Killdeer

Our birdwatching Substation Engineer has sent in another installment. This time he tells us about killdeers, which he describes as "Cool and crazy - like Midtowners."

Killdeer – SUB 61


One of the most common birds that make our substations their home is a most unusual one, the killdeer. It gets its name from its call which sounds like a high pitched “kill-dee kill-dee, kill-deer kill-deer”. They are often described as an upland shorebird, a living oxymoron, a shorebird that lives far from what anyone would consider the shore. The killdeer likes an expanse of small rocks and can be found living near railroads, edges of parking lots, on gravel covered rooftops and the insulating rock found in all power substations – their instinct still seeks the beach.

This large plover is unmistakably the only one with two double breast bands that look like two big black necklaces – their young have only one. The killdeer doesn’t settle for one camouflage scheme; it uses a pair. It makes use of counter-shading which means they are dark brown above and white below; this breaks up its profile and allows them to blend into a beach-like background. It also has an orange-brown rump and tail that only appears when they take flight to confuse a pursuing predator; this is called deflective coloration. The killdeer is full of quirks and tricks.

At breeding time the males make a number of shallow scratches in the ground and the females accept one of these unambitious offerings as a nest site. The pair may line this depression with small pebbles, a smattering of grass and whatever debris might catch their eye. They always nest in a wide expanse so they can get a good look at any threats that might care to approach – this is called the long look.

They typically scoot around quickly at a brisk pace bobbing their heads unless you get near their nest; it is then they put on a show for which they have become famous. At first the parents will walk slowly leading any interlopers away from the nest then they stumble and extend one wing out and start dragging it along the ground. (See pictures here.) It is a pitiful sight – no matter how many times you witness it - until you get just close enough to the parent or far enough from the eggs the bird bursts up into the air with a flash of orange. When a mother is on nest at advanced incubation she will not leave and will even allow researchers to lift her off to check the eggs.

The killdeer's camo is amazing and it is next to impossible to spot a nest or the young. Below is a killdeer on a nest at SUB 61--the nest is near the broken curb.