Killdeer nest guards the grassland edge

The cottonwoods along Denver's urban waterways have pushed out their first broad leaves, and the switchgrass sends up new shoots through last year's weathered stems. In the open ground between water and woodland, where gravel meets grass and human paths cross animal trails, the killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) stakes its claim to the season's most exposed real estate.

This plover builds no nest. The female scrapes a shallow depression in bare soil or sparse grass, sometimes lined with a few pebbles or bits of debris, and settles her four buff-colored eggs directly on the ground. The eggs blend so perfectly with their surroundings that even a careful observer can walk within feet without seeing them. What you cannot miss is the parent bird's response to your presence. The killdeer launches into one of nature's most convincing performances: dragging a wing as if broken, calling in apparent distress, leading you away from the nest site with every appearance of vulnerability. This broken-wing display draws potential predators toward what seems like easy prey, while the eggs remain hidden in their shallow scrape dozens of yards behind.

The deception works because it exploits a predator's instinct to pursue the easiest target. A fox, hawk, or curious human follows the seemingly injured bird, which stays just out of reach, wing dragging pitifully. Once the threat has been led far enough from the nest, the killdeer miraculously recovers, flies strongly back toward its territory, and resumes normal foraging behavior. The performance is so convincing that even experienced birders find themselves momentarily concerned for the bird's welfare. But this is calculated theater, refined over thousands of generations of ground-nesting survival.

Killdeer choose these marginal spaces because they offer both advantages and challenges that other birds cannot navigate. The open ground provides clear sightlines for spotting approaching danger, while the sparse vegetation offers just enough cover for camouflaged eggs. These edges between habitats attract the insects that killdeer feed on: beetles, grasshoppers, and fly larvae that thrive where soil meets grass meets water. The birds probe and pick through the earth with quick, precise movements, their long legs allowing them to wade through shallow puddles and navigate uneven terrain. During this nesting season, both parents share territory defense and chick-rearing duties, though only the adult performing the distraction display will risk everything to protect the clutch.

If you find yourself walking these transitional spaces where pavement gives way to prairie, where storm runoff creates temporary wetlands, listen for the killdeer's namesake call echoing across the open ground. The sound carries farther than you might expect, a clear announcement of presence and territory that cuts through the morning air. Watch for the flash of white on dark wings as the bird moves between feeding and guarding, and notice how it chooses the most exposed, seemingly vulnerable spots to make its stand.