COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the Mountain Plover Charadrius montanus in Canada (2000)

1. Table of Contents
2. COSEWIC Assessment Summary
3. COSEWIC Executive Summary
4. Species Information
5. Distribution
6. Habitat
7. General Biology
8. Population Sizes and Trends
9. Limiting Factors and Threats
10. Special Significance of the Species
11. Evaluation and Proposed Status
12. Assessment of Status and Author's Recommendation
13. Acknowledgements
14. Literature Cited
15. The Author
16. Experts Consulted
17. Technical Summary
18. Appendix 1

Table of Contents

COSEWIC status reports are working documents used in assigning the status of wildlife species suspected of being at risk. This report may be cited as follows:

Please note: Persons wishing to cite data in the report should refer to the report (and cite the author(s)); persons wishing to cite the COSEWIC status will refer to the assessment (and cite COSEWIC). A production note will be provided if additional information on the status report history is required.

COSEWIC 2000. COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the Mountain Plover Charadrius montanus in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vii + 24 pp.

Wershler, C.R. 2000. Update COSEWIC status report on the Mountain Plover Charadrius montanus in Canada, in COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Mountain Plover Charadrius montanus in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. 1-24 pp.

Previous report:

Wershler, C.R. 1987. COSEWIC status report on the Mountain Plover Charadrius montanus in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. 40 pp.

Également disponible en français sous le titre Rapport du COSEPAC sur la situation du Pluvier montagnard (Charadrius montanus) au Canada – Mise à jour

Cover illustration:

Mountain Plover-- Judie Shore, Richmond Hill, Ontario.

©Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, 2002

Catalogue No. CW69-14/117-2002E-IN

ISBN 0-662-31887-0

COSEWIC Assessment Summary

Common name : Mountain Plover

Scientific name :Charadrius montanus

Status : Endangered

Reason for designation : This species occurs in extremely low numbers in Canada; it is dependent on habitats resulting from overgrazing, which are very rare in Canada.

Occurrence : Alberta, Saskatchewan

Status history : Designated Endangered in April 1987. Status re-examined and confirmed in November 2000.

COSEWIC Executive Summary

Description

The Mountain Plover resembles a small Killdeer in shape but has less striking plumage. Upper parts are buff-grey and under parts are whitish washed with buff. Breeding adults have black and white patterning on the forehead. The call note, a low harsh krrip, is distinctive.

Distribution

The breeding range is in the western Great Plains and extends from southern Canada to Texas. The major wintering range is in California but also includes portions of northern Mexico, southern Arizona and southern Texas. In Canada, breeding is restricted to a narrow strip along the 49^th Parallel in the southeastern corner of Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan.

The North American breeding range has contracted from former times, especially along its eastern edge. In the northern portion, Mountain Plovers have been extirpated from the northern edge of Montana which used to be continuous breeding range with Canada.

Two sub-populations are known in Canada: one in the southeastern corner of Alberta and one in southwestern Saskatchewan. Since 1979, nesting has been recorded at four sites in Alberta and evidence of nesting has been recorded at one site in Saskatchewan. The species has been extirpated from an additional site in Alberta where it was thought to have bred in 1941.

Habitat

Habitat features in the breeding and wintering range include short vegetation, bare ground, and flat topography. Grazing animals and black-tailed prairie dogs are important in maintaining suitable breeding habitat. Preferred breeding habitat is typically heavily grazed grassland, but in some cases less heavily grazed areas can create suitable habitat when associated with environments disturbed by black-tailed prairie dog towns or recent burns.

Cultivated fields are sometimes used for nesting, especially in the southern part of the North American range.

General Biology

The Mountain Plover arrives on its Canadian breeding grounds in April and nesting occurs from May to July. From late July to late October, birds can be found in family groups or post-breeding flocks across their breeding range. Most birds arrive on their wintering range by early November.

The breeding system of the Mountain Plover is unique among North American shorebirds. A clutch of three eggs, instead of the typical four, is laid by the female in a depression on the ground. Often, this clutch is incubated by the male and the female will lay a second clutch of three eggs that she will incubate. Eggs hatch in about a month and young fledge in about 35 days.

Many birds will return to the same breeding area the next year, but this species also appears to be able to wander and find suitable nesting habitat in new areas if the old sites are unsuitable.

Population Size and Trends

The continental population of Mountain Plovers is estimated at 8,000-10,000 adults. Between 1966 and 1991, a decline of an estimated 63 percent has been estimated for the continental population. Breeding Bird Survey trend analyses for this period estimated a decline of 2.7 percent annually, the largest decline of all endemic grassland bird species.

Because of a lack of survey data from across the Canadian range, it is difficult to estimate breeding populations. However, for the past twenty years the population of adult birds in Canada has probably been less than 50. In the Alberta sub-population, a maximum of 11 adults was recorded in 1981 compared with a maximum of 2 adults since 1985.

Limiting Factors and Threats

The decline in the continental population has been attributed to conversion of native grassland, agricultural practices, management of domestic livestock, decline of native herbivores, and possibly pesticides. In Canada, the major threat to the population is current range management practices which discourage heavily grazed grassland, thereby restricting suitable breeding habitat. The resultant small, isolated breeding populations are therefore more vulnerable to natural events such as weather extremes and predation.

Existing Protection

The Mountain Plover has been listed as an Endangered species since 1987 by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. In Alberta it is listed as an “endangered animal” and a peripheral species, occurring at the limit of its breeding range. Besides status reports, management plans, and partial surveys of populations and habitats, no conservation work has been carried out for this species in Canada to date.

In 1999, the Mountain Plover was recommended for Threatened status in the United States by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) determines the national status of wild species, subspecies, varieties, and nationally significant populations that are considered to be at risk in Canada. Designations are made on all native species for the following taxonomic groups: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, lepidopterans, molluscs, vascular plants, lichens, and mosses.

COSEWIC comprises representatives from each provincial and territorial government wildlife agency, four federal agencies (Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Federal Biosystematic Partnership), three nonjurisdictional members and the co-chairs of the species specialist groups. The committee meets to consider status reports on candidate species.

