killdeer
1
9.7
- noun
- /ˈkɪlˌdɪr/
- US
:
chorlito
- Along the roadside, a killdeer shot out of the grass and fell back again, like an expended arrow.
- nest of a killdeer
Examples
-
Our women are named Lark, Titmouse, Towhee, Quail, Redstart, Killdeer.
Fiction book (2001) -
A killdeer screech forced me to look back.
Fiction book (2001) -
She skipped to a killdeer sitting on the track and flipped a rock to make it fly.
Fiction book (1990) -
The grass is gone, and the wildflowers and delicate lacewings, the plump grasshoppers, cottonwood trees, and the lively killdeer are gone.
Fiction book (1994) -
He saw only a young killdeer trying to take flight, the last of its baby down clinging to its wings, the orange fuzz glowing with sunlight.
Fiction book (1994) -
I already knew that a killdeer would fake a broken wing to lure a predator away from its nest, and I had laughed at or sympathized with the bird's antics.
Fiction book (1990) -
There was only the sound of our chewing, and then, eventually, the wind rustling the grass, and the trill of an occasional killdeer as they shot up from the thickets along the roadside, their long tails pluming behind.
Fiction book (1992) -
While hiking near the river, I spotted a killdeer running across the path, calling to its mate.
-
The distinctive cry of a killdeer echoed across the fields as it watched over its nest.
-
During spring, killdeer are often seen near shallow waters where they search for food.
Synonyms
A medium-sized North American bird with a loud, repeating cry that lives near ponds and fields
A bird with long legs found near water and fields that makes a loud call
A North American bird that lives near rivers and fields and makes a loud, high-pitched call
Compounds
A medium-sized North American bird with a loud, repeating cry that lives near ponds and fields
Surface Forms
Etymology
Killdeer comes from the bird's loud call, which people hear as 'kill-deer'. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine the bird 'calling' its own name, so a killdeer is a kind of plover often known for its sharp, noisy cry near fields and water.