plover

/ˈplʌvər/

/ˈplʌvə/

Other forms: plovers

Plovers are small birds that congregate on beaches in groups, running back and forth along the tideline. Most plovers are migratory, returning to the same places each year.

You can see dozens of these little birds moving together in groups known as "congregations" searching the shoreline of oceans and lakes for tiny worms, bugs, and crustaceans. Depending on the specific species, plovers tend to migrate north to breed and then head south for the winter. The Latin root of plover means "rain," possibly referring to one species' migratory pattern, which coincides with a rainy season in Western Europe.

Definitions of plover

1. noun

   any of numerous chiefly shorebirds of relatively compact build having straight bills and large pointed wings; closely related to the sandpipers
   types:

   Charadrius melodus, piping plover

   small plover of eastern North America

   Charadrius vociferus, kildeer, killdeer, killdeer plover

   American plover of inland waters and fields having a distinctive cry

   Charadrius morinellus, Eudromias morinellus, dotrel, dotterel

   rare plover of upland areas of Eurasia

   golden plover

   plovers of Europe and America having the backs marked with golden-yellow spots

   green plover, lapwing, peewit, pewit

   large crested Old World plover having wattles and spurs

   turnstone

   migratory shorebirds of the plover family that turn over stones in searching for food

   Arenaria interpres, ruddy turnstone

   common Arctic turnstone that winters in South America and Australia

   Arenaria-Melanocephala, black turnstone

   common turnstone of the Pacific coast of North America

   type of:

   limicoline bird, shore bird, shorebird

   any of numerous wading birds that frequent mostly seashores and estuaries