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COLOR KEY TO
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
| By FRANK M. CHAPMAN |
| Curator of Ornithology in the American Museum |
| of Natural History |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
| HANDBOOK OF BIRDS OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA |
| Third edition. With introductory chapters on the study of |
| Ornithology; how to identify birds and how to collect and |
| preserve birds, their nests and eggs. 20 full-page plates |
| and 150 cuts in the text. 12mo. Library edition. |
| Pocket edition. |
| BIRD-LIFE |
| A guide to the study of our common birds. With 75 full-page |
| colored plates and numerous text drawings by Ernest Thompson |
| Seton. Containing an Appendix, especially designed for |
| teachers. 12mo. Cloth. |
| BIRD STUDIES WITH A CAMERA |
| A fascinating account of the habits of common birds, with |
| descriptions of the largest bird colonies existing in eastern |
| North America. The author's phenomenal success in |
| photographing birds in Nature not only lends to the |
| illustrations the charm of realism, but makes the book a |
| record of surprising achievements with the camera. 12mo. |
| Cloth. |
| WARBLERS OF NORTH AMERICA |
| A full description of our "most beautiful, most abundant, |
| and least known birds." Illustrated with colored plates |
| of every species and photographs of nests and eggs. Imp. 8vo. |
| Illustrated. |
| CAMPS AND CRUISES OF AN ORNITHOLOGIST |
| The story of eight years' experience in travel, in which |
| the author covered over 60,000 miles in his search for |
| material with which to prepare a series of groups of |
| American birds, to exceed in beauty and scientific value |
| anything which had heretofore been attempted in this line. |
| The illustrations, over 250 in number, are from Dr. Chapman's |
| photographs, and beyond question form a remarkable series of |
| pictures of bird-life. 8vo. |
| COLOR KEY TO NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS |
| This work may be described as an illustrated dictionary of |
| North American birds. It is the most complete publication of |
| its kind, and makes an admirable introduction to the study of |
| birds and the literature of Ornithology and at the same time |
| is an authoritative work of reference. Over 800 pictures. |
| OUR WINTER BIRDS |
| An introduction to the study of birds. The author believes |
| that the study of Ornithology should begin with the winter |
| birds as they are fewer in number and easier to approach. |
| Divided into convenient groups such as field birds, forest |
| birds, home birds, etc. Illustrated. 12mo. |
| THE TRAVELS OF BIRDS |
| A series of chapters on bird migration, describing birds as |
| travelers, why they travel, dangers by the way, night flyers |
| and day flyers, etc. Many illustrations from drawings. |
| Illustrated. |
| WHAT BIRD IS THAT? |
| A bird book for beginners with 301 birds in color. |
| ----------------- |
| D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
[Illustration: TOPOGRAPHY OF A BIRD Bluebird (natural size)]
COLOR KEY TO
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS
With Bibliographical Appendix
BY
FRANK M. CHAPMAN
CURATOR OF ORNITHOLOGY
IN THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
Author of "Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America,"
"Bird-Life," Etc.
_With Upward of 800 Drawings_
BY
CHESTER A REED, B. S.
_Revised Edition_
[Illustration: Publisher's Logo]
NEW YORK
D. APPLETON & COMPANY
1912
COPYRIGHT,
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & CO.
1903
COPYRIGHT,
D. APPLETON & CO.
1912
_Published November 1912_
Printed in the United States
PREFACE.
To learn to call a bird by its right name is the first step in the
study of ornithology. We may propose to investigate the structure,
food, and habits of the birds of the world, or desire merely a
superficial knowledge of the species found in our garden, but in
either case we are at once confronted by this question of
identification.
From the scientific point of view there is but one satisfactory way to
identify a bird. A specimen of it should be in hand in order that its
form, color, and size may be accurately determined, when, with the aid
of analytical keys, with which most text-books are provided, it is a
simple matter to ascertain the bird's name.
Wide experience has shown the writer, however, that where one dead
bird is identified, hundreds of attempts are made to name the living
bird in nature. This is to be expected. It is the natural outcome of
the recent remarkable interest in the study of birds which, fostered
by Audubon Societies and nature study teachers, has assumed an
ethical and educational importance of the first magnitude.
