Imani and Searocket’s four hatchlings got names and bands — no, not that kind — to celebrate two weeks of life on Lake Michigan’s shore.
The four fuzzy, (and currently) flightless birds are now named Buddy, Frankie, Mavis and Tweedy after famed Chicago musicians Buddy Guy, Frankie Knuckles, Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy.
The Chicago Piping Plovers group said it received more than 456 submissions and more than 1,500 unique names for the chicks. A seven-person panel with representatives from various local city and conservation groups narrowed the list down.
“It seems fitting to name the chicks after musicians, as the scientific name of the Piping Plover is Charadrius melodus, referring to their melodious singing,” the Chicago Piping Plovers group said in a statement. “The artists selected span generations of fans through multiple genres, and have moved the arc of music forward with their innovation and talent, becoming Chicago and worldwide icons.”
They aren’t the first names based on the birds’ singing abilities, as Nagamo’s name was the Ojibwe phrase meaning “they sing.”
Meet Buddy, Frankie, Mavis, and Tweedy!
Today, each of your 2026 Chicago Piping Plover chicks received their unique leg bands and along with them their name. Here are the names and leg band combinations. 1/3— Chicago Piping Plovers (@chicagopiping.bsky.social) 2026-06-29T11:29:14.455Z
Members of the Great Lakes Piping Plover Conservation Team, the Chicago Park District, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Chicago Piping Plovers helped put bands on the chicks to help track their growth. Typically, Great Lakes plovers have colored dots on their bands, though Chicago’s quartet have stars instead to match the city’s flag.
It’s part of a 100-year-old U.S. Geological Survey program to track birds, according to the group.
To show they are Imani and Searocket’s hatchlings, the birds will all have a metal band on the upper left leg, an orange band on the lower left leg and a violet band on the lower right leg. The orange band will have distinct markers: Buddy bears a blue star, Frankie a red one, Mavis has yellow and Tweedy has green.
The next major milestone for the hatchlings will be around July 8, which is when the group considers them fully fledged whether or not they have actually begun to fly.