Island Interviews: A Ranger Talks to a Killdeer

The killdeer is often seen on the islands. USFWS / Grayson Smith.

What would the islands' non-human residents tell us if we could interview them? A ranger at Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park tried it with one of the harbour's loudest residents: the killdeer. Killdeer live near sandbars and mudflats but, unlike other shorebirds, also turn up on lawns, at airports and on sports fields. Near the pollinator garden on Spectacle Island one sunny morning, the ranger asked about the bird's nest, its acting and its name. What follows is the interview, told in our own words.

A nest in the open

The killdeer welcomes the ranger to a home with a fine view of the harbour — the family's chicks like watching the sunset from the nest — and says there is no need to take off shoes: the floor is gravel.

Do killdeer really nest out in the open? Yes, right on the gravel. It may seem safer to nest in a tree, the bird explains, but a killdeer nest is hard to see. The eggs and the nest are made to blend in perfectly with the ground. To prove the point, it asks the ranger to find the nest. The ranger cannot — and it turns out to be two feet in front of the ranger's face.

The broken-wing act

The killdeer has a reputation as one of the islands' best actors. It modestly claims only to be one of the loudest. Acting runs in the family: it remembers watching its parents perform when only a few days old, and gave its own first broken-wing performance two years ago.

The act works like this. When a predator comes near the nest, the adult sets out to lead it away:

1. It calls loudly to get attention.
2. It crouches low and spreads its tail.
3. It holds up a wing and trembles, as if the wing were broken, looking like an easy meal.
4. The predator follows. The bird moves a few feet and repeats the act, again and again, until they are well away from the nest.
5. Then it drops the act and flies off as fast as it can.

A request for visitors: if you see a killdeer doing this, move away from the spot. It means a nest with eggs or chicks is close by.

Why "killdeer"?

The name comes from one of the calls male killdeer make, usually in flight. People heard it as "ki-dee", and "killdeer" was easier to remember.

Sources

• National Park Service, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, "Island Interviews: Killdeer." https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/island-interviews-killdeer.htm
• More on the species: NPS, "Killdeer," https://www.nps.gov/articles/killdeer.htm, and its call in the NPS Natural Sounds gallery, https://www.nps.gov/subjects/sound/sounds-killdeer.htm
• The original is a playful dialogue; this page retells it rather than quoting it.
• Rewritten in hubnx's own words.