THEIR CHARACTERISTICS AND THE REPRESENTATIVES
OF EACH FAMILY INCLUDED IN "BIRD NEIGHBORS"
_Order Coccyges_: CUCKOOS AND KINGFISHERS
_Family CuculidA|_: CUCKOOS
Long, pigeon-shaped birds, whose backs are grayish brown with a bronze
lustre and whose under parts are whitish. Bill long and curved. Tail
long; raised and drooped slowly while the bird is perching. Two toes
point forward and two backward. Call-note loud and like a tree-toad's
rattle. Song lacking. Birds of low trees and undergrowth, where they
also nest; partial to neighborhood of streams, or wherever the tent
caterpillar is abundant. Habits rather solitary, silent, and
eccentric. Migratory.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
Black-billed Cuckoo.
_Family AlcedinidA|_: KINGFISHERS
Large, top-heavy birds of streams and ponds. Usually seen perching
over the water looking for fish. Head crested; upper parts slate-blue;
underneath white, and belted with blue or rusty. Bill large and heavy.
Middle and outer toes joined for half their length. Call-note loud and
prolonged, like a policeman's rattle. Solitary birds; little inclined
to rove from a chosen locality. Migratory.
Belted Kingfisher.
_Order Pici_: WOODPECKERS
_Family PicidA|_: WOODPECKERS
Medium-sized and small birds, usually with plumage black and white,
and always with some red feathers about the head. (The flicker is
brownish and yellow instead of black and white.) Stocky,
high-shouldered build; bill strong and long for drilling holes in bark
of trees. Tail feathers pointed and stiffened to serve as a prop. Two
toes before and two behind for clinging. Usually seen clinging erect
on tree-trunks; rarely, if ever, head downward, like the nuthatches,
titmice, etc. Woodpeckers feed as they creep around the trunks and
branches. Habits rather phlegmatic. The flicker has better developed
vocal powers than other birds of this class, whose rolling tattoo,
beaten with their bills against the tree-trunks, must answer for their
love-song. Nest in hollowed-out trees.
Red-headed Woodpecker.
Hairy Woodpecker.
Downy Woodpecker.
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker.
Flicker.
_Order Macrochires_: GOATSUCKERS, SWIFTS, AND HUMMING-BIRDS
_Family CaprimulgidA|_: NIGHTHAWKS, WHIPPOORWILLS, ETC.
Medium-sized, mottled brownish, gray, black, and white birds of heavy
build. Short, thick head; gaping, large mouth; very small bill, with
bristles at base. Take insect food on the wing. Feet small and weak;
wings long and powerful. These birds rest lengthwise on their perch
while sleeping through the brightest daylight hours, or on the ground,
where they nest.
Nighthawk.
Whippoorwill.
_Family MicropolidA|_: SWIFTS
Sooty, dusky birds seen on the wing, never resting except in chimneys
of houses, or hollow trees, where they nest. Tips of tail feathers
with sharp spines, used as props. They show their kinship with the
goatsuckers in their nocturnal as well as diurnal habits, their small
bills and large mouths for catching insects or the wing, and their
weak feet. Gregarious, especially at the nesting season.
Chimney Swift.
_Family TrochilidA|_: HUMMING-BIRDS
Very small birds with green plumage (iridescent red or orange breast
in males); long, needle-shaped bill for extracting insects and nectar
from deep-cupped flowers, and exceedingly rapid, darting flight. Small
feet.
Ruby-throated Humming-bird.
_Order Passeres_: PERCHING BIRDS
_Family TyrannidA|_: FLYCATCHERS
Small and medium-sized dull, dark-olive, or gray birds, with big heads
that are sometimes crested. Bills hooked at end, and with bristles at
base. Harsh or plaintive voices. Wings longer than tail; both wings
and tails usually drooped and vibrating when the birds are perching.
Habits moody and silent when perching on a conspicuous limb, telegraph
wire, dead tree, or fence rail and waiting for insects to fly within
range. Sudden, nervous, spasmodic sallies in midair to seize insects
on the wing. Usually they return to their identical perch or lookout.
Pugnacious and fearless. Excellent nest builders and devoted mates.
Kingbird.
Ph[oe]be.
Wood Pewee.
Acadian Flycatcher.
Great Crested Flycatcher.
Least Flycatcher.
Olive-sided Flycatcher.
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
Say's Flycatcher.
_Family AlaudidA|_: LARKS
The only true larks to be found in this country are the two species
given below. They are the kin of the European skylark, of which
several unsuccessful attempts to introduce the bird have been made in
this country. These two larks must not be confused with the meadow
larks and titlarks, which belong to the blackbird and pipit families
respectively. The horned larks are birds of the ground, and are seen
in the United States only in the autumn and winter. In the nesting
season at the North their voices are most musical. Plumage grayish and
brown, in color harmony with their habitats. Usually found in flocks;
the first species on or near the shore.
