Killdeer

While checking a swamp area in Arkansas this summer, I found a group of six Killdeer running around on the nearby gravel road. This is my first sighting of a Killdeer. With its striking breast bands, it is no trouble to tell that it is a member of the Plover family of shorebirds.

The Killdeer runs across the landscape very quickly but when really crowded, it will take flight. Given the reddish buff on the breast and back, I am guessing that the bird in the front of this picture is a juvenile.

Earlier in the Spring there was a Killdeer spotted in the Avalon Region. They are not a common sight here.