How to Get Rid of Killdeer

Killdeer are a small, rather loud member of the plover family. Plovers are wading birds that have adapted well to living side by side with people. While one killdeer by itself is not usually a nuisance, killdeer are social birds and prefer to hang out in flocks, as most birds do. It is the flocks of killdeer you want to discourage, but how?

Step one: The easiest thing to do to discourage killdeer from turning your backyard into the next hangout is to act like their natural predators. Of course, I don’t mean stalking them on your belly and actually attempting to eat them, but purchasing predator urine. Sounds disgusting, right? The killdeer think so, too. They will move on before taking a chance at nesting in an area where small meat eaters are lurking.

Step two: Allow your grass to grow out of control. Killdeer are a particularly good excuse to get out of regularly mowing your lawn since most killdeer do not like tall grass. They are unable to look out for predators and it makes them uncomfortable.

Step three: If you happen to have a shotgun nearby (and a permit to use it, of course) make a lot of loud racket with the gun. Killdeer love to make all kinds of noise, but prefer that you don’t. Not to mention, if you happen to hit one of two in the process, they might decide that being somewhere else is much safer than hanging out with you.

Step four: Chain Fido up in the middle of the flock. Once again, this incorporates two very effective methods for killdeer removal, predation and noise production. Ol’ Fido will kick up quite a ruckus when you stake him out beside all those strange looking creatures, and he might even get lucky and snag himself one. But, you will probably have to either have Fido on a very long chain, or move him around a lot, since these birds are actually quite smart and will tend to just move away enough to get out of reach. If Fido doesn’t do the trick, grab the cat from across the street and point him in the direction of the birds. Don’t be surprised if the cat freaks out and runs away, but to be sure, he’ll be back later for the buffet.

If none of these methods, which are all tried and quasi-successful, work for you, the last straw is to call a professional wildlife control company to remove the pests for you. Keep in mind that just because you move them, doesn’t mean that they won’t be back tomorrow. You should continue to make your yard as inhospitable as possible through the spring and summer months to permanently discourage your unwanted house guests.