The Mountain Plover is a medium-sized ground plover measuring about 9 inches in length with a wingspan of roughly 23 inches, and weighing around 105 g (3.7 oz). Sexes are alike, displaying drably sandy-brown upperparts, bright white underparts, a thin black frontal band, and a prominent white supercilium. Compared with the more familiar Killdeer, it has longer legs and a more erect posture. This species favors level, dry habitats with very short vegetation or bare ground—often maintained by grazing livestock or agricultural activities—and forages by walking in loose flocks, picking off insects and other small arthropods.
In Arizona, Mountain Plovers are rare visitors rather than breeders. They appear almost exclusively in winter, chiefly in the Lower Colorado River Valley from Yuma through the Phoenix–Chandler corridor, where they occupy open fallow fields, short-grass pastures, and other sparsely vegetated sites from late fall into early spring. Flock sizes typically range from 20 to 180 birds, with some lingering until March. There are no recent confirmed nesting records in the state.
