There are 14 species of plovers in North America. These birds live near the ocean on the coasts and next to lakes and rivers inland. Plovers possess a head similar to that of a dove, and are plump, short birds.
Piping plover
The piping plover, found in parts of the Midwest and New England, finds food such as crustaceans and bugs by extending one of its feet into moist sand and rapidly moving the foot back and forth.
American golden plover
The American golden plover migrates all the way from the Arctic tundra where it breeds to spend the winter in warmer South America, a journey of some 20,000 miles round-trip.
Snowy plover
The snowy plover's young leave the nest as quickly as three hours after hatching to look for food and water but do return to the parents for safety.
Mountain plover
The mountain plover lives in the grasslands of the western states and eats insects. It will follow cattle and sheep and grab the bugs that these larger animals scare up from the ground.
Lesser sand plover
The lesser sand plover is a coastal plover that, like most plovers, uses a technique known as run-and pause, moving quickly over the sand before stopping to forage.
About The Author
John has written thousands of articles for Demand Studios, Associated Content and The Greyhound Review. A Connecticut native, John has written extensively about sports, fishing, and nature.
