Killdeer is a strange bird

Killdeer sitting on three eggs, then standing to tell photographer he is too close. While at a men's prayer group at Yates Concrete last Thursday evening, I learned something about one of God's creatures that was interesting.

"There is a crazy bird that has been sitting on three eggs out in the broiling sun for several weeks now," said W.C. Yates. "The nest, if you can call it that, is right beside the drive with the eggs just sitting on top of the gravel. The lawn mower has almost gotten it, so we try to protect it," he continued.

The killdeer, better known as the "killdee" in South Georgia, with its distinct call, is named for its voice and will display some amazing behavioral patterns, sure to thrill the most avid bird watcher.

The killdeer is often heard well before it is seen. This bird is well known for its call, which sounds much like its name, "kill-dee(r), kill-dee(r), kill-dee(r)." You will most often hear this call if you get too close as it is quite commonly heard when the killdeer wants to scare away potential predators.

The bird displays another unusual behavior, which it uses to avoid predation. This is the tendency to feign injury when a predator is close in order to keep them away from nest eggs. The killdeer is mostly found in open areas such as large yards and fields, even populated areas such as golf courses, playgrounds, parks and airport runways, with nests being built in large spaces. They are most common in the United States and Canada. A fairly common North American species, the killdeer cannot be found on any endangered or uncommon species list, as its range spans from the Gulf of Mexico across the American South. Once this bird was hunted; now, it tends to stay away from heavily populated human habitats. Like most migrating birds, the killdeer will only migrate when the temperature gets cold. Its diet is made up mostly of invertebrates, both terrestrial and aquatic, and it will happily rid your backyard of unwanted pests to feed its growing offspring. Many consider the killdeer highly beneficial to have near by, as it will often feed on mosquitoes!

If a feigned injury doesn't work, I'll fight you about my eggs. If you want to attract the killdeer to your back yard, an abundance of insects will certainly do the job. It will also help if you have a particularly spacious yard to begin with as the killdeer likes a large space in which to live.