Killdeer, common name for a bird of the plover family, named from the sound of its shrill, two-syllable note. The killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) is found throughout North America and in parts of South America.
It is about about 9 to 11 inches long, brown on top and white underneath, with two black bands across its breast. It is a powerful flier and rapid runner. It lives in fields and on freshwater shores and constructs its nest in a shallow depression on the ground.
