Golden-plover

Pluvialis
File:Pluvialis dominica1.jpg
American Golden Plover
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Charadriiformes
Family:	Pluvialidae
Genus:	Pluvialis Brisson, 1760
species
P. apricaria P. fulva P. dominica P. squatarola

Pluvialis is a genus of plovers, a group of wading birds. There are four species which breed in the temperate or Arctic Northern Hemisphere.

In breeding plumage, they all have largely black underparts, and golden or silvery upperparts. They have relatively short bills and 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. They hunt by sight, rather than by feel as do longer-billed waders.

Species in taxonomic order

• European Golden Plover, Pluvialis apricaria
• Pacific Golden Plover, Pluvialis fulva
• American Golden Plover, Pluvialis dominica
• Grey Plover or Black-bellied Plover, Pluvialis squatarola

The American and Pacific Golden Plovers were formerly considered conspecific (as "Lesser Golden Plover"; Sangster et al., 2002)

References

• Hayman, Marchant and Prater, Shorebirds ISBN 0-873403-19-4
• Sangster, George; Knox, Alan G.; Helbig, Andreas J. & Parkin, David T. (2002): Taxonomic recommendations for European birds. Ibis 144(1): 153–159. doi:10.1046/j.0019-1019.2001.00026.x PDF fulltext

Projects
This article is part of Project Bird Families, a All Birds project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each bird family, including made-up families. This article is part of Project Bird Taxonomy, a All Birds project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every order, family and other taxonomic rank related to birds. This article is part of Project Bird Genera, a All Birds project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each genus, including made-up genera.