Plover
Plover , noun
[Old French plovier, French pluvier, prop., the rain bird, from Late Latin (assumed) pluviarius, from Latin pluvia rain, from pluere to rain; akin to English float, German fliessen to flow. See Float.]
1.
(Zoology) Any one of numerous species of limicoline birds belonging to the family Charadrida, and especially those belonging to the subfamily Charadrinsa. They are prized as game birds.
2.
(Zoology) Any grallatorial bird allied to, or resembling, the true plovers, as the crab plover (Dromas ardeola); the American upland, plover (Bartramia longicauda); and other species of sandpipers.
Among the more important species are the blackbellied plover or blackbreasted plover (Charadrius squatarola) of America and Europe; -- called also gray plover, bull-head plover, Swiss plover, sea plover, and oxeye; the golden plover (see under Golden); the ring plover or ringed plover (Aegialitis hiaticula). See Ringneck. The piping plover (Aegialitis meloda); Wilson's plover (Aegialitis Wilsonia); the mountain plover (Aegialitis montana); and the semipalmated plover (Aegialitis semipalmata), are all small American species.
Collocations (5)
Bastard plover (Zoology) , the lapwing.
Long-legged plover or yellow-legged plover , See Tattler.
Plover's page , the dunlin. [Provincial English]
Rock plover or Stone plover , the black-bellied plover. [Provincial English]
Whistling plover , (a) The golden plover (b) The black-bellied plover.