Mountain Plover
Anarhynchus montanus
- Family
- Plovers and Lapwings (Charadriidae)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
Overview
The mountain plover (Anarhynchus montanus) is a medium-sized ground bird in the plover family (Charadriidae). It is misnamed, as it lives on level land. Unlike most plovers, it is usually not found near bodies of water or even on wet soil; it prefers dry habitat with short grass (usually due to grazing) and bare ground. Its height is in the range of 5–9 inches (12.7–22.8 cm), and length in the range of 8–10 inches (20.3–25.4 cm); and it weighs around 102 grams.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Breeds locally Great Plains of southwestern Canada to northeastern Utah and western Texas (southwestern USA); winters to inland central California, southern Arizona to southern Texas, and northern Baja California (northwestern Mexico).
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Continents
Countries
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Mountain plover
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
