An uncommon visitor to the Gulf Coast of Florida during migration season is the American Golden Plover. These birds migrate extraordinary distances in the spring and fall.
The bird breeds in the extreme northern areas of Canada and the Arctic and then travel as far as Argentina and back every year! During migration, the American Golden Plover can be drab colored with gray and white feathers with small “flecks” of gold on their wings. During breeding season, however, the birds display brilliant black and gold feathers.
They are considered shorebirds, with a diet consisting of small crustaceans, worms and mollusks that they catch by probing the sand with their short but very precise bill. American Golden Plovers are one of the longest migrating species on Earth, and there’s been examples of them traveling as much as five thousand miles and back in the same year!
So, next time you’re on the beach, keep an eye out for one of these long-distance flight champions!