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Wildlife
- Birds - |
Killdeer
(Charadrius vociferus) M/Y |
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RANGE: Breeds from east-central and southeastern
Alaska and southern Yukon to central Quebec and western
Newfoundland, south to Mexico. Winters from southern British
Columbia across the central United States to New England and
south throughout the remainder of North America to South
America.
STATUS: Common throughout range.
HABITAT: Indiscriminately occupies open areas, but favors open
dry uplands, meadows, pastures, and disturbed or heavily grazed
areas where grass is short, sparse, or absent. In winter,
inhabits open fields, beaches, along watercourses, and on
mudflats.
SPECIAL HABITAT REQUIREMENTS: Open areas with closely cropped or
sparse vegetation. Strongest breeding habitat
associations along edges of cropland, pasture, or orchard, and
lake or pond shoreline and islands.
NEST: Nests in a scrape on gravelly or bare ground, occasionally
on a flat or gently sloping roof of a building, often with a few
pebbles, grasses, or weeds in the scrape.
FOOD: Prey is snatched or gleaned from the surface of dry or
moist ground or from very shallow water. Eats a diet that is
mainly insects, especially grasshoppers, beetles, and
dragonflies, but also includes centipedes, spiders, worms,
snails, crayfish, and weed seeds.
REFERENCES: Adamus et al. 2001, Cramp and Simmons 1983, DeGraff
et al. 1980, Miller 1999, Shunk 2004, Palmer 1967, Terres 1980. |
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