This is Bird Note.

Count yourself lucky if you see or hear the melodious piping clever.

They have a very distinctive and melodic call.

In fact, their scientific name is Chiridrius Maladus.

Not only are the Shorebird Their scientific name is Chiridria's maladus.

Not only are the shorebirds tiny and conveniently sand-colored, they're also threatened

in much of their range.

Anne Hecht has steadied piping plovers on the Atlantic coast for over 35 years.

In that time, she's seen plovers get a big boost from something

rather surprising, hurricanes. Piping plovers really prefer beaches where there's an open swath of sand,

little to no vegetation. And that's exactly what Superstorm Sandy left behind on barrier islands in New York and New Jersey.

Plant-free sandy beaches actually offer better camouflage for nesting plovers.

The nests and the birds really blend into the sand, and they're very difficult for predators to detect.

And once they hatch, plover chicks have an easier time foraging on storm-washed beaches.

Where these hurricane-created habitats were protected, piping plovers have boomed.

I consider piping plovers for all of their vulnerability to be extremely lucky birds.

They have such a dedicated network of conservation partners who work so hard to protect them.

For Bird Note, I'm Zoe Gruskin.