Sola, July 7, Pensacola, July 18, Daytona Beach, July 21, and St.
Marks, July 21; Porto Rico, Manati, July 9 and Bayamon, July 20; Lesser
Antilles, St. Bartholomew, August 3; Lower California, Los Coronados
Islands, August 6; Tehuantepec, San Mateo, August 14; British Honduras,
Manatee Lagoon, August 16; Guatemala, Duenas, September 2; Nicaragua,
Escondido River, July 30, and Bluefields, September 17; Costa Rica,
Ujurras de Terraba, September 16; Panama, August 4; Colombia,
Fundacion, August 16, Barbacoas, August 30, Cienaga, September 13,
and Valle Dupar, September 25; Venezuela, Curaçao, July 27, and
Macuto, August 4; Ecuador, Guainche, August 27, Guayaquil, August 28,
and Portovelo, September 2; Peru, Trujillo, September 1, and Eten,
September 7; and Guiana, Abary Creek, October 6, and Cayenne, October
18.
Late dates of fall departure are: Alaska, Wrangel, October 9, and Kenai
River, November 14; Yukon, mouth of Moose River, October 1; Alberta,
Red Deer River, September 17; Montana, Missoula, September 17, and
Columbia Falls, September 22; Idaho, Priest River, September 19, and
Rupert, October 2; Wyoming, Yellowstone Park, September 17; Colorado,
Boulder, September 22, Denver, September 23, and Mesa County, October
7; Mackenzie, Great Slave Lake, September 16, and Point Brule, October
1; Saskatchewan, Eastend, September 10; Manitoba, Margaret, October
4, Aweme, October 7, and Killarney, October 18; South Dakota, Wall
Lake, October 13, and Forestburg, October 20; Kansas, Topeka, October
11, and Lawrence, October 14; Oklahoma, Copan, October 4, and Caddo,
October 16; Minnesota, St. Vincent, October 14, and Lanesboro, November
2; Wisconsin, Madison, October 4, Racine, October 6, and Burlington,
October 14; Iowa, Newton, October 25, Sioux City, November 3, and
Coralville, November 8; Ontario, Toronto, October 11, London, October
25, and Ottawa, October 30; Michigan, Charity Island, September 28,
Ann Arbor, October 9, and Jackson, October 27; Ohio, Huron, October 21,
Sandusky, October 24, Cedar Point, October 30, and Columbus, November
7; Indiana, Albion, October 17, Elkhart, October 19, and New Harmony,
October 23; Illinois, Chicago, September 29, Maxwell, October 10, and
Urbana, October 18; Missouri, St. Louis, October 11, and Jaspar City,
October 15; Kentucky, Bowling Green, October 13; Tennessee, Athens,
October 11, and Knoxville, October 24; Nova Scotia, Pictou, October 9;
New Brunswick, Scotch Lake, October 4; Quebec, Montreal, October 2,
and Quebec, October 12; Maine, Portland, October 8, Kennebec County,
October 15, and Orono, October 21; Massachusetts, Woods Hole, October
20, Braintree, October 22, and Boston, November 2; Rhode Island,
Newport, October 3; Connecticut, Portland, October 15, Hartford,
October 19, and Windsor, October 20; New York, New York City, October
13, Collins, October 15, and Highland Falls, October 15; New Jersey,
Camden, October 17; Pennsylvania, Renovo, October 18, and Berwyn,
October 28; and Maryland, Plummer Island, October 28.
_Casual records._--Spotted sandpipers have been detected twice in
Argentina, Concepcion on March 4, 1918, and mouth of the Rio Ajo,
October 25, 1920 (Wetmore). It also has been reported from Europe on
numerous instances, among which the following cases from the British
Isles, seem to be authentic: Two near Belfast, July and September,
1928; one near Whitby, March 29, 1849; one at Kingsbury Reservoir,
Middlesex (date ?); two at Warrington, Lancashire, May, 1863; two at
Eastbourne, Sussex, in October, 1866; and two at Aberdeen in August,
1867 (Dalgleish).