We cannot place a gun in the hands of these thousands of bird-lovers
whom we are yearly developing; indeed most of them would refuse to use
it. Specimens, therefore, are rarely available to them and we should
make some special effort to meet their peculiar wants. The present
volume has been prepared with this end in view. Identification of the
bird in the bush is its sole end; an end, however, which we trust will
prove but the beginning of a new and potent interest in nature.
FRANK M. CHAPMAN
_American Museum of Natural History,
New York City, 1903._
PREFACE TO REVISED EDITION.
In the present edition of the Color Key the body of the book, aside
from the correction of typographical errors, remains as it was in the
preceding edition. The Systematic Table has been reset and brought up
to July, 1912, the date of the publication of the latest supplement to
the third edition of the American Ornithologists' Union's 'Check-List
of North American Birds.' Two Appendixes are added. The first includes
all the changes in nomenclature and descriptions of new birds which
have been accepted by the A.O.U. Committee on Classification and
Nomenclature since the publication of the Color Key in 1903; the
second contains a list of faunal ornithological papers which it is
hoped will add greatly to the reference value of the book.
F. M. C.
_American Museum of Natural History,
New York City, October, 1912._
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION 1
How to Learn a Bird's Name 1
How Birds Are Named 4
SYNOPSIS OF ORDERS AND FAMILIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 9
COLOR KEY TO NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 41
SYSTEMATIC TABLE OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 257
APPENDIX I. ADDITIONS, SUBTRACTIONS, EMENDATIONS 298
APPENDIX II. BIBLIOGRAPHY 305
INDEX 333
ILLUSTRATIONS
The illustrations in this volume are designed to aid the student in
identifying birds in their haunts by giving, in color, those markings
which most quickly catch the eye. They do not pretend to be perfect
reproductions of every shade and tint of the plumage of the species
they figure, but aim to present a bird's characteristic colors as they
appear when seen at a distance. It was impracticable to draw all the
birds to the same scale but all those on the same page are so figured.
Reference should always be made, however, to the measurements given at
the beginning at each description. The figures are based on the male
bird.
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.
[Male]. The sign of Mars, signifying male.
[Female]. The sign of Venus, signifying female.
Ad. Adult, a bird in fully mature plumage.
Yng. Young, a fully grown bird which has not yet acquired the
plumage of the adult.
L. Length, the distance from the tip of the bill to the end of the
tail. This measurement is made from dead birds, birds in life
appear somewhat shorter.
W. Wing, the distance from the 'bend' of the wing to the end of the
longest feather.
T. Tail, the distance from the insertion of the tail-feathers to the
end of the longest one.
Tar. Tarsus, the distance from the heel to the insertion of the toes,
or of the so-called 'leg.'
B. Bill, the distance from the feathers at the base of the bill
above to its tip.
NOTE. All measurements are in inches and tenths, and a
variation of about ten per cent. from the figures given may be
expected. The number before the name of each species is that of
the American Ornithologists' Union's 'Check-List of North
American Birds.'
INTRODUCTION
HOW TO LEARN A BIRD'S NAME
"How can I learn to know the birds?" is the first question of the
seeker after bird-lore. The scientist's reply, "By shooting them and
studying their structure and markings in detail," may do for the few
who, like himself, desire to know the birds scientifically; but it is
emphatically not the answer to give the ninety and nine who, while
they desire to secure an intimate, accurate knowledge of birds, will
not gain it at the sacrifice of bird-life.
In the present volume, therefore, an attempt has been made so to
group, figure, and describe our birds that any species may be named
which has been _definitely seen_. The birds are kept in their
systematic Orders, a natural arrangement, readily comprehended, but,
further than this, accepted classifications have been abandoned and
the birds have been grouped according to color and markings.
A key to the Orders gives the more prominent characters on which they
are based; telling for example, the external differences between a
Duck and a Grebe. In comparatively few instances, however, will the
beginner have much difficulty in deciding to what Order a bird
belongs. Probably eight times, out of ten the unknown bird will belong
to the Order Passeres, or Perching Birds, when one has only to select
the color section in which it should be placed, choose from among the
colored figures the bird whose identity is sought, and verify one's
selection by reading the description of the bird's characteristics and
the outline of its range.
