Western Oregon observers enjoy these large, elegant plovers almost year-round, and as a consequence they are one of the most familiar larger shorebirds.

Almost all migrants and winterers visiting Oregon inhabit mudflats and open wet dirt fields. A few can be found on sand beaches and even occasionally on rocks, but the great majority are found feeding and resting on open mud.

In Oregon, it is a fairly common to common transient in western interior valleys. East of the Cascades, the Black-bellied plover is an uncommon transient in the Klamath Basin and at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. In winter it is a common resident on the coast.

Hear the call of the Black-bellied plover

Photo by Mark Peck, Flickr