Jeff Wendorff's bird photography portfolio of plovers from the family, Charadriidae. The bird family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels, and lapwings, about 64 to 66 species in all.
Plover and
Lapwing Wiki
Plovers (/ˈplʌvər/ or /ˈploʊvər/) are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. The traditional terms "
plover", "
lapwing" and "dotterel" were coined long before modern understandings of the relationships between different groups of birds emerged: in consequence, several of the
Vanellinae are still often called "
plovers", and the reverse also applies, albeit more rarely, to some Charadriinae (the "true"
plovers and dotterels).
Plovers are found throughout the world, with the exception of the Sahara and the polar regions, and are characterised by relatively short bills. They hunt by sight, rather than by feel as longer-billed waders like snipes do. They 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.
The
plover group of birds has a distraction display subcategorized as false brooding. Examples include: pretending to change position or to sit on an imaginary nest site.
Vanellinae are any of various crested
plovers, family Charadriidae, noted for its slow, irregular wingbeat in flight and a shrill, wailing cry. Its length is 10–16 inches. The Vanellinae are collectively called
lapwings but also contain the ancient red-kneed dotterel. A
lapwing can be thought of as a larger
plover.