Plover

Plovers (/ˈplʌvər/ or /ˈploʊvər/) are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae.

For other uses, see Plover (disambiguation).

Plovers
Hooded dotterel (Thinornis rubricollis)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Charadriiformes
Family:	Charadriidae
Subfamily:	Charadriinae Leach, 1820
Genera
Pluvialis Charadrius Thinornis Elseyornis Peltohyas Anarhynchus Phegornis Oreopholus

Little ringed plover Charadrius dubius

Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrinus

Lesser sand plover, Charadrius mongolus

Snowy plover, on the beach at Vandenberg, CA

Description

There are about 66 species[1] in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subfamily, Vanellinae, comprises another 20-odd species.[2]

Plovers are found throughout the world, with the exception of the Sahara and the polar regions, and are characterised by relatively short bills. They hunt by sight, rather than by feel as longer-billed waders like snipes do. They feed mainly on insects, worms or other invertebrates, depending on the habitat, which are obtained by a run-and-pause technique, rather than the steady probing of some other wader groups.[3]

Plovers engage in false brooding, a type of distraction display. Examples include: pretending to change position or to sit on an imaginary nest site.

A group of plovers may be referred to as a stand, wing, or congregation. A group of dotterels may be referred to as a trip.[4]

Species list in taxonomic order

The International Ornithological Congress (IOC) recognizes these 45 species of plovers and dotterels. They are distributed among 10 genera, some of which have only one species. One species on the list, the Javan lapwing, is extinct.[5]

This list is presented according to the IOC taxonomic sequence and can also be sorted alphabetically by common name and binomial.

Common name	Binomial name	IOC sequence
Red-kneed dotterel	Erythrogonys cinctus	1
Inland dotterel	Peltohyas australis	2
Wrybill	Anarhynchus frontalis	3
European golden plover	Pluvialis apricaria	4
Pacific golden plover	Pluvialis fulva	5
American golden plover	Pluvialis dominica	6
Grey plover	Pluvialis squatarola	7
New Zealand plover	Charadrius obscurus	8
Common ringed plover	Charadrius hiaticula	9
Semipalmated plover	Charadrius semipalmatus	10
Long-billed plover	Charadrius placidus	11
Little ringed plover	Charadrius dubius	12
Wilson's plover	Charadrius wilsonia	13
Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	14
Piping plover	Charadrius melodus	15
Madagascan plover	Charadrius thoracicus	16
Kittlitz's plover	Charadrius pecuarius	17
St. Helena plover	Charadrius sanctaehelenae	18
Three-banded plover	Charadrius tricollaris	19
Forbes's plover	Charadrius forbesi	20
White-fronted plover	Charadrius marginatus	21
Kentish plover	Charadrius alexandrinus	22
White-faced plover	Charadrius dealbatus	23
Snowy plover	Charadrius nivosus	24
Javan plover	Charadrius javanicus	25
Red-capped plover	Charadrius ruficapillus	26
Malaysian plover	Charadrius peronii	27
Chestnut-banded plover	Charadrius pallidus	28
Collared plover	Charadrius collaris	29
Puna plover	Charadrius alticola	30
Two-banded plover	Charadrius falklandicus	31
Double-banded plover	Charadrius bicinctus	32
Lesser sand plover	Charadrius mongolus	33
Greater sand plover	Charadrius leschenaultii	34
Caspian plover	Charadrius asiaticus	35
Oriental plover	Charadrius veredus	36
Eurasian dotterel	Charadrius morinellus	37
Rufous-chested plover	Charadrius modestus	38
Mountain plover	Charadrius montanus	39
Hooded dotterel	Thinornis cucullatus	40
Shore dotterel	Thinornis novaeseelandiae	41
Black-fronted dotterel	Elseyornis melanops	42
Tawny-throated dotterel	Oreopholus ruficollis	43
Diademed sandpiper-plover	Phegornis mitchellii	44
Pied plover	Hoploxypterus cayanus	45

In folklore

The European golden plover[6] spends summers in Iceland, and in Icelandic folklore, the appearance of the first plover in the country means that spring has arrived. The Icelandic media always covers the first plover sighting, which in 2017 took place on March 27, 2017.[7]

References

1. Coomber, Richard (1991). "Charadriiformes: Plovers". Birds of the World. Godalming, Surrey: Colour Library Books. pp. 97–100. ISBN 978-0862838065.
2. Sangster, G.; Knox, A. G.; Helbig, A. J.; Parkin, D. T. (2002). "Taxonomic recommendations for European birds". Ibis. 144 (1): 153–159. doi:10.1046/j.0019-1019.2001.00026.x.
3. Perrins, Christopher (2003). The New Encyclopedia of Birds. Oxford U. P. ISBN 978-0-19-852506-6.
4. "What do you call a group of ...?". Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford U. P. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
5. Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (July 2020). "IOC World Bird List (v 10.2)". Retrieved July 15, 2020.
6. "The Golden Plover has arrived, indicating spring in Iceland". IceNews - Daily News. March 27, 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
7. "Spring has arrived in Iceland, according to folklore". mbl.is. Retrieved 4 April 2018.

External links

• Plover videos, photographs & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection.