Killdeer

Charadrius vociferus

Order CHARADRIIFORMES - Family CHARADRIIDAE - Subfamily Charadriinae

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Sound
4. Range
5. Habitat
6. Food
7. Behavior
8. Reproduction
9. Conservation Status
10. Other Names

The most widespread and familiar of the American plovers, the Killdeer is a common bird in farmyards, fields, and parking lots. Although many species of birds pretend to have a broken wing to lure predators from their nest, the Killdeer is the one most commonly seen performing this distraction display.

Cool Facts

• The Killdeer is one of the most successful shorebirds because of its fondness for human modified habitats and its willingness to nest close to people. Because they live so close to people, however, they are vulnerable to pesticide poisoning and collisions with cars and buildings.

• Gravel rooftops attract Killdeer for nesting, but can be dangerous places to raise a brood. Chicks may be unable to leave a roof because of high parapets and screened drain openings. When adults lure chicks off the roof, the chicks may die from the fall. However, some chicks have been observed leaping from a seven-story building and surviving.

• The broken-wing act used to lead predators from the nest would not keep a cow or horse from stepping on the eggs. To guard against large hoofed animals, the Killdeer uses a quite different display, fluffing itself up, displaying its tail over its head, and running at the beast to attempt to make it change its path.

Description

• Size: 20-28 cm (8-11 in)
• Wingspan: 46-48 cm (18-19 in)
• Weight: 75-128 g (2.65-4.52 ounces)

• Medium-sized shorebird.
• Legs moderately long.
• Neck short.
• Back brown.
• Underparts white with two black bands on chest.

• Wings and tail long.
• Throat and neck white.
• White band on forehead, black band above it going from eye to eye.
• White eyestripe behind each eye.
• Orange rump and upper tail in flight.
• White wingstripe.
• Outer tail feathers tipped in white.

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike.

Immature

Downy chick with only one chest band.

Sound

Loud piercing "kill-deer."

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Breeds from east-central Alaska across northern Canada, southward to southern Mexico and the Caribbean. Also disconnected populations in Costa Rica, coastal Peru, and northwestern Chile.

Winter Range

Winters from southeastern Alaska (rarely), southern and coastal British Columbia, southern Midwestern states, and coastal Massachusetts southward through rest of breeding range and northern and western South America.

Habitat

Open areas, especially sandbars, mudflats, pastures, cultivated fields, athletic fields, airports, golf courses, gravel parking lots, and graveled rooftops.

Food

Terrestrial invertebrates, especially earthworms, grasshoppers, beetles and snails. Occasionally small vertebrates and seeds.

Behavior

Foraging

Characteristic search method involves running, stopping, waiting, bobbing head, then running again. Follows agricultural plows for worms.

Displays

Broken-wing distraction display used to move predators away from nest or chicks. Adult flops on ground and drags the wings and tail to show the white wing patches and orange rump, acting hurt and unable to fly. The adult moves gradually away from the nest, luring the predator. Once far enough away, it will fly away from the predator and return to near the nest.

Reproduction

Nest Type

Scrape in the ground, sometimes with some lining material, often white objects. Nests in open with little or no surrounding vegetation.

Egg Description

Broad on one end and pointed on the other (pyriform). Tan with irregular dark brown blotches.
Incubation period 22-30 days.

Clutch Size

Usually 4 eggs. Range: 4-6.

Condition at Hatching

Downy and active, able to leave nest as soon as down dries.
Independent at 20-31 days.

Conservation Status

The Killdeer is one of the most successful shorebirds because of its fondness for human modified habitats and its willingness to nest close to people. Because they live so close to people, however, they are vulnerable to pesticide poisoning and collisions with cars and buildings. You can help scientists learn more about this species by participating in the Celebrate Urban Birds! project.

Other Names

Pluvier kildir (French)
Playero sabanero, Chorlito tildio (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

Jackson, B. J. S., and J. A. Jackson. 2000. Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus). In The Birds of North America, No. 517 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.