Horned Lark.
Prairie Horned Lark.
_Family CorvidA|_: CROWS AND JAYS
The crows are large black birds, walkers, with stout feet adapted for
the purpose. Fond of shifting their residence at different seasons
rather than strictly migratory, for, except at the northern limit of
range, they remain resident all the year. Gregarious. Sexes alike.
Omnivorous feeders, being partly carnivorous, as are also the jays.
Both crows and jays inhabit wooded country. Their voices are harsh and
clamorous; and their habits are boisterous and bold, particularly the
jays. Devoted mates; unpleasant neighbors.
Common Crow.
Fish Crow.
Northern Raven.
Blue Jay.
Canada Jay.
_Family IcteridA|_: BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, ETC.
Plumage black or a brilliant color combined with black. (The meadow
lark a sole exception.) Sexes unlike. These birds form a connecting
link between the crows and the finches. The blackbirds have strong
feet for use upon the ground, where they generally feed, while the
orioles are birds of the trees. They are both seed and insect eaters.
The bills of the bobolink and cowbird are short and conical, for they
are conspicuous seed eaters. Bills of the others long and conical,
adapted for insectivorous diet. About half the family are gifted
songsters.
Red-winged Blackbird.
Rusty Blackbird.
Purple Grackle.
Bronzed Grackle.
Cowbird.
Meadow Lark.
Western Meadow Lark.
Bobolink.
Orchard Oriole.
Baltimore Oriole.
_Family FringillidA|_: FINCHES, SPARROWS, GROSBEAKS,
BUNTINGS, LINNETS, AND CROSSBILLS
Generally fine songsters. Bills conical, short, and stout for cracking
seeds. Length from five to nine inches, usually under eight inches.
This, the largest family of birds that we have (about one-seventh of
all our birds belong to it), comprises birds of such varied plumage
and habit that, while certain family resemblances may be traced
throughout, it is almost impossible to characterize the family as
such. The _sparrows_ are comparatively small gray and brown birds with
striped upper parts, lighter underneath. Birds of the ground, or not
far from it, elevated perches being chosen for rest and song. Nest in
low bushes or on the ground. (Chipping sparrow often selects tall
trees.) Coloring adapted to grassy, dusty habitats. Males and females
similar. Flight labored. About forty species of sparrows are found in
the United States; of these, fourteen may be met with by a novice, and
six, at least, surely will be.
The _finches_ and their larger kin are chiefly bright-plumaged birds,
the females either duller or distinct from males; bills heavy, dull,
and conical, befitting seed eaters. Not so migratory as insectivorous
birds nor so restless. Mostly phlegmatic in temperament. Fine
songsters.
Chipping Sparrow. Pine Siskin (or Finch).
English Sparrow. Purple Finch.
Field Sparrow. Goldfinch.
Fox Sparrow. Redpoll.
Grasshopper Sparrow. Greater Redpoll.
Savanna Sparrow. Red Crossbill.
Seaside Sparrow. White-winged Red Crossbill.
Sharp-tailed Sparrow. Cardinal Grosbeak.
Song Sparrow. Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
Swamp Song Sparrow. Pine Grosbeak.
Tree Sparrow. Evening Grosbeak.
Vesper Sparrow. Blue Grosbeak.
White-crowned Sparrow. Indigo Bunting.
White-throated Sparrow. Junco.
Lapland Longspur. Snowflake.
Smith's Painted Longspur. Chewink.
_Family TanagridA|_: TANAGERS
Distinctly an American family, remarkable for their brilliant plumage,
which, however, undergoes great changes twice a year, Females
different from males, being dull and inconspicuous. Birds of the
tropics, two species only finding their way north, and the summer
tanager rarely found north of Pennsylvania. Shy inhabitants of woods.
Though they may nest low in trees, they choose high perches when
singing or feeding upon flowers, fruits, and insects. As a family, the
tanagers have weak, squeaky voices, but both our species are good
songsters. Suffering the fate of most bright-plumaged birds, immense
numbers have been shot annually.
Scarlet Tanager.
Summer Tanager.
_Family HirundinidA|_: SWALLOWS
Birds of the air, that take their insect food on the wing. Migratory.
Flight strong, skimming, darting; exceedingly graceful. When not
flying they choose slender, conspicuous perches like telegraph wires,
gutters, and eaves of barns. Plumage of some species dull, of others
iridescent blues and greens above, whitish or ruddy below. Sexes
similar. Bills small; mouths large. Long and pointed wings, generally
reaching the tip of the tail or beyond. Tail more or less forked. Feet
small and weak from disuse. Song a twittering warble without power.
