Each week we celebrate and recognize those people who are making a difference to the planet by getting involved and actively doing something to protect the natural habitat of our planet.

This week we looked at the threats facing the Hooded Plover in Australia and what Birds Australia was doing to help this bird. We have included some information on what you can do to help the Hooded Plover and where you can go to get more information.

Birds Australia

Birds Australia is the oldest conservation organisation in Australasia. They began life in 1901 as the Australasian Ornithologists Union but have since simplified their trading name to Birds Australia (BA). They exist to conserve Australia’s native birds and their habitats by expanding our scientific knowledge. To do this they rely on the support of thousands of members and volunteers.

Birds Australia focus their activities by regional scale and particular bird species, or to specific sites of interest. Much of Birds Australia’s work is done by their Regional and Special Interest Groups, at their Reserves and Observatories. Together, they form the Birds Australia Family.

For more information visit the Birds Australia website.

The Hooded Plover

Hooded Plovers, along with many other beach-nesting birds in Australia as well as around the world, are threatened with extinction because they struggle to breed successfully.

The adult Hooded Plover is about 20 cm high, sandy-brown above with a white underside. Conspicuous features when viewing in the field are its black head and a white nape (collar at base of its neck) and a broad black line extending across its lower hindneck to each side of the breast. Its bill is red with a black tip. Males and females appear similar whilst juveniles can be distinguished by the lack of black markings and red bill. Breeding is carried out on ocean beaches, nests are a depression in the sand usually in association with dry seaweed and located above average high tide levels up into the primary dunes. Nests can contain two to three sand-coloured eggs and incubation is about 30 days. The nesting season extends from August to February.

The Hooded Plover is an opportunistic feeder and feeding takes place by day and night according to the availability and behaviour of prey that is, in turn, influenced by tidal levels and activity of prey. Diet consists of insects, amphipod crustaceans (sandhoppers), polychaete worms and small bivalve molluscs.

Threats

The four highest risks that have the most impact are: human disturbance, introduced predators, habitat modification and dogs. Overall, Hooded Plover populations are declining because of low breeding success and availability of habitat which is likely to limit the amount of breeding (Weston 2003)

Breeding success can be severely limited due to a range of natural and human related factors. High seas can wash away nests, eggs or chicks, predation by foxes, cats, silver gulls, ravens and other scavengers, disturbance by dogs and humans and physical crushing of nests and eggs by vehicles, trampling by stock, horses and foot traffic. Due to the long incubation period and the inability of chicks to fly for at least three weeks each clutch is vulnerable to a range of threats for nearly a two-month period. Considering the breeding season also coincides with the highest period of beach usage by humans this can add additional pressure, which can result in low breeding success.

Hooded Plovers are very particular about the beaches they choose to live on. The beach needs to have enough food to sustain the pair and their young, and also needs to have the right type of nesting habitat. They prefer wide, ocean beaches with lots of tide-swept seaweed and flotsam and jetsam, and the beaches usually need to be backed by dunes rather than rocky cliffs. Hooded Plovers prefer open habitats for nesting. Beach-nesting birds are choosing more often to lay their eggs on beaches as the dunes become less suitable, and often they might choose to nest nearest an access path because this is where the beach and dune is most open.

How can you help the Hooded Plover?

It is possible to enjoy a day at the beach in spring and summer and not be a threat to these birds by remembering to:

• Look for signs at the access point that will tell you if Hooded Plovers are found at your beach. Remember they are found on ocean beaches, not bayside beaches.
• Keep an eye out for Hooded Plovers and if you see one, walk on another 100m down the beach before settling.
• There might be signs or fences on the beach pointing out that you are near an active nest - please avoid this area and follow what the signs say.
• Walk your dog on a lead
• Stay clear of the dunes
• The safest place to be is at the water’s edge

Where are Hooded Plovers Found in my Local Area?

If you would like to be kept informed of how well the Hooded Plovers are doing in your local area go to the Birds Australia website.