile feathers begin to be replaced by winter (basic) plumage.

Size and weight

Eastern Semipalmated Plovers are slightly larger than western birds. Females are larger and have longer bills.

Body length:

6.75–7.25 in. (17–19 cm)

Wingspan:

17.25–20.75 in. (43–52 cm)

Bill length:

0.4–0.6 in (11–14 mm)

Weight:

1.4–2.2 oz. (39–63 g)

Calls

Distinctive chew-ee call, often in flight. Also chattering and chuck-chuck calls when engaged in territorial disputes during migration.

Chew-ee calls in Morro Bay, CA, 2020:

Territorial calls Brevard County, FL, 2014:

Plumage and other characteristics

SEPL bill is orange with a black tip. The amount of orange varies with age, season and sex. Juveniles and winter (basic) birds have the least amount of orange; see Fig. 1. Adult (alternate) males have the most orange; see Fig. 4.

Spring and summer (alternate) birds have bright yellow-orange legs; see Fig. 3.

Winter (basic) and juvenile birds often have two-toned pale legs: yellower in rear; darker, browner or grayer in front; see Fig. 2, Fig. 7.

All three toes on each foot are semipalmated (webbed). The webbing between the two inner toes is much narrower than the webbing between the outer two; see Fig. 4.

Winter (basic) plumage, which may be acquired while the birds are still in New England in October and November, is uniformly brown above with a dark brown collar-band and facial markings; see Fig. 1.

In the spring, alternate brown feathers similar to the winter (basic) mantle feathers begin to replace the winter feathers. The dark brown collar-band and facial mask are replaced with black feathers; see Fig. 3, Fig. 4.

White markings above and behind the eye vary by season and age. Adults in alternate plumage have scanty white markings in the supercilium (above the eye) and behind the eye; see Fig. 3, Fig. 4.

Juveniles and birds in winter (basic) plumage have extensive white in the supercilium (above the eye) and behind the eye; see Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 6, Fig. 7.

Wings are brown on top with a long pale stripe, white below with gray flight feathers; see Fig. 8.

The tail has white outer edges, a dark center and a broad black band at the end. Undersides are pure white except for the dark collar-band and gray flight feathers; see Fig. 8.

SEPL is a powerful flier with long wings.

Dark collar-band, short bill and chew-ee flight call are usually unmistakable.

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Breeding range, migration, wintering range, habitat

At all seasons SEPL feeds on small crustaceans, mollusks and worms around and near water but also in agricultural fields.

Nesting habitat is in subarctic and low-arctic regions with low vegetation and gravel, peat or mud areas sometimes surrounded by willow, beech or tamarack trees.

SEPL is a visual feeder. Due to its large eyes, it appears to be capable of feeding at night, particularly on moonlit nights.

In spring, fall and (sometimes) winter, Semipalmated Plovers are found mostly on sandy beaches or mudflats, feeding rapidly, often in the company of Sanderlings, Semipalmated Sandpipers and other small shorebirds.

At higher tides SEPL roosts in dense flocks on higher dunes.

SEPL breeds primarily in subarctic and low-arctic regions of Canada and Alaska. A small number of pairs breed in the Canadian Maritimes (Newfoundland and Nova Scotia), south coast of Hudson Bay and northwestern corner of British Columbia.

Adult SEPL, returning from nesting activities in northern areas of the continent, appears along the New England and the central Atlantic coast by August.

Juveniles usually appear at least two weeks after adults, often by late August.

Although many migrate throughout the interior of the continent, most are coastal during the fall passage, stopping at oceanfront beaches and mudflats to fatten up before continuing their migration farther south.

Most Semipalmated Plovers are gone from New England sites by November.

Birds in eastern North America winter from New Jersey south along the southeast coast to Texas, Central America, the Caribbean coasts and most of the coast of South America.

In spring, migration routes for east coast SEPL lie farther west (more inland) than the fall migration routes.

In spring, SEPL appears at New England sites in late April or early May. Most depart for breeding sites farther north by late May or early June.

Similar species

SEPL compared to SESA

Semipalmated Plover (SEPL) is larger than Semipalmated Sandpiper (SESA); SEPL has a bull-headed appearance. For comparison images, see Fig. 9, Fig. 10.

Note the following:

In all seasons, SEPL mantle plumage is primarily dark brown with a conspicuous collar-band; SESA is grayish-brown with no strong plumage features.
SEPL legs are pale, tending to yellow-orange; SESA legs are dark, often greenish, gray or black.
SEPL bill is short and stubby; SESA bill is longish and tapered.

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SEPL compared to CRPL

Semipalmated Plover (SEPL) and Common Ringed Plover (CRPL) are closely related and similar-looking sister species. CRPL replaces SEPL in the palearctic as a common breeding species; it is rare on the New England coast. In most plumages the two species are not easy to separate.

In spring (alternate) plumage, SEPL has a small amount of white above and behind the eye (supercilium). CRPL has a relatively large amount of white on the face above the eye; see Fig. 11. Note that this feature is only reliable with the birds in alternate plumage.
CRPL usually has a more extensive dark mask.
CRPL has webbing only between the outer two toes, whereas SEPL has webbing between all three toes; see Fig. 4. This characteristic, though often difficult to see, is useful in separating the two species.
The common calls of the two species differ. CRPL call is a soft chew-it compared to the more ringing chew-ee of SEPL.

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