{"id":13617,"date":"2020-03-02T13:25:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-02T18:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=13617"},"modified":"2020-03-02T13:23:29","modified_gmt":"2020-03-02T18:23:29","slug":"take-5-clamorous-killdeer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-clamorous-killdeer\/","title":{"rendered":"Take 5: Clamorous Killdeer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Among the earliest of spring migrants, Killdeer<\/a> arrive as early as late-February in exceptionally warm years. No, they’re not raptors despite their fierce-sounding name. A member of the plover family, Killdeer are one species of shorebird you don’t need to go to the beach to enjoy; listen for the shrill kill-deer, kill-deer<\/em> call for which they are named (earlier names included Chattering Plover and Noisy Plover) in fields and pastures, and on playgrounds, lawns, unpaved driveways, beach dunes, and other open areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Killdeer have distinctive color markings: tawny-colored on top and white below, with two black bands across the breast (although juveniles only have one), and black and white patches marking the face, including a black streak that runs through their large eyes. The rusty-colored rump is more visible when the bird is in flight or during a distraction display: When a parent Killdeer (either on a nest or herding young) feels threatened, it will fan its tail, exposing the red rump, and lurch around feigning injury to draw the potential predator away from the nest or young. Talk about protective parents!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although they won’t visit your backyard feeder, keep an eye out for Killdeer in large lawns and fields where they often forage for insects on the ground and may even dig their shallow nests in the bare ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enjoy these five photos of Killdeer from our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors<\/a> photo contest and check out our Quick Guide to Killdeer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Killdeer
Killdeer \u00a9 Latitia Duret<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Killdeer
Killdeer \u00a9 Ryan Barraford<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Killdeer
Killdeer \u00a9 Ken DiBiccari<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Killdeer
Killdeer \u00a9 Jillian Paquette<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Killdeer
Killdeer \u00a9 Nanci St. George<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Among the earliest of spring migrants, Killdeer arrive as early as late-February in exceptionally warm years. No, they’re not raptors despite their fierce-sounding name. A member of the plover family, Killdeer are one species of shorebird you don’t need to go to the beach to enjoy; listen for the shrill kill-deer, kill-deer call for which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":13624,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6,158],"tags":[28,333,83,84,332,260],"class_list":["post-13617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","category-take-5","tag-birds","tag-killdeer","tag-photo-contest","tag-photography","tag-plovers","tag-shorebirds"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/02\/5915Jillian_Paquette29624.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-3xD","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3436,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/keep-an-eye-out-for-killdeer\/","url_meta":{"origin":13617,"position":0},"title":"Keep an Eye Out for Killdeer","author":"Hillary T.","date":"April 14, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"When it comes to the status of a particular bird species, it\u2019s not always black and white. Take the killdeer (which happens to be black, brown, and white). At first glance our Breeding Bird Atlas 2 reports that this distant cousin of the piping plover is widespread and likely increasing.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/04\/killdeer_richardjohnson.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/04\/killdeer_richardjohnson.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/04\/killdeer_richardjohnson.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16693,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/celebrating-wildlife-in-massachusetts\/","url_meta":{"origin":13617,"position":1},"title":"Celebrating Wildlife in Massachusetts","author":"Kaylin D.","date":"March 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"World Wildlife Day is a time to appreciate and advocate for nature. As residents or visitors of Massachusetts, we are lucky to be able to enjoy a wide array of wildlife across our landscape \u2013 from animals as small as a Bog Copper Butterfly to giant\u00a0Humpback Whales. To help you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Get Outdoors"","block_context":{"text":"Get Outdoors","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/get-outdoors\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/Skunk-Cabbage.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/Skunk-Cabbage.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/Skunk-Cabbage.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/Skunk-Cabbage.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5790,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/last-month-in-birding-june-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":13617,"position":2},"title":"Last Month in Birding: June 2015","author":"Rosemary","date":"July 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"It was another interesting month in Massachusetts birding. Let's\u00a0take a look at a few of the most exciting bird sightings as suggested by our experts. \"Brewster\u2019s warbler\" (Vermivora pinus x chrysoptera) This beautiful animal\u00a0is the fertile hybrid of two closely-related birds, the blue-winged warbler (Vermivora pinus) and the golden-winged warbler\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/07\/ycnh1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/07\/ycnh1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/07\/ycnh1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3575,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/baby-bird-season-101\/","url_meta":{"origin":13617,"position":3},"title":"Baby Bird Season 101","author":"Hillary T.","date":"May 20, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"In our latest post for Boston Mamas, we tackle the question: What to do if you find a baby bird? Now is the time of year that migratory breeding birds have returned from the south to nest, and each bird has a unique nesting technique. For example, robins fill their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/05\/wendybarrett_massaudubon.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/05\/wendybarrett_massaudubon.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/05\/wendybarrett_massaudubon.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7584,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/100-great-wildlife-sanctuary-birding-spots\/","url_meta":{"origin":13617,"position":4},"title":"100 Great Wildlife Sanctuary Birding Spots","author":"Hillary T.","date":"May 11, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Bird-a-thon, Mass Audubon\u2019s annual birding competition takes place on May 13-14. 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To kick-off Bird-a-thon and celebrate 100\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Get Involved"","block_context":{"text":"Get Involved","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/get-involved\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/05\/wood-duck_BP_Richard-Johnson.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/05\/wood-duck_BP_Richard-Johnson.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/05\/wood-duck_BP_Richard-Johnson.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3031,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/report-cards-for-our-birds\/","url_meta":{"origin":13617,"position":5},"title":"Report Cards for Our Birds","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"December 17, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Conservation is a gamble on the future. While a complex array of drivers act on our natural systems to cause rapid changes in the landscape and the species we have come to love, we need to quickly adapt to make the best choices to preserve our natural heritage. 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