plover

American  

[pluhv-er, ploh-ver] / ˈplʌv ər, ˈploʊ vər /

noun

1. any of various shorebirds of the family Charadriidae.

2. any of various similar shorebirds, as the upland plover and other sandpipers.

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plover British  

/ ˈplʌvə /

noun

1. any shore bird of the family Charadriidae, typically having a round head, straight bill, and large pointed wings: order Charadriiformes

2. any of similar and related birds, such as the Egyptian plover and the upland plover See crocodile bird

3. another name for lapwing

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Etymology

Origin of plover

1275–1325; Middle English < Anglo-French; Old French plovier rainbird < Vulgar Latin *pluviārius. See pluvial, -er ²

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

It’s not too late to save the whooping crane, the red-cockaded woodpecker, the piping plover or any of the other 86 birds on the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

The barges were filled and covered with sediment to create a new island for birds including endangered dunlin, curlew, ringed plover and lapwing.

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026

Off-leash dogs are putting at risk the survival of the endangered California least tern and threatened western snowy plover at their habitat at the Santa Ana River mouth, experts say.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2023

This guy birds solely by ear, this guy in the Rockaways who took it upon himself just as a volunteer to save the piping plover out in the Rockaways.

From Salon • Jul. 19, 2023

First there had been an owl talking about plover, and then there was no owl.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White