killdeer

American  

[kil-deer] / ˈkɪlˌdɪər /

noun

1. an American plover, Charadrius vociferus, having two black bands around the upper breast.

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killdeer British  

/ ˈkɪlˌdɪə /

noun

1. a large brown-and-white North American plover, Charadrius vociferus, with two black breast bands and a noisy cry

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Etymology

Origin of killdeer

An Americanism dating back to 1725–35; imitative

Example Sentences

During a birdwatching stroll last spring, John Bates spotted a newly hatched killdeer chick.

From Washington Post • May 17, 2022

Even if you didn’t know the inspiration for Hood Cliff Retreat, even if you didn’t know anything about our inspiring killdeer, a sense of “nest” emanates from the initial entry.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 3, 2019

For Henderson, that experience was finding a killdeer nest in a cornfield, and then returning to see the newly hatched puffballs.

From Washington Times • May 2, 2015

There were plenty of species at street level as well: blue jays, cardinals, American crows, Eastern phoebes, killdeer, loggerhead shrike, kestrel falcons, bronzed cowbirds and, rarest of all, an open-ground woodpecker.

From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2012

Which gave him great joy except for one minor consideration: the barking came from underneath the ground in an alfalfa field where a thousand graceful, noisy birds called killdeer were nesting.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols