Windwolf
Crex Meadows ... Birds on the Meadows ... Killdeer
The Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
The Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) is a common Crex Meadows bird. Often they will run or fly in bursts along the road just ahead of your vehicle for quite aways. The Killdeer can often be seen on mudflats, roaming around looking for food or surveying their domain.
This bird was along side West Refuge Road in the area of Dike 5. This area holds many Killdeer each year and is a favorite area for other shore birds including other plovers, and sandpipers.
It didnt take me long to realize the bird photographed here had a nest nearby. She was staying within 10 feet of me as I snapped the photographs. Its not often that your able to get so close to a wild bird for long enough to snap several photos.
Picture taken June 6, 2007
Listen to the Killdeer
The double dark banding across the lower neck/upper breast area helps in idenfication when confronted with a mix of plovers together. The other plovers do not have this double band.
The dark bill on the Killdeer also aids for identification when confronted with additional Plovers. The Piping or the Semipalmated Plover will have an orange bill with a black tip.
Picture taken June 6, 2007
The Killdeer will attempt to distract a threat to the nest or young by displaying a broken wing behavior. Here is a begining effort where you can see the wing being extended some and the tail being spread out and leaning towards the left wing.
On this day I was too close to the nest to get this Killdeer to really show action until I moved further away. The close attempts to distract me and lead me away were all limited to this type of display, in part because the Killdeer was so close to me, it may have felt a need to flee fast, should I show a pouncing skill.
I did follow a bit in an effort to get a more pronounce broken wing display, but the Killdeer would stay too far away to photograph its expanded displays.
Picture taken June 6, 2007
The above two pictures are of the nest the Killdeer was protecting. The silver item in the right side picture is a quarter for a size comparison.
The Killdeer is known to nest in close proximity to people and can suffer consenqences from this ability. Lawn mowing does cost numerous eggs and young their lives. Exposure to predators such as cats, and accidental poisonings are other fates Killdeer nests and young encounter, when nesting close to human habitation.
| Kingdom | Animalia | Animal, animals, animaux |
| Phylum | Chordata | chordates, cordado, cordés |
| Subphylum | Vertebrata | vertebrado, vertebrates, vertébrés |
| Class | Aves | Birds, oiseaux |
| Order | Ciconiiformes | |
| Family | Charadriidae | Avocets, Oystercatchers, Plovers, Stilts |
| Genus | Charadrius | Ringed Plovers |
| Species | Charadrius vociferus |