Plovers are a widely distributed group of wadingbirds belonging to the subfamilyCharadriinae. There are about 40 species in the subfamily, most of them called plover or dotterel. The closely related lapwing subfamily, Vanellinae, comprises another 20-odd species.
Plovers are found throughout the world, and are characterised by relatively short bills. They hunt by sight, rather than by feel as longer-billed waders like snipe do.
Food is insects, worms or other invetebrates, depending on habitat, which are obtained by a run-and-pause technique, rather than the steady probing of some other wader groups.
They also spend time on dune systems, coastal lagoons, inland steppes, sand deserts, tidal flats, dry salt flats, and large sandy rivers and lakes where there is little vegetation.
Charadrius alexandrinus are one of the smallest plovers, but they have proportionally longer legs.
Charadrius alexandrinus occidentalis are birds on the west coast of South America.
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