Front toes with lobes or webs; tarsus flattened; plumage thick; swimming Snipe.
Long legged, wading Snipe; in Avocets toes four, front three webbed; bill recurved; in Stilts toes three, almost unwebbed; bill straight.
Toes usually four; tarsus with transverse scales; bill generally long, slender, and soft, used as a probe.
Toes usually three, or when four, the fourth rudimentary; tarsus with rounded scales, bill, as compared with that of Snipe, short and stout.
Toes four, tarsus with transverse scales; bill short, rather hard.
Toes three, webbed at base; tarsus stout, with rounded scales; bill heavy, compressed, and said to be used for opening shells.
Toes four, with their nails greatly elongated to support the bird while walking on aquatic vegetation; wing, with a sharp spur; bill with fleshy lobes at base and, in some species, on its sides.
Ground-inhabiting birds of chicken-like form; bill stout, hen-like; wings short and rounded; tail variable; feet strong; hind-toe elevated. Color usually mixed brown, black, and buff, or bluish gray.
Characters the same as those of the Order; tarsus naked in Partridges and Quails; more or less feathered in Grouse and Ptarmigan.
Tarsus naked, often spurred, tail remarkably variable (for example, Turkey, Peacock); head often with a comb, wattles, or other excrescences.
Large tree-haunting, pheasant-like birds; toes four, all on same level.
Walking birds, feeding both on the ground and in trees; bill slender, grooved, nostrils opening in a fleshy membrane; tail variable, short and square, or long and pointed; feet stout, often reddish. Color usually grayish brown. Call-notes a characteristic cooing.
Characters those of the Order.
Generally large birds with hooked bill; strong, heavy feet, and long, curved nails; wings large; tail rather long, usually square.
Bill not strongly hooked; toe-nails comparatively weak; nostrils large, piercing the bill; head and more or less of neck, bare.
Nostrils opening in a cere at the base of the bill; hook of bill and claws well developed; plumage firm and close; tarsus usually largely bare.
Eyes black, set in a somewhat triangular facial disc; bill more or less concealed by feathers; nostril opening at the edge of a fleshy cere; inner edge of middle toe-nail serrate; no 'ears'; tarsus feathered.
Eyes yellow or black, set in a circular facial disc; bill more or less concealed by feathers; nostrils opening at the edge of a fleshy cere; tarsus feathered.
Usually bright green birds with, a heavy hooked bill, broad scoop-shaped lower mandible; long, pointed wings; tail, in Parrots, generally square; in Paroquets, pointed; feet heavy, two toes in front and two behind.
Characters the same as those of Order.
A composite Order of several groups of birds bearing no close relation to each other. Cuckoos have slightly curved bills, long tails, and two toes in front and two behind. Trogons have short, rather broad, stout bills, and soft, loose plumage, often green above, red below; moderately long tails; small feet with two toes in front, two behind. Kingfishers have long, rather stout, pointed bills; wings, long; tail, medium; three toes in front and one behind; middle and outer toes joined for half their length.
Toes two in front, two behind; bill, usually, more or less decurved; tail, long and rounded, the outer feathers being, generally, much shorter than the middle pair.
Toes two in front, two behind; bill, short; upper mandible decurved and dentate; tail square; plumage, soft, loose, and generally shining green above.
Legs short; feet small; toes, three in front, one behind; third and fourth toes joined; bill, stout and long.
Climbing birds with stout, pointed bills, bristly nostrils, pointed, stiffened tail feathers, strong feet and nails; two toes in front and two behind, except in Picoides, which has two in front and one behind. Prevailing colors, black and white, the males usually with red on the crown.
Characters the same as those of the Order.
Bill, in the Goatsuckers and Swifts, small; mouth large; in the Hummingbirds, bill long, slender, needle-like; wings and tail variable; feet, in all three groups, small and weak. Color, in Goatsuckers, mixed brown, buff and black; in Swifts, black and white; in Hummingbirds, usually shining green above with resplendent throat-patches of varied hues.
