probing in wet ground or in shallow water and picking prey from the water surface and aquatic plants. Its diet has not been detailed but is known to be mostly aquatic invertebrates. Breeding The diademed sandpiper-plover's egg period is from October to December in Chile and extends into January in Bolivia. Its nest is a hollow in the ground or a platform of dried grass. All documented clutches were of two eggs. The incubation period and time to fledging are not known. Vocalization A diademed sandpiper-plover call given while foraging and in flight is "a clipped pic or pic-pic". What are thought to be alarm calls are "a plaintive, slightly drawn-out wheehu, a less plaintive, fairly sharp whee-u!, and a surprisingly loud screamed whistle, whEEHU!." Status The IUCN has assessed the diademed sandpiper-plover as Near Threatened. It has a moderately large range but its estimated population of 1500 to 7000 mature individuals is believed to be decreasing. Though its habitat is thought to be relatively secure, " demand for water resources as well as overgrazing, road networks and human disturbance have been identified as threats". In addition, "[t]he unique peatlands ecosystem of the high Andes is projected to be severely reduced as a result of climate change" with up to 75% expected to be lost by about the year 2100. References External links Diademed sandpiper-plover photo gallery VIREO (with picture of egg clutch) Photo-High Res Borderland-tours diademed sandpiper-plover Birds of the Puna grassland diademed sandpiper-plover diademed sandpiper-plover Taxonomy articles created by Polbot