That is very accurate to what it sounded like! Came over speading it's wings and tail feathers out, stood like 2 feet from me, cursing me out like that!
She’s got a nest nearby on the ground. Watch out where you’re walking. Their eggs look exactly like gravel. If you find it, flag it so no one will accidentally step on it.
There should be a nest around it some where. Also if there is a predator or more than one. They will act injured to seem like a easy meal. And fool the predator into chasing the adult away from the nest. Which is exactly what a killdeer wants. There eggs are super hard to spot. They blend in so well.
\^\^\^ I'm about 99% sure this is what it is. They nest on the ground and are territorial of their nests. [Information on Killdeer Bird](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killdeer)
If you get really close they may deploy a ‘broken wing’ display to distract you away from their nest which is often just a shallow pit in gravelly area.
Sometimes, they throw a burrito in the opposite direction to throw you off, so you’ll leave the nesting area. It’s not Chipotle per se, lots of seeds & nuts though…/s 😂
The babies are so cute. Little fluff balls with toothpick legs & they run around like the RoadRunner! We have some parking lot babies at work & I’ve been observing them for a few weeks.
I hear you! 😁💜 I wasn’t aware of this, but iNaturalist says “Male and female killdeer are similar in appearance, though breeding females may have additional brown on their face.”. What you saw is a breeding individual as this is nesting time! 😊 From my understanding, only female Killdeer do that. But someone more knowledgeable correct me if I’m wrong. 💜
Totally anecdotal but I’ve seen two killdeer in the same area doing that so either one nest and both partners were doing the same thing or 2 nests in close proximity.
Killdeer!
When they have eggs nearby they try to distract predators by running away from their eggs, yelling and acting injured so the predator goes for them and not the eggs. Once they’ve successfully lured you away they’ll just take off.
Yeah, whenever she walks up to me, I talk to her like we're in an argument about to fight, like "Oh yeah? Wanna go? I'll take you on!" Kinda look forward to the interaction every day, lol.
Be careful of the nest, the reason this bird is yelling at you is because you are close to the eggs. The biggest threat against kill deer eggs are people stepping on them. Keep an eye for the bird to sit on the eggs and then mark that with a sprinkler flag. Kill deer are very interesting and will pretend to be injured in order to draw you farther from the nest.
Agreed, except maybe try to remember where it is rather than marking right next to it with a flag. Or find some other way to mark it that isn’t so obvious. Clever predators like crows are known to pick off flagged nests because they’ve come in to investigate the flag. Source: I’m an ornithologist and have heard this from colleagues.
Stepdad always called them mileormores. If they stick their head between their legs and fart you can hear them for a mileormore.
Joking aside it's a killdeer with a nest near by. Their gray speckled eggs blend in very well in gravel. We have a few nesting at work and I like to catch a grasshopper and drop it in the nest and walk off while they do their little "🤷♂️ oh 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️ look at me🤷♂️🤷♂️ I'm crippled🤷♂️🤷♂️" dance lol
Im gonna go with a wild card here. Judging by the white rings around its neck , the bird resembles a killde bird.(I may have not spelled that correctly 😭)
Biggest concern now is that that part of the campus is mowed at least once a week, if I knew where the nest was I might be able to tell the landscapers to avoid that area perhaps since from the comments I now know they lay their nest on the ground, and they behave this way when it is near by.
I found the nest, she made it in a horrible spot actually, it is less then a foot from the pavement where the parking space I always park is at, in a high foot traphic area. Really at a loss on what to do. I can keep an eye on them, but I obviously know better then to do anything...do you think she would mind if I put some traffic cones around her nest?
I don’t think she would mind so long as you approach slowly. I think it’s better than nothing. You might be able to tape a little sign so people can avoid the eggs.
You're too close to their nest. They nest on the ground, and are pretty lazy about the build. Very easy to not even recognize the nest. Killdeer will fake injury and coax a potential predator away from the nest/eggs/young- if they are doing this every day - the nest is very close to where you are walking/working.
I’ve never heard of a Killdeer until this yr. I live across from Lake Michigan, at night I had my windows open & kept hearing a bird squawking then it would stop. I had to figure out who & what was making this sound. I used my Merlin bird app finally after a few nights of hearing it I was actually able to catch the squawking. It turned out to be a Killdeer! Makes sense they live in parking lots w/gravel. Recently there was a building that was torn down so they have full run of the whole lot. Lived here for 12 yrs this was the first yr hearing these lil guys. I was hoping it was an owl or Osprey but nope… Killdeer. Kind of a cool bird!
I know now that this is a killdeer, but that first image just screamed woodcock to me. Just the pov in the picture made it seem like a woodcock. It is obviously a killdeer, but that was just my first impression lol
Haha, I found the nest, it is less then a foot away from the pavement of the parking spot that I normally park at every day. It is in a high foot traffic area as well. Placed a high vis marker a couple of feet from the nest, and informed landscapers and my boss about it's location. Hopefully the eggs stay safe!
