Golden Plover chicks are covered in downy feathers that mimic actual moss to blend in with their surroundings.

The Pacific Golden-Plover breeds on tundras from western Alaska to the Yamal Peninsula, Russia. The breeding range converges with that of the very similar American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica) in the Bering Strait region, with the Pacific Golden-Plover being common on both sides of the Bering Strait, and the American Golden-Plover being rare in extreme eastern Siberia. From the breeding grounds, their extensive migrations, often involving nonstop, transoceanic flights, link the Pacific Golden-Plover with a vast area of the world. During the overwintering period, the species occupies an immense range from coastal California and much of the insular Pacific to Australia, southeast Asia, India, and northeast Africa. Overwintering habitats are extremely varied and include urban grasslands, tidal flats, and agricultural fields. Both sexes are site-faithful on the overwintering grounds, and each individual typically reoccupies the territory it held in the previous yea