back and wings pearl and under parts white. Bill orange red. This
species and the three following are the most graceful of birds in
appearance and flight. Their movements can only be likened to those of
the Swallows, from which they get the name of "Sea Swallows." Their food
consists of fish, which they get by diving, and marine insects. They
breed by thousands in the marshes from Manitoba to Texas and along the
South Atlantic coast. The eggs are laid in a hollow on the dry grassy
portions of the islands or marshes. They generally lay three eggs and
rarely four. They are buffy or brownish spotted with dark brown and
lilac. Size 1.80 × 1.30. Data.--Cobb's Island, Va., June 8, 1887. Eggs
in a hollow on grassy bank. Collector, F. H. Judson.
70. COMMON TERN. _Sterna hirundo._
Range.--Eastern North America, breeding both on the coast and in the
interior from the Gulf States northward.
This bird differs from the preceding chiefly in having a bright red bill
tipped with black, and the under parts washed with pearl. These are the
most common Terns on the New England coast, nesting abundantly from
Virginia to Newfoundland. These beautiful Terns, together with others of
the family, were formerly killed by thousands for millinery purposes,
but the practice is now being rapidly stopped. In May and June they lay
their three, or sometimes four eggs on the ground as do the other Terns.
They are similar to the preceding species but average shorter.
Data.--Duck Is., Maine, June 30, 1896. Three eggs in marsh grass about
fifty feet from beach. No nest. Collector, C. A. Reed.
[Illustration 055: Brownish buff.]
[Illustration: Forsters Tern. Common Tern.]
[Illustration: Buff.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 54
71. ARCTIC TERN. _Sterna paradisaea._
Range.--Northern Hemisphere, breeding from New England northward to the
Arctic Regions and wintering south to California and the South Atlantic
States. A similar bird to the last, differing in having the bill wholly
red and the feet being smaller and weak for the size of the bird. A more
northern bird than the last, breeding abundantly in Alaska, both on the
coast and in the interior. In the southern limits of its breeding range,
it nests in company with the Common Tern, its nests and eggs being
indistinguishable from the latter. When their nesting grounds are
approached, all the birds arise like a great white cloud, uttering their
harsh, discordant "tearrr, tearrr," while now and then an individual,
bolder than the rest, will swoop close by with an angry "crack." On the
whole they are timid birds, keeping well out of reach. The nesting
season is early in June. Eggs like the preceding. Data.--Little Duck
Is., Me., June 29, 1896. Three eggs in a slight hollow on the beach,
three feet above high water mark.
72. ROSEATE TERN. _Sterna dougalli._
Range.--Temperate North America on the east coast, breeding from New
England to the Gulf.
These are the most beautiful birds, having a delicate pink blush on the
under parts during the breeding season; the tail is very long and deeply
forked, the outer feathers being over five inches longer than the middle
ones; the bill is red with a black tip. They nest in large colonies on
the islands from Southern New England southward, placing the nests in
the short grass, generally without any lining. They lay two or three
eggs which are indistinguishable from the two preceding species.
73. ALEUTIAN TERN. _Sterna aleutica._
Range.--Found in summer in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands.
South in winter to Japan. This handsome Tern is of the form and size of
the Common Tern, but has a darker mantle, and the forehead is white,
leaving a black line from the bill to the eye. They nest on islands off
the coast of Alaska, sometimes together with the Arctic Tern. The eggs
are laid upon the bare ground or moss, and are similar to the Arctic
Terns, but average narrower. They are two or three in number and are
laid in June and July. Size 1.70 × 1.15. Data.--Stuart Is., Alaska.
Three eggs in a slight hollow in the moss.
[Illustration 056: Arctic Tern. Roseate Tern. Aleutian Tern.]
[Illustration: Grayish or Brownish.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 55
74. LEAST TERN. _Sterna antillarum._
Range.--From northern South America to southern New England, Dakota and
California, breeding locally throughout its range.
These little Sea Swallows are the smallest of the Terns, being but 9
inches in length. They have a yellow bill with a black tip, a black
crown and nape, and white forehead. Although small, these little Terns
lose none of the grace and beauty of action of their larger relatives.
They nest in colonies on the South Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, placing
their eggs upon the bare sand, where they are sometimes very difficult
to see among the shells and pebbles. They are of a grayish or buffy
color spotted with umber and lilac. They number two, three and rarely
four, and are laid in May and June. Size 1.25 × .95. Data.--DeSota
Beach, Fla., May 20, 1884. Three eggs laid on the sandy beach.
Collector, Chas. Graham.
75. SOOTY TERN. _Sterna fuscata._
Range.--Tropical America, north to the South Atlantic States. This
species measures 17 inches in length; it has a brownish black mantle,
wings and tail, except the outer feathers of the latter which are white;
the forehead and under parts are white, the crown and a line from the
eye to the bill, black. This tropical species is very numerous at its
breeding grounds on the small islands of the Florida Keys and the West
Indies. They lay but a single egg, generally placing it on the bare
ground, or occasionally building a frail nest of grasses. The egg has a
pinkish white or creamy ground and is beautifully sprinkled with spots
of reddish brown and lilac. They are laid during May. Size 2.05 × 1.45.
Data.--Clutheria Key, Bahamas, May 28, 1891. Single egg laid on bare
ground near water. Collector, D. P. Ingraham.
[Illustration 057: Light buff.]
[Illustration: Least Tern. Sooty Tern.]
[Illustration: Creamy white.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 56
76. BRIDLED TERN. _Sterna anaetheta._
Range.--Found in tropical regions of both hemispheres; casual or
accidental in Florida. This Tern is similar to the last except that the
nape is white and the white of the forehead extends in a line over the
eye. The Bridled Tern is common on some of the islands of the West
Indies and the Bahamas, nesting in company with the Sooty Terns and
Noddies. The single egg is laid on the seashore or among the rocks. It
is creamy white beautifully marked with brown and lilac. Size 1.85 ×
1.25. Data.--Bahamas, May 9, 1892. Single egg laid in a cavity among the
rocks. Collector, D. P. Ingraham.
77. BLACK TERN. _Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis._
Range.--Temperate America, breeding from the middle portions of the
United States northward to Alaska; south in winter beyond the United
States Border.
The identity of these Terns cannot be mistaken. They are but ten inches
in length; the whole head, neck and under parts are black; the back,
wings and tail are slaty and the under tail coverts are white. Their
dainty figure with their long slender wings gives them a grace and
airiness, if possible, superior to other species of the family. They are
very active and besides feeding upon all manner of marine crustacea,
they capture many insects in the air. They nest in large colonies in
marshes, both along the coast and in the interior, making a nest of
decayed reeds and grasses, or often laying their eggs upon rafts of
decayed vegetation which are floating on the water. The nesting season
commences in May, they laying three eggs of a brownish or greenish
color, very heavily blotched with blackish brown. Size 1.35 × .95.
Data.--Winnebago City, Minn., May 31, 1901. Three eggs. Nest made of a
mass of weeds and rushes floating on water in a swamp. Collector, R. H.
Bullis.
[Illustration 058: Creamy white.]
[Illustration: Black Tern. Noddy. Black Skimmer.]
[Illustration: Deep greenish brown.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 57
78. WHITE-WINGED BLACK TERN. _Hydrochelidon leucoptera._
Range.--Eastern Hemisphere, its addition to American birds being made
because of the accidental appearance of one bird in Wisconsin in 1873.
They nest very abundantly among the lakes and marshes of southern
Europe, placing their eggs the same as the American species, upon masses
of decayed reeds and stalks. They lay three eggs which have a somewhat
brighter appearance than the common Black Terns because of a somewhat
lighter ground color.
79. NODDY. _Anous stolidus._
Range.--Tropical America, north to the Gulf and South Atlantic States.
A peculiar but handsome bird (about fifteen inches long), with a silvery
white head and the rest of the plumage brownish, and the tail rounded.
They breed in abundance on some of the Florida Keys, the West Indies and
the Bahamas. Their nests are made of sticks and grass, and are placed
either in trees or on the ground. They lay but a single egg with a buffy
or cream colored ground spotted with chestnut and lilac. Size 2.00 ×
1.30. Atwood's Key, Bahamas, June 1, 1891. Nest made of sticks and
grasses, three feet up a mangrove. Collector, D. P. Ingraham.
[Illustration 059: Greenish buff.]
[Illustration: Buff.]
[Illustration: Noddy.]
[Illustration: deco.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 58
SKIMMERS. Family RYNCHOPIDÆ
Skimmers are Tern-like birds having a very strangely developed bill. The
lower mandible is much longer than the upper and very thin, the upper
edge being as sharp as the lower. The lower mandible is rounded at the
end while the upper is more pointed. Young Skimmers are said to have
both mandibles of the same length, the abnormal development not
appearing until after flight. Skimmers are very graceful birds, and, as
implied by their name, they skim over the surface of the water, rising
and falling with the waves, and are said to pick up their food by
dropping the lower mandible below the surface, its thin edge cutting the
water like a knife. There are four species of Skimmers, only one of
which is found in North America.
