CHICAGO — One of Montrose Beach’s piping plover chicks has died, the Chicago Piping Plovers group announced Tuesday.
The chick, dubbed Mavis, was one of four that hatched in mid-June to parents Sea Rocket and Imani. The Great Lakes piping plovers are a federally endangered species; in recent years, Chicagoans have made significant efforts to protect the birds at Montrose and help grow their population.
“Every single one of them is so crucial to the survival of the species, and each loss hurts on so many levels,” the Chicago Piping Plovers group wrote on social media. “We carry on the work to ensure the survival of this species and still have three beautiful reminders as to why.”
No further information was immediately available regarding the loss of the chick. The Chicago Piping Plovers group asked that people hold off on requesting details, as the scientists involved are “dealing with every monitor’s worst nightmare.”
The loss comes just a day after the Chicago Piping Plovers group announced the chicks’ names — Buddy, Frankie, Mavis and Tweedy, in honor of four Chicago music legends — following an online naming contest that received more than 1,500 ideas.
Imani is the son of the piping plover couple Monty and Rose, who became Chicago celebrities when they began nesting at Montrose Beach in 2019. Monty died at Montrose Beach from a respiratory infection in 2022, while Rose’s whereabouts are unknown.
Imani and Sea Rocket have been nesting and rearing chicks for several years at Montrose.
Last year, one of their chicks, Ferris, was killed by a hawk, but the other two survived.
In 2024, Imani and Sea Rocket made a nest with four chicks. All of their chicks died except one, Nagamo, despite efforts by local monitors.
There are about 80 pairs of Great Lakes piping plovers in the Great Lakes region, according to the Chicago Piping Plovers group. Birding groups have repeatedly warned that observers should keep their distance and pick up their trash to ensure the birds’ safety.
“Little one, you, all those we have, and all those we have lost, are not just a star but our flame; sometimes warming us, sometimes guiding us, and always reigniting our hope,” the Chicago Piping Plover group wrote.