Marathon Pundit: (Photo) Killdeer in Morton Grove

The killdeer, while a common bird, is an unusual one. Iit can fly, but it spends much of its time on the ground--females even nest there. To protect its young, killdeers will pretend to be injured--using a broken wing feint--to distract predators from the vulnerable nest.

As for its name, this little bird is incapable of killing a deer, except possibly by disease. Its call sounds like the avian is crying "kill-deer."