adult (California, USA; 2011-04-16)


Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus

Native Range: North America and Latin America

Notes: two black bands on breast and buffy rump patch are distinctive; nests on ground, depositing camoflaged eggs in a shallow depression; distracts predators by doing a 'broken-wing' display during which it feigns injury as it moves away from nest; frequents fields and farmlands as well as shorelines; gets its name from its shrill repeated "kill-deer-kill-deer" call that it often issues during flight.

frontal view (California, USA; 2006-09-15)
buffy rump noticeable in flight (California, USA; 2007-04-28)

dorsal view(California, USA; 2007-02-24)
courting pair (California, USA; 2007-10-14)
near its nest with eggs (California, USA; 2009-04-11) broken-wing display (California, USA; 2009-04-11)
on nest (California, USA; 2011-04-16) chick shows only one black breast band (California, USA; 2006-07-21)
posing for a portrait (California, USA; 2011-04-16)