Charadriidae
There are about 65 species of plovers distributed all over the world. These small- to medium-sized birds spend much time on the ground but many species migrate long-distances along shorelines. They have only three slender toes, facing forward. They appear to be similar to sandpipers, which are also in the shorebird order, but plovers have larger heads and eyes and shorter, thicker bills. Also, sandpipers tend to be streaked brown while plover plumage usually has large areas of solid brown or white or black. The Killdeer is a very common North American plover species.