CHICAGO (CBS) — Another plover, believed to be a female, returned to Montrose Beach on Wednesday, giving observers hope that a love affair might be in the making.
Sea Rocket was a captive-reared chick that was released last year in Chicago along with two other plovers. Wild Indigo and Prickly Pear. The plovers are thought to be nearly extinct.
When the plover left, a fishing line was tangled in its foot. Birdwatchers confirmed that the line was gone and the birds’ feet looked fine.
If Sea Rocket is a female, the hope is that she will mate with another plover.
Sea Rocket hangs out with Imani, a guy who hasn’t found a partner yet.
Imani back to the beach last month for the third year in a row. His parents, Monty and Rose, captured the hearts of Chicagoans in 2019 and again during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The plover was placed on the Federal Endangered Species list nearly four decades ago, in 1986. There must be at least 150 breeding pairs to not be considered endangered. By comparison, in 1990 there were only 13 couples, but that number has increased in recent years. Habitat loss due to human development, predation and climate change are all listed as contributing to the decline of their species.
Plovers are considered an important part of the biodiversity of Illinois and the Great Lake. The birds also offer scientists insight into the state of an ecosystem, a study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln argues.
