Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus

Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus. Photograph taken at the San José del Cabo Estuary, San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, March 2016. Photograph courtesy of Carol Snow, Del Mar, California.

Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus. Photograph taken at the City Dump, Benito Juárez, Sonora, March 2019. Photograph courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus, Eggs. Photograph taken at the City Dump, Benito Juárez, Sonora, March 2019. Photograph courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

Background and Identification

Habitat and Geographical Range

Common Misidentifications

Conservation Perspective

The Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus, is a medium sized member of the Charadriidae Family of Plovers and Lapwings. There are three subspecies of which Charadrius vociferus vociferus is found in Mexico. They have grayish-brown upperparts, white underparts, and two black interrupted black bands across the breast. The sexes have identical plumages that are consistent year-round. They have long, pointed wings that allow rapid fight and quick maneuvers. The Killdeer is wide-spread and often seen and heard as it has a tolerance of humans and is a year-round resident, with breeding populations, in northern Mexico and winter visitors to southern Mexico. They are normally found at elevations below 950 m (3,100 feet). From a conservation perspective the Killdeer is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are found primarily in fresh water along the coasts but will frequent inshore locations near water including mudflats, gravel bars and short-grass meadows well away from the ocean. They are active both during day and night hours consuming terrestrial invertebrates (beetles, earthworms, grasshoppers, and snails) and small amounts of small vertebrates and seeds. They date to Pliocene-early Pleistocene Period, 2 to 5 million years ago.