Sounds of the Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Shortcut: Kill-deer, kill-deer, kill-deer
Song: The best-known song is a loud kill-dee, kill-dee, kill-dee, given as males perform wide circle-flights over their territories in early spring.
Call: Plaintive nasal alarm calls sound like k'dee... k'dee... k'dee-dee-dee, or a repeated deet-deet-deet-deet. Another distinctive call is a long stuttering trill, which may accompany courtship, aggressive encounters, and alarm situations.
Bird songs copyright 2011 by Lang Elliott. Song descriptions adapted from the book Common Birds and Their Songs (Lang Elliott, 1998: Houghton Mifflin Company) and other material by Lang Elliott. Contact: Nature Sound Studio. Photographs copyright 2011 by Brian Small and Robert Royse. All rights reserved.