80. BLACK SKIMMER. _Rynchops nigra._
Range.--The South Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, breeding from New Jersey
southward. The Black Skimmer is about eighteen inches in length, and
besides the remarkable bill is a bird of striking plumage; the forehead,
ends of the secondaries, tail feathers and under parts are white; the
rest of the plumage is black and the basal half of the bill is crimson.
Skimmers nest in large communities, the same as do the Terns, laying
their eggs in hollows in the sand. They are partially nocturnal in their
habits and their hoarse barking cries may be heard after the shadows of
night have enveloped the earth. Fishermen call them by the names of
"Cut-water" and "Sea Dog." The nesting season commences in May and
continues through June and July. They lay from three to five eggs,
having a creamy or yellowish buff ground, blotched with black, chestnut
and lilac. Size 1.75 × 1.30. Data.--Cobb's Is., Va., June 8, 1894. Three
eggs laid in a hollow on the beach. No nest.
[Illustration 060: Buffy yellow.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 59
TUBE-NOSED SWIMMERS. Order III. TUBINARES.
ALBATROSSES. Family DIOMEDEIDAE
Albatrosses are the largest of the sea birds and have an enormous
expanse of wing, the Wandering Albatross, the largest of the family,
sometimes attaining an expanse of fourteen feet. Their nostrils consist
of two slightly projecting tubes, one on each side near the base of the
bill. They are unsurpassed in powers of flight, but are only fair
swimmers and rarely, if ever, dive, getting their food, which consists
of dead animal matter, from the surface of the water.
81. BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS. _Diomedea nigripes._
Range.--North Pacific from California northward. This Albatross is
thirty-two inches in length; it is of a uniform sooty brown color
shading into whitish at the base of the bill, which is rounded. Like the
other members of the family, this species is noted for its extended
flights, following vessels day after day without any apparent period of
rest, for the purpose of feeding on the refuse that is thrown overboard.
They breed during our winter on some of the small isolated islands in
the extreme southern portions of the globe. They lay a single white egg
on the bare ground.
82. SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS. _Diomedea albatrus._
Range.--North Pacific Ocean in summer, from Lower California to Alaska.
With the exception of the Wandering Albatross, which is now regarded as
doubtful as occurring off our coasts, the Short-tailed Albatross is one
of the largest of the group, measuring thirty-six inches in length, and
has an extent of seven feet or more. With the exception of the black
primaries, shoulders and tail, the entire plumage is white, tinged with
straw color on the back of the head. They breed on the guano islands in
the North Pacific off the coasts of Alaska and Japan. They lay a single
white egg on the bare ground or rocks. As with the other members of the
family, the eggs are extremely variable in size, but average about 4.25
× 2.50.
[Illustration 061: Black-footed Albatross.
Short-tailed Albatross.]
Page 60
82.1. LAYSAN ALBATROSS. _Diomedea immutabilis._
Range.--Laysan Island of the Hawaiian Group, appearing casually off the
coast of California. This species breeds in large numbers on the island
from which it takes its name. The birds are white with the exception of
the back, wings and tail, which are black. The birds, having been little
molested in their remote island, are exceedingly tame, and it is
possible to go among the sitting birds without disturbing them. Mr.
Walter K. Fisher has contributed an admirable report on this species in
the 1913 Bulletin of the Fish Commission, the report being illustrated
with numerous illustrations of the birds from photos by the author.
Their single white eggs are laid on the bare ground.
83. YELLOW-NOSED ALBATROSS. _Thalassogeron culminatus._
This is a species which inhabits the South Pacific and Indian Oceans,
and is said to rarely occur on the California coast. They breed during
our winter on some of the small islands and during our summer are ocean
wanderers. An egg in the collection of Col. John E. Thayer was taken on
Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean; Sept. 1st, 1888. The nest was a
mound of mud and grass about two feet in height. The single white egg
measured 3.75 × 2.25. It was collected by George Comer.
84. SOOTY ALBATROSS. _Phoebetria-palpebrata._
Range.--Southern seas, north in our summer along the Pacific coast of
the United States.