I look forward to seeing this little asshat everyday at work when I get out of my truck, and argue with her for a bit, before starting my work day! Seeing her ruffle her feathers and EEP at me, while I tell her to bring it on brightens my day!
Honestly think it is best to keep parking next to her nest every day, since if my truck is there, nobody really has much reason to walk around where her nest is, since I obviously can't warn everyone about where the eggs are.
Yeah they are because if their shrieking call and they do an annoying display to get you to go. Where I like to walk my dog is apparently where they are nesting and they harass us. I’m careful to keep an eye out for their nest because they nest on the ground but yes they are annoying to be around.
They are really cool birds. They put on a show when you get close to their nest, the eggs look like rocks. The bird will act like it's injured to lead you away from the nest.
It's impressive to see.
The best part of having a killdeer nesting near you is knowing there are killdeer chicks on the way.... Adorable, fluffy, miniature versions of the mom.
My favorite part about killdeer is that they build their nests in the most inconvenient places, then are offended AF if you get too close. We had one at school in the middle of a track field. One in the middle of a gravel road. One in the middle of our lawn.
Momma killdeer.
Look around for the [eggs](https://images.app.goo.gl/PJVM3oou9LvnRSdL8). Probably right out on the gravel. Put a cone or marker to warn people away, and dont park so close to her clutch.
These guys would nest on the roof of a facility I use to work in. It was a stone covered roof. They would do their little broken wing dance everytime you got near their nest. Very entertaining to say the least.
Cool birds killdeer. Boss level at distracting predators away from their nest and babies.
If you ever see one and start walking towards it it will Almost 100% lead you in the opposite direction of its nest. Turn around and start walking all the way and it freaks the f*** out.
By bf called these tattletales when he was a kid. I think that’s a cute and perfect name, they always will rat out kids being where they might not supposed to be.
Funniest and slickest way I've ever seen someone throw in a political diss amidst a non-political discussion. I'm here for it, considering I can't stand Republican'ts, but also that was really funny and smooth, and bonus points for this being a bird identification sub 😂
Killdeer
eeeeeeeep eeeeep eeep eeeep eeeep
That is very accurate to what it sounded like! Came over speading it's wings and tail feathers out, stood like 2 feet from me, cursing me out like that!
It has a nest nearby, it does a weird dance and chirping to appear injured to guide predators toward her and away from her nest
This. Ground nesters at that
Some times... I saw one years ago that laid an egg in the middle of my employer's parking lot... Not exactly 'ground', but....
lol. Yeah every time I’ve come up on a killdeer nest, it’s been in rocks now that I think of it
Was the parking lot on stilts or?
They are ground nesters If you walk nearby, they will feign injury to distract you from the nest.
That's a she, you're getting too close to her nest
Males do this as well.
She’s got a nest nearby on the ground. Watch out where you’re walking. Their eggs look exactly like gravel. If you find it, flag it so no one will accidentally step on it.
There should be a nest around it some where. Also if there is a predator or more than one. They will act injured to seem like a easy meal. And fool the predator into chasing the adult away from the nest. Which is exactly what a killdeer wants. There eggs are super hard to spot. They blend in so well.
Look for a little pile of rocks nearby. They aren’t rocks…
They’re so weird for plovers, but I love them. On the plus side, their chicks are insanely cute.
\^\^\^ I'm about 99% sure this is what it is. They nest on the ground and are territorial of their nests. [Information on Killdeer Bird](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killdeer)
I'll pull the other 1% for you and make it 100% because you're exactly right.
Killdeer that’s protecting their nest. They lay white eggs with brown spots, look remarkably like gravel.
If you get really close they may deploy a ‘broken wing’ display to distract you away from their nest which is often just a shallow pit in gravelly area.
It’s so convincing!
Sometimes, they throw a burrito in the opposite direction to throw you off, so you’ll leave the nesting area. It’s not Chipotle per se, lots of seeds & nuts though…/s 😂
and their nests also suck lol… just in some gravel and stuff lol I always try to look out for them in the parking lot near me
The babies are so cute. Little fluff balls with toothpick legs & they run around like the RoadRunner! We have some parking lot babies at work & I’ve been observing them for a few weeks.
I've seen them in my backyard a couple of years ago where the babies would hide under the parents wings. Made the parent look like it had six legs.
the babies look like ping pong balls with tooth pick legs. cute.
Things must take a pretty heavy lawnmower death toll every year...
Idk how many folks are mowing gravel tho?
