Charadrius vociferus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) is a large plover found in the Americas. Its shrill, two-syllable call is often heard, sounding like "kill deer". It was described and given its current scientific name in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae. Three subspecies are described. Its upperparts are mostly brown with rufous fringes, the head has patches of white and black, and two black bands cross the breast. The belly and the rest of the breast are white. The nominate (or originally described) subspecies breeds from southeastern Alaska and southern Canada to Mexico. North American breeders winter from their resident range south to Central America, the West Indies, and the northernmost portions of South America.
The nonbreeding habitat of the killdeer includes coastal wetlands, beach habitats, and coastal fields. Its breeding grounds are generally open fields with short vegetation (but locations such as rooftops are sometimes used); although it is a shorebird, it does not necessarily nest close to water. The nest itself is a scrape lined with vegetation and white material, such as pebbles or seashell fragments. This bird lays a clutch of four to six buff to beige eggs with dark markings. The breeding season (starting with egg-laying) occurs from mid-March to August, with later timing of egg-laying in the northern portion of the range. Both parents incubate the eggs for 22 to 28 days typically. The young stay in the nest until the day after being hatched, when they are led by their parents to a feeding territory (generally with dense vegetation where hiding spots are abundant), where the chicks feed themselves. The young then fledge about 31 days after hatching, and breeding first occurs after one year of age.
The killdeer primarily feeds on insects, although other invertebrates and seeds are eaten. It forages almost exclusively in fields, especially those with short vegetation and with cattle and standing water. It primarily forages during the day, but in the nonbreeding season, when the moon is full or close to full, it forages at night, likely because of increased insect abundance and reduced predation during the night. Predators of the killdeer include various birds and mammals. Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Havana | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 5 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Living Desert Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Phoenix Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Aquarium of the Pacific | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Monterey Bay Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Seattle Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Montreal Biodome | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 11 | Seattle Marine Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Killdeer sighting in San José on a given day, based on 811 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 91st most-seen of the 379 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Killdeer in San José on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, the lowest months. That is one of San José's driest months, with about 70 mm of rain against 300 mm in October.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Killdeer sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
41st of 48
Of the 48 cities where we can rate Killdeer sightings, San José ranks 41st at under 5%. The best odds are in Mesa (United States, about 50%), León (México, about 40%) and Toluca (México, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Killdeer is recorded against all the birds logged in San José (811 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
