Stanley Park Ecology Society - Programs- Urban Wildlife

Species

Notice the 2 black bands across the killdeer's chest

Killdeer get their name from the loud and frantic sound they make, which sounds something like "kill-deeah"
Killdeer build their nests on gravel parking lots, shortgrass fields, and similar open areas
Killdeer are strong fliers and swift runners
Killdeer are very helpful, especially for farmers, because they feast on pests

Killdeer are characterized by two black bands across their white chest and an orange-coloured lower back, rump, and tail
From bill to tail adults measure approximately 23-28 cm and typically weigh up to 100g

Although technically classified as shorebirds, it lives mainly in open areas, such as fields, pastures, and dry uplands
The killdeer are very common across most of southern Canada; however are very rare in northern forested regions

Typical food sources include a variety of insects and other invertebrates
Beetles, larvae, and wire-worms make up 40% of their diet, grasshoppers, ants, caterpillars, bugs, and dragonflies make up another 40%, spiders, ticks, centipedes, worms, crabs, and other crustaceans makes up 18%, and vegetable matter make up the last 2% of the killdeer’s diet

What a SHOW OFF!

Most killdeer have already found a mate when they return from migration
If not, they begin the courtship process, which either includes high flight patterns or an elaborate show of its beautiful colours by spreading its wings, fanning its tail, and letting out a long trilling note
Females typically lay 4-5 pear-shaped eggs
Young are born with one band and not two across the chest
As soon as their down is dry, the young head out of the nest and fend for themselves on the ground and begin flying approximately 40 days after birth

Killdeer are an annoyance to farmers

In the 19th century, killdeer were hunted for food and sport, and they became scarce in the eastern US and Quebec
Now they are protected across the whole continent
Killdeer are sometimes hard to see for birdwatchers because when you approach they let out a loud cry and make all the ducks and shorebirds flee
Every year, nests in open fields are destroyed by domestic and farmland animals
Ground-nesting birds like the killdeer are more vulnerable to predators due to their nesting locations