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 piping plover, a shorebird found in Indiana along Lake Michigan, looks similar to its bigger relative, the killdeer, which is more commonly found across Indiana in wide-open spaces like fields and even parking lots.
—
Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 3 Dec. 2025
The news outlet reported that state wildlife officers received a tip that a hunter shot and killed a killdeer on the first day of dove season.
—Michael Guise, CBS News, 27 Nov. 2025
There, the crop continued to grow while white-faced ibis and killdeer birds loitered around the water.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
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
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Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 3 Dec. 2025
The news outlet reported that state wildlife officers received a tip that a hunter shot and killed a killdeer on the first day of dove season.
—Michael Guise, CBS News, 27 Nov. 2025
There, the crop continued to grow while white-faced ibis and killdeer birds loitered around the water.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Killdeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/killdeer. Accessed 16 Dec. 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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