Expert: Roger Lederer - 5/20/2010

Question
QUESTION: On a recent trip to Palm Springs, CA we ran into this bird hiding in the bushes.  He was very loud and RAN very fast from the scrub bush to hide in the adjacent water way (man made). He has long skinny legs like a water bird and beautiful black stripes against his front. Red ring around his eye and brownish feathering on his wings.  He runs everywhere and only flew when extremely threatened.  Also noisy.  He was spreading his wings and squawking and rubbing itself all over the ground.  I have lots of pictures of him (or her) & sending the best for id.... What kind of bird was this?  And was it a mating ritual we saw??

ANSWER: Before I answer, you said you were sending a picture for ID? None was attached/enclosed. If you can do that, it would help greatly for me to be positive.

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QUESTION: Here's the picture.  I have more but this one shows the most various parts of the bird.

Answer
OK. This is a Killdeer. These common birds forage for food in fields, mudflats, and shores, usually by sight. They mainly eat insects.
Their name comes from their frequently heard call. These birds will frequently use a distraction display ("broken-wing act") to distract predators from their nests. This involves the bird walking away from its nesting area holding its wing in a position that simulates an injury and then flapping around on the ground emitting a distress call. The predators then think they have easy prey and are attracted to this seemingly injured bird and away from the nest. If the parent sees that a potential predator is not following them, they will move closer and get louder until they get the attention of the predator. This is what you saw.