Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyCharadriidae (Plovers and Lapwings)
- GenusCharadrius (Holarctic Ringed Plovers and Allies)
- SpeciesCharadrius vociferus (Killdeer)
The killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) is a large plover found in the Americas. Its shrill, two-syllable call is often heard, sounding like "kill deer". It was described and given its current scientific name in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae. Three subspecies are described. Its upperparts are mostly brown with rufous fringes, the head has patches of white and black, and two black bands cross the breast. The belly and the rest of the breast are white. Wikipedia →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Killdeer sighting in Olympic National Park, based on 4,640 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Olympic National Park
Semipalmated Plover
Charadrius semipalmatus
Black-bellied Plover
Pluvialis squatarola
Pacific Golden-Plover
Pluvialis fulva
American Golden-Plover
Pluvialis dominica
Glaucous-winged Gull
Larus glaucescens
California Gull
Larus californicus
Short-billed Gull
Larus brachyrhynchus
Pigeon Guillemot
Cepphus columba
Common Murre
Uria aalge
Rhinoceros Auklet
Cerorhinca monocerata
Black Oystercatcher
Haematopus bachmani
Heermann's Gull
Larus heermanni
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Killdeer in Olympic National Park?
About 12% of wildlife watchers report a Killdeer sighting in Olympic National Park, based on 4,640 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Killdeer in Olympic National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Killdeer in Olympic National Park in our monthly data.