killdeer
/ˈkɪlˌdɪr/
noun
- A medium-sized North American plover with a brown back, white belly, and two black bands across its chest, known for its loud call and for pretending to have a broken wing to distract predators from its nest.
- A killdeer ran across the gravel parking lot, calling loudly.
- The mother killdeer performed her broken-wing act to lead us away from her chicks.
- We spotted a killdeer nest hidden among the pebbles near the river.