ale, while their first mate will continue to rear the chicks. Such polygamy is uncommon in birds, and is possibly a strategy to maximize breeding success. There are more males than females – 1.4 times as many in California – and the more pronounced this sex ratio is, the more females engage in polygamous behavior. The snowy plover is listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The main threats are habitat destruction due to invasive beach grasses, urban development, as well as frequent disturbance due to recreational uses of beaches. Conservation measures on the US Pacific coast include roping-off beach areas that are used for breeding, the removal of invasive beach grasses, and protection against egg predators. While such measures have been successful locally, the global population is thought to be in decline. Taxonomy and systematics The snowy plover was first described by John Cassin in 1858 as Aegialitis nivosa, based on a skin collected in 1854 by William P. Trowbridge in Presidio, which later became part of San Francisco.[2] This skin, the holotype of the species, was subsequently lost. Although originally part of the collection of the National Museum of Natural History, it was given to the collector Henry E. Dresser of Englan
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