killdeer

killdeer, common North American shorebird related to the plover and the sandpiper. It is about 10 in. (25 cm) in length and its plumage is grayish brown with a double black band across a white breast. Its simple nest is a depression in the soil or gravel. The killdeer is classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Charadriiformes, family Charadriidae.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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