Killdeer
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(New page: '''Common Name:''' Killdeer<br> '''Scientific Name:''' Charadrius vociferus '''Size:''' 8-11 inches (20-28 cm) '''Habitat:''' North and Central America; across most of Canada, the United...) |
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'''Status:''' Least Concern. Global population: 1,000,000. The Killdeer is one of the most successful of all shorebirds because of its fondness for human modified habitats and its willingness to nest close to people. Because they live so close to people, however, they are vulnerable to pesticide poisoning and collisions with cars and buildings. The Killdeer is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. | '''Status:''' Least Concern. Global population: 1,000,000. The Killdeer is one of the most successful of all shorebirds because of its fondness for human modified habitats and its willingness to nest close to people. Because they live so close to people, however, they are vulnerable to pesticide poisoning and collisions with cars and buildings. The Killdeer is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. | ||
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'''Diet:''' Invertebrates, such as earthworms, snails, crayfish, grasshoppers, beetles, and aquatic insect larvae. It will follow a farmers' plow in hopes of retrieving any unearthed worms or insect larvae. Will also eat seeds left in agricultural lands. An opportunistic forager, Killdeer have been observed hunting frogs and eating dead minnows. | '''Diet:''' Invertebrates, such as earthworms, snails, crayfish, grasshoppers, beetles, and aquatic insect larvae. It will follow a farmers' plow in hopes of retrieving any unearthed worms or insect larvae. Will also eat seeds left in agricultural lands. An opportunistic forager, Killdeer have been observed hunting frogs and eating dead minnows. | ||
The male and female of a mated pair pick out a nesting site through a ritual known as a scrape ceremony. The male lowers his breast to the ground and scrapes a shallow depression with his feet. The female then approaches, head lowered, and takes his place. The male then stands with body tilted slightly forward, tail raised and spread, calling rapidly. Mating often follows. | The male and female of a mated pair pick out a nesting site through a ritual known as a scrape ceremony. The male lowers his breast to the ground and scrapes a shallow depression with his feet. The female then approaches, head lowered, and takes his place. The male then stands with body tilted slightly forward, tail raised and spread, calling rapidly. Mating often follows. | ||
| - | + | After egg-laying begins, Killdeer often add rocks, bits of shell, sticks, and trash to the nest. Curiously, these items tend to be light colored, and this tendency was confirmed in one experiment that gave Killdeer the choice between light and dark sticks. Some of these items they pick up as they are leaving and toss over their shoulder into the nest. In one nest in Oklahoma, people found more than 1,500 pebbles had accumulated this way | |
'''Cool Facts:''' Killdeer get their name from the shrill, wailing kill-deer call they give so often. Eighteenth-century naturalists also noticed how noisy Killdeer are, giving them names such as the Chattering Plover and the Noisy Plover. | '''Cool Facts:''' Killdeer get their name from the shrill, wailing kill-deer call they give so often. Eighteenth-century naturalists also noticed how noisy Killdeer are, giving them names such as the Chattering Plover and the Noisy Plover. | ||
The oldest known Killdeer was 10 years 11 months old. | The oldest known Killdeer was 10 years 11 months old. | ||
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| + | '''Found in Shorebirds Volume 3: Small Waders''' | ||