This species is entirely sooty brown except the white eyelids. It is
similar to the Black-footed Albatross from which species it can be
distinguished in all plumages by the narrow base of the bill, while the
bill of the former species is broad and rounded. They breed commonly on
isolated islands in many quarters of the southern hemisphere. Sometimes
this species constructs a mound of mud on which to deposit its single
white egg, and also often lays it on the bare ground or rock. A specimen
in Mr. Thayer's collection, taken by Geo. Comer on So. Georgia Is. in
the South Atlantic ocean, was laid in a hollow among loose stones on the
ledge of an overhanging cliff. Size 4.10 × 2.75.
[Illustration 062: Laysan Albatross. Yellow-nosed Albatross. Sooty
Albatross.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 61
FULMARS, SHEARWATERS and PETRELS Family PROCELLARIDAE
Fulmars, Shearwaters and Petrels are Gull-like birds with two nostril
tubes located side by side, in a single tube, on the top of the bill at
its base.
The Fulmars are mostly northern birds while the majority of the
Shearwaters nest in the extreme south during our winter, and appear off
our coasts during the summer. Their food consists of fish or offal which
they get from the surface of the water; large flocks of them hover about
fishermen, watching their chance to get any food which falls, or is
thrown, overboard.
[Illustration 063: EGG OF SOOTY ALBATROSS--White.]
[Illustration: deco.]
[Illustration: right hand border.]
Page 62
85. GIANT FULMAR. _Macronectes gigantea._
Range.--This Petrel is a native of the southern seas and is only
casually met with off the Pacific coast.
It is the largest of the family, being about three feet in length, and
is normally a uniform sooty color, although it has light phases of
plumage. They nest in December on many of the islands south of Africa
and South America, laying their single white egg on the bare rocks.
86. FULMAR. _Fulmarus glacialis glacialis._
Range.--North Atlantic coasts from New England northward, breeding from
Hudson Bay and southern Greenland northward.
This bird which is 19 inches in length, in the light phase has a plumage
very similar to that of the larger Gulls. They nest by thousands on
rocky islands of the north, often in company with Murres and Gulls.
Owing to the filthy habits of the Fulmars, these breeding grounds always
have a nauseating odor, which is also imparted to, and retained by the
egg shell. Their single white eggs are laid on the bare rocks, in
crevices of the cliffs, often hundreds of feet above the water. Size
2.90 × 2.00. Data.--St. Kilda, off Scotland. June 5, 1897. Single egg
laid on rock on side of sea cliff. Collector, Angus Gillies.
[Illustration 062: Fulmar.]
[Illustration: egg.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 63
86b. PACIFIC FULMAR. _Fulmarus glacialis glupischa._
This sub-species of the preceding, has a darker mantle than the common
Fulmar; it is found on the northern Pacific coasts where it breeds on
the high rocky cliffs, the same as its eastern relative. They nest in
large colonies, every crevice in the rocks having its tenant. Their
flight is graceful like that of the Gulls, which they closely resemble.
They lay but a single white egg, the average dimensions of which are
slightly smaller than those of the common Fulmar. Data.--Copper Is.,
Alaska. May 14, 1889. Egg laid in a crevice among the cliffs.
86.1. RODGER'S FULMAR. _Fulmarus rodgers._
Range.--North Pacific, breeding in large numbers on some of the islands
in Bering Sea; south to California in winter. Very similar to the two
preceding species except that the back is mixed with whitish, it is not
believed to have a dark phase. Their breeding habits and eggs do not
differ from the common Fulmar. The eggs are laid on the rocky cliffs
during June.
87. SLENDER-BILLED FULMAR. _Priocella glacialoides._
Range.--Southern seas, appearing on the Pacific coast of the United
States in the summer. This species has a paler mantle than the others of
the family, and the primaries are black. The make-up and plumage of the
whole bird is more like that of the Gulls than any of the others. They
probably breed in the far south during our winter, although we have no
definite data relative to their nesting habits.
[Illustration 065: Pacific Fulmar. Slender-billed Fulmar.]
[Illustration: deco.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 64
88. CORY'S SHEARWATER. _Puffinus borealis._
This species probably breeds in the far south. It has been found only
off the coast of Massachusetts and Long Island. This is the largest of
our Shearwaters, and can be distinguished from the next species by its
wholly white underparts, its light mantle and yellowish bill. We have no
data relative to its nesting habits.
89. GREATER SHEARWATER. _Puffinus gravis._
Range.--The whole of the Atlantic Ocean.
Thousands of them spend the latter part of the summer off the New
England coast, where they are known to the fishermen as Haglets. Their
upper parts are brownish gray, darker on the wings; bill and feet dark;
underparts white, with the middle of the belly and the under tail covers
dusky. Length about 20 inches. Little is known concerning their nesting
quarters, although they are said to breed in Greenland. From the fact of
their early appearance off the New England coast it is probable that the
greater part of them nest in the far south.
