Killdeer Plover

Charadrius vociferus

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Brief #

Upperparts are mostly brown with rufous fringes, short dark bill, pinkish legs and red eye ring.

Synonyms #

  • Chorlitejo culirrojo (Spanish)
  • PĂ­llara rabirrubia (Galician)

Red List Status #

The Killdeer Plover is unlikely to become extinct in the near future.
Find out more about IUCN's Red List program here

Description #

It has a short, thick, and dark bill, flesh-colored legs, and a red eye ring. Its upperparts are mostly brown with rufous fringes, its cap, back, and wings being the former color. It has a white forehead and a white stripe behind the eye, and its lores and the upper borders to the white forehead are black. The killdeer also has a white collar with a black upper border. The rest of the face is brown. The breast and belly are white, with the exception of two black breast bands. The rump is red, and the tail is mostly brown. The latter also has a black subterminal band, a white terminal band, and barred white feathers on the outer portion of the tail. In flight, a white wing stripe at the base of the flight feathers is visible. The female's mask and breast bands tend to be browner than those of the male. The juvenile is similar to the adult. The upperparts of the chicks are colored dusky and buff. Their underparts, forehead, neck, and chin are white, and they have a single band across their breast.

Measurements #

Length: 20 - 28 cm
Wingspan: 59 - 63 cm
Weight: 72 - 121 g