Charadrius
| Charadrius | |
|---|---|
| |
| Killdeer | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Subfamily: | |
| Genus: | Charadrius |
| species | |
|
see text | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Aegialites / Aegialitis | |
Charadrius is a genus of plovers, a group of wading birds. The genus name Charadrius is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. The name derives from Ancient Greekkharadrios a bird found in river valleys (kharadra, "ravine. Some believed the sight of it cured jaundice.[1]
They are found throughout the world.
_W_IMG_0104.jpg)
Many of the Charadrius species are characterised by breast bands or collars. These can be (in the adult) complete bands (ringed, semipalmated, little ringed, long-billed), double or triple bands (killdeer, three-banded, Forbes', two-banded, double-banded) or partial collars (Kentish, piping, snowy, Malaysian, Javan, red-capped, puna).
They have relatively short bills and feed mainly on insects, worms or other invertebrates, depending on habitat, which are obtained by a run-and-pause technique, rather than the steady probing of some other wader groups. They hunt by sight, rather than by feel as do longer-billed waders like snipe.
Species of the genus Aegialites (or Aegialitis) are now subsumed within Charadrius.
Species in taxonomic order
- New Zealand plover or red-breasted plover, Charadrius obscurus
- Common ringed plover, Charadrius hiaticula
- Semipalmated plover, Charadrius semipalmatus
- Long-billed plover, Charadrius placidus
- Little ringed plover, Charadrius dubius
- Wilson's plover, Charadrius wilsonia
- Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus
- Piping plover, Charadrius melodus
- Madagascar plover, Charadrius thoracicus
- Kittlitz's plover, Charadrius pecuarius
- Saint Helena plover, Charadrius sanctaehelenae
Plover eggs laid on the ground - Three-banded plover, Charadrius tricollaris
- Forbes's plover, Charadrius forbesi
- Kentish plover, Charadrius alexandrinus
- Snowy plover, Charadrius nivosus, recently split by the AOU, some other committees still evaluating
- Javan plover, Charadrius (alexandrinus) javanicus
- White-fronted plover, Charadrius marginatus
- Red-capped plover, Charadrius ruficapillus
- Malaysian plover, Charadrius peronii
- Chestnut-banded plover, Charadrius pallidus
- Collared plover, Charadrius collaris
- Puna plover, Charadrius alticola
- Double-banded plover, Charadrius bicinctus
- Two-banded plover, Charadrius falklandicus
- Lesser sand plover, Charadrius mongolus
- Greater sand plover, Charadrius leschenaultii
- Caspian plover, Charadrius asiaticus
- Oriental plover, Charadrius veredus
- Eurasian dotterel, Charadrius morinellus
- Rufous-chested plover, Charadrius modestus
- Mountain plover, Charadrius montanus
References
- ^ Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
