Listen to the Killdeer
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the Killdeer
The Killdeer is a bird in the family Charadriidae (order Charadriiformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “near threatened”. Adults have a wingspan of about 61 cm.
What does the Killdeer sound like?
Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once. Songs tend to be long and patterned and are used to hold territory and attract a mate; calls are short signals for contact, alarm and flight.
The recordings here are labelled as call. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) is a large plover found in the Americas. Its shrill, two-syllable call is often heard, sounding like "kill deer". It was described and given its current scientific name in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae. Three subspecies are described. Its upperparts are mostly brown with rufous fringes, the head has patches of white and black, and two black bands cross the breast. The belly and the rest of the breast are white. The nominate (or originally described) subspecies breeds from southeastern Alaska and southern Canada to Mexico. It is seen year-round in the southern half of its breeding range; the subspecies C. v. ternominatus is resident in the West Indies, and C. v. peruvianus inhabits Peru and surrounding South American countries throughout the year. North American breeders winter from their resident range south to Central America, the West Indies, and the northernmost portions of South America.
Related birds in the genus Charadrius
More from the family Charadriidae
Frequently asked questions
What does a Killdeer sound like?
You can hear 2 recordings of the Killdeer on this page, including its call. Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once.
Is the Killdeer endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Killdeer as “near threatened”.
What family does the Killdeer belong to?
The Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) belongs to the family Charadriidae in the order Charadriiformes.
Sources & credits
- Yellowstone sound library - Killdeer - 001 by NPS/Peter Comley – Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Call · Minnesota Valley NWR, Bass Ponds, Hennepin, Minnesota… by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q755737 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Killdeer – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Mutante – CC0 1.0