Duane McKay, age 12, of Nashua, N.H., for his question:

WHERE DOES THE UPLAND PLOVER LIVE?

An upland plover is a North American bird of the sandpiper family. It is usually found on wet prairies or meadows. It is the only member of one group of sandpipers that does not live by the sea.

The upland plover breeds from Alaska to Montana and Maine. In the fall, it migrates to southern Brazil and Argentina. There the bird winters on the pampas.

An upland plover is about a foot long and has an especially long tail for a sandpiper. Its color is blackish brown and buff above, and buff with dark streaks on the breast and sides. Its belly is usually white.

Upland plovers destroy harmful insects, such as locusts and cutworms. The birds are protected from hunters by law.

The bird makes its nest in clumps of prairie grass or dry leaves on the prairie. The female lays four cream colored eggs. The young birds can fly by midsummer after being born in late spring.