English

killdeer

Arapaho

ti'ííhii

Location

these birds can be seen around the shores of ponds and wetlands in the summer, but also in drier areas as long as they are open - even along roads.

 

Killdeer in the Arapaho

This word is apparently an imitation of the bird’s call. An old word for the southwestern (Jicarilla and Mescalero) Apache is tih’iihii-nenno’, meaning ‘killdeer people.’

A Killdeer sitting on its nest.