Snowy Plovers -Working to Recover a Threatened Species

Western Snowy Plovers are small shorebirds, about 6 inches long, that nest on the Leadbetter Unit of Willapa National Wildlife Refuge.They are part of the Pacific Coast population that breed from Washington to Mexico and are listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. This is one of the two main nesting sites in Washington. Their numbers have declined due to habitat loss and degradation of habitat by invasive American and European beachgrasses. Human disturbance and expanding recreational use of beaches have also contributed to their decline.

Snowy Plovers will lay their nests anywhere on a dry sand beach, from just above the high tide line to the foredune. Typically, 3 eggs are laid in a nest and take about 1 month to hatch. The chicks are about the size of a cotton ball at hatching and amazingly chicks leave the nest within hours to search for food. Chicks are unable to fly for about a month, which makes them vulnerable to predators, being crushed by people and escaping bad weather.

In 2001, we began habitat restoration efforts for the western Snowy Plover at the Leadbetter Unit. Non-native, invasive beach grass has been cleared, using a bull dozer, and as of the 2005 nesting season, approximately 40 acres have been restored to open sand beach habitat that plovers traditionally use. Oyster shell has been added to the area to provide camouflaging for nests and plovers. Oyster shell hides the eggs not only from predators, but from humans. Would you notice the eggs in the nest at right before you stepped on them?


The Snowy Plover nesting season is from mid March through September and it is during this critical time that plovers are easily disturbed. Adults are frightened off a nest by people and their dogs coming too close, which makes them vulnerable to being crushed or eaten by predators. If disturbances are lengthy or frequent, the eggs in the nest get buried by sand and will not hatch. For this reason, the active plover nesting area of upper dry sand beach is closed off to public use during the nesting season and NO DOGS are allowed on the beach of the Leadbetter Unit.

Willapa NWR Complex Home
3888 SR 101, Ilwaco, WA 98624
360-484-3482

USFWS Links
USFWS Home Page | Pacific Region Home
Contact Us | Disclaimer / Copyrights | Section 508 Accessibility