The Black-bellied Plover breeds regularly in Arctic Alaska with the highest numbersconcentrated in the central portion of the Arctic Coastal Plain (Johnson et al. 2007). Ingeneral, this species tends to choose dry habitats for nesting such as dry heath tundra, exposedridges, and river banks. They will occasionally nest in wetter tundra habitats but tend to selectdrier microsites (Paulson 1995). Black-bellied Plovers search for invertebrate prey visually onopen tundra during the breeding season. This species winters along the coastlines of NorthAmerica from southern Canada to Middle America (Paulson 1995). Current Alaskapopulation estimate (P. s. squatarola) is 50,000 with a declining population trend (Morrisonet al. 2006).
