Illustration of killdeer
plural killdeers or killdeer
: an American plover (Charadrius vociferus) characterized by two black breast bands and a plaintive penetrating cry
Did you know?
This attractive dark-eyed bird has a loud, rather sad cry that to some people sounds like “Kill deer! Kill deer!” Killdeers are not vicious birds. They have no special hatred of deer, and they do not eat venison. The killdeer is simply an animal that got its name from human interpretation of its call.
Examples of killdeer in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The killdeer and the black-necked stilts are two local species that simply lay their eggs on the ground with no obvious nest.
—
Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 May 2025
There’s a type of bird called a killdeer that’s known for its injuring feigning technique to lure predators away from its nest.
—Caleb Harris, Austin American-Statesman, 3 Jan. 2025
Ibises and killdeers waded in the pond, but the ducks wouldn’t stop.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 30 Aug. 2023
Native killdeer returned to nest a week after construction was completed.
—William McDonough, Scientific American, 1 July 2017
The killdeer couldn’t.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 8 June 2012
The bird, a killdeer, had made its ground nest in a high traffic area.
—Bill Jones, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2022
Urso, who was carrying a bird book, showed Mrvan a photo of a killdeer.
—Alexandra Kukulka, chicagotribune.com, 19 Aug. 2021
Those killdeer eggs, however, completely exposed on the gravel of a shoreline or your driveway, are heavily speckled with dark markings.
—Jim Williams, Star Tribune, 27 Apr. 2021
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Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 May 2025
There’s a type of bird called a killdeer that’s known for its injuring feigning technique to lure predators away from its nest.
—Caleb Harris, Austin American-Statesman, 3 Jan. 2025
Ibises and killdeers waded in the pond, but the ducks wouldn’t stop.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 30 Aug. 2023
Native killdeer returned to nest a week after construction was completed.
—William McDonough, Scientific American, 1 July 2017
The killdeer couldn’t.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 8 June 2012
The bird, a killdeer, had made its ground nest in a high traffic area.
—Bill Jones, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2022
Urso, who was carrying a bird book, showed Mrvan a photo of a killdeer.
—Alexandra Kukulka, chicagotribune.com, 19 Aug. 2021
Those killdeer eggs, however, completely exposed on the gravel of a shoreline or your driveway, are heavily speckled with dark markings.
—Jim Williams, Star Tribune, 27 Apr. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Killdeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/killdeer. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
killdeer
noun
kill·deer
ˈkil-ˌdi(ə)r 
plural killdeers or killdeer
: a North American plover that has two black bands on its breast and a distinctive high-pitched loud cry
Etymology
imitation
Word Origin
Killdeers are not vicious birds. They have no special hatred of deer, and they do not eat venison. This attractive, dark-eyed bird has a loud, rather sad cry that to some people sounds like "Kill deer! Kill deer!" So the killdeer is an animal that got its name from human interpretation of its call.
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