How can this common bird be threatened? Whither the Noisy Plover

Perhaps no bird is more well known for turning up in funny places than the Killdeer. A favorite nickname for the bird is the “Double-banded Asphalt Plover,” which pays homage to its habit of nesting in parking lots. And many a birder has come to recognize the circle of small stones in the middle of a gravel footpath as a warning that, somewhere in the middle of the circle, there are a few small, well-camouflaged Killdeer eggs (there is likely also an adult bird screaming at the birder, but they don’t do as good of a job of telling one where to not step).

It came as a shock to me, then, when a friend mentioned that they had seen the Killdeer listed as “near-threatened” on eBird. How could one of the most abundant and ubiquitous birds in North America be near-threatened?

There are several different ways that birds are evaluated for conservation status: overall population size; extent and fragmentation of habitat; and trend line. And Killdeer, sadly, are one of many common birds that are rapidly disappearing. In fact, it’s estimated that the species declined by 20% in just three generations, from 2008 to 2021. With the end of market hunting of the species, and continent-wide creation of open spaces (i.e., deforestation), the species had actually increased throughout the 20th century, but now the pressures of habitat loss and contamination have caught up to the “Chattering Plover.” Pesticides on golf courses and other large expanses of grass they prefer are thought to be a main driver of the declines.

So, what can we do for Killdeer? Minimizing the toxins we treat turf with and enforcing leash laws in open natural areas are good ideas. But perhaps not taking them for granted is the best first step.

By Brodie Cass Talbott, Adult Engagement Manager. For more information, visit www.birdallianceoregon.org