Charadrius semipalmatus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The semipalmated plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) is a small plover. Charadrius is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. It derives from Ancient Greek kharadrios a bird found in ravines and river valleys (kharadra, "ravine"). The specific semipalmatus is Latin and comes from semi, "half" and palma, "palm". Like the English name, this refers to its only partially webbed feet.
This species weighs a mean 47.4 g (1.7 oz.) for males and 46.1 g (1.6 oz.) for females, with body masses ranging from 37.6-54.7 g (1.3-1.9 oz.). and measures 17–19 cm (6.7–7.5 in) in length with a 12–13 cm (4.7–5.1 in) mean wing length. Adults have a grey-brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with one black neckband. They have a brown cap, a white forehead, a black mask around the eyes and a short orange and black bill.
Their breeding habitat is open ground on beaches or flats across northern Canada and Alaska. They nest on the ground in an open area with little or no plant growth. They are migratory and winter in coastal areas of the southern United States, the Caribbean and much of South America. They are extremely rare... Wikipedia →
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Semipalmated Plover sighting in São Luís on a given day, based on 79 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 20th most-seen of the 74 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Semipalmated Plover in São Luís on a given day, against about 20% in June, the lowest month. That is one of São Luís's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 360 mm in April.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Semipalmated Plover sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 37 cities where we can rate Semipalmated Plover sightings, São Luís has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Havana (Cuba, about 20%) and Panama City (Panama, about 10%).
Same family: Charadriidae
The closest relatives of the Semipalmated Plover that you can see in São Luís (family Charadriidae, Plovers and Lapwings) are Southern Lapwing (about 20%) and Black-bellied Plover (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Semipalmated Plover is recorded against all the birds logged in São Luís (79 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
