No. 17 A Selection of Plovers
(Note: Click on photographs to enlarge the image) Plovers are one of the largest families within the Waders group of birds, all of which are characterised by their relatively long legs and their general habitat of living near shorelines, river margins or bogs and marshes. They nearly all feed on insects, worms, molluscs and crustaceans. Plovers are all short-billed and generally have a compact, rounded, and short-necked shape and a horizontal stature. When feeding many of them have a typical 'run-stop-peck' action. The family includes all of the Lapwings. Golden Plover This is a common winter visitor to Cyprus, most frequently seen between November and March, though peak numbers are usually here between late December and January. I often see them on the foreshore by Paphos Lighthouse, and in the fields between the shoreline and the Lighthouse. They also spend long periods feeding in the fields at Mandria when the soil is fairly bare. Part of flock of Golden Plove...