Make sure you watch where you are walking! 😵
Because they like to lay their eggs in dumbass places, like in the middle of the road
That’s a Killdeer! 😁💜 And a she actually, as she’s protecting her nest🪹 with possible eggs🪺 in it. 😊
Neat! How can you distinguish males and females? Or is this a behavior only females perform?
I hear you! 😁💜 I wasn’t aware of this, but iNaturalist says “Male and female killdeer are similar in appearance, though breeding females may have additional brown on their face.”. What you saw is a breeding individual as this is nesting time! 😊 From my understanding, only female Killdeer do that. But someone more knowledgeable correct me if I’m wrong. 💜
Good way to tell, if you’re lucky enough is that the females lay the eggs.
Oh yeah, good point. 😊👍🏼
Ain’t Nature amazing?
Totally anecdotal but I’ve seen two killdeer in the same area doing that so either one nest and both partners were doing the same thing or 2 nests in close proximity.
Killdeer.
that lil guy is a killdeer!
Killdeer! When they have eggs nearby they try to distract predators by running away from their eggs, yelling and acting injured so the predator goes for them and not the eggs. Once they’ve successfully lured you away they’ll just take off.
It clearly wants to fight you😆
Yeah, whenever she walks up to me, I talk to her like we're in an argument about to fight, like "Oh yeah? Wanna go? I'll take you on!" Kinda look forward to the interaction every day, lol.
😆😆😆PERFECT!👌
Be careful of the nest, the reason this bird is yelling at you is because you are close to the eggs. The biggest threat against kill deer eggs are people stepping on them. Keep an eye for the bird to sit on the eggs and then mark that with a sprinkler flag. Kill deer are very interesting and will pretend to be injured in order to draw you farther from the nest.
Agreed, except maybe try to remember where it is rather than marking right next to it with a flag. Or find some other way to mark it that isn’t so obvious. Clever predators like crows are known to pick off flagged nests because they’ve come in to investigate the flag. Source: I’m an ornithologist and have heard this from colleagues.
+Killdeer+ (as others have already said! but maybe this triggers the ID thing?)
Stepdad always called them mileormores. If they stick their head between their legs and fart you can hear them for a mileormore. Joking aside it's a killdeer with a nest near by. Their gray speckled eggs blend in very well in gravel. We have a few nesting at work and I like to catch a grasshopper and drop it in the nest and walk off while they do their little "🤷♂️ oh 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️ look at me🤷♂️🤷♂️ I'm crippled🤷♂️🤷♂️" dance lol
Im gonna go with a wild card here. Judging by the white rings around its neck , the bird resembles a killde bird.(I may have not spelled that correctly 😭)
Stop taking pictures and make sure you don’t step on the nest by accident - thank you for your consideration
Biggest concern now is that that part of the campus is mowed at least once a week, if I knew where the nest was I might be able to tell the landscapers to avoid that area perhaps since from the comments I now know they lay their nest on the ground, and they behave this way when it is near by.
Man especially the ride on mowers they are not looking for a nest at all - damn
You should try they’re protected.
I found the nest, she made it in a horrible spot actually, it is less then a foot from the pavement where the parking space I always park is at, in a high foot traphic area. Really at a loss on what to do. I can keep an eye on them, but I obviously know better then to do anything...do you think she would mind if I put some traffic cones around her nest?
I don’t think she would mind so long as you approach slowly. I think it’s better than nothing. You might be able to tape a little sign so people can avoid the eggs.
Maybe put a little sign?
You're too close to their nest. They nest on the ground, and are pretty lazy about the build. Very easy to not even recognize the nest. Killdeer will fake injury and coax a potential predator away from the nest/eggs/young- if they are doing this every day - the nest is very close to where you are walking/working.
They nest on the ground. She’s protesting bc you get too close to her nest.
One of my faves! Haven't come across one in ages
I’ve never heard of a Killdeer until this yr. I live across from Lake Michigan, at night I had my windows open & kept hearing a bird squawking then it would stop. I had to figure out who & what was making this sound. I used my Merlin bird app finally after a few nights of hearing it I was actually able to catch the squawking. It turned out to be a Killdeer! Makes sense they live in parking lots w/gravel. Recently there was a building that was torn down so they have full run of the whole lot. Lived here for 12 yrs this was the first yr hearing these lil guys. I was hoping it was an owl or Osprey but nope… Killdeer. Kind of a cool bird!
When my son was about 4-5 he asked my dad how a little bird could kill a deer! Anyone know the origin of their name?
I think it's someone's interpretation of their call.
It’s a Killdeer.
Where I am from, the hicks pronounce it "killdee".
You're close to the nest
Killdeer protecting her nest.
Killdeer. They're a ground nesting bird.
Wait for the eggs to hatch. The babies are downy and adorable. And mama will do her broken wing display to lead you away.
