The Piping Plovers are back and they’re stopping traffic at Smith Point Outer Beach on Long Island.
Plovers are small sand-colored wading birds with stick-like orange legs. Right now many are unfledged. That means they don’t have feathers yet and can’t fly.
The Suffolk County Parks Department closed the beach to vehicles on Wednesday to protect them.
Officials said this closure is required by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service because Piping Plovers are a threatened species.
In New York State they’re considered endangered.
County officials said that the situation will be monitored daily for updates.