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Platte River Status: A common migrant and nesting species across the study area. Occurrence dates at the Mormon Island Crane Meadows, Hall County, extend from 8 February to 25 November. Tout (1947) recorded killdeer commonly in Lincoln County during 5 March to 16 October. Rosche (1979) stated that killdeer was a permanent resident in the lower North Platte River Valley.

Breeding Range: A common nesting species in the Sandhills and Eastern Plain physiographic regions. Fairly common and widely distributed elsewhere throughout the study area.

Breeding Population: The population was estimated at 19,500 breeding pairs in 1979-1980.

Habitat: We found the highest mean breeding density in prairie wetlands (14.6 pairs/km²), followed by river channel islands (12.8 pairs/km²), domestic hayland (4.7 pairs/km²), wet prairie (1.9 pairs/km²), lowland forest (1.2 pairs/km²), alfalfa (1.0 pairs/km²), corn (0.7 pairs/km²), upland prairie (0.5 pairs/km²), wheat (0.5 pairs/km²), and shelterbelt (0.2 pairs/km²). Killdeer apparently avoids tall, dense grassland and heavily wooded areas for nesting. Kantrud and Kologiski (1982) reported that highest nesting densities on northern Great Plains grasslands were observed on heavily grazed grassland tracts. Faanes (1982) found most killdeer breeding pairs on a central North Dakota study area were on the exposed shores of seasonal wetlands and in fallow cropland. Graber and Graber (1963) recorded 10.7 killdeer/km² in corn fields and 3.0 birds/km² from pasture land in Illinois.

Effect of Habitat Alteration: Because of the apparent adaptability of this species to successfully exploit a wide range of habitat types, we do not believe that the current level of habitat alteration in the study area has impacted this species.

Nesting Data: We have records of seven nests from the Mormon Island Crane Meadows. Egg dates range from 4 May to 15 June; dependent young were observed there between 5 May and 24 July. Peak hatching probably occurs in late May. The hatching observed on 24 July may be indicative of a second brood.