Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
Description: It has a white underbelly, and the rump and base of the tail are rusty. The main body is brown, as well as the head (which is also marked with black and white), while the wings are black and white. The Killdeer can be between 9 and 11 inches long and has a large round, head and eye, and they are slender and lanky. Their bill is somewhat short.
Habitat: The Killdeer is a technically classified as a shorebird, but tends to live in pastures, riverbanks, and airports.
Diet: The Killdeer eats insects, earthworms and snails.
Behaviors:
Miscellaneous:
Habitat: The Killdeer is a technically classified as a shorebird, but tends to live in pastures, riverbanks, and airports.
Diet: The Killdeer eats insects, earthworms and snails.
Behaviors:
- The Killdeer is a habitual collector of pebbles, which they use as nesting materials
- One of these is called the broken-wing act. This is performed by adults who are trying to lure a predator away from the nest by appearing to be injured, and making the chicks a less desirable prey
- The Killdeer will fluff up its feathers, display its tail over its head and charge at a hoofed animal that is treading to close to the nest
- At the slightest signal of danger from the parents, the chicks close their eyes and freeze. If a hawk is approaching, the parents signal the chicks to go to the water and dive underneath the surface.
Miscellaneous:
- The oldest known Killdeer was 10 years 11 months old