Gregarious birds.
Barn Swallow.
Bank Swallow.
Cliff (or Eaves) Swallow.
Tree Swallow.
Bough-winged Swallow.
Purple Martin.
_Family AmpelidA|_: WAXWINGS
Medium-sized Quaker-like birds, with plumage of soft browns and grays.
Head crested; black band across forehead and through the eye. Bodies
plump from indolence. Tail tipped with yellow; wings with red tips to
coverts, resembling sealing-wax. Sexes similar. Silent, gentle,
courteous, elegant birds. Usually seen in large flocks feeding upon
berries in the trees or perching on the branches, except at the
nesting season. Voices resemble a soft, lisping twitter.
Cedar Bird.
Bohemian Waxwing.
_Family LaniidA|_: SHRIKES
Medium-sized grayish, black-and-white birds, with hooked and hawk-like
bill for tearing the flesh of smaller birds, field-mice, and large
insects that they impale on thorns. Handsome, bold birds, the terror
of all small, feathered neighbors, not excluding the English sparrow.
They choose conspicuous perches when on the lookout for prey: a
projecting or dead limb of a tree, the cupola of a house, the
ridge-pole or weather-vane of a barn, or a telegraph wire, from which
to suddenly drop upon a victim. Eyesight remarkable. Call-notes harsh
and unmusical. Habits solitary and wandering. The first-named species
is resident during the colder months of the year; the latter is a
summer resident only north of Maryland.
Northern Shrike.
Loggerhead Shrike.
_Family VireonidA|_: VIREOS OR GREENLETS
Small greenish-gray or olive birds, whitish or yellowish underneath,
their plumage resembling the foliage of the trees they hunt, nest, and
live among. Sexes alike. More deliberate in habit than the restless,
flitting warblers that are chiefly seen darting about the ends of
twigs. Vireos are more painstaking gleaners; they carefully explore
the bark, turn their heads upward to investigate the under side of
leaves, and usually keep well hidden among the foliage. Bill hooked at
tip for holding worms and insects. Gifted songsters, superior to the
warblers. This family is peculiar to America.
Red-eyed Vireo.
Solitary Vireo.
Warbling Vireo.
White-eyed Vireo.
Yellow-throated Vireo.
_Family MniotiltidA|_: WOOD WARBLERS
A large group of birds, for the most part smaller than the English
sparrow; all, except the ground warblers, of beautiful plumage, in
which yellow, olive, slate-blue, black, and white are predominant
colors. Females generally duller than males. Exceedingly active,
graceful, restless feeders among the terminal twigs of trees and
shrubbery; haunters of tree-tops in the woods at nesting time.
Abundant birds, especially during May and September, when the majority
are migrating to and from regions north of the United States; but they
are strangely unknown to all but devoted bird lovers, who seek them
out during these months that particularly favor acquaintance. Several
species are erratic in their migrations and choose a different course
to return southward from the one they travelled over in spring. A few
species are summer residents, and one, at least, of this tropical
family, the myrtle warbler, winters at the north. The habits of the
family are not identical in every representative; some are more
deliberate and less nervous than others; a few, like the Canadian and
Wilson's warblers, are expert flycatchers, taking their food on the
wing, but not usually returning to the same perch, like true
flycatchers; and a few of the warblers, as, for example, the
black-and-white, the pine, and the worm-eating species, have the
nuthatches' habit of creeping around the bark of trees. Quite a number
feed upon the ground. All are insectivorous, though many vary their
diet with blossom, fruit, or berries, and naturally their bills are
slender and sharply pointed, rarely finch-like. The yellow-breasted
chat has the greatest variety of vocal expressions. The ground
warblers are compensated for their sober, thrush-like plumage by their
exquisite voices, while the great majority of the family that are
gaily dressed have notes that either resemble the trill of midsummer
insects or, by their limited range and feeble utterance, sadly belie
the family name.
Bay-breasted Warbler. Nashville Warbler.
Blackburnian Warbler. Palm Warbler.
Blackpoll Warbler. Parula Warbler.
Black-throated Blue Warbler. Pine Warbler.
Black-throated Green Warbler. Prairie Warbler.
Black-and-white Creeping Warbler. Redstart.
Blue-winged Warbler. Wilson's Warbler.
Canadian Warbler. Worm-eating Warbler.
Chestnut-sided Warbler. Yellow Warbler.
Golden-winged Warbler. Yellow Palm Warbler.
Hooded Warbler. Ovenbird.
Kentucky Warbler. Northern Water Thrush.
Magnolia Warbler. Louisiana Water Thrush.
Mourning Warbler. Maryland Yellowthroat.
