Killdeer

Charadrius vociferus

HOW TO IDENTIFY:

* Length: 8 inches
* Medium-sized, long-winged shorebird
* Short, fairly thick dark bill
* Legs flesh-colored
* Red eye ring
* White forehead and white stripe behind eye
* Brown face; black lores and upper borders to the white forehead and collar
* White collar
* Brown cap, back and wings
* White breast and belly
* Two black breast bands
* White wing stripe at the bases of the flight feathers is visible in flight
* Rust-red rump
* Brown tail with black subterminal band, white terminal band and barred, white outer tail feathers
* Tail extends beyond wing tips at rest
* Sexes similar
* Juveniles similar to adult

Similar species:

All other plovers lack the two black breastbands. Very young Killdeer have a single breastband and could be confused with Piping, Wilson's, Snowy or Semipalmated Plovers, but are usually still downy, have black bills (any Piping or Semipalmated Plover having a breastband will also have an orange bill with a black tip), and are colored above like the adult (eliminating the paler Piping and Snowy).