Species : Any indigenous species, subspecies, variety, or geographically defined population of wild fauna and flora.

Extinct (X) : A species that no longer exists.

Extirpated (XT) : A species no longer existing in the wild in Canada, but occurring elsewhere.

Endangered (E) : A species facing imminent extirpation or extinction.

Threatened (T) : A species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.

Special Concern (SC)* : A species of special concern because of characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.

Not at Risk (NAR)* : A species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk.

Data Deficient (DD)*** : A species for which there is insufficient scientific information to support status designation.

* : Formerly described as “Vulnerable” from 1990 to 1999, or “Rare” prior to 1990.

** : Formerly described as “Not In Any Category”, or “No Designation Required.”

*** : Formerly described as “Indeterminate” from 1994 to 1999 or “ISIBD” (insufficient scientific information on which to base a designation) prior to 1994.

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) was created in 1977 as a result of a recommendation at the Federal-Provincial Wildlife Conference held in 1976. It arose from the need for a single, official, scientifically sound, national listing of wildlife species at risk. In 1978, COSEWIC designated its first species and produced its first list of Canadian species at risk. Species designated at meetings of the full committee are added to the list.

Environment Canada Environnement Canada

Canadian Wildlife Service Service canadien de la faune

The Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, provides full administrative and financial support to the COSEWIC Secretariat.

Species Information

Name, Classification and Taxonomy

Charadrius montanus Townsend. Mountain Plover, Pluvier montagnard.

Description

The Mountain Plover is slightly smaller than the Killdeer and has the general body shape of that species. Its coloration, however, is plainer than the Killdeer and all other North American plover species. General plumage is sandy brown above and whitish washed with buff below. Breeding adults also have a white forehead, black forecrown and a thin black eyelines and cannot be confused with any other species. Non-breeding adults and juveniles are buffier below and lack the distinctive head markings of breeding adults. In these plumages, Mountain Plovers superficially resemble Lesser Golden-Plovers, but Mountain Plovers lack light spotting on the upperparts and dark streaking on the underparts, characteristic of Lesser Golden-Plovers, and have prominent white wing stripes, absent in Lesser Golden-Plovers (Farrand, J. Jr. 1983).

The call note of the Mountain Plover, a low, harsh krrip, is unlike the call notes of other North American plovers.

Distribution

North American Range

The breeding range of the Mountain Plover (Figure 1) is the Great Plains along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains, extending from southern Canada southward at least as far as southwestern Texas. Within this generalized area, breeding distribution is variably discontinuous. The current breeding range, especially along its eastern edge, represents a reduction from former times (Knopf 1996; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 1999).

Recent Mountain Plover surveys, since 1986, have provided a clearer picture of breeding distribution within several jurisdictions. In Montana, where it had been considered as casual in the summer (Watts 1981), it is now known to breed in 7 disjunct areas (Knowles and Knowles 1998).

The wintering range of the Mountain Plover (Figure 1) extends from central and south coastal California, and northern Baja California, southeastward across northern Mexico and southern portions of Arizona and Texas. Based on current information, the largest numbers of wintering Mountain Plovers have been reported from California, with significantly smaller numbers reported from Texas, Arizona and Mexico (Knopf 1996; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 1999).

Canadian Range

In Canada, Mountain Plovers breed in extreme southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan. These are treated as two separate sub-populations: Lost River-Wildhorse and Val Marie (Figure 2).

In Alberta, nesting has been documented from two general locations: Lost River (Wershler and Wallis 1986) and Wildhorse, separated by about 19 km. The amount of exchange of individuals between the Lost River and Wildhorse locations is unknown. However, with suitable habitats being very restricted and fluctuating in extent and quality, it is conceivable that breeding birds will shift in their distribution between these locations, and are treated as a single sub-population. At Lost River, where the first nesting records of Mountain Plovers for Canada were recorded in 1979, breeding has been documented in two sites between 1979 and 1988. At Wildhorse, breeding has been recorded between 1990 and 1999.

In Saskatchewan, the Mountain Plover is considered hypothetical for the province, based on 6 sight records without material evidence (Smith 1996). However, an analysis of these observations suggests this species has nested in the province. Four observations have come from three sites southeast of Val Marie (Appendix 1), including 2 adults and 3 flightless young on July 31, 1987, criteria that Smith (1996) classifies as evidence of confirmed breeding. This is the basis of the Val Marie sub-population.

In the Frenchman River-Milk River region of southwestern Saskatchewan-southeastern Alberta-northern Montana, Mountain Plovers were more numerous and widespread during pre-settlement, in the 1870s (Wershler and Wallis 1986; Knowles and Knowles 1998). Specific collections of Mountain Plovers were made around the Frenchman River (between the international border and 50 km from the current Val Marie location), which had the greatest abundance of birds, and at the point where the Milk River flows out of Canada (about 7 km southwest of the current Lost River location) (Coues 1878).

Based solely on information from Alberta locations since 1979, the extent of occurrence in Canada is estimated at less than 20 km² and the present area of occupancy less than 5 km². The potential area of occurrence in Alberta, given appropriate management conditions, is estimated at less than 150 km². Information on site locations in Saskatchewan have not been well documented.

Because of a lack of documented historic breeding sites in Canada, it is not known from how many sites that Mountain Plovers may have been extirpated through conversion of native grassland, changes in grazing intensity, or extirpations of black-tailed prairie dogs. A probable historic nesting site, within 7 km of the current Lost River location (Soper 1941), appears to be no longer used because habitat has become unsuitable (Wershler 1986). Cultivation has occurred in a number of areas within the former range of the Mountain Plover habitat, including 5-8 km² at Lost River (Wershler and Wallis 1986), and large areas of southwestern Saskatchewan. The western

boundary of Mountain Plover former range is somewhat uncertain, and may have included areas west of Lost River that are now mainly under cultivation.

In addition to historic breeding records, there are two historic reports of single adults in the breeding range between the known sub-populations: (1) in 1939 near Govenlock, SK, about 30 km from the Wildhorse breeding location, and (2) around 1949 near Bracken, SK, about 30 km from Val Marie (Wershler and Wallis 1986). The current status of potential habitats in the vicinity of these sites is not well known.

