Kildeer

This neat and friendly member of the plover family, the Killdeer has perfected a nearly fool-proof scheme to guard its nest. When a birder or nasty Blue Jay or Crow comes near the nest, mama Killdeer goes into her act. She leaves the nest, then starts to feign a wounded wing or sickly prance, limping and whining to attract the intruder away from the eggs or chicks in the nest. This can go on for 15-20 minutes, long enough to take the unwanted guest many yards off track. When she feels safe, the Killdeer parent will return to the nest.

The nest is a scrape placed on a slight rise by the male about 3-5 inches across. They will lay 4-6 eggs which will take 22-28 days to hatch. The chicks can walk as soon as they hatch and can feed themselves. Their first flight will occur about 25 days after hatching. A Killdeer pair will have two broods per year.

The Killdeers eat snails, crayfish, grasshoppers, and beetles. Though they are classified as a water bird they spent most of their time on dry land. They run across the ground in spurts stopping with a jolt every so often to see if there are any insects nearby. They get their name from the shrill wailing cry that sounds like kill-deer. The oldest recorded Killdeer was 10 years 11 months.

These birds are vulnerable to pesticide poisoning and cars since they stay mostly on the ground near people. The birds pictured above were nesting outside the back of our clubhouse on the far side of the bridge just off the concrete last spring. Luckily, no one stepped on them or ran over the nest with a golf cart!