In the case of closely related species, and particularly subspecies,
the subjects of range and season are of the utmost importance. Most
subspecies resemble their nearest allies too closely to be identified
in life by color alone, and in such cases a bird's name is to be
learned by its color in connection with its distribution and the
season in which it is seen.
During the breeding period, unless one chance to be in a region where
two races intergrade, subspecific names may be applied to the bird in
nature with some certainty, for it is a law that only one subspecies
of a species can nest in the same area; but during migrations and in
the winter, when several subspecies of one species may be found
associated, it is frequently impossible to name them with accuracy.
For example, during the summer one need have no hesitancy in calling
the Robins of the lowlands of South Carolina the Southern Robin
(_Planesticus migratorius achrusterus_) but later, when the Northern
Robins (_Planesticus migratorius migratorius_) begin to appear, it
would be difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish them in life
from the resident birds.
If it were possible to impress the student, who proposes to name the
bird in the bush, with the _absolute necessity_ for careful, definite
observation he would be saved many disappointing and discouraging
experiences.
It is not possible to examine your bird too thoroughly. Never be
satisfied with a superficial view and a general impression. Look at
your bird, if you can, from several points of view; study its
appearance in detail, its size, bill, crown, back, tail, wings,
throat, breast, etc., and AT ONCE enter what you see in a note-book
kept for that purpose. In this way, and this way alone, can you expect
to compete with those who use the gun.
It does not follow, however, that because one does not collect
specimens of birds one cannot study them scientifically. While the
student may not be interested in the classification of birds purely
from the standpoint of the systematist, he is strongly urged to
acquaint himself with at least the arrangement of the Orders and
Families of our birds and their leading structural characters.
To the student who desires to prepare himself for his work afield such
a study may well come before he attempts to name the birds. But where
the chief end in view is to learn a bird's name, the more technical
side of the subject may be deferred. In any event, it should not be
neglected. This orderly arrangement of knowledge will not only be
practical benefit in one's future labors but it will bring with it
that sense of satisfaction which accompanies the assurance that we
know what we know.
As one learns to recognize bird after bird it is an admirable plan to
classify systematically one's list of bird acquaintances under their
proper Orders and Families. These may be learned at once from the
systematic table at the end of the book, where the numbers which
precede each species are arranged serially, and hence systematically.
In some instances, as an aid to identification in the field,
descriptions of birds' notes have been included. It is not supposed
that these descriptions will convey an adequate idea of a bird's song
to a person who has never heard it, but it is hoped that they may
occasionally lead to the recognition of calls or songs when they are
heard.
An adequate method of transcribing bird's notes has as yet to be
devised and the author realizes only too well how unsatisfactory the
data here presented will appear to the student. It is hoped, however,
that they may sometimes prove of assistance in naming birds in life.
As has been said before, the aim of this volume is to help students to
learn the names of our birds in their haunts. But we should be doing
scant justice to the possibilities of bird study if, even by silence,
we should imply that they ended with the learning to know the bird.
This is only the beginning of the quest which may bring us into close
intimacy with the secrets of nature. The birds' haunts and food, their
seasons and times of coming and going; their songs and habits during
courtship, their nest-building, egg-laying, incubating and care of
their young, these and a hundred other subjects connected with their
lives may claim our attention and by increasing our knowledge of
bird-life, add to our love of birds.
HOW BIRDS ARE NAMED
Birds have two kinds of names. One is a common, vernacular, or popular
name; the other is a technical or scientific name. The first is
usually given to the living bird by the people of the country it
inhabits. The second is applied to specimens of birds by
ornithologists who classify them.
Common names in their origin and use know no law. Technical names are
bestowed under the system of nomenclature established by LinnA|us and
their formation and application are governed by certain definite,
generally accepted rules. The LinnA|an system, as it is now employed by
most American ornithologists, provides that a bird, in addition to
being grouped in a certain Class, Order, Family, etc., shall have a
generic and specific name which, together, shall not be applied to
any other animal.
