Hobbies And Interests
Diet
The majority of the killdeer's diet consists of insects, with aquatic bugs making up a large portion of their menu. Killdeer walk along ground looking for something to eat, but they are also accomplished swimmers. They typically walk rapidly, trying to locate and eat insects. Berries, worms, snails, crayfish and other tiny invertebrates comprise part of the killdeer's diet as well.
Earthworms
Killdeer watch farmers when they plow a field and use the work to their advantage. As the plow turns over soil, the killdeer follow closely behind. When they spy an earthworm in the unsettled soil, the killdeer quickly pounce upon it and gobble it down.
Benefits
The favors farmers do for killdeer by making it simple to find earthworms is a debt the killdeer return many fold by devouring insect pests that harm agricultural crops. Among the killdeer's victims are alfalfa weevils and clover-root weevils. June beetle larvae, click beetle larvae and brown fruit beetles are part of a killdeer's diet, too, as are ticks and mosquitoes, which are notorious insect pests. Killdeer also consume the seeds of weeds.
Precocial Chicks
A short time after birth, killdeer chicks can move about under their own power and secure a meal. "Precocial" is the word for that ability. Once the chicks' down finishes drying, the killdeer parents take them to a place where they can capture and eat insects and other foods. The chicks remain with the parents for only one month before going their separate ways.