Paul? Could I trouble you for a bird ID?

I took some pictures of this fella while at the Botanical Gardens. He was making a racket, singing up a storm. He was fairly small (little bigger than a robin, I think), with rather long legs. He would start puffing out his feathers and hopping about with his wings out... really quite amusing to watch.

Oooh, oooh, oooh, can I try???

I want to say it's a killdeer. We had one nest in our yard once. The "broken wing" display means she had a nest nearby, and so she "fakes" a broken wing to draw "predators" away from the nest, and when they're far enough away, she'll fly away.

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Originally Posted by CaraRose

I took some pictures of this fella while at the Botanical Gardens. He was making a racket, singing up a storm. He was fairly small (little bigger than a robin, I think), with rather long legs. He would start puffing out his feathers and hopping about with his wings out... really quite amusing to watch.

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Nice shots. Very clear.

Find one with chicks if you can. the little balls of fluff running around on ridiculously long legs that seem to disappear when they get moving is hilarious.

Kelly is right about their display. The nest is often just a patch of gravel where the speckled eggs blend in well with the pebbles. They are named for the sound of their call.

yes it is a killdeer :)

but why is it a killdeer and not a semipalmated plover ;)

and chunk.... the funniest "shorebird" chicks to watch are the piping plover chicks ;)

same look BUT ALWAYS ON A BEACH where they blend in nicely(and they are 1/2 the size)

Check out this link:

http://www.birdwatching.com/stories/killdeer.html