90. MANX SHEARWATER. _Puffinus puffinus._
This species inhabits the North Atlantic ocean chiefly on the European
side, being abundant in the Mediterranean and in the British Isles.
These birds deposit their single pure white eggs in crevices among the
cliffs, on the ground or in burrows dug by themselves. Size of egg 2.35
× 1.60. Data.--Isle of Hay, North Scotland. June 1, 1893. Single egg
laid at the end of a three foot burrow.
[Illustration 066: Cory Shearwater. Greater Shearwater.]
[Illustration: Egg of Audubon's Shearwater--White.]
[Illustration: Audubon's Shearwater.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 65
91. PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER. _Puffinus creatopus._
Range.--Pacific Ocean, north on American side to California in summer.
This species, whose breeding habits are little known, is similar in size
and color to the Greater Shearwater, differing chiefly in the yellowish
bill and pinkish colored feet.
92. AUDUBON'S SHEARWATER. _Puffinus lherminieri._
Range.--Middle Atlantic, ranging north in late summer to Long Island.
This bird, having a length of but twelve inches, is the smallest of the
Shearwaters found along our coasts. Large colonies of them breed on some
of the small islands and keys of the West Indies and Bahamas, and not so
commonly in the Bermudas. Their eggs, which are pure white, are
deposited at the end of burrows dug by the birds. Size of egg 2.00 ×
1.35. Their nesting season commences about the latter part of March and
continues through April and May. After the young are able to fly, like
other members of the family, the birds become ocean wanderers and stray
north to southern New England. Data.--Bahamas, April 13, 1891. Single
egg laid at the end of a burrow about two feet in length. Collector, D.
P. Ingraham.
92.1. ALLIED SHEARWATER. _Puffinus assimilis._
This is an Australian and New Zealand species that has accidentally
strayed to the shores of Nova Scotia.
93. BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATER. _Puffinus opisthomelas._
Range.--Middle Pacific coast of the Americas, north in late summer along
the coast of California. This species breeds commonly on the islands off
the coast of Lower California, especially on the Gulf side. Their single
egg is white, size 2.00 × 1.30, and is located at the end of a burrow.
Data.--Natividad Is., Lower California, April 10, 1897. Single egg laid
on the sand at the end of a burrow six feet in length. Collector, A. W.
Anthony.
93.1. TOWNSEND'S SHEARWATER. _Puffinus auricularis._
This bird ranges from Cape St. Lucas, south along the Pacific coast of
Mexico, breeding on the Revillagigedo Islands off the Mexican coast.
[Illustration 067: Pink-footed Shearwater. Black-vented Shearwater.
Townsend's Shearwater.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 66
94. SOOTY SHEARWATER. _Puffins fuliginosus._
Range.--A common species off the Atlantic coast in summer; breeds along
our northern coasts, and it is also supposed that many of them nest in
southern seas and reach our coasts early in the summer. These
Shearwaters are entirely sooty gray, being somewhat lighter below. They
are called "black haglets" by the fishermen, whose vessels they follow
in the hope of procuring bits of refuse. They commonly nest in burrows
in the ground, but are also said to build in fissures among the ledges.
Their single white egg measures 2.55 × 1.75. Data.--Island in Ungava
Bay, northern Labrador, June 14, 1896. Egg laid in a fissure of a sea
cliff. Collector, A. N. McFord.
95. DARK-BODIED SHEARWATER. _Puffinus griseus._
This is a southern species which, after having nested on islands in the
far south during our winter, comes north and appears off the Pacific
coast of the United States during the summer. It is a similar bird to
the Sooty Shearwater, but is considerably darker and the under coverts
are whitish. Their nesting habits are the same as those of other members
of the family. Size of egg, 2.40 × 1.65. Data.--Stewart's Island, New
Zealand, February 15, 1896. Single egg at the end of a long burrow.
96. SLENDER-BILLED SHEARWATER. _Puffinus tenuirostris._
Range.--Northern Pacific Ocean in the summer, extending from Japan and
Alaska southward. Supposed to breed in the southern hemisphere, as well
as probably on some of the Aleutians in Alaska.
96.1. WEDGE-TAILED SHEARWATER. _Puffinus cuneatus._
Range.--North Pacific, breeding on the Revillagigedo Islands off the
coast of Mexico, and probably on some of the small islands in the Gulf
of California.
97. BLACK-TAILED SHEARWATER. _Priofinus cinerus._