Killdeer seems a rather strange name for a bird, but it’s quite appropriate for this species of shorebird. When alarmed they belt out a piercing call that sounds like “kill-deer! kill-deer!,” especially if they have a nest nearby. Besides their patented “killdeer” call, they will also emit short sharp notes and twittery calls. Killdeer are famous for their nest distraction display called “feigning,” a performance worthy of an academy award. They flutter along the ground dragging a wing as if injured to lure predators away from their ground nest.

Shorebirds are a large group of birds with long legs for wading and slender pointed beaks for probing into the soil for small invertebrates. Most of them prefer foraging along the shallow shorelines of lakes, a habitat type that is sparse in Teller County, so a limited number of shorebirds are reliably found here. The killdeer bucks the shorebird trend by roaming far from water, often encountered in dry open fields. Yet they also like to be near water, so killdeer will gravitate to shoreline areas. Killdeer are typically found in Teller County from mid-April to early October. A couple other shorebirds likely to be found in Teller include the elusive Wilson’s Snipe and the more obvious Spotted Sandpiper.

The Killdeer is in a group of shorebirds known as plovers that basically have shorter and thicker beaks as compared to other shorebirds. The robin-sized killdeer is brownish above and white below, with two dark neck bands that secure the identification of this species. The sexes are similar and note that the smaller juveniles only have one neck band. In flight, look for a white wing line and a rusty rump patch.

In the mountains, killdeer are most likely in large grassland areas like South Park. Since Teller County is dominated by a forested landscape, they typically just pass through in migration. I have observed killdeer mostly in the fall season along the shorelines of Manitou Lake and the Rampart and Catamount reservoirs. They might also show up around fields, farms and ranches, sometimes gathering in flocks while migrating.

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Notable reports in February from the Woodland Park Yard Area:

• Clark’s Nutcracker- a couple sightings
• Mountain Bluebird- three on Feb. 21 near Lake George, first of season
• American Robin- one on March 1, first of season
• Red-breasted Nuthatch- one on Feb. 24
• White-breasted Nuthatch- a few sightings
• Brown Creeper- two on Feb. 15
• Mountain Chickadee- singing on March 3
• Dark-eyed Junco- singing on Feb. 7, winter subspecies: Pink-sided- one or two around most of the time; Oregon- one on Feb. 21
• Pine Siskin and Evening Grosbeak- a few sightings
• Cassin’s Finch- one on Feb. 28, singing
• Rosy-Finch- flyover flock of about 100, new species for yard area

Joe LaFleur studied wildlife biology and communications at Colorado State University. He is author of the book Mountain Birds of Teller County and creator of “Better Birdwatching,” a DVD series on North American birds. His betterbirdwatching.com website features a Teller County Bird Checklist and Blog. Contact him with questions and feedback at joe@betterbirdwatching.com.