The following article was written by Kennedy Zittel, a Naturalist at the Woodland Dunes Nature Center.
The Killdeer Diary:
Monday, April 20th:
When taking my dog, Gus, for a walk around one of our fields – a sudden burst of wings and the unmistakable “killdeer killdeer killdeer” call stopped us in our tracks. An adult killdeer appeared, hopping in front of us, pretending to drag a wing behind its body as it yelled out its name.
- Killdeer will fake a broken wing to lure predators away from their nest.
Though Gus was completely oblivious to the scene in front of us, it suddenly occurred to me… oh shoot! I must be near its nest.
- Killdeer nests are a shallow scrape in the ground lined with pebbles.
- Killdeer are a type of plover and are considered shorebirds, however, they often build their nests on open land like agricultural fields, grasslands, or even lawns.
Sure enough, a few feet away in a patch of gravel sat a perfect pile of three speckled eggs.
- Their eggs are speckled to camouflage with the pebbles they sit on.
Gus and I continued on our walk, and the killdeer settled back onto the nest.
Wednesday, April 22nd:
As I was out working in our yard, I wondered how our new neighbors were doing. I crept around the garage that blocks the view of the nest from our house…and saw that the killdeer was not on the nest, but rather walking across the grass nearby.
- Killdeer move in a pattern similar to other plover species, running forward a few steps, stopping, tilting their head to listen for prey, and then snapping up prey with their beak.
- Invertebrates make up more than 90% of a killdeer’s diet. They will eat beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, even worms.
While the parent was busy getting supper, I crept a little closer and was able to get a picture of the nest… only to find four speckled eggs!
Sunday, April 26th:
While we were planting trees on the far side of the field (away from the nest) we could see one of the killdeer sitting atop the eggs – watching us intently but not bothered enough to get up. Suddenly, overhead rang “killdeer killdeer killdeer” as the other parent circled overhead. This was the first time we saw both parents.
- Both male and female killdeer take turns incubating the eggs.
Luckily for us and our trees, after circling a few times the second killdeer settled down and went to stand by the other – deeming us as not too much of a threat.
Sunday, May 3rd:
We returned home after spending the last four days camping, and of course one of the first things I did was peek around the garage to see if anything new had happened with our killdeer family. I could see an adult nestled on top of the eggs, no sign of babies yet.
- Killdeer eggs typically hatch 22 – 28 days – meaning that our babies would hatch mid-late May… so I need to be a bit more patient!
Wednesday, May 13th:
We went to check on the nest and saw only three eggs amongst the rocks. You could tell that the parents had rearranged the eggs after the loss of the fourth egg making a closer pile. We scanned the area and saw no sign of the missing egg, it was likely lost due to predation or removed by the parents.
- Over 50% of killdeer eggs are lost due to predation. Potential predators include skunks, raccoons, foxes, opossums, rodents, snakes, even other birds like crows and gulls.
- Killdeer parents will remove an egg from the nest if it was damaged or unviable, moving it far from the nest to avoid attracting predators.
Thursday, May 14th:
We went to check on the nest after yesterday’s loss, and sadly saw yet another egg had vanished.
Friday, May 15th:
After the last few day’s disappointing nest checks, I was a little leary to check on the nest this day. I saw both parents walking around the field rather than being near the nest, which added to my worry. However, upon walking closer to the nest I saw… a baby killdeer!
- Baby killdeer are precocial, meaning they are able to move around right after hatching and are more independent than some other species of bird hatchlings.
- They will begin to move around soon after hatching, finding insects on their own and staying with their parents for around a month until they can fly.
The second egg hatched later this day, and the two babies left the nest in a hurry to follow their parents around the fields.
Soon after the two babies had hatched on May 15th, our killdeer neighbors left the yard. We enjoyed watching their family throughout the last month, and wish them well on their new journey around the fields.