Our Robin, therefore, is classified and named as follows:
CLASS AVES,
ORDER PASSERES, Perching Birds.
Suborder _Oscines_, Singing Perching Birds.
Family _TurdidA|_ Thrushes.
Subfamily _TurdinA|_ Thrushes.
Genus, _Planesticus_, Thrushes.
Species, _migratorius_ American Robin.
The Robin's distinctive scientific name, therefore, which it alone
possesses, is _Planesticus migratorius_. There are numerous other
members of the genus _Planesticus_, but not one of them is called
_migratorius_ and this combination of names, therefore, applied to
only one bird.
The questions Why use all these Latin terms? Why not call the bird
"Robin" and be done with it? are easily answered. Widely distributed
birds frequently have different names in different parts of their
range. The Flicker (_Colaptes auratus_), for instance, has over one
hundred common or vernacular names. Again, the same name is often
applied to wholly different birds. Our Robin (_Planesticus
migratorius_) is not even a member of the same family as the European
Robin (_Erithacus rubecola_.) If, therefore, we should write of birds
or attempt to classify them only by their common names, we should be
dealing with such unfixed quantities that the result would be
inaccurate and misleading. But by using one name in a language known
to educated people of all countries, a writer may indicate, without
danger of being misunderstood, the particular animal to which he
refers. Among people speaking the same tongue, where a definite list
of vernacular names of animals has been established, they can of
course be used instead of the scientific names.
Such a list of North American birds has been prepared by the American
Ornithologists' Union. It furnishes a common as well as scientific
name for each of our birds, and is the recognized standard of
nomenclature among American ornithologists. The names and numbers of
birds employed in this Color Key are those of the American
Ornithologists' Union's 'Check-List of North American Birds.'
It will be observed that in this 'Check-List,' and consequently in the
following pages, many birds have three scientific names, a generic,
specific, and subspecific. The Western Robin, for example, appears as
_Planesticus migratorius propinquus_. What is the significance of this
third name?
In the days of LinnA|us, and for many years after, it was supposed that
a species was a distinct creation whose characters never varied. But
in comparatively recent years, as specimens have been gathered from
throughout the country inhabited by a species, comparison frequently
shows that specimens from one part of its range differ from those
taken in another part of its range. At intervening localities,
however, intermediate specimens will be found connecting the extremes.
Generally, these geographical variations, as they are called, are the
result of climatic conditions. For instance, in regions of heavy
rainfall a bird's colors are usually much darker than they are where
the rainfall is light. Song Sparrows, for example, are palest in the
desert region of Arizona, where the annual rainfall may not reach
eight inches, and darkest on the coast of British Columbia and Alaska,
where the annual rainfall may be over one hundred inches. In going
from one region, however, to the other the gradual changes in climate
are accompanied by gradual changes in the colors of the Song Sparrows,
and the wide differences between Arizona and Alaska Song Sparrows are
therefore bridged by a series of intermediates.
Variations of this kind are spoken of as geographic, racial, or
subspecific and the birds exhibiting them are termed subspecies. In
naming them a third name, or trinomial is employed, and the
possession of such a name indicates at once that a bird is a
geographic or racial representative of a species, with one or more
representatives of which it intergrades.
Returning now to the Robin. Our eastern Robins always have the outer
pair of tail-feathers tipped with white and, in adults, the back is
blotched with black; while Robins from the Rocky Mountains and
westward have little or no white on the outer tail-feathers, and the
back is dark gray, without black blotches. These extremes are
connected by intermediate specimens sharing the characters; of both
eastern and western birds. We do not, therefore, treat the latter as a
species, but as a subspecies, and consequently, apply to it a
subspecific name or trinomial, _Planesticus migratorius propinquus_,
(_propinquus_, meaning nearly related.)
A further study of our eastern Robin shows that in the southern parts
of its breeding range (the Carolinas and Georgia), it varies from the
northern type in being smaller in size and much paler and duller in
color; and to this second geographical variety is applied the name
_Planesticus migratorius achrusterus_, (_achrusterus_, meaning less
highly colored).
