DFW Urban Wildlife

This strange and noisy display was observed at Sunset Bay on White Rock Lake in Dallas, Texas.

These four Killdeer, mixed in as they were with American Coots and other waterfowl, were engaged in what looked to be an intense standoff. At times one of the birds would break off from the other four, and lead the three remaining Killdeer on a merry chase. Other times a pair of Killdeer would come to blows and engage each other physically. Feathers would fly.

Certainly this was mating behavior of some kind. Hopefully an expert will chime in with a well informed opinion about what was happening here.

Observation Details

County	–	Dallas
City	–	Dallas
Date	–	Apr 28, 2013
Time of Day	–	Morning
Temperature	–	Cool (50-69°F/10-21°C)
Weather	–	Cloudy
Habitat	–	Recreation-Park
Type of Behavior	–	Mating
Gender	–	Male
Maturity	–	Adult
Observer	–	Chris Jackson