If you see a smallish bird with long legs flip-flopping around with what looks like a broken wing and the bird also is calling loudly as if in pain, not to worry.

Why do Killdeer Act injured?

As long as the bird holds the attention of the danger, it moves away from the nest, constantly making noise and feigning that it is injured. This helps attract the threat away from the nest. The abandonment of the nest leaves the eggs exposed, but they are camouflaged, so they are not easily seen by predators.

Why do birds pretend to have a broken wing?

Injury-feigning, including broken-wing and impeded flight displays, is one of the more common forms of distraction. In broken-wing displays, birds that are at the nest walk away from it with wings quivering so as to appear as an easy target for a predator.