Habitat

Definition

General habitat-defining features for Mountain Plovers on breeding and wintering grounds include short vegetation, bare ground, and flat topography (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999). Nesting sites typically have vegetation less than 10 cm in height, bare ground/lichen cover 30-50 percent, and extensive areas (0.5-1 km diameter) of nearly level (less than 5 percent slope) terrain (Knowles and Knowles 1998;. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999). In Colorado, the minimum habitat size for brood-rearing was estimated at least 28 ha (Knopf and Rupert 1996).

Suitable habitat is maintained by the activities of grazing animals, and studies in Montana (Knowles and Knowles 1998) have repeatedly demonstrated that without grazing, a site will be abandoned by Mountain Plovers over several years. Mountain Plovers are considered to be strongly associated with areas of heaviest grazing pressure, including areas with excessive surface disturbance (Knopf and Miller 1994; Knopf 1996). Winter or spring grazing appear to be especially important for the creation of suitable breeding habitat in Alberta (Wershler and Wallis 1986) and Montana (Knowles and Knowles 1998).

Population centers in both wintering and breeding habitats are often associated with colonies of burrowing animals (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999). In Montana, the major populations of Mountain Plovers nest in active black-tailed prairie dog towns moderately to heavily grazed by cattle (Olson 1984; Knowles and Knowles 1998). Following record rainfall on the Pawnee Grassland in Colorado, when vegetation became too tall and dense for suitable nesting habitat, prairie dog colonies maintained localized areas of suitable habitat. In California, preferred wintering sites include areas with colonies of giant kangaroo rats or California ground squirrels (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).

Recent burns can provide suitable nesting habitat in areas where grazing, on its own, may be too light for habitat maintenance (Wershler and Wallis 1986; Knowles and Knowles 1998). On the Pawnee Grassland in Colorado, controlled burning has been used with success in the creation of nesting habitat (Knopf 1996).

There have been recent reports in the United States, documenting regular nesting in cultivated fields, mainly in the southern portion of their range, as well as regular use of cultivated fields on the wintering grounds in California (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999). Surveys of cultivated habitats in Montana have not produced any nesting records in that state (Knowles and Knowles 1998).

In Canada, most nests have been found in heavily grazed or recently burned areas, in extensive, shrubless tracts of native mixed grassland at Lost River (Wershler and Wallis 1986). More recently, nesting has also been recorded in discontinuous areas of open grassland within grassland-scattered sagebrush (including two nests at a Sage Grouse lek) at Wildhorse. Nesting had previously been suspected in these more restricted habitats (Wershler and Wallis 1986). Their significance requires further investigation.

In the Val Marie location, all four observations have been in, or in the vicinity of, black-tailed prairie dog colonies. Two observations, including a breeding record, were in a colony that was moderately grazed by cattle.

One occurrence of nesting in a cultivated field has been recorded in Canada--at Lost River, in a site adjoining more typical nesting habitat. The habitat was a mixture of exotic Russian wild rye and native plant species in a field that had been lightly cultivated and seeded in the 1960s.

The vast majority of Mountain Plover breeding records and observations in Canada have been from two major remnant blocks of mixed grassland--Sage Creek-Milk River Canyon-Southwest Pasture Complex in Alberta and Saskatchewan and Grassland National Park in Saskatchewan. These areas are listed as portfolio sites, suites of sites which collectively conserve the biodiversity of an ecoregion, by the Northern Great Plains Steppe Ecoregional Conservation Team (1999).

Other species of concern occurring within the range of the Mountain Plover in Canada include the Burrowing Owl, Ferruginous Hawk, Loggerhead Shrike, Sage Grouse, Sprague’s Pipit and Swift Fox (COSEWIC 1999), as well as numerous species of rare plants and invertebrates.

Trends

In the 1900s, conversion of native scrub and grasslands in central and southern California has significantly reduced the extent and quality of wintering habitats. In a representative area of the Central Valley, less than 4 percent of native habitats used by Mountain Plovers remain (Knopf and Rupert 1995). On the breeding range in the United States, conversion of native grassland has continued through the past two decades (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999). Three Mountain Plover nest sites were converted to cropland in Montana in 1995 (Knowles and Knowles 1998).

Compared with the pre-settlement period when Mountain Plovers were reported as common along the United States-Canada boundary (Coues 1874 and 1878), blocks of native grassland habitat have become isolated through cultivation, prairie dog colonies have been extirpated (Knowles and Knowles 1998), and remaining native grassland no longer receives the same intensity of grazing disturbance that was prevalent when bison herds roamed this area. Consequently, suitable breeding habitat has become very localized and restricted in size in Canada and Mountain Plovers now appear to be extirpated from the Montana portion of the area (Knowles and Knowles 1998).

While it is doubtful that habitat conditions on the Canadian range have ever approximated those that existed prior to settlement when bison were the dominant grazing animals, there probably were periods when cattle grazing was generally more intensive than in recent decades. Local residents in southeastern Alberta recall a time when Richardson’s ground squirrels, which thrive in heavily grazed areas, were more abundant. This is supported by numerous abandoned Ferruginous Hawk nests observed in the general area in the early 1970s (Wallis 1976). During such periods, it is probable that suitable Mountain Plover habitat was also more widespread.

Since 1986, breeding habitat at Lost River has deteriorated. The extent of heavily grazed grassland has become more restricted, and human activity, development and disturbance has increased at the major traditional nesting site (Wershler 1989; C. Wershler unpublished field notes). Prevailing range management strategies in the region generally promote conservative stocking rates and lightly to moderately grazed grassland, which parallels a trend in grazing management in portions of the United States that emphasizes a uniform grass cover to minimize grassland and soil disturbance (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).

Although there has been limited recent cultivation in the remnant grasslands within the Canadian range of the Mountain Plover, native habitat outside of Grassland National Park has no long-term protection. The conservation of native grassland in the region depends on the future direction of government policy on public lands.

