Click below for the answer to yesterday’s birding ID quiz.
It is a killdeer and it looks as if it’s been squashed because it is using a distraction ploy to keep potential predators away from a nest. Many birds use the ‘broken wing’ trick to lure predators away from a nest or babies. The ploy gets the attention of the predator and when the predator is about to pounce on the ‘injured’ adult, the bird flies away and predator gets nothing.
Great photos 🙂 I grew up in central Minnesota and the field next to the cemetery had those ‘tricksters’ they always amazed me watching them 🙂 The city lawn mower crew would leave them alone too till the chicks were old enough to scamper away.
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