Killdeer Protection Tactic - Huntsville Botanical Garden
/Over the past several years, multiple pairs of Killdeer have nested in the Huntsville Botanical Garden during the Spring breeding season. This year a pair established a late July nest in the North Meadow that produced a single chick. Tuesday, Poppa Killdeer was observed in the East Meadow, while Momma Killdeer and baby had moved into the Children’s Garden perhaps feeling it a safer location. Upon being discovered, the mother calls loudly while moving away to lure any intruder away from the chick. Often she performs the “Broken Wing Tactic” to appear wounded and distract a potential predator away from the chick. With close observation, the Garden’s Birding Trail offers many opportunities to observe unusual bird behavior.
