Killdeer

Description:

The killdeer has brown upper feathers and white undersides. It has a a brown head with a black band between its eyes, white "eyebrows" and black bands around its upper chest. It has a sharp, black bill; long legs and a long tail. Males and females look the same.

Habitat:

The killdeer can be found in open grasslands, wetlands, fields, croplands and pastures, and short-grass prairies. They are often found on sandbars, mudflats and pastures.

Notes:

The killdeer sometimes distracts predators from its nest by pretending to be injured. It drags itself along the ground, sometimes on one foot, dragging its wings like they are broken. When the predator turns its attention to the killdeer and away from the nest, the adult killdeer flies away. Killdeer do not gather in flocks. They are solitary or in male and female pairs.