Feet usually small and weak; toes, three in front, one behind; middle toe-nail pectinate or combed; bill small; mouth very large and usually beset by long bristles.
Bill small, triangular when seen from above; mouth large, no bristles; tail variable, in Chætura with projecting spines; wings long and narrow; feet small and toes short; plumage usually dark.
Bill long and slender; feet slender; wings large and pointed; tail exceedingly variable, often assuming the most striking shapes.
(18 families, about 325 species and 226 subspecies.)
Bill, wings, and tail variable; feet with four toes not connected, the hind-toe as long as the middle one; its nail generally longer than that of the middle toe. This Order contains more species than the remaining sixteen Orders put together. In it will be found over 80 per cent. of the birds commonly seen by field students. It is difficult of definition, but almost any small perching bird may, with more or less certainty, be referred to the Passeres.
Bill broad, flat, hooked at tip, its base with bristles; wings rather pointed, the second to fourth primaries longest; tarsus rounded behind as well as in front; feathers of crown generally somewhat lengthened, forming when erected, a small crest; pose, when perching, erect; food of insects usually captured on the wing; voice generally unmusical.
Hind toe-nail much lengthened; bill rounded, straight; tarsus rounded behind as well as in front; our species with a tuft of feathers on either side of the head; outer primary short or rudimentary; walking birds, singing while on the wing.
Large perching birds, usually twelve inches or more in length; bill stout; nostrils covered by projecting bristles; feet heavy; outer tail-feathers usually shortest; fourth to fifth primary longest, first about half as long.
Base of bill, between nostrils, extending back and dividing feathers on forehead; nostrils not concealed by bristles; first three primaries of equal length.
Bill short, stout, conical; third or fourth primaries longest; first about half an inch shorter; the majority are small birds and but few are over eight inches in length.
Bill somewhat finch-like but more swollen in outline; the upper mandible, in typical forms, toothed or dentate.
Bill short, broad and flat; feet small and weak; wings long and narrow; tail notched and sometimes forked; birds of the air, feeding while on the wing.
Bill short, stout, and rounded, its tip notched; wings rather long; head crested.
Bill stout, its mandible hooked and hawk-like; feet truly Passerine; pose, in perching, erect; solitary grayish birds.
Bill small, but distinctly hooked; outer primary usually very small and sometimes apparently wanting; olive-green gleaners among the leaves.
Bill, in most of the species, slender, sharply pointed, and without a notch or hook at the tip; in the genera Wilsonia and Setophaga, flat and flycatcher-like; in Icteria stout; back of tarsus compressed into a thin ridge; three outer primaries of nearly equal length.
Hind toe-nail much lengthened; bill slender, nostril not covered with bristles, as in true Larks; back of tarsus thin, not rounded; terrestrial, walking with a wagging motion of the tail.
Thick-set birds with short wings and tail; plumage thick and water-proof; tarsus scaled; semi-aquatic in habit, haunting mountain streams.
Tarsus scaled; tail rounded, the outer feathers being shortest; third to fourth primary longest, the outer half as long; bill in Thrashers often decurved, its base with bristles; In Wrens, bill without bristles; brown or grayish inhabitants of lower growth.
Bill slender and much decurved; tail usually pointed and stiffened.
Fourth or fifth primary longest; first an inch or less in length. Chickadees (subfamily Parinæ) have a short, stout bill, the nostrils covered with bristles; the tail is rather long and rounded. Nuthatches (subfamily Sittinæ) have a long, slender bill, short, square tail, and large feet.
Bill slender and Warbler-like, but first primary only one-third as long as the fourth.
