Killdeer

Here's a Killdeer I met last month. These guys (like the Solitary Sandpiper and the Lesser Yellowlegs) are shorebirds ... but they are shorebirds that can take the shore or leave it. They seem to like flat areas, and I'm sure they've nested in the Murray Hills parking lot where I used to work.

They lay their eggs on the ground and in the open. Though the eggs do look like smooth stones, their primary protection is probably the "broken wing defense". If a predator appears, a parent will utilize their thespian skills to fake being a bird who can't fly due to a broken wing. If all goes well, the predator won't find the eggs and will attempt to stalk the "injured" Killdeer. Once the Killdeer has lured the predator sufficiently far away, that broken wing will miraculously heal and they'll fly to safety. Here's a reenactment.

Though I haven't heard them a lot, they get their name from their call that sounds like "kill deer".

May 9, 2021 at Duke Farms
Photo 128958863, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

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