Killdeers show off acting skills

By Brad McBee

A while back I was shooting at a gun range just outside of Albany when I came across a Killdeer. 

Killdeers are  robin size, large plover, brownish, with white bellies and black stripes on their heads, necks, and breasts. The name comes from a call that sounds like “kill-deer,”

Killdeers are an unusual bird species. A shorebird that would most often rather spend its time away from the beach, it can be found in fields, lawns, golf courses, and even parking lots. You will see them taking short little runs and then coming to a quick stop as they examine the ground for insects and seeds to eat. Their range covers the entire country.

Killdeer build their nests on the ground in rocky areas, but they have also been known to build them on graveled covered roofs. Their eggs blend right in with the rocks. Once when I was driving up a gravel driveway to a yard sale, the seller had placed a barrier around a portion of the driveway. A killdeer had built its nest right in the middle of that drive.

What makes killdeers so wondrous for me is that they are great actors. If you venture too close to a nest, the parent bird will try to lure you away by pretending it has an injured wing. As you draw closer to the bird, it will take a short low flight and again pretend it has an injured wing, drawing you farther and farther from the nest.

Those who don’t believe in a creator God would say this was just learned, evolved behavior.

I always find that difficult to believe. How did this bird just learn to do these things? Why didn’t their nests get raided right from the beginning and the birds just die off. Killdeers are another one of God’s amazing handiworks of nature.