The Pacific golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria) Latin name means relating to rain, from pluvia, rain – it was believed that golden plovers flocked when rain was imminent. The golden plover is just a little smaller than the lapwing, with which it often gathers in large numbers on farmland and coastal flats during the winter. The Pacific Golden-Plover breeds in western Alaska and Siberia and winters on islands across the Pacific Ocean, through southeast Asia, to northeastern Africa.
