Unlike many of its relatives, which prefer secluded shorelines or remote tundras, the killdeer is a “people person” among birds. You’ll often find them hanging out in suburban driveways, golf courses, or even gravel parking lots. They are easily identified by their two bold black chest bands—a feature that distinguishes them from most other plovers, which typically only sport one. With their large, expressive reddish-orange eyes and a habit of bobbing their heads up and down like they’re listening to a catchy beat, they are hard to miss.
What truly sets the killdeer apart is its flair for the dramatic, specifically its “broken-wing act.” If a person or a potential predator gets too close to their nest—which is usually just a shallow scrape in the dirt or gravel—the parent doesn’t just fly away. Instead, it limps along the ground, dragging a wing and fanning its tail to look like easy prey. It even emits a pitiful chirping sound to sell the injury. Once the confused intruder has been lured far enough away from the eggs, the Killdeer “miraculously” heals and flies off, leaving the predator wondering where its dinner went. It’s one of the best performances in the animal kingdom.
In addition to being great actors, Killdeer are famous for their voices. They are named after their call, a loud, piercing “kill-dee, kill-dee!” that they aren’t afraid to use at any hour of the day or night. They are also incredibly fast on their feet; rather than flying short distances, they prefer to sprint across the ground in a series of rapid dashes and sudden stops. These little guys are also quite brave—they’ve been known to stand their ground against much larger animals, like cows or horses, by fluffing up their feathers and screaming to keep the heavy hooves away from their nests.
Distribution
Anguilla
Antigua & Barbuda
Aruba
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bermuda
Bonaire Sint Eustatius And Saba
Brazil
British Virgin Is.
Canada
Cayman Islands
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Curaçao
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Faroe Islands
France
French Guiana
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Jamaica
Martinique
Mexico
Montserrat
Nicaragua
Norway
Panama
Peru
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Saint Barthélemy
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Pierre
Saint Vincent
Sint Maarten
Spain
St. Kitts & Nevis
Sweden
Switzerland
Trinidad & Tobago
Turks & Caicos
US Virgin Islands
United Kingdom
United States
VenezuelaAnything we've missed?
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Flock
Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
