Egyptian Plover
Pluvianus aegyptius
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyPluvianidae (Egyptian Plovers)
- GenusPluvianus
- SpeciesPluvianus aegyptius (Egyptian Plover)
The Egyptian plover (Pluvianus aegyptius), also known as the crocodile bird, is a wader, the only member of the genus Pluvianus. It occurs in a band across Sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east and south to parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Despite the name, it no longer occurs in Egypt. The species was formerly placed with the pratincoles and coursers in the family, Glareolidae, but is now regarded as the sole member of its own monotypic family Pluvianidae. The species is one of several plovers doubtfully associated with the "trochilus" bird mentioned by the Greek historian Herodotus in a supposed cleaning symbiosis with the Nile crocodile. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Murchison Falls National Park
Spur-winged Lapwing
Vanellus spinosus
African Jacana
Actophilornis africanus
African Wattled Lapwing
Vanellus senegallus
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Black-headed Lapwing
Vanellus tectus
Senegal Thick-knee
Burhinus senegalensis
Rock Pratincole
Glareola nuchalis
Long-toed Lapwing
Vanellus crassirostris
African Skimmer
Rynchops flavirostris
Water Thick-knee
Burhinus vermiculatus
Common Greenshank
Tringa nebularia
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareola
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Egyptian Plover at Murchison Falls National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 2 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |