Killdeer

Killdeer surprise and delight bird-watchers every year with their unique nesting habits. Learn how to attract killdeer to your yard, and listen to their song.

Photo: Roland Jordahl

• Scientific Name: Charadrius vociferus
• Family: Plover.
• Length: 10-1/2 inches.
• Wingspan: 24 inches.
• Distinctive Markings: A large, lanky plover with a brown back, white neck ring, two black bands across a white breast and a long tail with an orange rump that shows only in flight or display.
• Nest: No nest. Its four eggs, heavily marked with brown spots, scrawls and blotches, blend in with the surroundings. The pair incubates the eggs for 24 to 26 days until they hatch.
• Song: Noisy call of "kill-dee" and repeats "dee-dee-dee."
• Habitat: Lawns, cemeteries, parking lots, golf courses and cultivated fields, usually away from water.
• Diet: Though nearly all of its diet consists of insects gleaned from the fields and lawns where it lives, it also consumes earthworms, crayfish and weed seeds.
• Backyard Favorites: A gravel driveway where it can lay its eggs, even though it may be at risk at that location.