After the recognition of western and southern races of the Robin under
three names (trinomial) it would obviously be inconsistent to apply
only two names (binomial) to our eastern bird, the former being no
more subspecies of the latter than the latter is of the former. In
other words, to continue to apply only generic and specific names to
the Eastern Robin would imply that it was a full species, while the
use of a trinomial for the Western or the Southern Robin shows them to
be subspecies. As a matter of fact we know that there is but one
species of true Robin in the United States, consequently in accordance
with the logical and now generally accepted method, we apply to that
species the name _Planesticus migratorius_, and this is equally
applicable to Robins from east, south or west. When, however, we learn
that the Eastern Robin is not a species but a subspecies, we repeat
the specific name by which it was made known and call it _Planesticus
migratorius migratorius_.
It may be asked, Why give names to these geographical races? Why not
call Eastern, Western and Southern Robins by one name, _Planesticus
migratorius_, without regard to their climatic variations?
In reply, two excellent reasons may be given for the recognition of
subspecies by name; first, because in some cases they differ from one
another far more than do many species, when it would clearly be
inadvisable to apply the same name to what are obviously different
creatures. For example, it has lately been discovered by Mr. E. W.
Nelson that the small, black-throated, brown-breasted, Quails or
Bob-whites of southern Mexico, through a long series of intermediates
inhabiting the intervening region, intergrade with the large,
white-throated, black-and-white breasted, Bob-white of our northern
states. It would be absurd to call such wholly unlike birds by the
same name, nor could we give a full specific name to the Mexican
Bob-white since at no place can we draw a line definitely separating
it from the northern Bob-white. Furthermore, the use of only two names
would conceal the remarkable fact of the intergradation of two such
strikingly different birds; a fact of the first importance to students
of the evolution of species.
For much the same reason we should name those birds which show less
pronounced variations, such as are exhibited by the Robin. Here we
have a species in the making, and in tracing the relation between
cause and effect, we learn something of the influences which create
species. Thus, climate has been definitely proven so to alter a
species, both in size and color that, as we have seen in the case of
the Song Sparrows, marked climate changes are accompanied by
correspondingly marked changes in the appearance of certain animals.
In naming these animals we are, in effect, giving a 'handle to the
fact' of their evolution by environment.
Since it is evident that a bird may vary much or little, according to
the governing conditions and its tendency to respond to them, no fixed
rule can be laid down which shall decide just what degree of
difference are deserving a name. It follows, therefore, that in some
cases ornithologists do not agree upon a bird's claim to subspecific
rank.
In North America, however, questions of this kind are referred to a
committee of seven experts of the American Ornithologists' Union, and
their decision establishes a nomenclature, which is accepted as the
standard by other American ornithologists and which has been adopted
in this volume.
Foreign birds of wholly accidental occurrence, most of which have been
found in North America but once or twice, are included in the
systematic list of North American birds, but are not described or
figured in the body of the book, where their presence would tend to
convey an erroneous impression of their North American status.
Furthermore, records of the presence of birds so rare as these can be
properly based on only the capture of specimens.
In the preparation of the following pages both author and artist have
had full access to the collections of the American Museum of Natural
History, and they are also glad to acknowledge their indebtedness to
William Brewster of Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Robert Ridgway,
Curator of Birds in the United States National Museum, and to C. Hart
Merriam, Chief of the Biologic Survey, for the loan of specimens for
description and illustration.
SYNOPSIS OF ORDERS AND FAMILIES OF NORTH
AMERICAN BIRDS.
The figures are all life-size, except as stated.
=WATER BIRDS.=
Order I. Grebes, Loons, and Auks. PYGOPODES.
(3 families, 32 species, 3 subspecies.)
Duck-like birds with the bill usually pointed, never wider than high,
and without flutings, 'gutters,' or serrations on its side; wings
short, never with a bright colored patch or 'speculum'; tail
rudimentary, not noticeable; toes webbed or lobed. Color usually
blackish above, white below; the throat often dark. The Grebes and
Loons, when pursued, dive rather than fly; the Auks usually take wing.
