Last spring, I spotted a killdeer in my cleanly mowed, nearly barren backfield. What could this bird be attracted to in that environment?

Claim to fame: Killdeer are well-known for their piercing “kill-deeah” call (a call which gave the bird its name) and for the feigned wounded antics they use to distract predators from their nest.

You never forget your first killdeer. Perhaps you heard its shrill and incessant “kill-deer” call for which the bird is named. Or you saw it fake an injury as it limped across a gravel parking lot.