Wesley's Backyard Birds
Killdeer

The most widespread and largest of the ringed plovers, the Killdeer is a common bird in farmyards, fields, and parking lots. Although many species of birds pretend to have a broken wing to lure predators from their nest, the Killdeer is the one most commonly seen performing this distraction display. The broken-wing act used to lead predators from the nest would not keep a cow or horse from stepping on the eggs. To guard against large hoofed animals, the Killdeer uses a quite different display, fluffing itself up, displaying its tail over its head, and running at the beast to attempt to make it change its path. Killdeers feed mainly on terrestrial invertebrates such as earthworms, grasshoppers, beetles, and snails. They occasionally consume small vertebrates and seeds. Killdeer are active during the day and at night. See my photos of a mother Killdeer and her babies in my Idaho bird section here.