For landscapers & lawn-care crews
A one-page brief to keep in the truck. If you mow, blow, edge, or trench in the Lowcountry between March and July, this is the bird whose nest you are most likely to encounter.
What you're looking at
A Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) has built a nest somewhere on this property - most likely in gravel, mulch, a driveway edge, or an open patch of lawn. Killdeer are federally protected migratory shorebirds. The eggs are nearly invisible against the ground.
The law in two lines
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. §§ 703-712) makes it a federal crime to destroy a Killdeer nest, eggs, or chicks - knowingly or accidentally. Misdemeanor penalties go up to $15,000 and six months in jail per violation.
Migratory Bird Treaty Act · 16 U.S.C. § 703
Identify the nest BEFORE mowing
Walk the property first. Look for:
- A shallow scrape in gravel, mulch, dirt, or short grass - about the size of a tea saucer
- Small light-colored pebbles, wood chips, or shell fragments arranged in or around the scrape
- 3 to 5 eggs, buff or tan, heavily speckled with black and brown - they look exactly like stones
- An adult bird running away from a specific spot, calling loudly: "kill-deer, kill-deer"
- A parent dragging one wing along the ground as if injured
If you see the broken-wing display - STOP
The "broken-wing act" is the parent pretending to be injured to lure you away from the nest. The nest is behind you, not in front of you.
Back up the way you came. Do not follow the bird. Mark your stopping point and finish in a different area.
Safe mow zone
If a nest is identified, maintain a 15-foot buffer (minimum) around it in all directions. Do not mow, blow, weed-eat, edge, or stage equipment inside that ring. A flag, traffic cone, or upside-down bucket on the perimeter is enough to mark it.
Timeline
Killdeer incubate eggs for 24 to 28 days. Chicks leave the nest within hours of hatching but stay near their parents for another 3 to 4 weeks before they can fly. Total time from egg-laying to a fully fledged, mobile chick is roughly 50 days. After that, normal mowing resumes.
If you discover a nest mid-job
- Stop the equipment immediately.
- Mark the location with a cone, flag, or chair.
- Leave that section of the lawn untouched.
- Notify the homeowner before you leave the property.
Take the long way around. The bird will be gone in seven weeks. The federal record lasts forever.
Who to call for guidance
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Southeast Region (Region 4): Migratory Bird Permits - (404) 679-7070, 1875 Century Boulevard, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30345
- South Carolina Department of Natural Resources: (803) 734-3886 (Wildlife Section, Columbia)