This small plover appears in good numbers along the coast during migration but is accidental in our area. As is typical for most of our shorebirds, breeds in the arctic tundra and winters to the south. Semipalmated Plovers winter as far south as Argentina and are a rare wintering species in B.C. Most of our records are during fall migration with single winter and spring sightings.
Similar species:
Looks like a miniture Killdeer in some respects but is smaller, shorter billed and has a single black breastband.
Sources:
Ehrlich, Dobkin and Wheye, (1988)
Sibley, D. 2000
Noteworthy Data
Date | Location | Source(s) | Comments |
| May 14, 2013 | Annis Road, Chilliwack | ||
| September 11, 2012 | Campbell Road, Abbotsford | D. Beeke 2012b | A single bird on a turf farm in Sumas Prairie. |
| September 21, 2011 | Eagle Point Community Park, Harrison Mills | C. McDonald 2011d | A lone bird among Killdeer out on the flats. |
| August 22, 2011 | Whelpton Road, Agassiz | K. R. Jones 2011a | Three juveniles in a small wet area in a field. Possibly the same birds as August 16, 2011. |
| August 15, 2011 | Whelpton Road, Agassiz | K. R. Jones 2011b C. McDonald 2011e | A single juvenile seen on August 16, 2011 (C. McDonald 2011) with three seen the next morning (K.R. Jones 2011) |
| November 26, 2010 | Limbert Road, Agassiz | M. Brown 2010a | A pair of birds along a backwater of the Fraser River. Only winter record for the species in the checklist area. |
| August 31, 2008 | Sinclair Road, Chilliwack | G. Gadsden 2008f | Adult bird in a small pond with other shorebird species. |
| May 10, 2008 | Sinclair Road, Chilliwack | G. Gadsden 2008e | An adult in a small pond with other shorebirds. Only spring record for the checklist area to date. |
Photos