Protection/Ownership

Since 1986, the profile of the Sage Creek-Milk River area has been raised through various conservation initiatives. Two Mountain Plover management strategies have been drafted (Wershler 1989; Wershler 1990) and a draft national recovery plan prepared for the species (Edwards, Brechtel and Hjertaas 1993). In spite of these efforts, there has been very little funding available for Mountain Plover conservation work and no steps have been taken toward habitat management or improvement. A major gas pipeline was constructed through the heart of the area in the late 1990s when conservation groups failed in their bid to have the line rerouted.

All nesting sites and observations in Alberta have been on public lands. In the Val Marie area of Saskatchewan, observations have been on both public and private land in existing and proposed national park settings. Most of the native grassland within the range of the Mountain Plover in Canada occurs on public lands. A small percentage of native grassland with potential Mountain Plover nesting habitat is privately owned.

General Biology

General

Studies have suggested a high degree of site fidelity in Mountain Plovers (Knopf 1996). Monitoring of census stations in Montana has shown that Mountain Plovers were both consistent in their use of some areas and opportunistic in their use of others (Knowles and Knowles 1998).

Reproduction

Variable weather patterns can influence food supply, which can also affect productivity. In an extreme case in Wyoming, early departure from the breeding grounds in late June was attributed to extreme drought conditions (Leachman and Osmundson 1990).

Survival

Nest success on the Pawnee National Grassland in Colorado has been highly variable among years. Fledging rates range from one chick per nest to one chick per three nests. Low fledging rates have been hypothesized to occur during drought years when low food supply leads to increases in predation pressures (Miller and Knopf 1993; Knopf and Rupert 1996). Low recruitment rates are compensated to an unknown extent by multiple nesting attempts (two nests per pair initially, and unknown rates of re-nesting upon nest failure) (Knopf 1997).

Knopf (1997) suggests that the reproductive traits of the Mountain Plover evolved under severe predation pressure. For each nesting attempt, greater than 50 percent of clutches are lost to predators.

Physiology

Chicks are dark-skinned, which may allow them to absorb solar radiation during cool periods of the day (Graul 1975).

Movements

In a Colorado study, a brood typically moved 1 to 2 km from the nest site during the first 2 to 3 days (Knopf and Rupert 1996).

Adults and fledged young have been observed to leave breeding grounds in Montana as early as mid July (Knowles and Knowles 1998). Knopf (1996) refers to a three-and-a-half month post-breeding period, from mid/late July to early November, when Mountain Plovers appear to roam the southern Great Plains prior to arrival on the wintering grounds.

The Mountain Plover is considered to have high mobility and dispersal potential. (Knowles and Knowles 1998) and it has been hypothesized for Montana that breeding birds may constitute one large breeding population that, upon arrival in spring, cover large areas searching for suitable nesting habitat.

Nutrition and Interspecific Interactions

Major predators of chicks are wild canids--Coyote and Swift Fox. Larger chicks are also preyed upon by Prairie Falcons (Knopf 1997).

Behaviour/Adaptability

Mountain Plovers have been observed to abandon nesting habitat following changes in grazing management and consequent habitat character (Knowles and Knowles 1998).

Flash floods in low-lying habitats in Montana, have resulted in zero chick survival (Knowles and Knowles 1998).

Young chicks seek shelter from hot sun in the shade of taller vegetation and man-made structures (Graul 1975).

Population Sizes and Trends

The North American population of Mountain Plovers is currently estimated to be between 8,000 and 10,000 individuals (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999). This compares with an earlier estimate of between 214,200 and 319,220 (Graul and Webster 1976). The current estimate is based on a 1995 count of 3,346 birds on the wintering range in California and assumptions that at least one half were missed on the count and that an additional 1,000-3,000 birds winter in Texas and Mexico (Knopf 1996).

The discrepancy between the 1976 and 1995 estimates is partly related to gross overestimates of various populations in 1976 that had been derived from extrapolations of densities for various jurisdictions in the species’ breeding range. For example, an estimated a population of 88,000 birds for Montana (Graul and Webster 1976), based on density projections, was revised to fewer than 2,800 birds, based on several years of habitat and population surveys throughout the state (Knowles and Knowles 1996).

The decline in the continental population, between 1966 and 1991, has been estimated at 63 percent (Knopf 1994). Breeding Bird Survey trend analyses for this period estimated a decline of 2.7 percent annually, the largest decline of all endemic grassland bird species (Sauer et al. 1997).

In Canada, Mountain Plovers currently breed in very low numbers in an area along the 49^th Parallel where the species was once described as common and occurring in considerable numbers (Coues 1878). It was found nesting “anywhere on the dry prairie” and was most abundant in prairie dog colonies in the vicinity of the Frenchman River (Coues 1874). There may have been periods during the twentieth century, during times of more intensive cattle grazing, when Mountain Plovers may have been more numerous relative to populations in recent decades.

Although significant areas of grassland habitat have been cultivated within the projected pre-settlement range of the Mountain Plover in Canada, it is not known how many sites or sub-populations may have been extirpated. Most of this cultivation is situated between the southwestern corner of Saskatchewan and Val Marie and occurred mainly during the early part of the last century. There is also the potential that Mountain Plovers formerly ranged west of the projected former range where a significant percentage of former grassland is currently under cultivation.

The maximum Canadian population count is 11 adults, recorded at a single location (Lost River) in 1981, a year when no population surveys were conducted outside of Lost River. There were several years since 1979 when no birds were recorded in Canada, but in some of these years there were no surveys carried out, even in portions of the range. The total number of individuals in Canada, during the most favorable habitat conditions since 1979, is probably less than 50 and possibly fewer than 30. The existing population could be fewer than 10 birds, a reflection of very limited suitable habitat. However, with the absence of organized, comprehensive surveys of Mountain Plovers in Canada, it is very difficult to arrive at accurate figures for maximum or current population levels.

The aerial extents of locations occupied by breeding birds since 1979 are estimated as follows: Lost River - 5 km², Wildhorse - 2.5 km² and Val Marie - unknown but probably less than 2.5 km². The total area of known occupation of the Canadian population since 1979 is probably less than 10 km².