Tarsus 'booted', without scales, (see foot of Robin under Synopsis of Order Passeres); tail square; mandible notched and slightly hooked; outer primary an inch or less in length; second to fourth of about equal length.
| Family 1. | GREBES. | Podicipidæ. | 6 species. |
| Family 2. | LOONS. | Gaviidæ. | 5 species. |
| Family 3. | AUKS, MURRES, and PUFFINS. | Alcidæ. | 21 species, 3 subspecies. |
Grebes are at home in reed-grown ponds or sloughs where their nests are made on rafts or islets of water-soaked vegetation. Their eggs number from four to eight, are dull white in color, and are usually covered by the bird with a portion of the nesting material when it leaves its home. Grebes occasionally rest on the shore, but are rarely found far from the water. When on land they may lie flat on their breasts or sit erect on their tails and entire foot, or tarsus. Their progress on land, as a rule, is awkward and they may use their wings as fore feet to assist them. In diving, Grebes sometimes spring partly from the water and then plunge downward head first, or they may quietly sink with scarce a ripple to mark the place of their disappearance.
Loons generally pass the summer on some large lake, and in the winter many of them live at sea. They nest, as a rule, on the shore, but so near the water that the parent bird may slide off its two dark brown, mottled eggs into its favorite element. Like the Grebes, Loons are expert divers, and birds of both families so often seek safety under the water rather than in the air that it is frequently difficult to make them fly. The young of both Grebes and Loons are born covered with feathers and take to the water shortly after birth, often using the back of the parent bird as an ever present island on which they may rest at will.
The Auks, Murres, and Puffins are sea birds which nest usually in large colonies on isolated islets or rocky, inaccessible shores of the northern part of the northern hemisphere. They lay one or two eggs, sometimes in an exposed position among the rocks with no attempt at nest-building, sometimes at the end of a burrow excavated by the birds. In the latter case, the young are reared in the nest; in the former, they sometimes enter the water at an early age.
The one egg laid by Murres is remarkable both in color and in shape. In color it varies from bluish green to buff, and is usually heavily scrawled with black. In outline it is pyriform or pear-shaped. When moved it does not roll away as would a hen's egg but revolves about its own tip. In this manner it retains its place on the narrow ledges often chosen by Murres for nesting-sites.
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2. Holbœll Grebe (Colymbus holbœlli). L. 19. Ads. Crown and hindneck glossy black; back blackish; throat, cheeks, and underparts white; foreneck and sides rufous. Winter. Above blackish brown; throat and underparts white; foreneck pale rufous. Yng. Similar but no rufous. Notes. "An explosive kup" and "An exceedingly loud harsh voice not unlike that of an angry Crow, but of much greater volume. The calls were also given more slowly and indeed with singular deliberation, car, car, three or four times, sometimes lengthened to caar, and again, broken and quavering like ca-a-a-r or ca-a-a-a-r." (Brewster.) Range.—North America, eastern Siberia, and Japan; breeds locally in the interior from about Lat. 50° northward; winters from Maine and British Columbia southward to South Carolina, Nebraska and Southern California, chiefly on the coasts. 3. Horned Grebe (Colymbus auritus). L. 13.5. Ads., summer. Crown, hindneck, and throat glossy black; plumes behind eye deep buff; back and wings blackish; foreneck, breast, sides, and lores chestnut; abdomen white. Winter. Above grayish black; below white. Range.—Northern Hemisphere; breeds largely in the interior from eastern Quebec, northern Illinois, St. Clair Flats, North Dakota, and British Columbia northward; winters from Maine and British Columbia south to Gulf States and southern California. 4. American Eared Grebe (Colymbus nigricollis californicus). L. 13. Ads. Above, neck all around, and upper breast brownish black; cheek tufts yellowish brown; flanks chestnut; belly white. Winter. Grayish brown above; white below. Range.