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killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONFIRMATION STATUS: Confirmed.

 

IDENTIFICATION:

  • Length: 8 inches

  • Medium-sized, long-winged shorebird

  • Short, fairly thick dark bill

  • Legs flesh-colored

  • Red eye ring

  • White forehead and white stripe behind eye

  • Brown face; black lores and upper borders to the white forehead and         collar

  • White collar

  • Brown cap, back and wings

  • White breast and belly

  • Two black breast bands

  • White wing stripe at the bases of the flight feathers is visible in flight

  • Rust-red rump

  • Brown tail with black subterminal band, white terminal band and bar-          red, white outer tail feathers

  • Tail extends beyond wing tips at rest

  • Sexes similar

  • Juveniles similar to adult

Similar species:

All other plovers lack the two black breastbands. Very young killdeer
have a single breastband and could be confused with piping, Wilson's,
snowy or semipalmated plovers, but are usually still downy, have black
bills (any piping or semipalmated plover having a breastband will also
have an orange bill with a black tip), and are colored above like the
adult (eliminating the paler piping and snowy).

 

LIFE HISTORY

Migration Status: Short distance migrant
Breeding Habitat: N/A
Nest Location: N/A
Nest Type: N/A
Clutch Size: 4
Length of Incubation: 24-28 days
Days to Fledge: 25
Number of Broods: 1, often 2
Diet: Primarily insects

 

SKY MEADOWS DISTRIBUTION/SEASONAL OCCURRENCE

 

Relative abundance and seasonal occurrence are indicated in red below.

 

Relative abundance
     C - Common: Likely to be present in good numbers in appropriate habitat and season.
     U - Uncommon: May be present in appropriate habitat and season, often in low
            numbers.
     O - Occassional: Found in appropriate habitat perhaps only a few times per season,
            sometimes low numbers.
     R - Rare: May not be recorded every year.
     Acc - Accidental: Recorded once or twice, may not be expected again for a long time.

 

Seasonal Occurrence
      Sp - Spring: March, April, May
U
      Su - Summer: June, July, August U
      Fall: September, October, November U

      Winter: December, January, February U

 

 

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