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Bird name:

Killdeer

Charadrius vociferus

Order

CHARADRIIFORMES

Family

Plovers (Charadriidae)

Code 4

KILL

Code 6

CHAVOC

ITIS

176520

Breeding Location:

Seashore, rocky or sandy, Open landscapes, Grassland with scattered trees, Marshes, freshwater, Swamps

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Common to abundant

Egg Color:

Buff with brown marks

Number of Eggs:

3 - 5

Incubation Days:

24 - 28

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Unlined or lined with pebbles, grass, and twigs.

Migration:

Migratory

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

General

Killdeer: Large banded plover with brown upperparts and white underparts, and two distinct black bands cross the upper breast. White stripes on wings are visible in flight. Tail and rump show rust-brown in flight. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has single breast band.

Range and Habitat

Killdeer: Breeds from Alaska east 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.

Breeding and Nesting

Killdeer: Three to five buff eggs with brown markings are laid in a shallow ground depression lined with grass, often in gravelly areas. Incubation ranges from 24 to 28 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Killdeer: Diet consists of various aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, mostly insects; also eats berries; forages on the ground.

Vocalization

Killdeer: Emits a loud cry "kill-dee" or "kill-deear" or "kill-deeah-dee-dee"." Also makes a long, trilled "trrrrr" during display or when young are threatened.

Similar Species

Killdeer: Semipalmated Plover is smaller and has a single breast band. Wilson's Plover is smaller, has a single breast band, and plain brown back, rump, and tail.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America