# Snowy plover (*Charadrius nivosus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/snowy-plover  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus) is a species in the family Charadriidae, order Charadriiformes. Recorded adults weigh 42.3 g to 46.1 g and live up to 15.1 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Near Threatened.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 42.3 g – 46.1 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 42 cm – 45 cm |
| Lifespan | 15.1 years |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 19 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | coastal |
| Egg incubation | 25 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3 |
| Age at maturity | 10.9 months – 14 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.5 |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Partial |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Charadriiformes
- family: Charadriidae
- genus: Charadrius
- species: *Charadrius nivosus* (Cassin, 1858)

## Common questions

### How big is the snowy plover?

An adult snowy plover weighs 42.3 g – 46.1 g and has a wingspan of 42 cm – 45 cm, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

### Is the snowy plover endangered?

The snowy plover is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is close to qualifying as threatened.

### How long does the snowy plover live?

The snowy plover has a recorded lifespan of 15.1 years.

### What kind of animal is the snowy plover?

The snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus) belongs to the family Charadriidae in the order Charadriiformes.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/snowy-plover