Plover
wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. There are about 40 species in the subfamily, most of them called plover or dotterel and another 20-odd species of the closely related lapwings.
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.
Food is insects, worms or other invetebrates, depending on habitat, which are obtained by a run-and-pause technique, rather than the steady probing of some other wader groups.
- FAMILY CHARADRIIDAE
- Subfamily Vanellinae: lapwings, 24 species
- Subfamily Charadriinae: plovers
- Eurasian Golden Plover, Pluvialis apricaria
- Pacific Golden Plover, Pluvialis fulva
- American Golden Plover, Pluvialis dominica
- 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
- Little Ringed Plover, Charadrius dubius
- Wilson's Plover, Charadrius wilsonia
- Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus
- Piping Plover, Charadrius melodus
- Black-banded Plover, Charadrius thoracicus
- 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
- White-fronted Plover, Charadrius marginatus
- Red-capped Plover, Charadrius ruficapillus
- Malaysian Plover, Charadrius peronii
- Chestnut-banded Plover, Charadrius pallidus
- Collared Plover, Charadrius collaris
- Puna Plover, Charadrius alticola
- Double-banded Plover, Charadrius bicinctus
- Two-banded Plover, Charadrius falklandicus
- 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
- Mountain Plover, Charadrius montanus
- Hooded Plover, Charadrius rubricollis
- Shore Plover, Thinornis novaeseelandiae
- Black-fronted Dotterel, Elseyornis melanops
- Inland Dotterel, Peltohyas australis
- Wrybill, Anarhynchus frontalis
- Diademed Plover, Phegornis mitchellii
- Tawny-throated Dotterel, Oreopholus ruficollis
