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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