Kill deer! Kill deer!

Named for its familiar call, this trim native North American shorebird seems to be excitedly telling you to kill a deer as it cries, "Kill deer! Kill deer!" This 10-inch bird eats insects. It is a fast runner and a graceful flier. Both male and female look alike and make the same sounds.

Killdeer are most often seen around open shorelines and wetlands with low-growth vegetation. The killdeer nest is often simply a clutch of three or four eggs -- white covered with black blotches -- lying on the ground surrounded by small rocks or gravel. The edge of a chatted driveway or fringe of a graveled parking lot is a good place to find a killdeer nest. The nesting female is easily mistaken for a small piece of broken wood or wad of dead grass, and exposed eggs are very easy to overlook surrounded by small stones.

This bird will use a broken wing display to lure a predator -- or human -- away from its nest or vulnerable chicks. The chicks are able to walk almost immediately after hatching. They leave the nest and seem to cause both parents immense stress, gauged from the incessant calling from the parents.

Through the Woods is a weekly nature column by Aaron Horrell. Find this column at semissourian.com to order a reprint of the photo. Find more of Horrell's work at the Painted Wren Gallery in downtown Cape Girardeau.