Montana Field Guide

Medium sized plover: 20-28 cm long. Upper parts grayish brown; underparts white, interrupted by 2 black bands across breast. Rump and upper tail-coverts rufous. Tail long, with white tip and black subterminal band. Sexes alike and plumages essentially indentical throughout year. Known for its "killdeer" vocalizations. (Jackson, Bette J. S. and Jackson, Jerome A., The Birds of North America, No. 517, 2000).

In the Bozeman area, normal migration periods are March 25 to April 15 and the month of September.

Frequents open areas, especially sandbars, mudflats, heavily grazed pastures, and such human-modified habitats as cultivated fields, athletic fields, airports, golf courses, graveled or broken-asphalt parking lots, and graveled rooftops (Jackson and Jackson 2000).

Main foods taken include terrestrial invertebrates, especially earthworms, grasshoppers, beetles, and snails; infrequently small vertebrates and seeds (Jackson and Jackson 2000).

Nest is characteristically open, with sparse low vegetation or no vegetation. Often the specific site is raised slightly above surrounding terrain. In addition to natural sites, Killdeer commonly nest on graveled road shoulders and in parking lots. Eggs are ovate pyriform in shape, dull tan or cream to "clay-colored" with blotches. Clutch size is typically 4 eggs. (Jackson and Jackson 2000). Near Fortine, egg dates range from April 15 to July 4. Eggs are found between March 15 to June 30 statewide, and young just out of nest are common late May through June.