Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Charadriidae
Genus: Charadrius

Audio for Species

Call
Song

from Macaulay Library

Species Related Links

Additional Killdeer Pictures

Description

Length: 7.9-11 in (20-28 cm) Weight: 2.6-4.5 oz (75-128 g) Wingspan: 18.1-18.9 in (46-48 cm)

A brown tan on back, wings, head and tail, with a white belly and under parts, chest, and the neck is a white band. The upper white chest and the lower neck is barred with two black bands. The brown face has a white patch above the beak and a black band above the white, that runs through the eyes. The bright orange-buff rump is clearly noticeable during flight.

Habitat, Range, and Feeding

A plover shorbird that can be found inland away from the shore at mudflats, wetlands, short grass fields or meadows, gravel bars , consturction sites, gravel drives, pastures, and golf courses.

The nest is a shallow depression scratched into bare ground, usually 3 to 3.5 inches across. Once egg-laying starts, Killdeer often add rocks, bits of shell, sticks, or trash to the nest; that are light in color, most likely to blend in or camouflage. The clutch size is 4 to 6 eggs, that are a light raw sienna in color, and are heavily bloched with dark brown markings. Killdeer will have up to three clutches if the first effort fails, but often a second brood will occur even if the first is a success.

Earthworms, grasshoppers, beetles, and snails and other invertebrates make up the main diet, and less frequently seeds and small vertebrates like frogs.