Numbers of adult birds at breeding locations fluctuate with changes in availability of suitable habitat. Upper and lower limits of numbers of adults for the various locations are as follows: Lost River (0-11+ adults), Wildhorse (0-2+ adults) and Val Marie (0-2+ adults).

The most productive and intensively studied location for nesting Mountain Plovers in Canada has been Lost River where breeding has been recorded at two sites, separated by about 3 km. Nesting or courtship activities were recorded here in 6 of 12 years from 1979, when nesting was first documented, to 1990, when regular surveys in this location ceased. This population grew from 4 adults and 3 broods in 1979 to a high of 11 adults and 6 nests in 1981. By 1988, when nesting was last recorded, numbers had declined to 2 adults and 1 nest. The only subsequent report has been 2 adults in 1999.

The general Lost River area has been traditionally inhabited by Mountain Plovers. The first record of this species was one collected on July 23, 1874 (Coues 1878), just across the international border, about 7 km southwest of the present Lost River location. A second historic record, 4 adults (2 males collected) apparently nesting (Soper 1941), was about 7 km northeast of the present Lost River location. Limited ornithological work was conducted in this region prior to the early 1970s.

In the Wildhorse location, consisting of two breeding sites separated by approximately 5 km, populations of at least two adults and one nest were recorded in 1990, 1994 and 1999 (Appendix 1). In intervening years, no Mountain Plovers were reported. However, there is less confidence in estimates of habitat quality and populations at Wildhorse compared with Lost River because of a limited amount of survey work at Wildhorse and more localized potential habitat, making birds are more difficult to locate. Local ranchers claim that Mountain Plovers have been nesting in the Wildhorse area for many years.

Both the Lost River and Wildhorse breeding populations were discovered by chance by biologists or naturalists who were not expecting to find Mountain Plovers. Each site where birds were first observed was readily accessible and among the more frequently visited sites in the general area. More cross-country surveys are required in Canada in order to properly assess the species’ status.

Little is known regarding numbers or trends in the Val Marie sub-population. From the limited data available, it appears that Mountain Plovers occur more sporadically than in the Alberta locations. Including 1977, when the species was first reported at the Val Marie location, it has been recorded in three years for a total of four records (Appendix 1).

In Montana, Knowles and Knowles (1998) state that the persistence of a Mountain Plover population depends on the availability of a number of suitable sites widely spaced over a minimum area of approximately 25 km². In attempting to account for the persistence of small, isolated breeding populations in Montana, these authors speculate that all Mountain Plovers in the state could comprise a single large breeding population, with birds wandering each spring to locate suitable nesting habitat, or, alternatively, there may be more birds in a given isolated population than surveys indicate. In either case, the authors consider the conservation of these small breeding populations as probably very important for the long-term maintenance of Mountain Plover numbers in Montana.

With the possible exception of a sub-population in the southwestern part of the state that may be declining, Montana sub-populations appear to have been relatively stable through the 1990s (Knowles and Knowles 1998). The degree of interaction between Montana and Canadian populations or between Canadian sub-populations is unknown.

Limiting Factors and Threats

Factors limiting populations and distribution of Mountain Plover include habitat destruction, effects of range management, human intrusion, natural predation, weather fluctuations and pesticides.

Habitat Destruction

Conversion of native mixed grassland to cropland has occurred in about a third of the area of grasslands on the Great Plains. While much of this conversion took place early in the last century, more recent cultivation in the United States, within the last two decades, is believed to have destroyed historic or current Mountain Plover habitats in 30 counties. Conversion to cropland continues to be a threat to breeding habitats, especially on private lands in the United States (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).

Much of northern Montana and parts of southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan have been cultivated, causing fragmentation of habitat in the northern portion of the breeding range. Although the rate of conversion of native habitat has decreased, there are no real safeguards from cultivation for a significant portion of remaining native grassland in this region. In Canada, the sale of public lands, currently native grassland leased for cattle grazing, would result in additional cultivation, as would expansion of irrigation.

Indirectly related to the conversion of native grassland to cropland, is the potential threat of cultivated areas becoming a population sink (Knopf 1996) where mortality exceeds reproduction, resulting in immigration from more productive native habitats to maintain breeding populations in the sink (Pulliam 1988). Nesting in cultivated fields has been recorded mainly in the southern part of the breeding range. Nests, eggs and chicks can be destroyed by tilling during the planting of crops or weed control in fallow fields. Re-nesting is usually unsuccessful in cropland because of the gradual growth of taller vegetation (Knopf 1996). In 1993-94, 48 percent of nests in cultivated fields in three states were destroyed by tilling (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).

An additional cause of habitat conversion has been through urban development. A significant rise in urban expansion in Mountain Plover breeding range has occurred over the last decade in Colorado (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).

On the wintering range, the vast majority of native grassland has been converted to agricultural crops or urban development and, consequently, only a small percentage of prime Mountain Plover habitat remains (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).

Effects of Range Management

Prior to European settlement, grassland environments on the Great Plains were the product of interactions of dynamic factors including drought, fire and bison grazing. Included in this mosaic were extreme environmental conditions on the range--overgrazing, bare soil--that we do not allow to exist today. While these habitat extremes are considered as incompatible with successful long-term livestock production, their demise could have serious consequences for vegetation and wildlife dynamics. An example is the current trend in areas of the Great Plains for conservative stocking rates and evenly grazed range, which have been implicated in recent population declines of Mountain Plovers (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).

In Canada, existing range management appears to be the major factor currently limiting breeding populations. Recommended grazing regimes promote good grass cover and discourage heavy grazing, which severely restricts potential nesting habitat for Mountain Plovers. In Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan, the lack of recent grazing in prairie dog colonies and adjacent native grassland retards the potential of these habitats for Mountain Plovers and other wildlife species that benefit from grazing.

