plover

plover
/pluv"euhr, ploh"veuhr/, n.
1. any of various shorebirds of the family Charadriidae. Cf. dotterel (def. 1), killdeer, lapwing.
2. any of various similar shorebirds, as the upland plover and other sandpipers.
[1275-1325; ME < AF; OF plovier rainbird < VL *pluviarius. See PLUVIAL, -ER2]

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Any of about 36 species (family Charadriidae, order Charadriiformes) of plump-breasted shorebirds found almost worldwide.

Plovers are 6–12 in. (15–30 cm) long and have long wings, longish legs, a short neck, and a straight, short bill. Many species are plain brown, gray, or sandy above and whitish below. Others, including the golden and black-bellied plovers, are finely patterned above and black below in breeding season. Many species run along the shoreline, snapping up small aquatic invertebrates. They have a melodious whistled call. Both parents incubate the two to five eggs and care for the young. See also killdeer.

Golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria).

Kenneth W. Fink
Root Resources

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bird
 any of numerous species of plump-breasted birds of the shorebird family Charadriidae (order Charadriiformes). There are about three dozen species of plovers, 15 to 30 centimetres (6 to 12 inches) long, with long wings, moderately long legs, short necks, and straight bills that are shorter than their heads. Many species are plain brown, gray, or sandy above and whitish below. The group of so-called ringed plovers (certain Charadrius species) have white foreheads and one or two black bands (“rings”) across the breast. Some plovers, like the golden (Pluvialis species) and black-bellied (Squatarola squatarola), are finely patterned dark and light above and black below in breeding dress. These two genera are sometimes included in Charadrius.

      Many plovers feed by running along beaches and shorelines, snapping up small, aquatic, invertebrate animals for food. Others, like the killdeer (q.v.), of upland meadows and grasslands, are chiefly insectivorous. Plovers and their relatives are quick to give alarm. When flushed, they take swift and direct flight. Many utter melodious whistled calls, which can be used to distinguish the species. The nest is in a slight hollow in the ground where two to five (usually four) spotted eggs are laid. Both parents incubate and care for the downy young, which run about and accompany their parents soon after hatching.

 Plovers are found in most parts of the world. Those nesting in the north are strongly migratory, and they travel and feed in flocks. Most notable as long-distance migrants are the golden plover of Eurasia (Pluvialis apricaria; see photograph—>) and the American golden plover (P. dominica), which breed in the Arctic and winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The American golden plovers of the eastern range fly over the Atlantic and South America as far south as Patagonia, and most return via the Mississippi Valley; those in the western range travel, presumably nonstop, to groups of islands in the South Pacific. See also crab plover.
 

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Plover — Plov er, n. [OF. plovier, F. pluvier, prop., the rain bird, fr. LL. (assumed) pluviarius, fr. L. pluvia rain, from pluere to rain; akin to E. float, G. fliessen to flow. See {Float}.] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) Any one of numerous species of limicoline birds… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Plover — ist der Name mehrerer Orte in den Vereinigten Staaten: Plover (Iowa) Plover (Wisconsin) eine Inselgruppe in Kanada: Plover Islands Sonstiges: HMS Plover, diverse Schiffe der Royal Navy (en:HMS Plover) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Plover — Plover, WI U.S. village in Wisconsin Population (2000): 10520 Housing Units (2000): 4133 Land area (2000): 8.495966 sq. miles (22.004451 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.384034 sq. miles (0.994643 sq. km) Total area (2000): 8.880000 sq. miles… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Plover, IA — U.S. city in Iowa Population (2000): 95 Housing Units (2000): 50 Land area (2000): 0.543496 sq. miles (1.407649 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.543496 sq. miles (1.407649 sq. km) FIPS code:… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Plover, WI — U.S. village in Wisconsin Population (2000): 10520 Housing Units (2000): 4133 Land area (2000): 8.495966 sq. miles (22.004451 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.384034 sq. miles (0.994643 sq. km) Total area (2000): 8.880000 sq. miles (22.999094 sq. km) …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Plover — Plover, Hauptort der Grafschaft Portage im Staate Wisconsin (Nordamerika), an der Mündung des Plover River in den Wisconsin; in der Umgegend Nadelholzwaldungen; Holzhandel …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • plover — c.1300, from Anglo Fr. plover, O.Fr. pluvier, earlier plovier (c.1200), from V.L. *plovarius, lit. belonging to rain, from L. pluvia rain. Perhaps so called because the birds migration arrival coincides with the start of the rainy season, or from …   Etymology dictionary

  • plover — [pluv′ər, plō′vər] n. pl. plovers or plover [ME < OFr plovier, lit., rain bird < VL * pluviarius < L pluvia, rain (see PLUVIAL): said to be so named because it was believed to cry before a rain] 1. any of a worldwide family… …   English World dictionary

  • plover — ► NOUN ▪ a short billed wading bird, typically found by water but sometimes frequenting grassland. ORIGIN Old French, from Latin pluvia rain …   English terms dictionary

  • Plover — For other uses, see Plover (disambiguation). Plovers Killdeer Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

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