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Killdeer


The Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) is a shorebird that is 9 to 10.5 inches in length.  It has gray-brown upperparts, white underparts, and 2 black bands across the chest.  It has a red eye-ring, pinkish legs and feet, a long, rounded tail with a black subterminal band and a white tip, and a bright rufous-orange rump. 

The song of the Killdeer is a loud cry that sounds like kill-dee or kill-deer.  It also has a long trilled trrrrr sound that it makes during display or when its young are threatened.  When it believes that something is too close to its young or its nest, it leads intruders away from the nest with a "broken wing" display (illustrated left, above), rapid calls, the tail spread, and often limping to one side.

The Killdeer is considered abundant to common in the northernmost parts of its range.

Click here for a range map and additional information.

Click on the player below to hear Killdeer vocalizations.

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  • Home
  • Animals
    • Birds >
      • Avian Taxonomy
      • Bird Species Profiles
    • Mammal Species Profiles
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians >
      • Frog and Toad Species Profiles
    • Fish
    • Arthropods >
      • Arthropod Species Profiles
  • Plants
    • Native Plant Societies
    • Eastern Plant Identification Guide
  • Fungi
    • Fungi Species Profiles
  • Protists
  • Nature Products Store
  • Cell Phone Ringtones
  • Madbird Feeder Cam
  • Ramblings of the Madbird Biologist
  • Bird Videos
  • News in Science
  • Nature Inspired Recipes
  • An Introduction to Scientific Classification and Naming
  • Birds in the Classroom
  • Resources
  • About Me