It’s nesting time for piping plovers, NYC’s ‘cotton balls with legs’

The tiny migratory shorebird is the only endangered shorebird species that consistently nests on New York City beaches. In 1985, the tiny shorebird was listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act after hunting. After the bird was spotted nesting on Rockway Beach about a decade later, the Parks Department established the Rockaway Beach Endangered Species Nesting Area between Beach 39th Street and Beach 57th Street. WNYC reporter and Morning Edition producer Amanda Rozon went out to Rockaway Beach to catch a glimpse of the shorebird.