In remnant native grasslands, changes in range management often involve additional developments, typically including trails, fences and watering sites. In a major Mountain Plover nesting habitat at Lost River (used from 1980-88), buildings and corrals have been constructed and there has been an increase in vehicular traffic alongside and through the habitat, as well as a spread of exotic plants from supplemental feeding for cattle. No Mountain Plovers have been recorded nesting in this habitat following these changes in land use.

Other activities can render Mountain Plover breeding habitats unsuitable through a resultant increase in vegetation height. These include seeding in exotic grass species for range improvement, watershed improvement projects, and fire suppression (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).

Declines of Burrowing Rodents

Extermination of burrowing rodents on both the breeding range and wintering range has had adverse effects on Mountain Plover habitats. Black-tailed prairie dog colonies are extremely important for the maintenance of nesting habitats, especially in areas where adjacent grasslands are less suitable for nesting habitat. The distribution and abundance of prairie dogs across their U.S. range has been reduced by an estimated 98 percent. Remaining populations of black-tailed prairie dogs are threatened by sylvatic plague, the conversion of native grassland, and ongoing extermination programs (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).

Richardson’s ground squirrels occur within the breeding range of the Mountain Plover in Canada, but it is not known how important the activities of this species are to the maintenance of breeding habitats. While ground squirrels do not influence vegetative composition and height to the same extent as prairie dogs, their burrowing activities can significantly increase the bare soil component in grasslands, which could potentially improve habitat for Mountain Plovers. In southeastern Alberta, Richardson’s ground squirrels have experienced significant declines that have been largely unexplained (Wallis 1976), but like prairie dogs, ground squirrels are regularly exterminated and are vulnerable to plague.

On the California wintering range, giant kangaroo rats have declined from their original distribution by more than 98 percent through conversion of native grassland to agricultural crops, urbanization, miscellaneous human activities, and the control of California ground squirrels. Giant Kangaroo rats are especially important in maintaining suitable Mountain Plover habitat, so any further decline of these rodents would be detrimental to Mountain Plover conservation (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).

Human Intrusion

A variety of on-going human intrusions have been documented within the range of the Mountain Plover. These include oil and gas developments, mining and road development.

One of the most significant threats to Mountain Plovers in the way of human intrusion is road and trail development and associated vehicular traffic. Because adult and young Mountain Plovers often feed near roads and also may use them for travel corridors, road traffic presents a threat through direct mortality by road-kill (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999). Road traffic has increased over the last two decades in the Lost River and Wildhorse areas of Alberta, partly due to non-local visitors including naturalists, bird-watchers and research biologists.

Natural gas development within the Wyoming range of the Mountain Plover is projected to be among the highest in the United States, and oil wells have been developed in key Mountain Plover nesting habitat in Colorado. In Wyoming, a major surface coal mine has been developed in Mountain Plover nesting habitat (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).

Besides the localized developments of well sites and mine sites that can destroy nesting habitat, associated developments such as access roads, travel corridors, pipelines and increased human activity, also constitute potential threats (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999). In Alberta, the Express Pipeline was constructed in the late 1990s through the heart of a nationally significant grassland block and potential Mountain Plover breeding habitat.

An unknown factor in the effects of human disturbance on Mountain Plovers is the safe distance of developments and associated activities from breeding birds. Any human activity that causes distraction displays by adults during brood-rearing represents a potential threat to the survival of chicks by exposing them to overheating and causing stress (Graul 1975, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).

Weather Extremes

Fluctuations in precipitation can have adverse effects on the suitability of nesting habitat. Above average precipitation and resulting growth of lush grass cover can render habitat unsuitable for nesting if existing grazing intensity is insufficient to maintain short vegetation (Wershler and Wallis 1986; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999). At the other extreme, drought conditions have been hypothesized as contributing to low fledging rates by affecting food supply and simultaneously increasing predation pressures (Knopf 1996).

Flash floods and localized hail storms in nesting habitats have resulted in nest destruction and mortality of adults and young (Graul 1975; Knowles and Knowles 1998).

While weather extremes themselves are not considered a threat to the Mountain Plover, the declining population and distribution of this species combined with its high nest site fidelity could make it more vulnerable to these natural events in the future (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).

Predation

The relatively high rate of predation documented for Mountain Plovers (Knopf 1996 and 1997) is not believed to be a factor in the long-term decline of populations (Knopf and Rupert 1996). However, it is conceivable that in small breeding populations, such as those in Canada, predation can contribute to local declines, especially when breeding birds are more vulnerable to predation, such as during drought years.

Pesticides

Mountain Plovers utilizing cultivated fields on the California wintering range are exposed to a variety of pesticides. While the effects of exposure to some chemicals were inconclusive in biochemical studies, levels of DDE and selenium may be harmful to individual birds (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).

Spraying for grasshoppers on the breeding range can potentially effect breeding birds by severely limiting the availability of insect prey, in addition to putting birds at risk from increased metabolism of DDE residues if foraging behavior is changed to compensate for a reduction in insect abundance (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).

Special Significance of the Species

The Mountain Plover is one of 9 bird species endemic to the North America steppe. In general, this group is declining faster than other grassland bird species. The North American population of Mountain Plovers has shown the greatest declines of all endemic grassland species.

The Mountain Plover is a strong indicator of heavily grazed native grassland, an important habitat for an entire suite of wildlife and vegetation, including several rare and endangered species. Despite their significance, heavily grazed habitats generally represent undesirable range conditions for range managers, cattle producers and many wildlife biologists. In areas that have implemented grazing systems to encourage ecosystem diversity, the extreme of heavy grazing is usually avoided or represented as small, localized areas in the overall habitat.

Because its breeding range in Canada represents the northern extremity of its total range in North American, there is the tendency to regard the Mountain Plover as peripheral and, therefore, of lesser priority in wildlife conservation efforts. This, however, overlooks the importance of these northern populations as a component in the overall diversity of the species, especially since adjoining populations in Montana have been extirpated.

Besides the Mountain Plover, there are numerous additional nationally rare animal and plant species occurring within the Canadian range of the Mountain Plover. Some of these are found no where else in Canada.