[Illustration: PIED-BILLED GREBE.]
Family 1. GREBES. PODICIPIDA†.
Toes four with lobate webs; tipped with a broad nail; tail wanting.
[Illustration: FOOT OF RAZOR-BILLED AUK.]
[Illustration: LOON.]
Family 2. LOONS. GAVIIDA†.
Toes four, webbed; toe-nails not broad and flat; tail present.
Family 3. AUKS, MURRES, AND PUFFINS. ALCIDA†.
Toes three, webbed; toe-nails sharp; tail present.
Order II. Gulls, Terns, Jaegers, Etc. LONGIPENNES.
(3 families, 42 species, 1 subspecies.)
Birds generally seen on the wing, as a rule, over water. Bill strong,
thick; hooked in the Gulls and Jaegers; sharply pointed in the Terns;
often colored in part yellow or red; wings very long, the outer
feathers much the longest; tail usually short and square in the Gulls,
long and forked in the Terns; toes webbed. Color usually pearly gray
above, white below in adult Gull and Terns; Jaegers and many young
Gulls are dark.
[Illustration: PARASITIC JAEGER.]
Family 4. SKUAS AND JAEGERS. StercorariidA|.
Toes four; three front ones webbed; bill with swollen, hooked tip, its
base with a scaly shield.
[Illustration: HERRING GULL.]
[Illustration: COMMON TERN.]
Family 5. GULLS AND TERNS. LaridA|.
Toes usually four, three front ones webbed; upper mandible curved and
hooked; tail usually square (Gulls, subfamily _LarinA|_). Bill straight
and pointed; tail often forked (Terns, subfamily _SterninA|_).
[Illustration: BLACK SKIMMER.]
Family 6. SKIMMERS. RynchopidA|.
Toes four, three front ones webbed; bill thin and blade like, the
maxilla longer than the mandible; tail slightly forked.
Order III. Albatrosses, Shearwaters, Petrels, Etc. TUBINARES.
(2 families, 30 species, 1 subspecies.)
Sea-birds keeping, as a rule, well off shore, and flying low, near the
water, often skimming over the waves. Bill, with upper mandible
hooked; nostrils opening through tubes; wings long and pointed; tail
short; feet webbed; hind-toe rudimentary or absent. Color usually gray
or black and white; no bright markings.
[Illustration: BILL OF SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS.]
Family 7. ALBATROSSES. DIOMEDEIDA†.
Nostrils opening through tubes, separated and on either side of the bill.
[Illustration: FULMAR.]
[Illustration: LEACH PETREL.]
Family 8. FULMARS, PETRELS AND SHEARWATERS. ProcellariidA|.
Nostrils joined and situated on top of the bill.
Order IV. Cormorants, Pelicans, Gannets, Man-o'war Birds,
and Tropic-Birds. STEGANOPODES.
(6 families, 19 species, 5 subspecies.)
Large birds, two feet or more in length, varying widely in appearance
and habits; in external structure agreeing only in having all four
toes joined by webs.
[Illustration: YELLOW-BILLED TROPIC BIRD.]
Family 9. TROPIC BIRDS. PhaA"thontidA|.
Bill pointed, somewhat tern-like; central tail feathers much
elongated; chin feathered.
[Illustration: GANNET.]
Family 10. GANNETS. SulidA|.
Bill stout, its tip not hooked; chin and eye space bare; tail pointed,
its feathers not 'fluted.'
[Illustration: ANHINGA.]
Family 11. ANHINGAS; SNAKE-BIRDS. AnhingidA|.
Bill straight and slender; chin and eye space bare; tail rounded; its
middle feathers fluted.
[Illustration: VIOLET-GREEN CORMORANT.]
Family 12. CORMORANTS. PhalacrocoracidA|.
Bill with a hooked tip; a small pouch at its base; plumage usually
black or blackish.
[Illustration: BROWN PELICAN.]
Family 13. PELICANS. PelecanidA|.
Bill hooked at tip, with a large pouch; tail short, square; eye space
bare.
[Illustration: MAN-O' WAR BIRD.]
Family 14. MAN-O' WAR BIRDS. FregatidA|.
