Pluvialis

Taxobox
name = " Pluvialis "

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image_width = 250px
image_caption = American Golden Plover
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Charadriiformes
familia = Charadriidae
subfamilia = Charadriinae
genus = " Pluvialis "
genus_authority = Brisson, 1760
subdivision_ranks = species
subdivision = "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.

pecies in taxonomic order

* Eurasian 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 [http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/10.1046/j.0019-1019.2001.00026.x PDF fulltext]