Pluvialis dominica
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The American golden plover (Pluvialis dominica) is a medium-sized plover. The genus name is Latin and means relating to rain, from pluvia, "rain". It was believed that golden plovers flocked when rain was imminent. The species name dominica refers to Santo Domingo, now Hispaniola, in the West Indies.
Measurements: Length: 24–28 cm (9+1⁄2–11 in) Weight: 122–194 g (4+5⁄16–6+13⁄16 oz) Wingspan: 65–67 cm (25+1⁄2–26+1⁄2 in) The breeding adult American golden plover has a black face, neck, breast, and belly, with a white crown and nape that extends to the side of the breast. The back is mottled black and white with pale, gold spots. The breeding female is similar, but with less black. When in winter plumage, both sexes have grey-brown upperparts, pale grey-brown underparts, and a whitish eyebrow. The head is small, along with the bill.
It is similar to two other golden plovers, European and Pacific. The American golden plover is smaller, slimmer and relatively longer-legged than European golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria) which also has white axillary (armpit) feathers. It is more similar to Pacific golden plover (Pluvialis fulva) with which it shares grey axillary feathers...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paracas National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 2 | Caroni Swamp | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | |
| 3 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Lauca National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 5 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 11 | Palo Verde National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 13 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 14 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 15 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 18 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 20 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Santos | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Caracas | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 5 | Rio de Janeiro | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 7 | Lima | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 8 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 10 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | National Aviary | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an American Golden-Plover sighting in Paracas National Reserve on a given day, based on 28 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 55th most-seen of the 84 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–May and September–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an American Golden-Plover in Paracas National Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January and June–August, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most American Golden-Plover sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 21 parks where we can rate American Golden-Plover sightings, Paracas National Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Caroni Swamp (Trinidad and Tobago, about 10%) and Padre Island National Seashore (United States, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the American Golden-Plover is recorded against all the birds logged in Paracas National Reserve (28 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
