Killdeer —Ross Feldner

First described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in his Systema Naturae, the killdeer's common name comes from its often-heard call.

These long-legged birds are the largest and most familiar member of the ringed plover family. Although it’s classified as a shorebird, the Killdeer typically makes its summer home on golf courses, lawns, fields and even parking lots. Killdeer are ground nesters and the male will make the nest by scraping the ground into a rough bowl shape with his feet. After the eggs are laid he will add small stones and vegetation. Both male and female build the nest and incubate the eggs.

Their best known behavior is a defense “act” where they feign having a broken wing to lead predators away from the nest. When they feel they have gotten the predator far enough away, they fly off.