The Mountain Plover occurs only on the dry upland shortgrass prairie during the breeding season; however, during the nonbreeding season it may be found in wetter areas. There are records for Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Management Area. Most recent breeding records are from Hamilton County. The plovers feed mainly on insects; grasshoppers are probably the largest part of the diet.
The Mountain Plovers once were common summer residents of the high plains of western Kansas but are now reduced in numbers and are quite rare. The birds occur from April 18 to September 16 in Kansas as records sporadically show, but they probably arrive much earlier and leave much later.