[Update May 31, 2022: Lincoln Park Zoo announced today that the necropsy on Monty showed he died from a "severe fungal respiratory infection," including laryngitis that "restricted his airway." Further tests are being done to identify the type of fungus involved, but the statement said that it appeared to be "environmental in origin." Monty's remains will go to the Field Museum.] The end, when it came, arrived suddenly and unexpectedly. On Friday, May 13th, famed Chicago Piping Plover Monty passed away after experiencing difficulty breathing. In his wake he left a series of broken hearts, plover enthusiasts, and a legacy of new plover chicks across the Great Lakes. Staff at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo performed a necropsy, but at press time have yet to announce the cause of Monty’s death. The story of Chicago’s Piping Plovers has been covered elsewhere, but a quick recap is in order. Monty burst onto the Chicago scene in 2019 when he and his mate Rose arrived with...