NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Eurasian Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricaria (Linnaeus, 1758)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
European golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria) female in breeding plumage, Keflavik, Iceland
Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The European golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria), also known as the Eurasian golden plover, greater golden plover, or just the golden plover within Europe, is a relatively large species of plover. This species is similar to two other golden plovers, the American golden plover, Pluvialis dominica, and Pacific golden plover, Pluvialis fulva, which are both slightly smaller, slimmer and longer-legged than European golden plover, and both have grey rather than white axillary (armpit) feathers (visible in flight, and when the bird stretches its wings on the ground).
Wikipedia contributors, European golden plover; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:52:06.000040+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Pluvialis apricaria (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Common name
- Eurasian Golden Plover
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Charadriidae
- Genus
- Pluvialis
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyCharadriidae Leach, 1820
- genusPluvialis Brisson, 1760
- speciesPluvialis apricaria (Linnaeus, 1758)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Pluvialis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) | CharadriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-bellied PloverPluvialis squatarola (Linnaeus, 1758) | CharadriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| American Golden PloverPluvialis dominica (P. L. S. Müller, 1776) | CharadriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Charadrius apricarius Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Pluvialis apricaria apricaria (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Pluvialis apricaria altifrons (C. L. Brehm, 1831) (C. L. Brehm, 1831) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China)
North America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=176561 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4KKPV. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.