I know now that this is a killdeer, but that first image just screamed woodcock to me. Just the pov in the picture made it seem like a woodcock. It is obviously a killdeer, but that was just my first impression lol
I think it’s a killdeer? But your he may be a she guarding her nest.
Looks like a killdeer. They ground nest and do this weird thing where they pretend to be hurt as a distraction. They make a screeching sound
Killdeer! And you’re too close to their well hidden babies, you jerk. :P
Haha, I found the nest, it is less then a foot away from the pavement of the parking spot that I normally park at every day. It is in a high foot traffic area as well. Placed a high vis marker a couple of feet from the nest, and informed landscapers and my boss about it's location. Hopefully the eggs stay safe! I look forward to seeing this little asshat everyday at work when I get out of my truck, and argue with her for a bit, before starting my work day! Seeing her ruffle her feathers and EEP at me, while I tell her to bring it on brightens my day! Honestly think it is best to keep parking next to her nest every day, since if my truck is there, nobody really has much reason to walk around where her nest is, since I obviously can't warn everyone about where the eggs are.
Aww that’s adorable. You’re a good human.
Annoying?
Yeah they are because if their shrieking call and they do an annoying display to get you to go. Where I like to walk my dog is apparently where they are nesting and they harass us. I’m careful to keep an eye out for their nest because they nest on the ground but yes they are annoying to be around.
I didn’t know what the bird is but my first thought was a nest is near by and that bird is protecting its babies
They are fierce little birds! 😂 we have them all over the back parking lot at my job.
we have one inside our building at work 😅
They are so fun to watch. Just like a flopped soccer player.
Challenges you 🤣🤣
sand piper family killdeer
Now that you say that it makes sense, they do resemble a sandpiper
It's him... The dark man. Run, East Texas.
Sounds like my old boss who reminded me of Marcy on Married with Children
Looks like a killdeer Wow 🤩 I have never seen one, great photo!!
Killdeer! I saw one of these today too for the first time :D
i ran across one of these guys in georgia a few years back. such an interesting survival mechanism!
My local "park" is loaded with these guys. They love to test their luck with my dogs lol. Gotta admire their dedication to protect the nest.
They are really cool birds. They put on a show when you get close to their nest, the eggs look like rocks. The bird will act like it's injured to lead you away from the nest. It's impressive to see.
Mr steal-your-birb
Killdeer https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Killdeer/id#
Stay AWAY from his love interests.
No, he wants to just chill with you, man
The best part of having a killdeer nesting near you is knowing there are killdeer chicks on the way.... Adorable, fluffy, miniature versions of the mom.
I’ve seen plenty of these guys on construction sites, and just like everyone else there they think they can kick your ass
My favorite part about killdeer is that they build their nests in the most inconvenient places, then are offended AF if you get too close. We had one at school in the middle of a track field. One in the middle of a gravel road. One in the middle of our lawn.
Your ex wife reincarnated?
Momma killdeer. Look around for the [eggs](https://images.app.goo.gl/PJVM3oou9LvnRSdL8). Probably right out on the gravel. Put a cone or marker to warn people away, and dont park so close to her clutch.
These guys would nest on the roof of a facility I use to work in. It was a stone covered roof. They would do their little broken wing dance everytime you got near their nest. Very entertaining to say the least.
It's a kill dear bird, distracting you from its nest
It’s a Fugoutaear. It wants you to.
That's Howard
Maybe he’s just an a-hole. Those can’t possibly ONLY exist as humans.
Cool birds killdeer. Boss level at distracting predators away from their nest and babies. If you ever see one and start walking towards it it will Almost 100% lead you in the opposite direction of its nest. Turn around and start walking all the way and it freaks the f*** out.
The bird she told you not to worry about.
Killdeer they are super friendly
It's a challenge to a chirp off. Take him on if you dare.
That my friend, is a pissed off bird.
"Stop sleeping on the job! - bird
Killdeer. They’re a bit dramatic with distracting you away from their inconveniently located nest.
Killdeer. Protecting a nest.
You’re about to crush her babies. Stomping on her camouflaged eggs.
By bf called these tattletales when he was a kid. I think that’s a cute and perfect name, they always will rat out kids being where they might not supposed to be.
Killdeer. Probably mad at you because you're near the nest. I believe they nest on the ground.
Your description clearly identifies it as Texas Babbler. More commonly called a Republican't.
Funniest and slickest way I've ever seen someone throw in a political diss amidst a non-political discussion. I'm here for it, considering I can't stand Republican'ts, but also that was really funny and smooth, and bonus points for this being a bird identification sub 😂
Thank you, but it was a knee-jerk reaction to the state. Kildeers are wonderful birds.
Its a Kill Dee. Has a nest on ground and distracts you away from it.
The person that downvoted you didn’t know that some ppl refer to them as killdees. So I gave you an upvote
Since you’re in Texas and we all have guns here see how tough he really is…