_Egg dates._--Labrador: 7 records, June 1 to July 16. Quebec to Nova
Scotia: 53 records, May 20 to July 4; 27 records, June 15 to 19. New
England and New York: 41 records, May 19 to July 9; 21 records, May 30
to June 13. Ohio to Iowa: 16 records, May 14 to July 6; 8 records, May
31 to June 16. California to Washington: 13 records, June 7 to July 7;
7 records, June 15 to 28. Alaska and Mackenzie: 26 records, June 10 to
July 22; 13 records, June 15 to July 7.
NUMENIUS AMERICANUS Bechstein
LONG-BILLED CURLEW
HABITS
One can not see this magnificent bird for the first time without
experiencing a thrill of enthusiasm for the largest, one of the most
interesting and notable of our shore birds, one that seems to embody
more than any other the wild, roving spirit of the vast open prairies.
Its large size, its long, curving bill, the flash of cinnamon in its
wings, and above all, its loud, clear, and prolonged whistling notes
are bound to attract attention. In its former abundance this species
must have been a most striking feature of the western plains, as it
flew in large wedge-shaped flocks in full cry. The last of the great
open prairies are rapidly disappearing; and with them are going the
curlews, the marbled godwits, the upland plover, the longspurs, and a
host of other birds that can not stand the encroachments of agriculture.
The long-billed curlew formerly bred over a large portion of central
North America, including all of the prairie regions, at least as
far east as Michigan and Illinois, and probably Ohio. But, with the
settling of the country and the disappearance of the prairies, it has
been gradually driven farther and farther west, and even there into a
more and more restricted range. It seems to me that we can hope for its
survival only on the maintenance of large, open ranges as grazing lands
for cattle where it still continues to breed.
It was apparently quite common as a migrant in New England up to about
the middle of the last century. The birds seen here were probably
migrants from the more eastern prairies. The numerous citations given
by Edward H. Forbush (1912) show its gradual decline, until now it is
only a rare straggler anywhere on the Atlantic coast. In Audubon’s time
it was abundant in winter and as a migrant on the coasts of Florida
and South Carolina. I have never seen one during my various seasons in
Florida and Arthur T. Wayne (1910) says:
Since 1885 is has been supplanted by the Hudsonian curlew
(_N. hudsonicus_), which is still exceedingly abundant
during the spring and autumn migrations. From 1879 to 1885,
_americanus_ was to be found in the immediate vicinity of
Charleston, but its numbers steadily diminished year after
year until at the present time it is so rare that it is
seldom seen; in fact I have not seen one since September
23, 1899. Audubon, in his Birds of America, states, upon
the authority of Doctor Bachman, that this curlew “breeds
on the islands on the coast of South Carolina, and it
places its nests so close together, that it is almost
impossible for a man to walk between them without injuring
the eggs.” It may appear hypercritical to question Doctor
Bachman’s statement that this species bred on the coast
islands, but the eggs were not described by either Audubon
or himself, and as far back as 1879 there were no eggs of
_N. americanus_ in the Charleston Museum, while the eggs
of the “Stone Curlew” (_Catoptrophorus semipalmatus_)
were well represented and were classified as eggs of the
long-billed curlew, I have been unable to obtain any
evidence, even from the “oldest inhabitants,” that this
species ever bred anywhere on the South Carolina coast.
Dr. Thomas S. Roberts (1919) says of its status in Minnesota:
As late at least as 1883 it was still breeding in southern
Jackson County (J. W. Preston) and Gleason saw a single
bird of this species near Euclid, Polk County, on June
17, 1897, which at that date may be assumed to have been a
breeding bird. This report of Gleason’s is the very last
record of the long-billed curlew in Minnesota known to the
writer. It ceased to be generally abundant somewhere about
1880 and rapidly decreased in numbers, even as a migrant,
until it disappeared entirely about the close of the last
century.
It apparently ceased to breed in Illinois before 1880; the last
published breeding record was in 1873. It probably still breeds in the
interior of Texas and perhaps on the coastal prairies as well, for J.
J. Carroll writes to me that on July 9 and 10, 1926, he saw 8 or 10
long-billed curlews near Matagorda Bay that acted as if they had young.
It is now a very rare bird at any season east of the Mississippi River.
