Killdeer

 

Killdeer are common year round birds in Williamson County. Although they are technically shorebirds in the plover family, they have adapted well to the urban environment. Easily recognized by the two black bands across the upper breast they have white wing stripes are that are visible in flight. They can be found in parks, yards, pond edges, and even parking lots. They prefer open ground with low vegetation. Killdeer spend their time roaming the ground in search of food. They eat insect larvae, snails, grasshoppers, and earthworms from dry ground and crayfish and aquatic insect larvae from pond edges. Killdeer have a short, high pitched call when they fly that almost sounds like “killdeer.” They call as they fly and they call to round up their chicks. Killdeer groups are called a “season” of killdeers.

 

Killdeer nests are very simple – they lay their eggs directly on the ground in pastures or even in gardens. They will feign a broken wing to lure predators away from the nest. But they will also charge large grazing animals in an attempt to get them to change their route from the nest. It takes about 24 to 28 days for the eggs to hatch after all the eggs have been laid in the nest. Killdeer chicks look like miniature adults. They hatch with open eyes, ready to run and follow the adults. While they can scatter over the feeding grounds far from their parents, they quickly answer the parental call to rejoin the family group. The adult killdeer will also surround her chicks with her wings when she thinks there is danger.