About Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758
Charadrius vociferus, commonly called the killdeer, is a tall, slender plover with a relatively long tail. Adult killdeer measure 20 to 28 cm (7.9 to 11.0 in) in length, have a wingspan of 59 to 63 cm (23 to 25 in), and typically weigh 72 to 121 g (2.5 to 4.3 oz). It has a short, thick, dark bill, flesh-colored legs, and a red eye ring. Its upperparts—including its cap, back, and wings—are mostly brown with rufous fringes. It has a white forehead and a white stripe behind the eye, while its lores and the upper borders of the white forehead are black. It has a white collar with a black upper border, and the rest of its face is brown. Its breast and belly are white, marked with two distinct black breast bands. It is the only plover found in North America that has two breast bands. The killdeer has a red rump, and its mostly brown tail features a black subterminal band, a white terminal band, and barred white feathers on the outer portion of the tail. A white wing stripe at the base of the flight feathers is visible when the bird is in flight. Females typically have browner masks and breast bands than males. The subspecies C. v. ternominatus is smaller, paler, and greyer than the nominate subspecies. The subspecies C. v. peruvianus is smaller than the nominate subspecies and has more extensive rufous feather fringes. Juvenile killdeer are similar in appearance to adults. Chicks have dusky and buff coloration on their upperparts, with white underparts, forehead, neck, and chin, and a single breast band across the chest. The killdeer is a vocal species that calls even at night. Its calls include nasal notes such as "deee", "tyeeee", and "kil-deee", which gives the species its common name. During display flights, it repeats calls of "kil-deer" or "kee-deeyu". When disturbed, it produces a rapid sequence of notes like "kee-di-di-di", and its alarm call is a long, fast trill. The nominate subspecies breeds in the United States (including southeastern Alaska), southern Canada, and Mexico, with less widespread breeding grounds extending further south to Panama. Some northern populations are migratory. This subspecies is resident in the southern half of its breeding range, and can be found year-round in most of the contiguous United States. It also winters as far south as Central America, the West Indies, Colombia, Ecuador, and islands off Venezuela, leaving its breeding grounds after mid-July, with migration peaking from August to September. The return migration to breeding grounds begins in February and ends in mid-May. The subspecies C. v. ternominatus is thought to be resident in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and Virgin Islands. C. v. peruvianus is found year-round in western Ecuador, Peru, and extreme northwestern Chile. During the non-breeding season, killdeer occupy beach habitats, coastal wetlands, and fields. They forage almost exclusively in fields, especially those with short vegetation, standing water, and cattle that likely keep vegetation short. When breeding, the killdeer has a home range of around 6 hectares (15 acres), which is generally larger when nesting is located more than 50 meters (160 feet) from water. Although it is generally a lowland species, it can be found up to the snowline in meadows and open lakeshores during autumn migration.
