Plover

Plovers

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Charadriiformes
Family:	Charadriidae
Subfamily:	Charadriinae

Genera

Pluvialis
Charadrius
Thinornis
Elseyornis
Peltohyas
Anarhynchus
Phegornis
Oreopholus

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 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