_Spring._--The spring migration is now a general northward movement
throughout the western half of the United States; there was formerly
a heavy flight up the Atlantic coast as far as the Carolinas and a
straggling flight farther north. The migration begins in March, but
the main movement is during April and most of the birds reach their
breeding grounds in April. Only one of my correspondents in Manitoba
and Alberta mentions the long-billed curlew and he has seen only one in
15 years; so it must be disappearing very rapidly there.
_Courtship._--The spring behavior of these curlews, or what might be
called a nuptial flight is thus described by P. M. Silloway (1900):
After their arrival, the curlews inhabit the high, dry
prairies, flying restlessly from one portion to another,
showing a tendency to associate in pairs, though as
couples, these birds are not inseparable. In the mating
season, one of the pair is likely to follow the other in
a few moments, when the first bird has flown far over the
prairie to a more distant station. At any time the loud,
prolonged whistling of these birds, either when on the
ground or a-wing, will call attention to their movements,
warning the disturber of their domain that his presence is
known and that his actions will be watched with the closest
interest.
One of the pleasing sights to the ornithologist in watching
the behavior of these curlews is seen when a pair are
sailing upward in company abreast of the wind, moving in
perfect accord on widespread, motionless pinions curved
gently downward, within several feet of each other, then
fluttering downward side by side or one in advance of the
other, again to sail upward, uttering the characteristic
whistles.
_Nesting._--The long-billed curlew is likely to nest almost anywhere
on the boundless prairie, though we have found it, in Saskatchewan,
showing a decided preference for damp, grassy hollows in the prairie,
or long slopes near the lakes or watercourses. The nest is a very
simple affair, a slight hollow in the ground, usually thinly lined with
grasses or weeds; but sometimes quite a substantial platform of grass
is made and slightly hollowed. The female is often quite conspicuous,
as she sits on the nest with her neck stretched out on the ground, and
can sometimes be seen at a distance of 100 feet; she usually sits very
closely and can sometimes be approached within 8 or 10 feet before
flushing.
In some notes sent to me by A. O. Treganza, from Box Elder and Weber
Counties, Utah, he says that in one “particular locality (Weber County)
the birds seem to be quite gregarious, possibly due to food conditions.
While there are many square miles of what seems to be similar country,
they seem to have chosen a very small area in which to breed.” Here he
found sometimes two females sharing the same nest, resulting in sets of
from five to eight eggs. In other localities, in Box Elder County, they
do not seem to be at all gregarious. In one instance he found four eggs
of the western willet and one of the curlew in a nest, with both the
willet and curlew on guard.
P. M. Silloway (1903) has had some extensive experience with the
nesting of the long-billed curlew in Fergus County, Mont. Some of his
nests were on the high dry prairie a long way from any water, but most
of them were in such situations as I have described above. Several of
his nests were in depressions beside dried cow dung, where, perhaps,
the bird was not quite so conspicuous; and chips of dried cow dung
often entered into the composition of the nest. In a typical nest “the
cavity was 8 inches across and 2 inches deep. The brim of the nest was
elevated an inch and a half above the surroundings.” He has written
(1900 and 1903) some interesting accounts of his experiences in hunting
for nests, and sums up the behavior of the birds as follows:
The male curlew is a most jealous guardian of the premises
near the nest. When the female is sitting on her eggs, the
male will denote a watchful interest in the movements of
anyone who is within several hundred yards of the nest.
At such times he will come flying from some quarter of
the pasture, and with angry cackling will alight near the
disturber, impatiently feeding and watching the movements
of the one threatening the peace of his household. If the
observer approaches nearer the nest the male will begin to
fly at him in a straight course, turning upward abruptly
with a loud whiff of wings when it stems that the disturber
must certainly be struck by the determined defender of
his home. The nest may still be more than a hundred yards
beyond the observer. In the majority of instances it lies
ahead in the line the male points in his flight. As the
disturber gets nearer, the male shows more distress and
flutters wildly overhead, flying at the disturber from
every direction, though not from long distances as before.
All the while the female is sitting unconcerned on her
eggs, indifferent to the angry and distressed cackling of
her spouse. Perhaps by this time a half dozen or more other
males have joined in the outcry, and frequently one of
these allies will try to mislead the disturber.
