European Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricaria
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyCharadriidae (Plovers and Lapwings)
- GenusPluvialis (Golden Plovers and Grey Plover)
- SpeciesPluvialis apricaria (European Golden Plover)
About the European Golden Plover
The European golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria), also known as the Eurasian golden plover, greater golden plover, or just the golden plover within Europe, is a relatively large species of plover. This species is similar to two other golden plovers, the American golden plover, Pluvialis dominica, and Pacific golden plover, Pluvialis fulva, which are both slightly smaller, slimmer and longer-legged than European golden plover, and both have grey rather than white axillary (armpit) feathers (visible in flight, and when the bird stretches its wings on the ground).
The European golden plover was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with the other plovers in the genus Charadrius and coined the binomial name Charadrius apricarius. The species is now placed in the genus Pluvialis that was introduced in 1760 by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson. The genus name is Latin and means "relating to rain", from pluvia, "rain". It was believed that golden plovers flocked when rain was imminent. The species name apricaria is Latin and means "to bask in the sun". The European golden plover... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Camargue
Black-bellied Plover
Pluvialis squatarola
American Golden-Plover
Pluvialis dominica
Pacific Golden-Plover
Pluvialis fulva
Kentish Plover
Charadrius alexandrinus
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellus
Common Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticula
Spur-winged Lapwing
Vanellus spinosus
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Yellow-legged Gull
Larus michahellis
Eurasian Curlew
Numenius arquata
Black-winged Stilt
Himantopus himantopus
Common Redshank
Tringa totanus
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thingvellir National Park | 🇮🇸 Iceland | |
| 2 | Vatnajokull National Park | 🇮🇸 Iceland | |
| 3 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 5 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 7 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 9 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 11 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 12 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 13 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 14 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 15 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a European Golden Plover in Camargue?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a European Golden Plover sighting in Camargue, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see European Golden Plover in Camargue?
October has the highest sighting rate for European Golden Plover in Camargue in our monthly data.