—Western North America east to Kansas; breeds locally from Texas and middle California north to Manitoba and British Columbia; winters from British Columbia, on the Pacific coast, and Texas southward. 5. Least Grebe (Colymbus dominicus brachypterus). L. 10. Ads. Throat black; cheeks slaty, above blackish; below grayish. Winter. Similar but no black or slate on throat or cheeks. Smallest of our Grebes. Range.—Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas and southern Lower California south to northern South America. 6. Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps). L. 13.5. Ads., summer. Above brownish black; throat and band on bill black; foreneck, breast, and sides brownish; belly white. Winter. The same, but throat white, breast more rusty, bill without black band. Notes. A loud, sonorous, "cow-cow-cow-cow-cow-cow-cow-cow-cow-uh, cow-uh, cow-uh, cow-uh." Range.—Argentine Republic; north through Mexico and West Indies to Lat. of Hudson Bay; breeds locally throughout its range, but chiefly northward; winters from New Jersey, Illinois, and southern California southward. |
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1. Western Grebe; Swan Grebe (Æchmophorus occidentalis). L. 26. Ads., summer. Crown and hindneck black; back grayish brown; sides of head and under parts white. Winter. Crown and hindneck like back. Notes. A loud, rattling, grating whistle. Range.—Western North America; In summer eastward to Shoal Lake, Manitoba; northward to southern Alaska; breeds locally from northern California and North Dakota northward; winters from British Columbia to central Mexico. 7. Loon (Gavia imber). L. 32. Ads., summer. Above, including whole neck, glossy black; throat and neck with white streaks; back and wings with white spots or bars; belly white. Winter. Above blackish margined with grayish; no white spots; below white. Notes. A loud, maniacal laugh. Range.—Northern hemisphere; in North America, breeds from Maine, northern Illinois, Minnesota, and northern California north to Greenland and Alaska; winters from about southern limit of breeding range south to Gulf of Mexico, chiefly on coasts. 8. Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii). L. 36. Similar to No. 7, but larger and bill yellowish or whitish. Notes. Similar to those of No. 7, but harsher. (Murdoch.) Range.—"Arctic America west of Hudson Bay, and northern Asia; casual in northern Europe." (A. O. U.) 9. Black-throated Loon (Gavia arctica). L. 27; W. 12. Ads., summer. Foreneck and back bluish black; throat, neck, and back streaked or barred with white; crown and nape gray; belly white. Winter. Similar to No. 7, but smaller. Notes. A dismal "too-too-e-e." (Turner.) Range—Northern part of northern hemisphere; in America breeds from Hudson Bay north to Arctic coast; winters south to British Columbia, the Great Lakes and, casually, to Long Island. 10. Pacific Loon (Gavia pacifica). Similar to No. 9, but foreneck in summer reflecting deep blue or green; hindneck paler; smaller, W. 11. Notes. A harsh "kok, kok, kok." (Murdoch.) Range.—Western North America; breeds at Point Barrow, Alaska, and eastward; winters south along Pacific Coast to Mexico. 11. Red-throated Loon (Gavia lumme). L. 25. Ads., summer. Foreneck chestnut, head and neck ashy. Winter. Similar to No. 7, in winter, but back spotted with white. Notes. A harsh "gr-r ga, gr-r, gr-r-ga, gr-r." (Nelson.) Range.—Northern part of northern hemisphere; in North America breeds from New Brunswick to Greenland and Hudson Bay, and northwest to Alaska; winters south to South Carolina and southern California. |
