This is Bird Note.

That's a Kildir, one of the most widespread and commonly seen shorebirds in North America.

It's a handsome bird with a brown back and a distinctive pair of black bands across its white breast.

You can probably hear why this bird has been nicknamed the Chattering Plover.

But Kildir aren't strictly shorebirds.

In fact, they can be found a long way from water.

You might spot one nesting on the shoulder of a road, on a golf course, or even on a construction site.

Since Kildir don't always pick the safest places to lay their eggs,

they've developed a clever way to protect their young.

They use the art of distraction.

When it spots a predator close by, the Kildir parent will pretend it has a broken wing.

Calling loudly and limping along as it stretches out one wing and fans its tail.

The predator, thinking it's spied an easy meal, zeroes in on the parent, and leaves the nest alone.

And this technique seems to work.

One scientist observed that the Broken Wing Act distracted potential predators more than 99% of the time.

For Burtnote, I'm Mary McCann.