Mountain Plover is a shy bird related to the Killdeer

There are 13 members of the plover family in North America, four of which only occasionally show up on our continent. Since most plovers are regularly found near water, they belong to a generic group referred to as shorebirds. However, quite the opposite is true for the mountain plover.

This bird is rather nondescript. Its back and wings are tannish brown. In breeding plumage the forehead sports a black stripe and the breast is somewhat tan. The tail is dark with white borders. In flight the mountain plover displays much white underneath (wings included), and it lands on the run.

Nature has provided the mountain plover with an array of survival attributes and skills suited for the dry plains it calls home. Virtually impossible to see when crouched on the ground, this camouflaged plover blends well into the grassy brown hillsides. The female lays two sets of eggs - one incubated by the male and the other by her likely to offset historical losses when bison once roamed the plains and trampled the nests.

For this reason the plover will wait until the very last moment to burst off the nest to hopefully startle off intruders. It will also feign injury to lead an impending threat away from a nesting site as well.

With the disappearance of bison and the encroachment of human development, the population of mountain plovers has declined to the point of concern. In modern times the mountain plover has been able to adapt to cattle trodden ground near water troughs. And since insects make up the majority of this bird's diet, there is always an abundance of insects near cowpies.

There are mountain plovers around, but they are not easy to find. Usually hanging around with the sparrow-like McGown's longspur, the grassy foothills east of the divide are the best areas to search for this unique Montana resident.