The Killdeer (Charadrius vociferous)
is our largest "ringed" plover at 9 to 11 inches. Plovers
are members of the Charadriidae Family. The colors are brown
above and white below, with 2 black bands across the chest, white
collar, forehead and spot behind the eye. It has long legs and
a relatively long tail. The rusty uppertail coverts and rump
are visible in flight along with the wide white wing stripe.
The voice is a shrill kill-deee, dee-dee-dee or killdeer, killdeer.
The Killdeer prefers open country such as plowed fields, golf
courses, and short-grass prairies, open meadows, lawns, coasts
and mud flats.
The Killdeer's nest is made on 
the
ground in just a depression lined with grass. The female lays
4 pale buff eggs (1.5 x 1.1 inches), with blackish brown spots.
The young leave the nest almost immediately. These downy juveniles
have only one breast band.
Killdeers feed mainly on insects, earthworms
and small crustaceans.
The Semipalmated Plover is similar but
has only one black bar across the chest.
If a predator approaches, a nesting Killdeer
performs a conspicuous threat display, feigning a broken wing
or leg, one wing flapping. Such behavior is effective in luring
the predator away from the eggs or young. Once the predator is
far enough from the nest or young, the Killdeer flies away to
safety.
The range of the Killdeer is from Alaska
southward all the way to Peru. It is a migrant in the North.
The little plush Killdeer is made by Wild
Republic and is part of their Audubon Birds collection. This
collection of birds is unique in that each bird sings its own
particular song. Check the Gift Shop
to see if the Killdeer is in stock.
