THE KILLDEER
Killdeer, Riley Pond, Oregon
Copyright © Don Baccus (dhogaza@pacifier.com)
Although this bird is formally listed as a "Shorebird" and often described as a "farm-country" bird it can be found in relatively "open spaces" almost anywhere, including empty fields in the urban areas.
This is a bird that you will positively identify when you hear its call! You'll certainly hear its persistent "desperate and unsettling" song before you see it. It flies so swiftly and with such agility that by the time you have localized the sound the bird has probably darted away in another direction! It has a song that is unmistakable, unforgettable and it certainly lives up to the aptly-chosen "vociferous" part of it's scientific name! (listen!)(¹) The killdeer often breaks out into this song at the appearance of an intruder and, much to the chagrin of the wildlife photographer, other birds often interpret the call as a warning and take flight!
The Killdeer is a very common migratory bird found across most of southern Canada and central USA in the summer. It nests as far north as James Bay and as far south as Mexico. On the coastal areas it winters as far north as Long Island and southern British Columbia. Inland, it migrates as far south as northern South America.
As a point of interest, however, during the 34th annual Christmas Bird Count (December 20, 1998) at Presqu'ile, Ontario observers counted 9 lingering Killdeer. This was certainly a rarity, being only the second time in the 34 years that Killdeer have been sighted there so late in the year!
Another fact about the Killdeer is that it is a member of the "Plover" family of birds and the importance of this piece of information will be evident as this page unfolds.
The Killdeer is about the size of a Robin but with longish legs that enable it to run quite fast. This bird is remarkable in that it chooses to remain in solitary pairs while nesting on the open ground exposed to a myriad of predators! Obviously, in such a hostile environment the species had to evolve certain behavioural and developmental traits that help it to survive. Needless to say, its chances of survival would otherwise be pretty slim.
Firstly, the Killdeer hardly constructs a nest. The male simply scrapes out a small nondescript cavity that produces minimal disturbance of the area. The female lays four (sometimes five) eggs having an irregular mottled pattern that blends in very well with the surroundings (see reference links). Both birds take turns incubating the eggs.
The incubation period for the Killdeer eggs is much longer than that of most other birds but when the young hatch their eyes are open, they are clothed in down and are completely "ready to go". They immediately follow and forage with the parents. Of course the parents watch over them very carefully and brood them for a lengthy period.
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| © Paul Davidson | ||
| Killdeer egg |
THE DEFENSIVE RUSE
The Decoy: "Follow me!"
Copyright © T. Douglas Rodda (sawwhet@ix.netcom.com)
The Killdeer parents have a very interesting manoeuvre to protect their eggs and young. At the approach of a stranger during the incubation period, the bird will immediately move away from the nest while dragging one wing on the ground, or pretending to be otherwise injured, and thus (hopefully) induce the intruder to follow. Once the intruder has been lured away from the nest area the bird will then fly off. I had the privilege of observing this behaviour some time ago and it is certainly impressive. The same performance is given when there are chicks around, however, upon an alarm signal from the parents, the young chicks will "freeze where they are. When one comes upon a killdeer parent one must be exceptionally careful not to step on the nest or on the motionless chicks crouched down helplessly somewhere on the ground!
Here is another photograph of the decoy ruse, taken by Paul Davidson of the Innes Point Bird Observatory, Kanata, Ontario.
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| © Paul Davidson |
In closing this short article on the Killdeer here's another photograph by Doug Rodda with an important lasting message:
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Please remember to tread cautiously!
Copyright© T. Douglas Rodda
Note that some of these references links contain very large pictures and will take extra time to load, so please have patience.
Hinterland Hinterland Who's Who. An excellent, very complete description of the Killdeer. Note: Various free brochures are available via the site.
Nature bulletin 482 A monograph by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County (Illinois). One of its many informative bulletins on nature subjects.
ROM Royal Ontario Museum description of the Killdeer, including the sound file (¹) provided by, and copyrighted by, the ROM.
Precocious "The precocious Killdeer": An article on Killdeer chicks.
Photographing Killdeer Guidance notes provided by Don Baccus as part of his photography website (see below). Two more killdeer photographs are provided along with information on the locales of these pictures (Riley pond & Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, in the Southeast quadrant of Oregon).
Loss to Ravens A large picture of a Killdeer on nest and an unfortunate prognosis. by Bill Wimley San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary, Orange County, California
USGS large photo of Killdeer on nest with eggs. Note how difficult it is to see the eggs! From US Geologic Service .
IPBO Home page of the Innis Point Bird Observatory, Kanata Ontario. This site has some excellent photographs of its projects and many of them were taken by Paul Davidson.
Bookmark here
The Great Lakes Piping Plover
Piping Plover The Great Lakes Piping Plover. In 1986 there were only 12 pair remaining in the world. Today, Thanks to the Lake Superior State University (LSSU) and the participation of the Killdeer, 10 years after the program began, there are 26 breeding pairs of Great Lakes Piping Plover.
Note: The original link to this article (author: Mary L Underwood) has become unavailable and the source untraceable so I have provided a salvaged copy, with apologies to the author("back" to return). If I discover a new link I will provide it.
Plover ROM ROM article on Piping Plover with an excellent photograph. Note the extremely precarious Ontario population of the bird.
Lincoln Park zoo Lincoln Park Zoo helps the Piping Plover
Endangered Environment Canada Atlantic Region. The Piping Plover in Eastern Canada.
Don Baccus "Nature photos, on-line guides, and other goodies". Don's photographs can also be found on my Kingfisher, Nuthatch and Black-crowned Night Heron pages.
T. Douglas Rodda. Doug's photographs appear on a number of websites, and publications such as those of the Nature Conservancy, the home page of the Darien Audubon Society, and Birder's World magazine, to mention just a few.
Doug's website provides an extensive gallery of his photographs. He also provided photographs for my page on the Black-crowned Night Heron.
Paul Davidson Paul has taken many of the photographs presented in the projects by the Innis Point Bird Observatory , Kanata, Ontario.