The surviving piping plover chick on Montrose Beach now has a name.
The chick, born this summer to parents Imani and Searocket, was named Nagamo, which means “he/she sings” in Ojibwe, one of the languages spoken by the Anishinaabe people. The city of Chicago is located on their traditional homeland. Imani was born in 2021 to beloved couple Monty and Rose.
Nagamo’s name, announced Saturday, was selected via a communitywide contest organized by the Chicago Bird Alliance, Chicago Ornithological Society and Illinois Ornithological Society. Participants were encouraged to submit ideas reflecting Chicago’s heritage, culture and diversity. A panel of leaders from local environmental and birding organizations made the final decision to select the name submitted by Mike Doty.
Piping plovers are known for their melodic “pi-low” chirp. Their scientific name, Charadrius melodus, also pays homage to their songlike call.
So far, Nagamo seems to be wearing the name well.
“On the day of the naming selection, Imani and Sea Rocket’s little chick was heard piping,” according to the Chicago Piping Plovers Instagram account, which provides regular updates on the Montrose Beach bird family.
Nagamo and parents are being closely monitored by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Chicago Park District and volunteers from Chicago-area birding organizations. Researchers have yet to determine Nagamo’s sex.
Piping plovers are federally protected endangered species native to the Great Lakes and known for pairing up to rear young. The Montrose Beach family is part of an ongoing effort to restore the piping plover population, which reached an all-time low of 13 pairs in the 1980s.
Historically, 500 to 800 piping plover pairs nested in the Great Lakes, according to the Great Lakes Piping Plover Conservation Team.
Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune
A piping plover offspring of Monty and Rose is seen at Montrose Beach in Chicago on July 8, 2021.
John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune
A newly hatched piping plover chick stands next to one of its parents at Montrose Beach on July 10, 2021.
Great Lakes piping plover Imani stretches his wings after helping to incubate an egg at Montrose Beach in Chicago on May 31, 2024. The Chicago Park District announced the presence of a new egg on the protected area at the Montrose Beach Dunes. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Great Lakes piping plover Imani incubates an egg, surrounded by a protective cage installed earlier this week, at Montrose Beach on May 31, 2024, in Chicago. The Park District announced the presence of a new egg on the protected area at Montrose Beach Dunes. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Great Lakes piping plover Searocket looks for food near a nest where she laid an egg at Montrose Beach on May 31, 2024, in Chicago. The Park District announced the presence of a new egg on the protected area at Montrose Beach Dunes. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
A bird watcher uses a scope to locate Great Lakes piping plovers Searocket and Imani at Montrose Beach on May 31, 2024, in Chicago. The Park District announced the presence of a new egg on the protected area at Montrose Beach Dunes. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Great Lakes piping plover Searocket looks for food near a nest where she laid an egg at Montrose Beach on May 31, 2024, in Chicago. The Park District announced the presence of a new egg on the protected area at Montrose Beach Dunes. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune
An endangered piping plover sits in a gravel parking lot across from the beach in Waukegan Municipal Beach on May 10, 2019, in Waukegan.
Shanna Madison / Chicago Tribune
Imani, background, watches a newly arrived piping plover walk along Montrose Beach on April 27, 2023. Imani is a male offspring of Monty and Rose.
John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune
A tattoo of Rose, an endangered Great Lakes piping plover, is inked on the leg of Dori Levine, a volunteer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as she observes Rose and her mate, Monty, with their four recently hatched chicks at Montrose Beach on July 10, 2021.
Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune
Rose, right, leaves the nest as Monty takes takes over duties at Montrose Beach on July 18, 2019.
Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune
Bird monitor Emma England, left, and Annette McClellan walk along the pier at Waukegan Municipal Beach on a foggy morning on May 29, 2019, in Waukegan.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
Monty the piping plover walks the shoreline on April 21, 2022, after returning to Montrose Harbor.
Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune
Monty or Rose, an adult piping plover, sits with one of their chicks at Montrose Beach in Chicago on July 8, 2021. Monty and Rose have hatched their third round of chicks since first parenting at Montrose Beach in 2019.
Shanna Madison / Chicago Tribune
Imani, a piping plover walks along Montrose Beach on April 27, 2023.
Shanna Madison / Chicago Tribune
An unbanded piping plover walks along Montrose Harbor on April 27, 2023.
Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune
Young piping plovers at Montrose Beach in Chicago on July 29, 2020.
Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune
An endangered piping plover roams around a gravel parking lot across from the beach in Waukegan Municipal Beach on May 10, 2019, in Waukegan.
Shanna Madison / Chicago Tribune
Laura Mobley watches piping plovers on April 27, 2023, at Montrose Beach.
Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune
Bird monitor Emma England, left, and Annette McClellan look for birds on a foggy morning at Waukegan Municipal Beach on May 29, 2019, in Waukegan. A male piping plover had been spotted foraging for food in the early morning hours over the last several weeks.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
People walk along a foggy lakefront June 19, 2019, at Montrose Beach.
Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune
A piping plover known as Rose is seen at Chicago’s Montrose Beach on April 26, 2021.
Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune
An adult piping plover wades at Montrose Beach in Chicago on June 24, 2020.
Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune
Bystanders look for Monty and Rose, the endangered Great Lakes piping plovers that became the first pair to nest successfully in Chicago in decades, at Montrose Beach on April 26, 2021.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
A piping plover sits on its nest after a protective cage was installed by officials June 10, 2019, at Montrose Beach. The piping plovers can enter and leave the cage, but other wildlife or people can’t interfere with their nest.
Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune
Monty and Rose, the endangered Great Lakes piping plovers that became the first pair to nest successfully in Chicago in decades, are seen at Montrose beach on April 26, 2021.
Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune
A piping plover who appears to be Monty is seen at Montrose beach on April 26, 2021.
Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune
A bird that matches leg bandings of Monty, one of the endangered Great Lakes piping plovers that became the first pair to nest successfully in Chicago in decades, is seen at Montrose Beach on April 26, 2021.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
A piping plover walks on the sand near the new nest Wednesday, June 19, 2019 at Montrose Beach.
Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune
Young piping plovers at Montrose Beach in Chicago on July 29, 2020.
Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune
A piping plover named Rose appears at Montrose Beach in Chicago on April 26, 2021. Rose and her mate, Monty, first met on a Waukegan beach when they were only a few months old. They attempted to nest in Waukegan in 2018, without success, but in 2019, they ended up fledging two chicks on Montrose. And last summer, they fledged three.
Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune
Beachgoers enjoy themselves at Montrose Beach on June 8, 2019. Some community groups do not want the summer music fest Mamby on the Beach to take place there, while the promotors are pushing back.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
People watch a piping plover walk through the sand on April 21, 2022, at Montrose Harbor.
Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune
A piping plover chick walks at Montrose Beach in Chicago on June 24, 2020.
Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune
Birders look for Monty and Rose, the endangered Great Lakes piping plovers that became the first pair to nest successfully in Chicago in decades, at Montrose Beach on April 26, 2021.
John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune
Monty stands by a rock at Montrose Beach on July 18, 2019.
Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune
An adult piping plover flies at Montrose Beach on June 24, 2020.
Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune
Beachgoers enjoy themselves at Montrose Beach on June 8, 2019. Some community groups do not want the summer music fest Mamby on the Beach to take place, while the promotors are pushing back.
John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune
A newly hatched piping plover chick stands alone at Montrose Beach on July 10, 2021, in Chicago. Three of its older siblings were hatched earlier in the week, but the chick was brought to Lincoln Park Zoo as an egg, where it hatched overnight.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
A piping plover walks on the sand near the new nest June 19, 2019, at Montrose Beach.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
A piping plover forages along the water June 10, 2019, at Montrose Beach.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
A piping plover cleans itself while foraging along the water June 10, 2019, at Montrose Beach.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
Birders watch the piping plovers on April 21, 2022, at Montrose Harbor.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
A pair of piping plovers change places incubating a nest of three eggs June 10, 2019, at Montrose Beach.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
A piping plover forages along the water June 10, 2019, at Montrose Beach.
Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune
A piping plover chick checks out its surroundings at Montrose Beach in Chicago on June 24, 2020.
Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune
An adult piping plover huddles with two of its chicks at Montrose Beach in Chicago on July 8, 2021.
Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune
Two piping plover chicks, left, rush to an adult piping plover as a heavy rain comes down at Montrose Beach in Chicago on June 24, 2020.
Shanna Madison / Chicago Tribune
Imani the piping plover runs along Montrose Beach on April 26, 2023. Imani is the son of the two famous piping plovers, Monty and Rose, and was spotted for the first time this season at the beach the day before.
Shanna Madison / Chicago Tribune
Imani the piping plover walks along the Montrose Beach on April 26, 2023.
Today, Imani and Searocket are one of 80 pairs of piping plovers in the region.
Conservationists celebrated earlier this summer when Searocket became one of the first captive-reared piping plovers to lay eggs in Illinois.
Her four chicks hatched on June 30 and July 1, but Nagamo is the lone survivor. The three siblings all died in the span of five days, about two weeks after they were born.
One disappeared and was later found dead with a growth on the side of its neck. The other two were observed being lethargic and died within hours of being taken to the Lincoln Park Zoo for care, despite showing no earlier signs of illness or injury.
Nagamo appears healthy and was banded with a U.S. Department of Agriculture tag on its right leg for continued monitoring.