WHEN YOU
LOOK
Western Bluebird
The Killdeer: Guardian Against Death
When you look at this killdeer, you see a cautionary role model.
If you have ever encountered a bird yelling at you and pretending to be injured, you have likely encountered a killdeer. In fact, its attention-grabbing call is the origin of its name, sounding like "kill-deer!" They tend to nest in open areas and make scratched out nests in the ground. While this bird is labeled as a relatively low conservation concern, that does not mean they are safe from human induced threats like poisonings, collisions with buildings or cars, climate change, etc. Due to their proximity to humans and their nesting habits, the killdeer has many tricks to protect their young. They cool their eggs in hot temperatures by dripping water onto them, they create multiple nests in the area as diversions, and they utilize nest camouflage and egg camouflage.
Killdeer from the Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History.
Killdeers are excellent role models, their most notable feat being the "broken wing act." When a predator approaches, the killdeer bobs its head in alarm. If the predator approaches the nest, the bird will screech its loud cry to capture its attention, fixating the predator entirely upon itself and away from its babies. To further entice the predator, the killdeer will limp away and hang its wing as if it was broken, a dramatic display of vulnerability. This act of selflessness is one we need to exemplify in ourselves, as it is our moral and logical responsibility to improve upon this world for ourselves and our future children. The killdeer is also a role model with their noisy vocalizations. We need to be loud and turn peoples’ full attentions towards the climate crisis, just as a killdeer parent draws the attention of intruders. By being loud and speaking out, we can spark the consciousnesses of industry leaders and businesses, educating and discussing with people we meet along the way to make a real difference.
The Killdeer's Call
“Killdeer broken wing display behavior.” from Robert Groos Photography
“Adult Killdeer with Chick.” from Albert Ryckman
This approaching predator of climate change needs to be combated using the model of the killdeer. It threatens our homes, our children, and our futures. We need to be alarmed – in the way the bird feigns injury, we can see a reflection of our current situation: broken, desperate, and dying. We need to act like we cannot fly, like we are injured, to productively motivate ourselves to act against the climate crisis and ensure the survival of life. We need to take some notes from the killdeer: to be courageous, loud, and dedicated. By using the killdeer as a role model for our human conception and mental attitude towards our climate crisis, we can avoid the omen that it represents.
Created by Cassandra Brewer
In Native North American mythology, the killdeer guards the bridge between life and death. It prevents human lives from ending before they are meant to – portraying a protective nature. When the protector against an untimely death is facing what it guards against, we know something is wrong. This omen of a protector dying is what warns us against continuing down the same road towards that life and death bridge.
