Overview

Killdeer: This large banded plover has brown upperparts, white underparts, two distinct black bands cross upper breast and white stripes on the wings that are visible in flight. The tail and rump show rust-brown in flight. It has a black bill, pink-brown legs and feet. Feeds primarily on insects. It has a wavering, erratic flight; capable of swift direct flight. Sexes are similar.

Killdeer: Breeds from southern Alaska east across Canada to Newfoundland and southward. Spends winters north to British Columbia, Utah, the Ohio Valley, and Massachusetts; also found in South America. Preferred habitats include open areas such as plowed fields, golf courses, and short-grass prairies.

Killdeer A1

Alarm trills and calls given by a pair near their nest.

Killdeer C1

"Kill-deer" calls given in alarm.

Similar Sounding

Voice Text

"Kill-dee", "kill-deear", "kill-deeah-dee-dee"

• Killdeer exhibit a clever "broken wing display" in which they appear to be struggling with a broken wing while leading the predator away from their babies.
• Although technically shorebirds, they are unusual in this group because they often nest and live far from water.
• They are ground-nesting birds that are famous for hiding their nests right out in the open. They really use no nesting materials and rely on distraction displays to protect their offspring.
• A group of killdeers are collectively known as a "season" of killdeers.

• Eurasian Dotterel
• Lesser Sand-Plover
• Mountain Plover
• Semipalmated Plover
• Wilson's Plover
• Common Ringed Plover
• Little Ringed Plover

Lapwings and Plovers (Charadriidae)

ORDER

The taxonomic order CHARADRIIFORMES (pronounced kah-RAH-dree-ih-FOR-meez) is composed of waterbirds such as the auks, gulls, long-toed Jacanas, and the plovers.

FAMILY TAXONOMY

In the lapwings and plovers family, Charadriidae (pronounced kar-ad-RYE-uh-dee), there are sixty-seven species in ten genera distributed nearly worldwide.

NORTH AMERICA

There are eighteen species of lapwings and plovers in three genera in North America. Members of this family include the well- known Killdeer, the pale Piping Plover, and the golden-plovers.

KNOWN FOR

The Killdeer is known for its distraction displays around its nest. Adult Killdeers noisily feign a broken wing to attract the attention of anyone or anything that comes too close to their nests.

PHYSICAL

Plovers are small birds with rounded, pigeon-like heads, long, pointed wings for fast flight, and except for the long-tailed Killdeer, short tails. They have fairly long legs with short toes and rather short bills.

COLORATION

Dull colors such as brown, gray, black, and white are the most frequent colors seen in lapwings and plovers plumages. Dark colors are usually found on the upperparts and white on the underparts with several species having black markings on the head and neck. Exceptions are the handsome breeding plumages of the Black-bellied Plover and golden-plovers (these show black on the underparts), and the Eurasian Dotterel with rufous underparts.

GEOGRAPHIC HABITAT

The lapwing and plover family occurs throughout North America in non-forest habitats. The most common species, the Killdeer, occupies almost any sort of bare or sparsely vegetated ground from extensive lawns to parking lots and baseball fields. The Mountain Plover of the short grass prairie also prefers little vegetation but is much more particular in habitat choice and much less common. Other plover species occur in wet fields, beaches, mud flats, and salt pans.

MIGRATION

Plovers are mostly long distance migrants that winter from the southern United States to Argentina in South America.

HABITS

Lapwings and plovers form pairs during the breeding season, but occur in flocks during migration and winter. At all times of the year, members of this family have a distinctive mode of foraging whereby they take a few quick steps, then pause to stoop and pick an insect from the ground.

CONSERVATION

The Piping Plover is considered to be near threatened as its populations have declined in much of its range because of disturbance and development of the beaches, sandy shorelines, and sand bars this species requires.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Semipalmated Plover gets its name from having partially webbed feet, a feature this small bird makes use of by occasionally swimming in the water. The golden-plovers undertake incredible migrations; the Pacific Golden-Plover to Hawaii and other Pacific islands from its Alaskan breeding grounds, and the American Golden-Plover from the Arctic tundra to the pampas of Argentina.

Author

Artist

Michael Oberhofer