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12. Tufted Puffin (Lunda cirrhata). L. 15. Ads., summer. Cheeks white; a pair of long straw color plumes from behind eyes; rest of plumage sooty. Winter. Cheeks sooty, plumes usually absent. Yng. Similar to winter adult, but breast and belly whitish. Range.—Northern Pacific; resident locally from Santa Barbara Islands north to Alaska. Accidental in Maine. 13. Puffin (Fratercula arctica). L. 13; W. 6; B. 1.8. Ads. Above, and foreneck blackish; cheeks and under parts white; bill in summer touched with bright red. Notes. A hoarse croak. Range.—North Atlantic; breeds from Bay of Fundy north to Greenland; winters south to Long Island. 13a. Large-billed Puffin (F. a. glacialis). W. 7; B. 2.1. Similar to No. 13, but larger. Range.—Arctic Ocean from Spitzenbergen to northern Greenland. 14. Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata). Similar to No. 13, but in summer with the throat blackish. Notes. "A hoarse snuffling, rattling note" (Nelson.) Range.—"Northern Pacific from Kuril Islands to British Columbia." (A. O. U.) 15. Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata). L. 15.5. Ads., summer. A horn on base of bill; two pairs of white tufts; above blackish; throat and breast grayish; belly white. Winter. Similar, but no horn. Yng. Similar to winter ad. but no tufts. Range.—"North Pacific: breeding south (formerly) to the Farallones; in winter south to Lower California and Japan." (A. O. U.) |
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16. Cassin Auklet. (Ptycoramphus aleuticus). L. 9. Ads. A white spot above eye; above blackish; throat and breast grayish; belly white. Notes. A shrill, squealing "Come bear-r-r, come bear-r-r." Range.—"Pacific Coast of North America from Aleutian Islands to Lower California; breeding south to San Geronimo Island (Lat. 30°)." (A. O. U.) 23. Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus). L. 9.7. Ads., summer. No crest; above dark brown, finely mixed with rusty; below white, all feathers edged with brown. Winter. Wholly different; above gray; head dark; below white; a nearly complete white nuchal collar. Yng. Similar to winter ad. but blacker above; sprinkled with blackish below. Range.—North Pacific; breeds from Vancouver north to Aleutian Islands; winters south to southern California. 24. Kittlitz Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris). L. 9.5; B., from feathers on top, .4. Ads., summer. Above gray, mottled with buff; breast and sides mottled with buff and black; belly white. Winter. Sides of head, to above eye, and lower parts white; above gray; outer tail-feathers white. Range.—Northern Japan, Kamchatka and Aleutian Islands, east to Unalaska. (A. O. U.) 25. Xantus Murrelet (Brachyramphus hypoleucus). L. 10. Bill slender. Ads. Above slaty black; under surface of wing white; inner webs of outer primaries white. Range.—Pacific Coast from Monterey south to Cape St. Lucas; breeding as far north as Santa Barbara Island. 26. Craveri Murrelet (Brachyramphus craveri). L. 10. Bill slender. Ads. Above slaty or brownish black; sides slaty; under surface of wings dusky, sometimes mixed with white. Range,—Coasts of Lower California, from Cape St. Lucas north to Espiritu Santo Island in the Gulf of California, and to Natividad Island (lat. 28°) on the Pacific side. (A. O. U.) 34. Dovekie (Alle alle). L. 8. Ads., summer. Above blackish; inner wing feathers tipped with white; throat and breast blackish brown. Winter. Similar, but throat and breast white or mixed grayish. Range—North Atlantic and East Arctic; in America breeds from Lat. 68° northward; winters south to Long Island, rarely to Virginia. Accidental in Michigan. |
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17. Paroquet Auklet (Cyclorrhynchus psittaculus). L. 10. Ads., summer. No crest; a white plume from behind eye; above blackish; throat grayer, rest of under parts white. Winter. Throat white. Notes. "A low, sonorous, vibrating whistle." (Nelson.) Range.—"North Pacific, from Sitka and the Kuril Islands northward." (A. O. U.) Five records for coast off San Francisco in winter. 18. Crested Auklet (Simorhynchus cristatellus). L. 10. Ads., summer. Bill red; a crest of slender recurved feathers; a pair of white tufts from behind eye; above sooty black; below grayer. Yng. Similar but bill brown; no crest or tufts. Notes. "A chirping note," (Nelson.) Range.