One of Imani and Searocket’s four chicks. ID bands and names will soon help people tell the plovers apart. (Courtesy Chicago Piping Plovers)

Chicago’s four piping plover chicks are growing every day and it’s time to give the little ones names besides “cutie” and “fluffy.”

A contest is now open, with submissions being accepted online through end-of-day on July 11 (click here to access the entry form).

People can suggest up to four names, which should reflect Chicago’s heritage, culture and diversity. Names of elected officials or political figures will not be accepted.

The Chicago Bird Alliance, the Chicago Ornithological Society and the Illinois Ornithological Society are sponsoring the contest.

Need a little inspiration to get the creative juices flowing? Look no further than the winners of past plover naming contests.

In 2020, Monty and Rose — cleverly named for Montrose Beach — fledged three chicks eventually called Hazel, Esperanza and Nish.

— Hazel is in honor of Hazel M. Johnson, often called the mother of the environmental justice movement.

— Esperanza means “hope” in Spanish.

— Nish is a colloquial expression for Nishnabe’k (Potawatomi) and Anishinaabe (Ojibwa and Odawa). Nish made history in 2021 when he and mate Nellie nested in Ohio on Lake Erie, becoming the state’s first breeding pair in more than 80 years.

In 2021, two of Monty and Rose’s chicks survived:

— Siewka (pronounced Shivka), the Polish word for “plover.”

— Imani, the word for “faith” in Swahili. Given Imani’s return to Montrose beach three years running, and his patience in waiting for a mate, “faith” has indeed been fitting.

How will wildlife officials and plover monitors be able to tell which plover is which?

Along with names, the chicks will each receive an ID band. Siblings from the same clutch are given bands with matching colors, but each band also has unique numbers or dot colors. This allows observers to track an individual plover’s movements as it makes its way to its southern wintering grounds and to know which birds arrive at northern Great Lakes beaches in the spring.

Because piping plover chicks are mobile almost immediately after hatching, their legs are strong enough to accommodate the lightweight bands, according to Audubon Great Lakes.

Here’s a bonus look at the Chicago region’s other plover family — Blaze and Pepper’s brood in Lake County.

Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]