The Killdeer

By Sandy Dean

I’m not sure why nearly all of my childhood encounters with wildlife were huge emotional events.   It was never “Oh, there’s a turtle” but instead was “Oh my gosh! There’s a turtle!”  Perhaps it was because we didn’t see a lot of animals in the suburbs of Cincinnati.  I still laugh when I think about my first such encounter, not long after we had moved into the neighborhood.  I was playing about two blocks from our house at the end of our street where it turned from pavement to a dirt and gravel area, right in front of a big field.  There before me, and I’m not sure how I spotted it, was a bird’s nest right on the ground, and it had three eggs in it!  The mother bird was nearby making a huge racket and flapping her wings wildly.  She was obviously hysterical that her nest had fallen from a tree!  In a panic I looked around for help, but there was no one.  What should I do?  I ran home to tell my mother.  Breathless, I screamed at her about the bird’s nest on the ground and how someone was surely going to step on it if we didn’t do something fast.  My mother was totally oblivious to the emergency situation at hand.  She was not in the least bit alarmed as she calmed me down and assured me that everything was okay.

Of course we eventually figured out that this was a Killdeer’s nest, that it was SUPPOSED to be on the ground, and that the mother bird was desperately trying to lure me away from the nest lest I be the one to step on the eggs!  Thus began my first experience with wildlife…aching to get involved, but realizing that nature could take care of itself without my assistance.  So I wasn’t allowed to go back to the nest with my “rescue” gear.  But I still wondered:  what was the real story behind these three little eggs and this animated bird called the Killdeer?

Natural History

The killdeer, a member of the Plover family, is technically a shore bird, but it doesn’t necessarily live near the shore.  In fact they live all across the United States.  In the northern states they migrate south for the winter but in Texas they are here all year round.  They are easily recognized by their two distinct, black neckbands and long thin legs.  The killdeer is primarily an insect eater.  Perhaps that’s why they live mainly in open areas near fields and pastures.

Both male and female work together to build their nest, which is nothing more than a slight depression in the ground, usually on bare ground or in a gravelly area with little vegetation, and usually in a location with a good view from all sides.   By not using extra nesting material, the nest remains nicely camouflaged with the environment.  The female lays 3 to 5 tan eggs with brown spots.  Both parents take turns incubating the eggs for 24 to 28 days. 

The baby chicks are precocial…that is, when they hatch, their eyes are open, and within a few hours they can follow their parents around and search for insects.  Even though they can “forage” and eat on their own, they still need the protection of their parents since they are unable to fly.  In fact the young remain fledglings for 25 days.  During this time the young stay very close.  When the parents signal a danger call, the babies instinctively freeze and crouch low to the ground.  Motionless, they are almost impossible to see.  When the soft and gentle “all clear” call is given, the babies run back to their parents.

When onlookers come across fledgling Killdeer, they often assume that they are orphans, and they try to rescue them.  But of course the parents are usually nearby.  If you approach too closely to either the babies or the eggs, the Killdeer parent will often respond with its famous “broken-wing” diversionary tactic. The parent will feign an injury, flapping one wing frantically while holding the other wing limp and low to the ground.

Songs of the Killdeer

The scientific name for the Killdeer is Charadrius vociferous, and, as its name implies, its voice is loud.  Listen to this variety of Killdeer calls, from “Know Your Bird Sounds: Songs and Calls of Birds of the Countryside by Lang Elliott.”  A special thank you to Mr. Elliott for granting us permission to use this recording. 

Some Things Don’t Change

It’s been many, many years since my childhood frantic encounter with a Killdeer.  I might have forgotten about it, if a friend of mine hadn’t jarred my memory.  She recently bought a new house in a rural area of Allen, Texas, and she had invited me for a visit.  Before my arrival she forewarned me that they had an “attack-bird” nesting on the ground next to her front walk.  I thought it strange when she instructed me to avoid coming up the walk but that instead I should make a wide arc across the grass in her front yard.  But it all came back to me when she told me that if I got too close, the bird would run at me squawking and flapping in an effort to intimidate me.  Hmmm…could it be….Yes, it was a Killdeer, and sure enough, she did.

What Does This Bird Eat?

One way to tell the type of food that a bird eats is to look at the shape of its beak.  Insect eaters, like this Killdeer, have delicate, thin, pointed beaks which are useful for poking in the soil and digging insects out of crevices.

For comparison, here is the beak of a seed eater.  See how pronounced and thick this beak is, which is necessary to crack the hard shells of nuts and seeds!