Evaluation and Proposed Status

The Mountain Plover has a global rank of G2 by The Nature Conservancy and the following Conservation Data Center ranks for individual provinces and states: S1B (Alberta), S1 (Saskatchewan) and S2B (Colorado, Montana and Wyoming).

In the United States, this species has, since 1982, been designated a Category 2 species, a species where listing is possibly appropriate, but conclusive data on vulnerability and threat is not currently available (Leachman and Osmundson 1990). In February 1999, it was formally proposed for listing as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).

In Canada, the Mountain Plover is listed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) as an endangered species based on a status report by Wershler and Wallis (1986). In Alberta it is an “endangered animal” that is considered peripheral and is on the Yellow-B List (sensitive species that are not currently at risk, but may warrant management attention to ensure that they are not at risk in the future). In Saskatchewan it is listed as hypothetical (based on several sight records) and possibly breeding.

The Mountain Plover is included in the list of species protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act (Canadian Wildlife Service 1980), but this act has been of only limited value in protecting habitat.

State laws in the United States are generally inadequate to ensure habitat protection and the conservation of the species.

Some native grassland with potential breeding habitats in Saskatchewan is protected in Grasslands National Park, but native grassland containing breeding habitats in Alberta have no formal protection.

Assessment of Status and Author's Recommendation

The continental population of Mountain Plovers declined by an estimated 63% between 1966 and 1991. Breeding Bird Survey trend analyses (1966-96) document a continuous decline of 2.7% annually, the highest of all endemic grassland bird species. The current estimated continental population is between 8,000 and 10,000 birds. These declines and continuing threats on the breeding and wintering grounds have resulted in the proposal for threatened status in the United States.

The most probable causes of these declines have been the following factors operating on the breeding and wintering range: conversion of native grassland habitats mainly through cultivation; declines of native herbivores (bison, prairie dogs, giant kangaroo rats and California ground squirrels); current range management, especially a lack of heavy grazing; agricultural practices in cultivated habitats used as nesting sites; and, possibly, exposure to pesticides.

The small, disjunct populations totaling less than 50 Mountain Plovers in Canada today represents a remnant of a once larger population with a more extensive distribution in southern Canada and northern Montana. Historic observations and collections from the 1870s attest to this species’ former abundance along the 49^th Parallel. With the majority of the historic range in northern Montana having since been cultivated and Mountain Plovers having been extirpated from this part of the state, the Canadian breeding range is now separated from the nearest regular breeding location in Montana by some 140 km.

While continuous and semi-continuous areas of native grassland remain within the Canadian range of the Mountain Plover, the availability of suitable nesting habitat appears to be very restricted because of prevailing range management practices that discourage heavily grazed grassland. The scarcity of breeding habitat combined with the vulnerability of the small, disjunct populations to further declines in the continental population and limiting factors such as fluctuating weather conditions on the breeding grounds, could lead to the extirpation of the Mountain Plover as a breeding species in Canada.

Based on the foregoing analysis, it is recommended that the status of Endangered be retained for the Mountain Plover in Canada.

Acknowledgements

Colleen Hyslop, Chief, COSEWIC Secretariat provided valuable administrative assistance. Funding for this report was provided by the Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada.

Literature Cited

Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). 1999. 1999 species at risk in Canada, Ottawa.

Coues, E. 1974. Birds of the northwest--handbook of the ornithology of the region drained by the Missouri River and its tributaries. U.S. Geological Survey of the Territories, Miscellaneous Publication No. 3, Government Printing Office, Washington D.C.

Coues, E. 1878. Field notes on birds observed in Dakota and Montana along the 45th parallel during the seasons of 1873 and 1874. Article XXV. Pages 545-661 in Bulletin of the U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories. Volume IV. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

Edwards, R., S. Brechtel and D. Hjertaas. 1993. National recovery plan for the Mountain Plover (second draft). Prepared by the Mountain Plover Recovery Team for the Recovery of Nationally Endangered Wildlife Committee.

Farrand, J. Jr. 1983. The Audubon Society Master Guide to Birding, Volume 3 - Loons to Sandpipers. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 447 pp.

Graul, W.D. 1975. Breeding biology of the mountain plover. Wilson Bulletin 87:6-31.

Graul, W.D., and L.E. Webster. 1976. Breeding status of the mountain plover. Condor 78:265-267.

Knopf, F.L. 1994. Avian assemblages on altered grasslands. Studies in avian biology 15:247-257.

Knopf, F.L. 1996. Mountain plover (Charadrius montanus). In The Birds of North America. Editors: A. Poole and F. Gill. Number 211. The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. 16 pp.

Knopf, F.L. 1997. Rare, local, little-known, and declining north american breeders--a closer look: Mountain Plover. Birding 29(1):38-44.

Knopf, F.L., and B.J. Miller. 1994. Charadrius montanus--montane, grassland, or bare-ground plover. Auk 111:504-506.

Knopf, F.L., and J.R. Rupert. 1995. Habits and habitats of mountain plovers in California. Condor 97:743-751.

Knopf, F.L., and J.R. Rupert. 1996. Reproduction and movements of mountain plovers breeding in Colorado. Wilson Bulletin 108:28-35.

Knowles, C.J., and P.R. Knowles. 1996. Mountain plover numbers, reproduction, and habitat use in three areas of Montana: 1995 survey results. Bureau of Land Management. Billings, Montana. 16 pp with appendices.

Knowles, C.J., and P.R. Knowles. 1998. The historic and current status of the mountain plover in Montana. Bureau of Land Management, Billings, Montana. 43 pp.

Leachman, B. and B. Osmundson. 1990. Status of the Mountain Plover: a literature review. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Golden, Colorado. 83 pp.

Northern Great Plains Steppe Ecoregional Conservation Team. 1999. Ecoregional conservation in the Northern Great Plains Steppe. The Nature Conservancy. 76 pp.

Olson, S.L. 1984. Density and distribution, nest site selection, and activity of the Mountain Plover on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. M.Sc. Thesis, University of Montana. 62 pp.

Pulliam, H.R. 1988. Sources, sinks, and population regulation. The American Naturalist 132:652-661.

