OCCURRENCES OF THE PIPING PLOVER IN CUBA

Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) have been seen in Cuba as early as the 1800s. There are at least 14 known records of the Piping Plover i n the Cuban archipelago for the period 1965-1992. The number of indivi duals seen ranged from 1 to 25 with most sightings made on Cuba's nort hern keys in the Sabana and Camaguey archipelagos. A cursory evaluatio n of Cuba's insular habitats, through limited surveys and examination of coastal relief and vegetation maps, suggests that Cuba is marginall y suitable for wintering Piping Plovers. Habitats in some of the north ern keys may be more suitable. Additional surveys are required to conf irm this evaluation. Currently, the status of the Piping Plover in Cub a appears to be that of a rare winter visitor.