Plovers

About 70 species. Compact shorebirds with short bills that hunt by sight rather than by probing, in a characteristic cycle of run, stop and peck. Because they need an unobstructed view, they spread out to feed rather than packing into flocks as the sandpipers do. Most nest on open ground in nothing more than a scrape, and the family is known for elaborate distraction displays that draw predators away from it.