Killdeer are a type of plover that can be found across much of North America. They are considered one of the most widespread shorebird species on the continent. Killdeer get their name from their distinctively loud and repetitive “kill-deer” call. These medium-sized, long-legged shorebirds are often seen running across lawns, parking lots, golf courses, and other open areas. They prefer open habitats near water, but also use a variety of other environments. When it comes to where killdeer are most commonly found, there are a few key areas that stand out.
The Great Plains
One of the major strongholds for killdeer populations is the Great Plains region of central North America. This area encompasses prairie and steppe habitats across parts of the United States and Canada. The open grasslands and agricultural areas found here provide ideal killdeer habitat. These birds thrive in the fields, pastures, and shortgrass prairies across this region. They are commonly seen along roadsides, in croplands, around wetlands and water sources, and even in urban and suburban environments here. Some key states where killdeer are abundant in the Great Plains include:
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Nebraska
- Kansas
- Oklahoma
- Texas
With plentiful food sources, like insects and other invertebrates, as well as flat, open nesting areas, the Great Plains provides ideal habitat for breeding and migrating killdeer populations. These birds are found across this region year-round but are especially common during the spring and summer breeding season.
Coastal Regions
Coastal habitats along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts of North America are also prime areas to find killdeer. These shorebirds thrive in the coastal wetlands, mudflats, beaches, and estuaries found along the coasts. Some specific coastal areas where killdeer are abundant include:
- The Texas Gulf Coast
- Coastal Virginia
- Long Island, New York
- Coastal California
- Washington’s Puget Sound
Killdeer flock to coastal habitats during the spring and fall migration periods. The mix of habitats along the coast provide plentiful food sources as the birds stop to rest and refuel during their long journeys. Coastal wetlands, estuaries, and mudflats provide ideal foraging habitat. Beaches and dunes provide open, flat spaces for nesting. Killdeer populations boom along the coasts during migration, with birds lingering in these productive coastal habitats even through the winter in some areas.
Agricultural Areas
Heavily agricultural areas provide another prime habitat type used extensively by killdeer. Birds are drawn to the mix of fields, pastures, and wetlands interspersed across agricultural lands. Some particularly productive areas for killdeer include:
- California’s Central Valley
- The Prairie Pothole Region
- Midwestern states like Iowa and Illinois
- The Palouse grasslands of Idaho
Killdeer thrive in the mosaic of habitat types found on farms. Grain fields provide ideal foraging habitat as they hunt for rodents, insects, and worms. Pastures offer short vegetative cover preferred for nesting sites. Ponds, wetlands, and streams scattered among fields give killdeer a source of mud for coating their feathers and access to aquatic invertebrates. The high productivity of agricultural lands allows killdeer populations to thrive. These birds commonly follow tractors to pick insects and worms exposed by plowing and stay close to cattle, feeding on the insects flushed up by their movement.
Freshwater Wetlands
Wetland complexes across central and eastern North America also attract significant concentrations of killdeer during breeding season and migration. Areas like:
- The Prairie Pothole Region
- River systems like the Platte River
- Coastal wetlands along the Great Lakes
All harbor substantial killdeer populations. These shorebirds thrive around the mosaic of temporary and seasonal wetlands intermixed with grassy uplands that are found in these regions. The variety of shallowly flooded wetlands provide ideal foraging habitat as killdeer wade through the water feeding on aquatic invertebrates. The abundance of mud around wetlands allows them to keep their feathers in prime condition. Grasslands scattered among wetlands provide the short vegetation preferred for nesting sites. These freshwater wetland complexes become densely populated with migrating and breeding killdeer during the spring and summer months.
