Killdeer Similar Species Comparison
Similar Species
Wilson's Plover
Breeding adult
Wilson's Plovers are smaller than Killdeers and have only one breast band.
© Chris Wood | Macaulay LibraryFlorida, April 23, 2007Similar Species
Semipalmated Plover
Breeding adult
Semipalmated Plovers are smaller with a stubbier bill than Killdeer. They also have a single breast band instead of two.
© Ross Gallardy | Macaulay LibraryIllinois, June 11, 2016Similar Species
Semipalmated Plover
Nonbreeding adult
Semipalmated Plovers are smaller with a stubbier bill than Killdeer. They have a single breast band instead of two.
© Daniel Jauvin | Macaulay LibraryQuebec, October 01, 2016Main Species
Killdeer
Adult
Slender shorebird with long wings and tail. Adults have 2 black breast bands.
© Brad Imhoff | Macaulay LibraryOhio, March 25, 2020Adult
Adults perform broken-wing displays to distract predators from their nests and young. Note rusty tail in flight.
© Bonnie Ott | Macaulay LibraryMaryland, March 31, 2016Adults and juvenile
Both adults and juveniles habitually pause while walking to bob their heads up and back down. Call note is a thin, piercing "dee" note.
© Jay McGowan | Macaulay LibraryNew York, June 16, 2015Not all videos have sound
Chick
Chicks can leave the nest as soon as their downy feathers dry out. Downy juveniles have a single breast band.
© Jay McGowan | Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 29, 2015Adult
Slender shorebird with long wings and tail. Brownish above and white below with 2 black breast bands.
© Ryan Schain | Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, May 22, 2010Adult
Found in open areas such as sandbars, mudflats, grazed fields, lawns, driveways, athletic fields, parking lots, airports, and golf courses.
© Charles Shields | Macaulay LibraryIllinois, February 26, 2017Adult
Found in dry, flat landscapes, running and halting on the ground in search of insects and earthworms.
© Scott Glosserman | Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, May 23, 2017Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Plovers and Lapwings(Order: Charadriiformes, Family: Charadriidae)
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