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

Conservation and management of the least Bell’s vireo, California least tern, and western snowy plover have resulted in significant increases to on-base populations of these species, according to the agency.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 28, 2025

Four UK shorebirds - the grey plover, dunlin, turnstone and curlew sandpiper - are becoming more endangered on the red list.

From BBC • Oct. 28, 2024

The plover birds that peck the scraps from crocodile teeth without getting eaten — that’s symbiosis, right?

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2023

The plover was incredibly tame, perhaps because he lived in the most barren parts of the world where there were no people, perhaps because he was lonely.

From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George