Myrtle Warbler. Yellow-breasted Chat
_Family MotacillidA|_: WAGTAILS AND PIPITS
Only three birds of this family inhabit North America, and of these
only one is common enough, east of the Mississippi, to be included in
this book. Terrestrial birds of open tracts near the coast,
stubble-fields, and country roadsides, with brownish plumage to
harmonize with their surroundings. The American pipit, or titlark, has
a peculiar wavering flight when, after being flushed, it reluctantly
leaves the ground. Then its white tail feathers are conspicuous. Its
habit of wagging its tail when perching is not an exclusive family
trait, as the family name might imply.
American Pipit, or Titlark.
_Family TroglodytidA|_: THRASHERS, WRENS, ETC.
_Subfamily MiminA|_: THRASHERS, MOCKING-BIRDS, AND CATBIRDS
Apparently the birds that comprise this large general family are too
unlike to be related, but the missing links or intermediate species
may all be found far South. The first subfamily is comprised of
distinctively American birds. Most numerous in the tropics. Their long
tails serve a double purpose--in assisting their flight and acting as
an outlet for their vivacity. Usually they inhabit scrubby undergrowth
bordering woods. They rank among our finest songsters, with
ventriloquial and imitative powers added to sweetness of tone.
Brown Thrasher.
Catbird.
Mocking-bird.
[Illustration: KINGBIRD]
[Illustration: MOCKING-BIRD]
_Subfamily TroglodytinA|_: WRENS
Small brown birds, more or less barred with darkest brown above, much
lighter below. Usually carry their short tails erect. Wings are small,
for short flight. Vivacious, busy, excitable, easily displeased, quick
to take alarm. Most of the species have scolding notes in addition to
their lyrical, gushing song, that seems much too powerful a
performance for a diminutive bird. As a rule, wrens haunt thickets or
marshes, but at least one species is thoroughly domesticated. All are
insectivorous.
Carolina Wren.
House Wren.
Winter Wren.
Long-billed Marsh Wren.
Short-billed Marsh Wren.
_Family CerthiidA|_: CREEPERS
Only one species of this Old World family is found in America. It is a
brown, much mottled bird, that creeps spirally around and around the
trunks of trees in fall and winter, pecking at the larvA| in the bark
with its long, sharp bill, and doing its work with faithful exactness
but little spirit. It uses its tail as a prop in climbing, like the
woodpeckers.
Brown Creeper.
_Family ParidA|_: NUTHATCHES AND TITMICE
Two distinct subfamilies are included under this general head.
The nuthatches (_SittinA|_) are small, slate-colored birds, seen
chiefly in winter walking up and down the barks of trees, and
sometimes running along the under side of branches upside down, like
flies. Plumage compact and smooth. Their name is derived from their
habit of wedging nuts (usually beech-nuts) in the bark of trees, and
then hatching them open with their strong straight bills.
White-breasted Nuthatch.
Red-breasted Nuthatch.
The titmice or chickadees (_ParinA|_) are fluffy little gray birds, the
one crested, the other with a black cap. They are also expert
climbers, though not such wonderful gymnasts as the nuthatches. These
cousins are frequently seen together in winter woods or in the
evergreens about houses. Chickadees are partial to tree-tops,
especially to the highest pine cones, on which they hang fearlessly.
Cheerful, constant residents, retreating to the deep woods only to
nest.
Tufted Titmouse.
Chickadee.
_Family SylviidA|_: KINGLETS AND GNATCATCHERS
The kinglets (_RegulinA|_) are very small greenish-gray birds, with
highly colored crown patch, that are seen chiefly in autumn, winter,
and spring south of Labrador. Habits active; diligent flitters among
trees and shrubbery from limb to limb after minute insects. Beautiful
nest builders. Song remarkable for so small a bird.
Golden-crowned Kinglet.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
The one representative of the distinctly American subfamily of
gnatcatchers (_PolioptilinA|_) that we have, is a small blue-gray bird,
whitish below. It is rarely found outside moist, low tracts of
woodland, where insects abound. These it takes on the wing with
wonderful dexterity. It is exceedingly graceful and assumes many
charming postures. A bird of trees, nesting in the high branches. A
bird of strong character and an exquisitely finished though feeble
songster.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
_Family TurdidA|_: THRUSHES, BLUEBIRDS, ETC.
This group includes our finest songsters. Birds of moderate size,
stout build; as a rule, inhabitants of woodlands, but the robin and
the bluebird are notable exceptions. Bills long and slender, suitable
for worm diet. Only casual fruit-eaters. Slender, strong legs for
running and hopping. True thrushes are grayish or olive-brown above;
buff or whitish below, heavily streaked or spotted.
Bluebird.
Robin.
Alice's Thrush.
Hermit Thrush.
Olive-backed Thrush.
Wilson's Thrush (Veery).
Wood Thrush.