The Golden Plover project posed some interesting questions that students in our class answered while making a model of the bird itself!

The European Golden Plover can be known by its scientific name of Pluvialis apricaria. It is originally found and lives in parts of Scotland and Northern United Kingdom. When it breeds, it travels to Iceland, the Scandanavian countries, and other countries in Northern Europe. The presence of the Plovers in these parts of the world marks the beginning of spring! The Golden Plovers tend to eat worms and beetles. 

There are many fun facts about the European Golden Plover. In the winter, the distinctive black parts of the bird change to buff and white in order to be able to better blend in with the snow. The European Golden Plover is also very similar to other plovers around the world such as the American and Pacific Golden Plover - it is just slightly larger! Another very interesting fun fact about this bird is that it brought about the first published Guinness Book of World Records. Sir Hugh Beaver was out shooting game one day and missed the plover, which sparked an argument about whether or not the Plover was the fastest game bird in Europe. Beaver was unable, however, to find the answer to his question. He believed that people would be interested in learning about records, and therefore created the Guinness World Records!