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Wader

A member of the sub-order Limicolae in the order Charadriiformes (waders, skuas, gulls, terns and auks). The majority of waders are placed either in the family Charadriidae (plovers) or in the family Scolopacidae (most other waders). The other wader families regularly represented in the British Isles are the Haematopodidae (oystercatchers), Recurvirostridae (avocets) and Burhinidae (stone curlews). The term 'wader' is not an accurate reflection of the habits of all the birds concerned and there are some 'wading birds' which lie outside its usual definition, such as the herons (family Ardeidae).

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From Peter Weaver's Birdwatcher's Dictionary
Copyright © 1981 by Peter Weaver


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