Singing Killdeer

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

 

Emigrant Lake - Jackson County - Oregon - USA

 

Habitat : Grasslands

Food : Insects

Nesting : Ground

Behavior : Ground Forager

Conservation : Low Concern

 

"A shorebird you can see without going to the beach, Killdeer are graceful plovers common to lawns, golf courses, athletic fields, and parking lots. These tawny birds run across the ground in spurts, stopping with a jolt every so often to check their progress, or to see if they’ve startled up any insect prey. Their voice, a far-carrying, excited kill-deer, is a common sound even after dark, often given in flight as the bird circles overhead on slender wings... The Killdeer’s broken-wing act leads predators away from a nest, but doesn’t keep cows or horses from stepping on 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."

- Cornell University Lab of Ornithology

 

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