The Great Lakes piping plover has been classified as endangered since the 1980s, when its numbers reached alarmingly low levels. The inland populations are endangered and the coastal population is listed as threatened according to the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Piping plover adults and chicks feed on marine macroinvertebrates such as worms, fly larvae, beetles, and crustaceans. About "Monty and Rose" "Monty and Rose" tells the story of a pair of endangered piping plovers that successfully nested at Chicago's Montrose Beach in the summer of 2019, the first of the species to nest in Chicago in 64 years. The piping plover has been listed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Wildlife in Canada since 1985. The piping plover is a federally endangered species, and has been nesting in Northeast Wisconsin, but an outbreak of bird-killing bacteria this summer, forced the move. What it looks like. Piping plovers were common along coasts until the late 19th century, when the birds' downy, sand-colored feathers were sought after for the hat-making trade. The Piping Plover is a small shorebird that is well-camouflaged on the pale sand beaches it favours. There are three populations of piping plovers in the United States and Canada: the Atlantic, the Northern Great Plains, and the Great Lakes. Piping plovers are present on the New Jersey shore during the breeding season, generally between March 15 and August 31. The Piping Plover was already assessed as endangered when the Endangered Species Act took effect in 2008. Its stubby bill is orange with a black tip and its legs are bright orange.