The mountain plover is one of only 12 grassland birds endemic to the Western Great Plains. They nest across the western Great Plains and Rocky Mountain states, from the Canadian border to northern Mexico, and winter in California, southern Arizona, Texas, and Mexico. Mountain plovers will only nest in areas with sparse vegetation or bare ground, such as prairie dog towns. As a result, the biggest threat to the survival of the mountain plover's population is the loss of these areas due to crop planting or removal of prairie dogs.

DID YOU KNOW?

• In courtship, the mountain plover will make a sound comparable to a far-off cow mooing.
• The IUCN has classified the mountain plover as near threatened.
• The mountain plover's scientific name is Charadrius montanus.