The female sits very closely upon her eggs, flattening
herself upon them in such a manner that she resembles a
dead chicken lying on the ground. When flushed from the
nest she will fly low for 30 or 40 feet or flutter from the
nest and run awkwardly for a short distance, feigning to
be crippled. Frequently she will lower her head, with bill
almost touching the ground, and run along in a shamefaced
manner. Before the nest is discovered the males who are
aiding to mislead the observer will sometimes act in this
shamefaced way.
_Eggs._--Four eggs are ordinarily laid by the long-billed curlew,
occasionally five; as many as eight have been found in a nest,
evidently the product of two females. The eggs vary in shape from
ovate to short ovate or ovate pyriform, sometimes quite rounded; and
they have a slight gloss. The prevailing ground colors are in various
shades of “olive buff”; but some dark types are “ecru olive,” some
green types are “seafoam green” and some are as pale as buffy white.
The eggs are generally quite evenly spotted, some very thickly and
some very sparingly, with various shades of brown and olive, “Van-dyke
brown,” “bister,” “snuff brown,” “buffy brown,” and “buffy olive,” with
numerous underlying markings in various shades of “brownish drab” and
“drab gray.” A very handsome set has a rich buff ground color, between
“honey yellow” and “chamois,” uniformly covered with small spots of
rich browns, “Sudan brown” to “russet.” The measurements of 68 eggs
average 65 by 45.8 millimeters; the eggs showing the four extremes
measure =72= by 48, 70 by =48.5=, =56= by 43.5, and 62.5 by =42=
millimeters.
_Young._--Incubation is said to be shared by both sexes; its exact
duration does not seem to be recorded, but for the European curlew it
is said to be 30 days. Both birds are certainly very solicitous in the
care of the young. We were too late for eggs in Saskatchewan, but we
found three broods of young. On June 1, 1905, we found two small young
curlews, hardly able to walk, in a grassy hollow in the prairie; the
old birds gave us a great exhibition of parental solicitude, flying
about, alighting on the ground near us and making a great outcry.
Their loud cries brought a third curlew which joined in the chorus of
whistling cries.
When large enough to run, the young are adepts in the art of hiding;
they seem to disappear entirely, even in the short grass; after hunting
carefully for fully half an hour, over a limited area where we had seen
one vanish, we gave it up and walked away, when we were surprised to
see the youngster get up and run away from the very spot we had been
hunting hardest.
Probably the mortality among young curlews is rather high, as they
have many enemies. All three of the broods we found contained only two
young. The parents have to work hard to preserve even this average.
We saw an interesting exhibition of parental strategy one day, which
probably succeeded in saving some young curlews from the jaws of a
prowling coyote. The curlew was decoying the coyote away by feigning
lameness, flopping along the ground a few yards ahead of him, but
always managing to barely escape him. We watched them for some time
until they finally disappeared over a hill, fully half a mile from
where we first saw them.
_Plumages._--The young curlew, when first hatched, is completely
covered with long, thick, soft down. The color varies from “warm buff”
on the breast and flanks, to “cream buff” on the face, upper parts and
belly and to “cream color” on the throat; the crown is even paler.
The markings, which are brownish black in color, consist of a broken
and narrow median stripe on the forehead, irregular spotting on the
posterior part of the head and large, bold, irregular spotting on the
back, wings, and thighs. In older birds the bright buffs fade to paler
shades.
I have seen no specimens showing the change from downy to juvenal
plumage. The latter is very much like that of the winter adult, but
it is somewhat more tawny, especially below, and the streaks on the
neck and breast are fewer and narrower. The first winter plumage
is apparently a continuation of the juvenal, subject to some wear
and fading, and with very little molting. By spring young birds are
practically indistinguishable from adults.
Adults have a complete postnuptial molt from August to November, most
of which is accomplished in September and October, including the wings.
The prenuptial molt, which involves the body plumage, most of the
scapulars, many wing coverts and the tail, is prolonged through the
spring, from February to June.