Bill hooked; pouch small; tail long and forked; eye space feathered.
Order V. Ducks, Geese, and Swans. ANSERES.
(1 family, 49 species, 6 subspecies.)
Birds of familiar form; bill, except in Mergansers or Saw-billed
Ducks, broad and with rows of 'strainers' or 'gutters' on either side;
wings short, in the Ducks usually with a bright colored patch or
speculum; tail generally short; legs short; feet webbed. Most species,
unlike the Grebes, take wing rather than dive when pursued.
[Illustration: RED-BREASTED MERGANSER.]
[Illustration: MALLARD.]
Family 15. DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS. AnatidA|.
Bill long, narrow, and rounded with tooth-like projections along its
sides. (Mergansers. Subfamily _MerginA|_.)
Bill broad, flattened, typically duck-like; tarsus or leg with
transverse scales; hind toe without a lobe. (River Ducks. Subfamily
_AnatinA|_.)
Bill and tarsus as in preceding, but hind toe with a broad lobe or
flap. (Sea and Bay Ducks. Subfamily _FuligulinA|_.)
Bill proportionately narrower than in the River or Bay Ducks; gutters
on its sides less developed; scales on front of tarsus rounded.
(Geese. Subfamily _AnserinA|_.)
Large, usually white birds, with bare eye space. (Swans. Subfamily
_CygninA|_.)
Order VI. Flamingoes. ODONTOGLOSSA†.
(1 family, 1 species.)
Bright red or pink and white birds, standing four feet or more in
height; side of the bill with gutters, its end bent downward; wings
rather short; legs long; feet webbed.
[Illustration: AMERICAN FLAMINGO.]
Family 16. FLAMINGOES. PhA"nicopteridA|.
Characters of the Family similar to those of the Order.
Order VII. Herons, Bitterns, Ibises, and Spoonbills. HERODIONES.
(4 families, 19 species, 3 subspecies.)
Long-legged wading birds, generally found along shores or on muddy
flats; bill variable; in the Herons straight and sharply pointed; in
the Ibises, slender, rounded, and curved downward; in the Spoonbill,
flattened: wings rounded; tail short; legs long; toes all on same
level, long, slender, without webs. Herons and Bitterns fly with a
fold in the neck, the head being drawn in; Ibises and Spoonbills fly
with the neck straight, the head being extended.
[Illustration: ROSEATE SPOONBILL.]
Family 17. SPOONBILLS. PlataleidA|.
Bill flattened and much broadened at the end; crown and face bare in
adults; toes partly webbed.
[Illustration: WHITE-FACED GLOSSY IBIS.]
Family 18. IBISES. IbididA|.
Bill long and curved down; its side with grooves; toes partly webbed.
[Illustration: WOOD IBIS.]
Family 19. STORKS AND WOOD IBISES. CICONIIDA†.
Bill stout, without grooves; tarsus reticulate.
[Illustration: GREEN HERON.]
Family 20. HERONS, EGRETS, AND BITTERNS. ArdeidA|.
Bill usually straight and sharply pointed; lores naked; head
feathered; tarsus with transverse scales; middle toe-nail pectinate or
with a comblike edge.
Order VIII. Cranes, Rails, Coots, Gallinules, Etc. PALUDICOLA†.
(3 families, 16 species, 3 subspecies.)
Birds varying greatly in size and appearance, but all agreeing (and
differing from _Herodiones_) in having the hind-toe elevated, that is,
leaving the foot at a higher level than the front toes; tail short;
legs usually long. All fly with the neck extended, a fact by which
Cranes in flight may be known from Herons. Rails are short-winged
skulkers in grassy marshes; Gallinules frequent reedy shores; Coots,
which alone of the Order have webbed (lobate) toes, are as aquatic as
Ducks, from which they may be known by their pointed, white bill,
nodding motion of the head when swimming, and habit of pattering over
the water when alarmed.
[Illustration: SANDHILL CRANE.]
Family 21. CRANES. GruidA|.
Large birds over three feet in length; head partly bare in adults.
[Illustration: LIMPKIN.]