Other Prime Habitats
In addition to the main habitat types described above, killdeer also thrive in a variety of other environments across their range, including:
- Urban and suburban areas
- Golf courses
- Gravel roads and parking lots
- Airports
- athletic fields
- Lawns
- Parks
- Lake and river shorelines
Killdeer are highly adaptable birds that have learned to thrive around human presence. Their ‘stiff-winged” flight style requires them to live in open habitats. This makes urban and suburban environments ideal as they provide access to lawns for nesting and plenty of paved areas where killdeer can spot and catch insects. Any habitat with short vegetation, bare dirt or gravel, and proximity to water sources can attract these resourceful shorebirds.
Migration Patterns
The distribution and abundance of killdeer populations shifts significantly during migration seasons. In summer, killdeer concentrate in northern breeding grounds, scattered across habitats through central and northeastern Canada, Alaska, and the northern United States. Come fall, the majority of the population migrates south, funneling through key wetland stopover sites to eventually overwinter along the southern Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, central California, and Mexico. A smaller number of killdeer remain year-round in the southern parts of their breeding range.
During both the northward spring migration and southbound fall migration, major wetland stopover sites may temporarily host thousands or even tens of thousands of killdeer at a time. These migration stopovers provide critical opportunities for the birds to rest and refuel. Key spring migration stopovers include:
- Rainwater Basin wetlands in Nebraska
- Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area in Kansas
- Central Platte River valley in Nebraska
- Mississippi River valley wetlands from Iowa to Louisiana
- Texas Gulf Coast
Major fall stopover spots are similar and include coastal wetland complexes along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Individual killdeer may migrate over 1,000 miles between their breeding and wintering grounds each year, relying on networks of stopover habitats along the way.
Year-Round Range
While kildeer distribution shifts seasonally with migration patterns, these birds can be found across most of North America throughout the year. Their breeding range covers much of Canada and the central and western United States. Year-round populations are found across the southern United States from California to Virginia. Even during the winter period, killdeer maintain a widespread distribution, occurring as far north as New England and the Pacific Northwest.
This map shows the year-round range of killdeer in North America:
![Killdeer range map](https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/images/maps/KILDE_map.jpg) |
Image source: USFWS |
As this range map shows, killdeer occur throughout much of the U.S. and southern Canada year-round. Their range spans both coasts and expands northward during the summer breeding season. Killdeer are absent only from the western mountains, southeastern U.S., and northern Canada and Alaska.
Population Estimates
It is difficult to precisely estimate the total population size of killdeer across their vast range. However, some surveys provide insight into their relative abundance in key regions:
- The Breeding Bird Survey estimates a population of 1.1 million killdeer in the continental U.S. and southern Canada.
- Christmas Bird Counts typically record around 50,000 killdeer in the U.S. during winter months.
- Regional surveys suggest populations of 100,000 – 250,000 in major breeding states like Texas and 250,000 – 500,000 across the Prairie Pothole Region.
While migration and breeding congregations may concentrate hundreds of thousands of birds regionally, total killdeer numbers are estimated at 1 – 2 million across their range. Their extensive distribution means they rarely occur in high densities across their range as a whole.
Population Threats
The killdeer remains a common and widespread species, but they face some key threats to their long-term population health, including:
- Habitat loss – Wetland drainage, coastal development, and urbanization reduce key habitat.
- Agricultural changes – Increased fields size and herbicide use reduce nesting sites.
- Predation – High nest predation rates from animals like coyotes, raccoons, and feral cats.
- Human disturbance – Nesting birds and chicks are vulnerable to disruption.
Habitat conservation and public education efforts focused in key breeding and migration sites can help maintain healthy killdeer populations into the future. Protecting a variety of open habitats with bare ground areas, while limiting disturbance during nesting season, offers the best protection for killdeer populations.
Conclusion
In summary, killdeer are most abundant in open habitats with bare ground and access to water across North America. Prime habitats include the Great Plains grasslands, coastal regions, agricultural lands, and freshwater wetlands. Their distribution shifts during the annual migration cycles, with major stopovers in Great Plains wetlands. But even in winter, killdeer maintain a widespread distribution across much of their breeding range. Careful management of nesting sites and stopover habitats can help maintain killdeer populations into the future.