_Food._--On their breeding grounds, and to a large extent in their
winter quarters, these curlews are upland feeders, far out on the open
prairies, in the damp, grassy hollows, or about the edges of prairie
sloughs or ponds. But on migrations they are often seen feeding on
ocean beaches or about the shores of large lakes. I have seen them on
the beaches of southern California feeding at the surf line in company
with marbled godwits. They were wading out into the retreating waves,
picking up some small objects about an inch long or less, probably
mollusks. They seemed to experience some difficulty in properly
grasping the morsel with the tips of the long mandibles, but when once
started right they handled it very skillfully, as the shell seemed to
travel swiftly up the long bill and into the mouth. They are said to
probe in the soft sand to the full extent of the long bill, but I did
not see them do this.
C. W. Wickersham (1902) has described the food and the feeding habits
of the long-billed curlew very well as follows:
Crawfish, small crabs, snails, periwinkles, toads, worms,
larvae, grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, caterpillars when
found on the ground, spiders, flies, butterflies, and
berries, especially dewberries, all play minor or major
parts in their diet. The worms, larvae, etc., are pulled
out of the ground by the long bill, the end of which may
act as a finger having separate muscles to control it, and
often it is sunk into the ground as far as it will go to
reach some unwilling victim. The crustaceans are taken
on the beach, or, discovered beneath the surface by the
probing bill, are pulled out and eaten. The berries are
neatly picked off the bushes, while butterflies and other
insects are taken on the wing.
_Behavior._--Except on their breeding grounds, where they are concerned
in the welfare of their eggs or young, long-billed curlews are
exceedingly wary; when a flock is feeding, one or more birds usually
stand as sentinels, and at their cry of warning the whole flock raise
their wings and make off. Their flight is a bit erratic or snipelike at
first, but when well under way it is strong and steady. While migrating
or traveling for long distances they often fly high in the air in
wedge-shaped flocks, uttering occasionally their loud, whistling notes.
When alighting they drop nearly to the ground, make a graceful upward
sweep, and check their speed with a flash of cinnamon wings. They walk
gracefully and swiftly on land and can swim if necessary.
The night roosting habits are well described by Audubon (1840), who saw
them at their best in South Carolina. He writes:
The long-billed curlew spends the day in the sea marshes,
from which it returns at the approach of night to the sandy
beaches of the seashores, where it rests until dawn. As the
sun sinks beneath the horizon the curlews rise from their
feeding grounds in small parties, seldom exceeding 15 or
20, and more usually composed of only 5 or 6 individuals.
The flocks enlarge, however, as they proceed, and in the
course of an hour or so the number of birds that collect
in the place selected for their nightly retreat sometimes
amounts to several thousands. As it was my good fortune
to witness their departures and arrivals, in the company
of my friend, Bachman, I will here describe them. The sun
at length sunk beneath the water line that here formed
the horizon, and we saw the birds making their first
appearance. They were in small parties of 2, 3, or 5, and
by no means shy. These seemed to be the birds which we had
observed near the salt marshes as we were on our way. As
the twilight became darker the number of curlews increased,
and the flocks approached in quicker succession until they
appeared to form a continuous procession, moving not in
lines, one after another, but in an extended mass, and with
considerable regularity, at a height of not more than 30
yards, the individuals being a few feet apart. Not a single
note or cry was heard as they advanced. They moved for 10
or more yards with regular flappings, and then sailed for
a few seconds, as is invariably the mode of flight of this
species, their long bills and legs stretched out to their
full extent. They flew directly toward their place of rest,
called the “Bird Banks,” and were seen to alight without
performing any of the evolutions which they exhibit when at
their feeding places, for they had not been disturbed that
season. But when we followed them to the Bird Banks, which
are sandy islands of small extent, the moment they saw us
land the congregated flocks, probably amounting to several
thousand individuals, all standing close together, rose at
once, performed a few evolutions in perfect silence, and
realighted as if with one accord on the extreme margins
of the sand bank close to tremendous breakers. It was now
dark and we left the place, although some flocks were still
arriving. The next morning we returned a little before
day, but again as we landed they all rose a few yards in
the air, separated into numerous parties, and, dispersing
in various directions, flew off toward their feeding
grounds, keeping low over the water until they reached the
shores, when they ascended to the height of about a hundred
yards and soon disappeared.
A similar habit evidently prevails on the prairies, which Mr.
Wickersham (1902) describes very well as follows: