Charadriidae Plovers and Lapwings
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Introduction
From the demure Diademed Sandpiper-Plover of the high Andes to the various species of assertive and aggressive Vanellus lapwings worldwide, the plovers span a considerable spectrum. But in terms of their ecology, they are remarkably uniform. They are birds of very open shores, taking prey from the surface of sand or mud in a series of short runs punctuated with abrupt stops to jab, look for predators and more prey, then move on. As in waterfowl, the smaller species are more likely to protect their nests by stealth, whereas the larger stand and defend. Such size differences pertain to flight styles as well: most smaller plovers have fast direct flight, while the lapwings fly with more leisurely deep strokes of their broader wings.
Habitat
Plovers occupy a diversity of open habitats. Many Charadrius species nest in high Arctic tundra, and farther south, plovers and lapwings can be found in almost any open habitat, from desert, open savanna, or alpine tundra (puna in South America) to beaches, golf courses and lawns, and mudflats.
Diet and Foraging
Plovers feed primarily on insects, worms, and small crustaceans, with seeds and berries added in occasionally, especially, perhaps, when amassing fat stores for long transoceanic journeys.
Breeding
Plovers are primarily monogamous with biparental care, and a few species are occasionally polygynous. The Eurasian Dotterel Eudromias morinellus is polyandrous, with females competing for males and leaving them after mating to raise the clutch alone. In the Mountain Plover Charadrius montanus, the female lays two clutches; one clutch is incubated and cared for by the male, and the second by the female. Nests, as in the majority of Charadriiformes, are simple scrapes in the ground, usually constructed by the males and sometimes lined with scant grass or leaves. Plovers typically lay a clutch of 3 or 4 eggs. The eggs, as well as the chicks, are cryptic and well camouflaged. The extremely precocial chicks hatch after 21 to 30 days of incubation, and are able to evade a human within hours of hatching and to feed themselves from the start. Both male and female share incubation and chick-tending duties.
Conservation Status
Land-use changes, hunting, and introduced predators on islands are all causes for the decline in many plover species (24%; 9 NT, 3 VU, 2 EN, 3 CR). One critically endangered species, the Javan Lapwing Vanellus macropterus, has not been definitively recorded since 1940 and may already be extinct. Another, the Sociable Lapwing V. gregarius, is the subject of extensive conservation efforts after undergoing drastic population declines, perhaps driven by hunting pressures.
Systematics History
Plovers are in the suborder Charadrii of the diverse order Charadriiformes. Charadriidae appears to be sister to a clade that includes Haematopodidae and Recurvirostridae (Ericson et al. 2003a, Baker et al. 2007a, Fain & Houde 2007, Baker et al. 2012). Whereas some recent studies based on mitochondrial DNA markers have suggested that the “black-bellied plovers” of the genus Pluvialis fall well outside of the Charadriidae (Ericson et al. 2003a, Baker et al. 2007a, Fain & Houde 2007, Pereira & Baker 2010), a more comprehensive study found support for their inclusion in the Charadriidae, albeit as the sister subfamily to the rest of the plovers (Baker et al. 2012).
Conservation Status
Least Concern |
72.5%
|
---|---|
Near Threatened |
11.6%
|
Vulnerable |
5.8%
|
Endangered |
2.9%
|
Critically Endangered |
2.9%
|
Extinct in the Wild |
0%
|
Extinct |
0%
|
Not Evaluated |
0%
|
Data Deficient |
0%
|
Unknown |
4.3%
|
Data provided by IUCN (2023) Red List. More information