Plov"er (?), n. [OF. plovier, F. pluvier, prop., the rain bird, fr. LL. (assumed) pluviarius, fr. L. pluvia rain, from pluere to rain; akin to E. float, G. fliessen to flow. See Float.]

1. Zool.

Any one of numerous species of limicoline birds belonging to the family Charadridae, and especially those belonging to the subfamily Charadrinsae. They are prized as game birds.

2. Zool.

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, ∨ 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 ∨ ringed plover (Aegialitis hiaticula). See Ringneck. The piping plover (Aegialitis meloda); Wilson's plover (Ae. Wilsonia); the mountain plover (Ae. montana); and the semipalmated plover (Ae. semipalmata), are all small American species.

Bastard plover Zool., the lapwing. -- Long-legged, ∨ yellow-legged, plover. See Tattler. -- Plover's page, the dunlin. [Prov. Eng.] -- Rock plover, ∨ Stone plover, the black-bellied plover. [Prov. Eng.] -- Whistling plover. (a) The golden plover. (b) The black-bellied plover.

 

© Webster 1913.

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