—North Pacific from Kadiak and Japan northward." (A. O. U.) 19. Whiskered Auklet (Simorhynchus pygmæus). L. 7.5. Ads., summer. White feathers at base of sides of bill and, much lengthened, from above and below eye; a crest of slender recurved feathers; above, and throat dark slate fading into white belly. Yng. Similar but no crest; little or no white on head. Notes. "A low chattering note." (Nelson.) Range—"North Pacific, from Unalaska through the Aleutian chain to Kamchatka." (A. O. U.) 20. Least Auklet (Simorhynchus pusillus). L. 6.5. Ads., summer. No crest; sides of head with white feathers; above blackish; chin sooty; throat white; under parts white, marked irregularly with sooty. Winter. Little or no sooty on breast. Yng. Similar to winter ad., but no white plumes. Range.—"North Pacific, from Sitka and Japan north to Bering Strait." (A. O. U.) 21. Ancient Murrelet (Synthliboramphus antiquus). L. 10.5. Ads., summer. No crest; head and throat black; broad white stripes behind eye; back gray; breast and belly white. Winter. Similar but throat white; no white head stripes. Notes. "A low plaintive whistle." (Nelson.) Range.—North Pacific, from southern Vancouver Island and Japan northward; south in winter to Monterey, California; accidental in Wisconsin. |
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27. Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle). L. 13. Ads., summer. Black; greater wing-coverts white, black at base; under surface of wings white. Winter. Above gray or black tipped with white; below white. Range.—Coasts of northern Europe and North Atlantic; in America breeds from Knox Co., Maine north to southern Greenland; winters south to Quebec and Massachusetts; rarely to Toronto, Connecticut, and Long Island. 28. Mandt Guillemot (Cepphus mandtii). Similar to No. 27, but bases of greater wing-coverts white. Range.—Arctic regions; breeds from Labrador and Hudson Bay north to northern Greenland and northern Alaska; in winter migrates but little southward; no satisfactory United States record. 29. Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba). Similar to No. 27, but inner surface of wings sooty gray. Notes. A squealing, vibrant whistle. Range.—North Pacific; breeds from Santa Catalina Island north to Bering Strait, west through Aleutian Islands to Kamchatka and northern Japan; winters in same region. 30. Murre (Uria troile). L. 16; B. 1.7. Ads., summer. Above and neck sooty brown; under parts and tips of secondaries white; sides with blackish streaks. Winter. Similar, but throat white washed with sooty. Notes. A hoarse murre and squawking a-r-r-r-r-r-rh. Range.—North Atlantic; breeds in North America from Bird Rock, Magdalen Islands, north to southern Greenland; winters south to Maine and, rarely, Ontario. 30a. California Murre (U. t. californica). Similar to No. 30 but larger, W. 8.2; B. 1.9. Range.—North Pacific; breeds from Pribilof Islands south to Farallones; winters south to southern California. 31. Brunnich Murre (Uria lomvia). Similar to No. 30, but bill shorter, 1.2. In summer, head and throat browner, lower mandible swollen at sides and grayish at base. Range.—North Atlantic and eastern Arctic; breeds in North America from Bird Rock, Magdalen Islands, north to Greenland; winters south to New Jersey and along St. Lawrence to Lakes Champlain and Ontario, rarely to Lake Michigan. 31a. Pallas Murre (U. l. arra). Similar to No. 31, but larger; W. 8.6; B. 1.5. Notes. "A peculiar growling or hoarse chattering note." (Nelson.) Range.—North Pacific; south to Kadiak and Kamchatka. 32. Razor-billed Auk (Alca torda). L. 16.5. Ads., summer. Above sooty black, foreneck browner; tips of secondaries, line from bill to eye, and under parts, white. Winter. Similar, but foreneck white. Yng. Similar to winter ad. but without eye line. Notes. A hoarse grunt or groan. Range.—North Atlantic; breeds from Bird Rock, Magdalen Islands, north to Greenland; winters south to Long Island and, rarely, to Ontario and North Carolina. 33. Great Auk (Plautus impennis). L. 29; W. 5.7. Ads. Above blackish; a large white spot before the eye; secondaries tipped with white; sides of neck and the throat seal brown; belly, white. Resembling No. 32 in general appearance but body much larger; wing, however, shorter. Range.—Formerly, the coasts and islands of North Atlantic, south on American side to Florida (in winter?); now extinct. |