Killdeer

Quick Take

• This wading bird has a clever trick for fooling predators that looks nothing like a defense strategy, and it works almost every time. See the distraction display →
• Among all plovers, which are birds built for water, the killdeer is the least likely to actually be near it. Its real habitat will surprise you. Discover its real habitat →
• Killdeer chicks can do something remarkable almost the moment they hatch, a skill that most birds never develop at all. Explore killdeer chick development →
• The killdeer's scientific name hides a Latin insult in plain sight, and it turns out to be more accurate than you'd expect. Unpack the Latin name →

The killdeer is a member of the plover group. These are small wading birds that congregate near large bodies of water to feed and mate. Although they may look rather plain, their behavior is incredibly complex and interesting to observe. To communicate, the killdeer makes a shrill “kill-deer” sound for which it’s named. They are very common throughout most of their North American range.

3 Killdeer Amazing Facts

• As a plover, the killdeer is a surprisingly effective swimmer. Almost from the time the baby killdeer are born, they can navigate both fast and slow-moving water with ease.
• To fly, the killdeer makes stiff, occasional beats with its sharp, angular wings.
• Among all species of plovers, the killdeer is the least likely to be found near water.

Where to Find the Killdeer

Even though it sometimes lives near a body of water, the killdeer can be found mostly inland on open ground with sparse vegetation. Fields, sandbars, mudflats, lawns, driveways, parking lots, and even the roofs of buildings are some of their most common habitats. Their natural range extends throughout North America and South America. Some of the countries in which they’re found include:

• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Cuba
• Guatemala
• El Salvador
• Panama
• Colombia
• Ecuador
• Venezuela

Nests

The killdeer usually constructs its nest on open terrain where it has a good view of oncoming predators. Bare soil, gravel roads, or grass fields may all be chosen as potential nesting sites. The nest is just a shallow depression in the ground lined with grass, twigs, pebbles, and other debris. Materials may be continuously added throughout the year.

Classification and Scientific Name

The scientific name of the killdeer is Charadrius vociferus. Vociferus means shout or yell in Latin; it’s where we get the word vociferous. This species is closely related to the piping plover, snowy plover, and Eurasian dotterel within the same genus of Charadrius.

Size, Appearance, and Behavior

The killdeer is a fairly small bird, measuring anywhere between 8 and 11 inches from head to tail. They are characterized by a slender body, a round head, large eyes, a pointed tail, and a short, narrow bill. the color scheme is brown or tan on top and white along the stomach, neck, and forehead (underparts). This is accompanied by a few black bands encircling the neck, forehead, and breast. It also has a bright orange rump, most evident in flight. The female may have more brown plumage around the breast and face, but juveniles look mostly the same as adults.

Killdeer usually live alone or in small breeding pairs,, but they do gather in very loose flocks outside of the breeding season. To communicate, they make several loud, piercing sounds, including the kill-dee or kill-deer call for which they’re known. This call serves as a kind of alert system for all species in their immediate area. This call is often accompanied by excited, frantic alarm behavior.

Migration Pattern and Timing

The killdeer tends to reside in temperate climates for the summer; their range almost reaches as far as northern Canada. Beginning around August or September, killdeer migrate south. The southern United States is a preferred destination, but some may travel as far away as Central America and South America. They return early in the spring, sometimes by February or March. However, some populations may be permanent year-round residents of the southern United States and northern Mexico and do not migrate.

Diet

The killdeer hunts very carefully along the ground by taking a few steps, stopping, and then pecking the soil in search of food. It will also sometimes follow farmers as they plow their fields and turn up the soil.

What does the killdeer eat?

The diet of the killdeer largely consists of insects such as grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars. They also consume spiders, worms, snails, centipedes, and seeds.

Predators, Threats, and Conservation Status

According to the IUCN Red List, the killdeer is Near Threatened. They are fairly adaptable to habitat loss and human-modified habitats. However, their proximity to humans also makes them vulnerable to pesticide poisoning, collisions, and other accidents. Population numbers appear to be in decline.

What eats the killdeer?

Both adults and chicks are preyed upon by numerous animals, including foxes, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, snakes, domestic cats, crows, ravens, gulls, and birds of prey. To protect its nest, the killdeer will lure a predator away with a broken wing display. In other words, it will feign injury to trick the predator.

Reproduction, Young, and Molting

When the breeding season arrives, usually as early as the spring, the killdeer will attempt to attract a new mate. Both sexes perform prominent flight displays in which they make their loud killdeer calls. They also engage in a ritual known as the scrape ceremony. The male lowers his body and scrapes out a shallow depression in the ground with his feet. If the female is interested, she will approach the depression and take his place. The male then responds by spreading his body and calling excitedly.

After mating, the female typically lays between three and five eggs at a time. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs. In order to keep the eggs cool, the parents will provide shade with their wings and even soak their belly feathers in water. After about 24 to 28 days, the baby chicks will hatch with soft, downy feathers. They are watched over by their parents, but they can mostly leave the nest and forage for food on their own. The chicks will start to fly after about 25 days. A killdeer pair can produce two or three broods per year, but most are only responsible for one. Sexual maturity is achieved after only a single year. They have a maximum known lifespan of 11 years in the wild, but many fall victim to predation or disease long before then.

Population

Based on various estimates, the total breeding population may be anywhere between a million and 2.3 million. Their numbers declined by around 26 percent between 1966 and 2019, but they are still very common. Killdeer are currently protected from persecution by the US Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the United States.