Piping plover (Charadrius melodus) residence description

Official title: Description of residence for Piping plover (Charadrius melodus, circumcinctus and melodus subspecies) in Canada

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Section 33 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) prohibits damaging or destroying the residence of a listed threatened, endangered, or extirpated species. SARA defines residence as: “a dwelling-place, such as a den, nest or other similar area or place, that is occupied or habitually occupied by one or more individuals during all or part of their life cycles, including breeding, rearing, staging, wintering, feeding or hibernating” [s.2(1)].

The prohibition comes into effect in different ways depending on the jurisdiction responsible for the species. As a migratory bird protected under the Migratory Bird Convention Act, the Piping Plover is under federal jurisdiction. This means the residence prohibition is in effect on all lands on which the species occurs immediately upon its addition to the legal list of species at risk.

The following description of residence for the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus, circumcinctus and melodus subspecies)was created for the purposes of increasing public awareness and aiding enforcement of the above prohibition. Piping Plovers are known to have one type of residence – a nest.

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