Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Also called killdeer plover.
A shorebird that nests on gravel car parks and playing fields, far from any shore. The two chest bands are unique among North American plovers, and the broken-wing display is famous.
- Size
- Robin to jay — 20–28 cm
- Bill
- Thin and pointed
- Where
- open field, water, coast
- Season
- year round, summer
What it looks like
Brown above and white below with two black bands across the chest, a white forehead, a red eye-ring and a bright orange rump seen in flight.
The checks that confirm it
- Two black bands across the white chest. No other plover has two.
- Bright orange rump and long tail, obvious in flight.
- Runs, stops, bobs, runs again.
- Feigns a broken wing, dragging it along the ground to lead you away from the nest.
Voice
A loud, insistent 'kill-deer, kill-deer' which names it, often given all night.
Confused with
Smaller, with a single chest band and a much shorter tail.
No chest bands, teeters constantly, and it walks rather than running in bursts.
Questions about this bird
How do you identify a killdeer?
Two black bands across the white chest. No other plover has two. Bright orange rump and long tail, obvious in flight.
What does a killdeer sound like?
A loud, insistent 'kill-deer, kill-deer' which names it, often given all night.