Sauer, J.R., J.E. Hines, G. Gough, I. Thomas, and B.G. Peterjohn. 1997. The North American Breeding Bird Survey results and analysis. Version 96.4. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland.

Smith, A.R. 1996. Atlas of Saskatchewan birds. Nature Saskatchewan, Regina.

Soper, J.D. 1941. The Mountain Plover in western Canada. Canadian Field-Naturalist 55:137.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Interior. 1999. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants: proposed threatened status for the Mountain Plover. Pages 75887-7601 in Federal Register Vol. 64, No. 30, February 16, 1999.

Wallis, C. 1978. Milk River resource evaluation. Alberta Recreation, Parks and Wildlife, Edmonton. 122 pp + maps.

Watts, C.R. 1981. Changes in the birds in central Montana. Proceedings of the Montana Academy of Sciences 40:31-40.

Wershler, C.R. 1986. Lost River: Mountain Plover study. Prepared by Sweetgrass Consultants Ltd., Calgary, Alberta for Alberta Forestry Lands and Wildlife, Public Lands Division, Natural Areas Program, Edmonton, Alberta. 10 pp.

Wershler, C.R. 1989. A management strategy for Mountain Plovers in Alberta. Pages 169-172 in Holroyd et al., editors. Proceedings of Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Workshop. Natural History Occasional Paper No. 15. Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta.

Wershler, C.R. 1990. A management plan for the Mountain Plover in Alberta. Prepared by Sweetgrass Consultants Ltd., Calgary, Alberta for Wild West Program, World Wildlife Fund Canada and Alberta Forestry, Lands and Wildlife. 25 pp + maps.

Wershler, C.R. and C.A. Wallis. 1986. Report on the status of the Mountain Plover, Charadrius montanus, in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa, Ontario. 34 pp.

The Author

Cleve Wershler graduated from the University of Calgary in 1973 with a BSc in Zoology and Botany. From 1973 to 1976, he was employed as a resource management specialist with Alberta Parks. Since 1978, he has operated Sweetgrass Consultants Ltd., a consulting firm specializing in conservation work on rare and endangered species, habitats and significant natural features.

Over the last three decades, Cleve has been involved in a large number of wildlife related projects in the Mixed Grassland Natural Region of southeastern Alberta. This experience has provided him with an excellent understanding of the status and dynamics of grassland wildlife species and habitats.

Cleve has conducted research on the status and conservation of a variety of species of concern including Baird’s Sparrow, Loggerhead Shrike, Piping Plover and Mountain Plover. Work specifically related to the Mountain Plover has included the preparation of a status reports for Canada and Alberta, the preparation of management plans or guidelines for Canada and Alberta, and habitat and population surveys in specific areas of Alberta.

Cleve has also had a keen personal interest in the Mountain Plover in Canada and has conducted personal studies, keeping an updated file of observations on this species. He was a co-author of a paper documenting the first nesting records of Mountain Plover in Canada.

Experts Consulted

Robert E. Leachman

Senior Staff Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Ecological Services

Western Colorado Field Office

764 Horizon Drive, Building B

Grand Junction, CO 81506-3946

Phone: (970)245-3920 ext. 18

E-Mail: Robert_Leachman@FWS.GOV

Technical Summary

DISTRIBUTION

Extent of occurrence: less than 20 km²

Area of occupancy: less than 5 km²

POPULATION INFORMATION

Total number of individuals in the Canadian population: less than 50; currently, possibly fewer than 10

Number of mature individuals in the Canadian population (effective population size): less than 50; currently, possibly fewer than 10

Generation time: unknown number of years

Population trend: unknown in last 10 years; declined since 1979

Rate of population decline: 50% from 1979 to 1999

Number of sub-populations: two

Is the population fragmented? YES

number of individuals in each subpopulation(give range): Lost River-Wildhorse: 0-11 adults; Val Marie: 0-2 adults

number of extant sites: four since 1979; one in last 10 years

number of historic sites from which species has been extirpated: one probable breeding site

Does the species undergo fluctuations? YES

THREATS

Effects of range management, human intrusion, habitat destruction, weather extremes, and continental population declines (believed to be related to declines in burrowing rodents, effects of range management, habitat destruction and possibly effects of pesticides)

RESCUE POTENTIAL

Does species exist outside Canada? YES

Is immigration known or possible? YES

Would individuals from the nearest foreign population be adapted to survive in Canada? YES

Would sufficient suitable habitat be available for immigrants? NO

Appendix 1

Summary of Records of Mountain Plovers in Canadasince 1986

1. May 14, 1987, 1 adult, SE of Val Marie, SK, Wayne Harris (pers. comm.) in the vicinity of a prairie dog colony, moderately grazed by cattle.

2. July 31, 1987, 5 (family group: 2 adults, 3 flightless young), SE of Val Marie, SK (about 16 km N of the U.S. border), on the prairie dog colony of record 1, Wayne Harris (pers. comm.).

3. June 14, 1990, 1 adult + nest (3 eggs), NE of Wildhorse, AB, Alberta Fish and Wildlife staff

4. June 19-July 1, 1990, (no number specified), NE of Wildhorse, AB, Hue Mackenzie and Mary Collins (in Koes, R.F. and P. Taylor. 1990. American Birds 44: 1148-1149).

5. June 13, 1991, SE of Val Marie, SK, 1 adult on a prairie dog colony ungrazed by cattle (different location from that of records 1 and 2), Wayne Harris (pers. comm.).

6. May 7, 1994, 1 adult, NE, of Wildhorse, AB, Peter Roxburgh (pers. comm.)

7. May 12, 1994, 1 adult + nest (3 eggs), NE of Wildhorse, AB, Tom Sadler (pers. comm.)

8. July 24, 1995, Lumsden, SK, 1 bird, C. and M. Pollack (in Koes, R.F. and P. Taylor. 1995. Field Notes 49: 941-943). Note: date is given as June 24 in Birders Journal. This record, from north of Regina, is extralimital to the Canadian breeding range.

9. Early May, 1999, 1 nest, NE of Wildhorse, local rancher, per Joan and Malcolm MacDonald