38 Nebraskaland • October 2024
MIXED BAG
Nebraska lists 32 species of
plants and animals as threatened or
endangered. The mountain plover
(Charadrius montanus) is a migratory
bird listed as threatened in Nebraska
and is found in Banner, Cheyenne and
Kimball counties during the nesting
season.
Despite its misleading name, the
mountain plover is not a mountain-
loving bird. In Nebraska, these drab-
colored plovers historically preferred
to nest and raise their chicks in heavily
grazed or disturbed shortgrass prairies
in areas with bare ground — think of
prairies burned by raging wildfi res,
grazed by massive bison herds and
sprawling with prairie dog towns.
Today, much of these "classic"
western ecosystems within the
mountain plover's Nebraska range
have been lost or converted to
agriculture, so these birds are often
found nesting in rangeland, fi elds left
fallow or newly planted with millet
and wheat. The loss of nesting habitat
is the greatest threat to mountain
plover survival.
Nesting season for Nebraska's
mountain plovers lasts from March
until August. After courtship and
mating, these plovers lay their
camoufl aged eggs directly on the
ground in a "bowl" they scrape into
the dirt. The birds and nests blend in
masterfully, but are still susceptible to
predation, as well as being crushed by
grazing cattle or farm equipment.
Currently, the Nebraska Prairie
Partners work with landowners in
mountain plover habitat to provide
bird-friendly management practices
and assist producers with fl agging
plover nests ahead of planting and
harvest to prevent loss.
Surviving nests produce small,
speckled chicks that hatch after 30
days and are on their feet and feeding
themselves within hours. Another
30 days and chicks are fully grown,
independent and able to fl y.
Around August, most mountain
plovers leave Nebraska and begin their
migration to the deserts of California
and other western states to spend the
winter.
For more information on Nebraska's
threatened and endangered species, visit
OutdoorNebraska.gov.
ENDANGERED SPECIES SPOTLIGHT
The Mountain Plover
By Ruby Rolland, Environmental Specialist, NGPC
Mountain plover on a nest. ROB PALMER, ROB@FALCONPHOTOS.COM
Nebraska's List
Threatened Species
Eastern Black Rail
Piping Plover
Rufa Red Knot
Thick-billed Longspur
Mountain Plover
Southern Flying Squirrel
Lake Sturgeon
Northern Redbelly Dace
Finescale Dace
American Burying Beetle
Timber Rattlesnake
Western Massasauga
Western Prairie Fringed Orchid
Ute Ladies'-tresses
American Ginseng
Small White Lady's Slipper
Endangered Species
Eskimo Curlew
Whooping Crane
Interior Least Tern
Black-footed Ferret
Swift Fox
Gray Wolf
Northern Long-eared Bat
Pallid Sturgeon
Topeka Shiner
Sturgeon Chub
Blacknose Shiner
Salt Creek Tiger Beetle
Scaleshell Mussel
Blowout Penstemon
Colorado Butterfly Plant
Saltwort
