snowy plover

noun

|Updated on: 6 May 2018

Definition of snowy plover

: a small plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) of the Gulf coast and the eastern U.S. and Mexico that is light gray above with a black bill, black patches on the head and sides of the neck, and white underparts

Recent Examples of snowy plover from the Web

The larger incubator turns the eggs every two hours, just like a snowy plover mother would in a nest, Egger said.

— priscella vega, latimes.com, "Threatened shorebirds improve with new incubators and aviary at Huntington wildlife center," 19 Apr. 2018
The Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach is seeing positive results with new equipment for a program designed to nurse abandoned western snowy plover eggs and release the birds into nature once hatched, officials say.

— priscella vega, latimes.com, "Threatened shorebirds improve with new incubators and aviary at Huntington wildlife center," 19 Apr. 2018
Both are areas where snowy plovers and streaked horn larks are nesting.

— bill monroe, OregonLive.com, "Washington opens last razor dig of the spring season," 16 Apr. 2018
The western snowy plover is a small shorebird that is protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.

— daily pilot staff, Daily Pilot, "Around Town: Performances to highlight Laguna Dance Festival," 12 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'snowy plover.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.