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Killdeer

The Killdeer is a medium sized Plover. The range of the Killdeer spreads widely across the Northern Hemisphere. They have an orange red eye ring. They hatch as chicks with their eyes open! As soon as their dry feathers dry out the chicks will begin following the movement of their parents.

Adults have a brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with two black bands. Although the Killdeer is considered a shorebird, they often can live far from water. They live in grasslands such as fields, meadows and pastures. They forage for food in fields, mudflats and shorelines. They mainly feed on insects.

Their nests are well camouflaged, and will look like the vegetation around the nest. The eggs of the Killdeer look likes stones due to marks on the shell of the eggs.

The Killdeer will also practice a broken wing display to ward off predators from their nests. Faking an injury of a broken wing they will have predators follow them away from the nest.  Then suddenly fly off with its unique “KILL-DEE” sound calling out.

The Killdeer runs across the ground in spurts. They can be difficult to photograph due to their fast movement that can be unpredictable. They stop with a jolt occasionally that will suddenly stop their movement.

Their voice of the Killdeer is what they are most known for. The Killdeer has a voice that carries far. An excited Killdeer is a common sound done often in flight. When disturbed they will often break into flight circling overhead and calling repeatedly. Their flight, like their movement on the ground, is rapid.

This Killdeer was photographed at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge in Merced, California. I photographed it from my car as the birds stopped and paused long enough for me to photograph. The Killdeer remained still enough for several seconds for me to photograph the bird. And is the behavior is of this bird it quickly ran across the field and into the bushes.