Killdeer

Killdeer run in short bursts across open ground, stopping to snatch insects. When a person or animal approaches the nest, an adult drags a wing, spreads its tail and calls, pretending to be injured to lure the intruder away.

Killdeer eat many insects in fields and lawns. They are one of the few shorebirds that have adapted readily to people, nesting on gravel car parks, roofs and ball fields — which also puts them in harm's way.

Nest — A scrape on bare gravel or ground, sometimes lined with pebbles
Eggs — Usually four
Incubation — About 22 to 28 days
Chicks — Covered in down with one breast band; leave the nest within a day and feed themselves
Flight — At about three to four weeks
Lifespan — Wild birds over ten years are recorded

• A killdeer nest in a gravel lot or driveway can be protected with a few cones for three to four weeks until the chicks leave.
• The "broken wing" is an act; there is no need to chase or catch the bird.
• Chicks run and hide; a chick alone is almost always being watched by a parent.

• A killdeer dragging its wing is injured. It is performing a distraction display to protect its eggs or chicks.
• Chicks alone on the ground are lost. Killdeer chicks feed themselves from hatching and are guarded from a distance.

• Semipalmated plover
• Wilson's plover
• Piping plover