Protecting the Snowy Plover
A Bird in Danger
Western Snowy Plover resting on
Ocean Beach.
YOU play an important
role in the recovery of the
Western Snowy Plover!
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
In March 1993, the Western Snowy Plover
(Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) was listed
as a threatened species, protected under
the Endangered Species Act. Up to 100 of
the estimated 2,300 birds remaining on the
Pacific Coast can be found in Golden Gate
National Recreation Area (GGNRA).
The Snowy Plover is a small shorebird
that stands about 6 inches high, with dark
markings across the forehead, behind the
eyes, and a partial breast band. Snowy Plovers
use sandy beaches, mudflats and salt ponds
in San Francisco Bay and along the outer
coast for breeding, resting and foraging. The
Western Snowy Plover and its beach habitat
are threatened by urban development, the
spread of European dune grass, increased
predation, intense recreational use, and
human-caused disturbance.
Western Snowy Plovers at GGNRA
Although Western Snowy Plovers do not
nest at GGNRA, they do spend up to ten
months of the year on portions of Ocean
Beach and Crissy Field. During their time
here (approximately July until May), Snowy
Plovers spend their days resting in shallow
depressions in the sand (such as footprints),
where they are camouflaged and out of the
wind. They also build up their fat reserves
for breeding by eating small invertebrates in
debris left by the tides. In spring they move
up and down the coast and to inland salt
flats to nest.
The National Park Service, established in
part to protect America’s vanishing wildlife,
faces an important challenge in protecting
the Western Snowy Plover.
A Snowy Plover’s natural response is to run
or fly from danger. Continuous or repeated
disturbance uses up their stored energy
reserves and may jeopardize future breeding
success.
To protect the Western Snowy Plover,
GGNRA has created two seasonal (July
until May) protection areas—see maps on
reverse:
• Ocean Beach Snowy Plover Protection
Area (Stairwell #21, just south of the
Beach Chalet, to Sloat Blvd.—including
all tidelands.)
• Crissy Field Wildlife Protection Area
(west end of Crissy Field Beach)
When you are in the Snowy Plover
protection areas, you should:
• Keep your dog on leash. Snowy Plovers
perceive dogs as predators; dogs often
chase them and other shorebirds.
• Walk, jog, or ride your horse on the wet
sand away from the upper parts of the
beach where Snowy Plovers are most
likely to be found.
• Fly your kites, play frisbee and throw balls
in the areas close to the water, away from
where Snowy Plovers rest.
• Dispose of garbage properly to avoid
attracting predators.
• Leave kelp and driftwood on the beach—
these provide resting and feeding areas
for the Snowy Plover.
• Call Park Dispatch at (415) 561-5505 if you
notice any disturbance or threat to the
Western Snowy Plover.
The following are prohibited in these
protection areas:
• Dogs off leash (36 CFR 1.5(a)(2))
• Disturbing wildlife (36 CFR 2.2)
• Disturbing threatened species (16 USC
1538)
Well hidden within the beach sand, these tiny birds blend into their
environment. Please use the beach close to the water.
The Community of
Shorebirds
Snowy Plovers are often seen with other
wintering and migratory shorebirds such
as Marbled Godwits, Willets, Heerman’s
Gulls, Caspian Terns, and Sanderlings, many
of whom travel hundreds of miles during
migration. These birds are also susceptible to
the effects of constant disturbance. Because
half of the shorebirds in North America are
in decline, effective protection strategies
must consider all shorebirds and not just a
single species.
YOUR actions make a
difference!
Please help protect the Western Snowy Plover
and other shorebirds from human-caused
disturbance.
To volunteer to monitor the Western Snowy
Plover or improve habitats in the park call
(415) 561-4755.
Together we can help the Western Snowy
Plover survive and thrive.
Top: Western Snowy Plover feeding at the high tide
line. Bottom: Shorebirds feeding at the water’s edge.
Western Snowy Plover Protection Areas
Top: Map of Crissy Field Wildlife Protection Area. Bottom: Map of Ocean Beach Snowy Plover Protection Area.
(rev. 10/06)
Printed on recycled paper.
EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA
www.nps.gov/goga
