Large plover, heavy bodied, thick necked, large billed relative to most other plovers. Bill short and thick, tapering evenly to bluntly pointed tip. Wings pointed, extending just beyond tail tip; tail slightly rounded. Legs and toes relatively short. Breeding plumage unmistakable: male upperparts white, mottled and barred with black and black belly; comparable markings of female more subdued, typically light and dark brown. Note distinctive black "armpit" in flight.

Common coastally; uncommon to rare inland. Found on open mudflats and beaches and in fields. Nests on damp lowland tundra.

Migratory. Breeds from western Alaska through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Winters from British Columbia and Massachusetts south along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts.