ComingsBirds.com/Birdgroups-G-L

To the Beauty of Birds

Pluvialis is a genus of plovers, a group of wading birds comprising four species that 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)

These photos were taken at the Bidir Hotel, Iceland.

European Golden Plover

Golden Plover 0312

Golden Plover 315

Golden Plover 9349

Golden Plover 0307