Wednesday, 16 September 2026
16 September is Plover Appreciation Day, a special day to celebrate and raise awareness of the plight of ground-nesting plovers around the world.
Many species of plovers are highly threatened, largely due to their habitats also being some of the most popular places for people’s recreation, such as the beach, shores of lakes and wetlands, or open grasslands.
The plovers’ dependence on these habitats, together with their highly camouflaged nests and cryptic behaviours, means that people can have major impacts on the survival of their eggs and chicks without even knowing it. The key to coexistence between people and plovers is awareness, understanding and sharing spaces with them.
Australia is home to two different species of resident plovers – the Hooded Plover and the Red-capped Plover – while another 12 species of plovers are migratory, non-breeding visitors to our shores.
The Hooded Plover and Red-capped Plover are known as beach-nesting birds because they usually lay their eggs on the beach, although Red-capped Plovers may sometimes lay their eggs at the margin of a wetland.
And they’re nesting right now – so please don’t disturb them!
Meanwhile, most of the migratory species of plovers are heading back to Australia at the moment, flying from their breeding grounds in Siberia and elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere. They cover many thousands of kilometres to get here. When they’re in Australia, they usually feed on sheltered shores, where they are also easily disturbed. They need to spend long periods of time feeding so they can replenish the energy that they expended during their marathon migratory flight to get here.
Another migratory plover, the Double-banded Plover, has only just left our shores in the last few weeks, heading back across the Tasman Sea to its breeding grounds in New Zealand. They’ll be back in Australia again next autumn.
Our plovers already have it hard, and the best way to appreciate them is from a distance. Help give them the best chance of survival by minimising disturbance, and remember to:
For 20 years, BirdLife Australia’s Beach-nesting Birds Program has been working with communities and land managers to ensure that Australia’s plovers not only survive, but thrive into the future.
Our Beach-nesting Birds Program has already overseen a steady increase in the survival of plover chicks on many of our beaches, and our experts continue to implement new, innovative strategies, using both science and to make sure this success continues.
To find out more and get involved in beach-nesting bird conservation, visit our dedicated Beach-nesting Birds Hub.
When you head to the beach for a day of fun in the sun, chances are you’ll be sharing the shore with migratory and beach-nesting birds.
Five Australian shorebirds, and many species of seabirds, rely on coastal habitats for nesting. Loss of coastal habitats and recreational pressures are taking a devastating toll.
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