Charadrius vociferus

Description

The killdeer is a tall, thin plover with a brown back and a white front. It has a reddish-brown tail and two black bands across its breast. The killdeer also has a white forehead and a white patch above the eye (in other words, a white superciliary). A killdeer's legs are long and its black bill is relatively long and thin.

Voice

These are very noisy shorebirds. They get their name from their loud call of "kill deeah", repeated again and again. They also have a long, drawn out call that sounds like "deeee."

Breeding

March to August

Habitat

Killdeer like open areas like fields, lawns, and shores. Unlike most plovers, they do not need to be near water. They often build their nests in the gravel along roads and parking lots.

Diet

These birds eat insects, spiders, worms, snails, and some seeds. They run along the ground and then pause, looking for food (much like American robins do).

Range

You can find killdeer in Canada and the northern United States (including VT and NH) during the summer. They live everywhere else in the United States year-round.

Other Useful Information

Sometimes, plovers use the broken-wing display to distract predators. The adult plover pretends to be injured and lures the would-be predator away from their nest or young. When the bird believes the nest is safe, it flies away and leaves the predator without a meal. Mwa ha ha!

Similar Species

The semipalmated plover is very similar to the killdeer, but it has more black on its face and has only one breast-band.