By Sally Siko

Each spring I look forward to seeing Black-bellied Plovers in breeding plumage here in eastern North Carolina. I love that cool looking black and white pattern on the males. It makes them really stand out against the landscape and is very helpful for ID purposes when viewing them from a distance.

Often spotted on the beach and on tidal mudflats, these beautiful birds are a relatively common sight along our coast.
As dedicated omnivores, Black-bellied Plovers are voracious eaters of insects, crustaceans, mollusks, but they’ll occasionally snack on plant material like seeds and berries. They forage in the mud and sand using their long bills to probe for prey.
Now that it’s early May, packing on the weight is a top priority for these birds as they prepare for a long migration journey ahead.

When traveling over water, plovers can fly incredibly far. Using satellite tracking data, a group of scientists working with the Canadian Wildlife Service observed one black-bellied plover that traveled from Newfoundland, Canada, all the way to the coast of Brazil in a single flight!
Although scant numbers of (non-breeding) Black-bellied Plovers are known to spend the summer in this state, these birds are typically wintertime visitors to NC.
Most will be leaving soon to their Arctic nesting grounds so now is the time to see them if you can.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

4w