The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

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. (Zool.) 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.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Zool.) 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.
      [1913 Webster]

   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
         (Aegialitis hiaticula). See Ringneck. The piping
         plover (Aegialitis meloda); Wilson's plover
         (Aegialitis Wilsonia); the mountain plover
         (Aegialitis montana); and the semipalmated plover
         (Aegialitis semipalmata), are all small American
         species.
         [1913 Webster]

   Bastard plover (Zool.), 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.
      [Prov. Eng.]

   Whistling plover.
      (a) The golden plover.
      (b) The black-bellied plover.
          [1913 Webster] Plow

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

piping plover
    n 1: small plover of eastern North America [syn: piping
         plover, Charadrius melodus]