# data[].attributes.body
The mountain plover (Charadrius montanus) is a medium-sized ground bird in the plover family (Charadriidae). It is misnamed, as it lives on level land. Unlike most plovers, it is usually not found near bodies of water or even on wet soil; it prefers dry habitat with short grass (usually due to grazing) and bare ground. its main food is Mostly insects; but in the dry upland habitats where this plover lives, it probably feeds almost entirely on insects, including grasshoppers, beetles, flies, and crickets. Mountain Plover conservation depends on the protection of suitable nesting habitat and nest sites as well as prairie dog protection. The mountain plover is threatened by habitat loss, agriculture, pesticide exposure and oil and gas development. Loss of these areas because of crop planting or the removal of prairie dogs, is the biggest threat to the mountain plover's population. Additionally, each year NPP educates approximately 5,000 students about healthy habitats for people and shortgrass prairie wildlife, including mountain plovers, through programs like Panhandle Extravaganza about Prairies, Bird Banding Stations and other educational programming. A significant percentage of the Mountain Plover's global population winters in the Chihuahuan Grasslands of Mexico. Here, thanks to the efforts of our partner Pronatura Noreste, ranchers in Mexico are now strategically moving cattle from pasture to pasture, mimicking natural processes that maintain habitat for grassland birds and is being watch by armed guard.