Black-bellied Plover
Pluvialis squatarola
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyCharadriidae (Plovers and Lapwings)
- GenusPluvialis (Golden Plovers and Grey Plover)
- SpeciesPluvialis squatarola (Black-bellied Plover)
About the Black-bellied Plover
The grey plover or black-bellied plover (Pluvialis squatarola) is a large plover breeding in Arctic regions. It is a long-distance migrant, with a nearly worldwide coastal distribution when not breeding. The grey plover was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Tringa squatarola. It is now placed with three other plovers in the genus Pluvialis that was introduced by the French ornithologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. The genus name is Latin and means relating to rain, from pluvia, "rain". It was believed that they flocked when rain was imminent. The species name squatarola is a Latinised version of Sgatarola, a Venetian name for some kind of plover.
The English common name used for this species differs in different parts of the world. It is generally known as "grey plover" in the Old World and "black-bellied plover" in the New World. Three subspecies are recognised:
P. s. squatarola (Linnaeus, 1758) – breeds in north Eurasia and Alaska; non-breeding in west, south Europe, Africa, south, east Asia and Australasia and west Americas P. s. tomkovichi Engelmoer & Roselaar... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Black-bellied Plover in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve
Semipalmated Plover
Charadrius semipalmatus
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Piping Plover
Charadrius melodus
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla
Royal Tern
Thalasseus maximus
Willet
Tringa semipalmata
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpres
Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
Black Skimmer
Rynchops niger
Least Sandpiper
Calidris minutilla
Sanderling
Calidris alba
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Black-bellied Plover in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve?
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Black-bellied Plover sighting in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, based on 537 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Black-bellied Plover in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve?
August has the highest sighting rate for Black-bellied Plover in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve in our monthly data.