Plovers

Plovers are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. There are about 40 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subfamily, Vanellinae, comprises another 20-odd species.

Plovers are found throughout the world, and are characterised by relatively short bills. They hunt by sight, rather than by feel as longer-billed waders like snipe do.

They feed mainly on insects, worms or other invertebrates, depending on habitat, which are obtained by a run-and-pause technique, rather than the steady probing of some other wader groups.

Species List

Eurasian Golden Plover, Pluvialis apricaria
Pacific Golden Plover, Pluvialis fulva
American Golden Plover, Pluvialis dominica - the American and Pacific Golden Plovers were formerly considered conspecific (of, or belonging to, the same species) (as "Lesser Golden Plover"; Sangster et al., 2002)
Grey Plover or Black-bellied Plover, Pluvialis squatarola

New Zealand Dotterel or Red-breasted Plover, Charadrius obscurus
Ringed Plover, Charadrius hiaticula
Semipalmated Plover, Charadrius semipalmatus
Long-billed Plover, Charadrius placidus : Found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Little Ringed Plover, Charadrius dubius
Wilson's Plover, Charadrius wilsonia
Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus
Piping Plover, Charadrius melodus
Black-banded Plover, Charadrius thoracicus : The Black-banded or Madagascar Plover (Charadrius thoracicus) is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, sandy shores, intertidal marshes, and coastal saline lagoons.
Kittlitz's Plover, Charadrius pecuarius
St. Helena Plover, Charadrius sanctaehelenae
Three-banded Plover, Charadrius tricollaris
Forbes' Plover, Charadrius forbesi
Kentish Plover or Snowy Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus
Javan Plover, Charadrius (alexandrinus) javanicus : The Javan Plover is endemic to Indonesia. Its natural habitats are sandy shores and intertidal flats. The continued existence of this species is threatened by habitat destruction.
White-fronted Plover, Charadrius marginatus
Red-capped Plover, Charadrius ruficapillus
Malaysian Plover, Charadrius peronii
Chestnut-banded Plover, Charadrius pallidus : Found in Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Rarer than previously believed, it is uplisted from a species of Least Concern to Near Threatened in the 2007 IUCN Red List.[1]
Collared Plover, Charadrius collaris
Puna Plover, Charadrius alticola : Found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. Its natural habitats are freshwater lakes and saline marshes.
Double-banded Plover, Charadrius bicinctus
Two-banded Plover, Charadrius falklandicus : Found in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and Uruguay. Its natural habitats are freshwater lakes, saline marshes, rocky shores, and sandy shores.
Lesser Sand Plover, Charadrius mongolus
Greater Sand Plover, Charadrius leschenaultii
Caspian Plover, Charadrius asiaticus
Oriental Plover, Charadrius veredus
Eurasian Dotterel, Charadrius morinellus
Rufous-chested Dotterel, Charadrius modestus : Found in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Falkland Islands, Peru, Saint Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and Uruguay. Its natural habitats are temperate grassland and sandy shores.
Mountain Plover, Charadrius montanus
Hooded Plover, Charadrius rubricollis : Endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, and coastal saline lagoons. The continued existence of this species is threatened by habitat destruction.

Shore Plover, Thinornis novaeseelandiae : The Shore Plover is a small species (20 cm in length, 60g)[1] of Plover endemic to New Zealand. Its Māori name is Tuturuatu. The Shore Plover is an endangered species with a world population of around 200 birds. It once was found across the South Island in New Zealand but became extinct there, probably due to introduced cats and rats. It survived on one island, Rangatira, in the Chatham Islands, from where it has been introduced to other offshore islands in the Chathams (Mangere Island) and near the North Island. Further releases are planned around New Zealand.

Black-fronted Dotterel, Elseyornis melanops

Inland Dotterel, Peltohyas australis

Wrybill, Anarhynchus frontalis : The Wrybill or Ngutuparore (Māori) Anarhynchus frontalis is a species of plover endemic to New Zealand. It is unique in that it is the only species of bird in the world with a beak that is bent sideways (almost always to the right).[2] It lays its eggs among the rocks along rivers and distracts intruders by pretending to be in distress and moving away from its "nest".

Diademed Plover, Phegornis mitchellii : The Diademed Sandpiper-plover is a species of bird in the Charadriidae family. It is monotypic (one single species) within the genus Phegornis. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland and swamps.

Tawny-throated Dotterel, Oreopholus ruficollis : The Tawny-throated Dotterel is a species of bird in the Charadriidae family. It is monotypic (one single species) within the genus Oreopholus. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, Peru, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and Uruguay. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, temperate grassland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, and pastureland.

Many of the Charadrius species are characterised by breast bands or collars. These can be (in the adult) complete bands (Ringed, Semipalmated, Little Ringed, Long-billed), double or triple bands (Killdeer, Three-banded, Forbes', Two-banded, Double-banded) or partial collars (Kentish, Piping, Malaysian, Javan, Red-capped, Puna)

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