Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Photographs on this web-site were taken by Paul Smith, Hemme Batjes, Regis Nossent,
Alberto Esquivel, Arne Lesterhuis, José Luis Cartes, Rebecca Zarza and Hugo del Castillo and are used with their permission.
CHARADRIIDAE - PLOVERS
Just seven species of this large, global family occur in Paraguay. The first plover-like fossils date from the late Cretaceous and resembled modern lapwings, the most primitive members of the family. The Paraguayan species can be split into two subfamilies (see below). Plovers are shorebirds, often heavily built with large head, large eye, thick necks and short, unspecialised, moderately rhynchokinetic bills. They are mainly visual feeders, typically making short runs followed by picking with the bill. Plovers nest on the ground. Chicks are downy, nidifugous and possess cryptic colouration that provides them with their only form of defence.
Subfamily Vanellinae "Lapwings"
This group of large, thick-necked plovers is the most primitive members of the family. It can be separated into two tribes.
Vanellini "Lapwings" (Vanellus) - Thickset, round-winged species with showy plumage, crests and wing-spurs. Front toes moderately long, webbign limited to middle and outer toes. Tarsus is long (25% of wing length). Flight is heavy and slow.
Hoploxypterini "Pied Plover" (Hoploxypterus) - Small, plover-like lapwing. No hallux. No crest and no bare skin.
Subfamily Charadriinae "Typical Plovers"
A varied group of short-necked, knobbly-kneed shorebirds, with short, stubby bills and pointed wings. The tarsus is reticulated and moderate to long. All species lack wing-spurs and bare facial skin. Two quite distinct genera occur in Paraguay and are described below.
Charadrius "Ringed Plovers" - Small, short-billed and lacking hallux (Charadrius modestus is the only member of the group to possess one!). Plumage banded and tail fairly long.
Pluvialis "Tundra Plovers" - Medium-sized with hallux vestigial (squatarola), or absent (dominicana). Arctic breeders, migrant to Paraguay. Tail is short and square. Bill slender, more than half the length of the tarsus. Forward-facing toes are webbed at the base, particularly between the middle and outer toe.
REFERENCES
Campbell B & Lack E 1985 - A Dictionary of Birds - T & AD Poyser.
Hayman P, Marchant J & Prater T 1986 - Shorebirds: An Identification Guide to the Waders of the World - Helm.
Johnsgard PA 1981 - The Plovers, Sandpipers and Snipes of the World - Nebraska University Press.
