Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)

Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)

Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)

I saw this plover in a rather interesting cage in the New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts, on the afternoon of March 14, 2011. The cage was really interesting, with a view of downtown Boston (seen in the second picture).  These birds nest on the ground, and because of that they have developed an interesting distraction display of pretending to have a broken wing when perceived predators come close to their nest. You can read more about and see an example of distraction displays here, and can read more about the semipalmated plover here.