Size - 12"  : Shows Distinctive Black Armpits in flight and White Wing Stripe.   

The Black-bellied Plover is a common winter resident here. It is often found on the beaches.  It is a large plover measuring to 12 inches.  Most often seen in winter plumage here, it is often misidentified by the novice.  This plover is not often found in large groups, but generally in ones or two's up and down the beach.  Black-bellied Plovers are our largest plovers in North America they nest on the coastal tundra of northwestern Alaska and north-central Canada. They winter on the coasts of North and South America. T he characteristic black under parts with white-striped neck and their black-and-white speckled back are replaced by a duller gray and white plumage during winter.   

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