笛鸻 （学名：Charadrius melodus）是一种候鸟，呈沙色。大小如麻雀，栖息在近海岸边的沙滩或石滩。成年的笛鸻脚部呈橙黄色，前额上两眼间有一道黑间，在繁殖期颈上会出现一道黑环。雄鸟与雌鸟很难分辨，于繁殖期是雄鸟颈上的黑环较粗。

笛鸻有两个亚种，东部的称为Charadrius melodus melodus，而中西部的为Charadrius melodus circumcinctus。笛鸻的叫声清脆像钟声，往往先闻其声，后再现身。现时世界上约有57000只笛鸻存留。

笛鸻分布在大西洋海岸上的沙滩、五大湖的湖边及美国与加拿大的中西部。牠们在沙滩上觅食，主要吃昆虫、水中的虫及甲壳类。

The piping plover (Charadrius melodus) is a small sand-colored, sparrow-sized shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches in North America. The adult has yellow-orange legs, a black band across the forehead from eye to eye, and a black ring around the neck. This chest band is usually thicker in males during the breeding season, and it's the only reliable way to tell the sexes apart. The bird is difficult to see when it is standing still, as it blends well with open, sandy beach habitats. It typically runs in short spurts and stops.