Snowy Plover
Photo: Mike Baird from Morro Bay, USA · CC BY 2.0

Plovers and Lapwings

Snowy Plover

Anarhynchus nivosus

NTNear Threatened
Family
Plovers and Lapwings (Charadriidae)
Order
Charadriiformes

Overview

The snowy plover (Anarhynchus nivosus, formerly Charadrius nivosus) is a small shorebird found in the Americas. It is a member of the bird family Charadriidae, which includes the plovers, dotterels, and lapwings. The snowy plover was originally described by John Cassin in 1858, but was classified as a subspecies of the Kentish plover in 1922. Since 2011, the snowy plover has been recognized as a distinct species based on genetic and anatomical differences from the Kentish plover.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.