What is "mountain plover"

Plover \Plov"er\, n. [OF. plovier, F. pluvier, prop., the rain bird, fr. LL. (assumed) pluviarius, fr. L. pluvia rain, from pluere to rain; akin to E. float, G. fliessen to flow. See Float.]

1. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of limicoline birds belonging to the family Charadrid[ae], and especially those belonging to the subfamily Charadrins[ae]. They are prized as game birds.

2. (Zo["o]l.) Any grallatorial bird allied to, or resembling, the true plovers, as the crab plover ( Dromas ardeola); the American upland, plover ( Bartramia longicauda); and other species of sandpipers. Note: Among the more important species are the blackbellied plover or blackbreasted plover ( Charadrius squatarola) of America and Europe; -- called also gray plover, bull-head plover, Swiss plover, sea plover, and oxeye; the golden plover (see under Golden); the ring plover or ringed plover ( [AE]gialitis hiaticula). See Ringneck. The piping plover ( [AE]gialitis meloda); Wilson's plover ( [AE]gialitis Wilsonia); the mountain plover ( [AE]gialitis montana); and the semipalmated plover ( [AE]gialitis semipalmata), are all small American species. Bastard plover (Zo["o]l.), the lapwing. Long-legged plover, or yellow-legged plover. See Tattler. Plover's page, the dunlin. [Prov. Eng.] Rock plover, or Stone plover, the black-bellied plover. Whistling plover.

   1. The golden plover.

   2. The black-bellied plover.

The mountain plover (Charadrius montanus) is a medium-sized ground bird in the plover family ( Charadriidae). It is misnamed, as it lives on level land. Unlike most plovers, it is usually not found near bodies of water or even on wet soil; it prefers dry habitat with short grass (usually due to grazing) and bare ground.