Family 22. COURLANS. AramidA|.
Bill long and slender; head wholly feathered; toes not webbed.
[Illustration: SORA.]
[Illustration: CLAPPER RAIL.]
[Illustration: AMERICAN COOT.]
Family 23. RAILS, COOTS, AND GALLINULES. RallidA|.
Bill variable; toes always long, webbed (lobed) in only one species;
wings short and rounded; tail short.
Order IX. Snipes, Sandpipers, Curlews, Plovers, Etc. LIMICOLA†.
(7 families, 55 species, 4 subspecies.)
Generally long-legged, slender-billed birds of shores and mud flats,
and sometimes fields. Most of them are under a foot in length; none
are so large as the Ibises; wings long and pointed; tail short; toes
long and slender, usually without webs; color generally brown or
blackish above, mottled and streaked with whitish and buff. Many
species utter characteristic piping whistles as they fly or when they
take wing.
[Illustration: NORTHERN PHALAROPE.]
Family 24. PHALAROPES. PhalaropodidA|.
Front toes with lobes or webs; tarsus flattened; plumage thick;
swimming Snipe.
[Illustration: AMERICAN AVOCET.]
[Illustration: BLACK-NECKED STILT.]
Family 25. AVOCETS AND STILTS. RecurvirostridA|.
Long legged, wading Snipe; in Avocets toes four, front three webbed;
bill recurved; in Stilts toes three, almost unwebbed; bill straight.
[Illustration: SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER.]
[Illustration: WOODCOCK.]
[Illustration: HUDSONIAN CURLEW.]
Family 26. SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, CURLEWS, ETC. ScolopacidA|.
Toes usually four; tarsus with transverse scales; bill generally long,
slender, and soft, used as a probe.
[Illustration: KILLDEER.]
[Illustration: BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER.]
Family 27. PLOVERS. CharadriidA|.
Toes usually three, or when four, the fourth rudimentary; tarsus with
rounded scales, bill, as compared with that of Snipe, short and stout.
[Illustration: TURNSTONE.]
Family 28. SURF BIRDS AND TURNSTONES. AphrizidA|.
Toes four, tarsus with transverse scales; bill short, rather hard.
[Illustration: AMERICAN OYSTER-CATCHER.]
Family 29. OYSTER-CATCHERS. HA|matopodidA|.
Toes three, webbed at base; tarsus stout, with rounded scales; bill
heavy, compressed, and said to be used for opening shells.
[Illustration: MEXICAN JACANA.]
Family 30. JACANAS. JacanidA|.
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.
LAND BIRDS.
Order X. Grouse, Partridges, Bob-Whites, Etc. GALLINA†.
(3 families, 24 species, 25 subspecies.)
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.
[Illustration: BOB-WHITE.]
[Illustration: RUFFED GROUSE.]
Family 31. GROUSE, PARTRIDGES, ETC. TetraonidA|.
Characters the same as those of the Order; tarsus naked in Partridges
and Quails; more or less feathered in Grouse and Ptarmigan.
[Illustration: TURKEY.]
Family 32. TURKEYS, PHEASANTS, AND CHICKENS. PhasianidA|.
Tarsus naked, often spurred, tail remarkably variable (for example,
Turkey, Peacock); head often with a comb, wattles, or other
excrescences.
[Illustration: CHACHALACA.]
Family 33. CURASSOWS AND GUANS. CracidA|.
Large tree-haunting, pheasant-like birds; toes four, all on same
level.
Order XI. Pigeons and Doves. COLUMBA†.
(1 family, 13 species, 3 subspecies.)
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.
[Illustration: MOURNING DOVE.]
Family 34. PIGEONS AND DOVES. ColumbidA|.
Characters those of the Order.
Order XII. Vultures, Hawks, and Owls. RAPTORES.
(4 families, 56 species, 33 subspecies.)
Generally large birds with hooked bill; strong, heavy feet, and long,
curved nails; wings large; tail rather long, usually square.
[Illustration: TURKEY VULTURE.]
Family 35. AMERICAN VULTURES. CathartidA|.
Bill not strongly hooked; toe-nails comparatively weak; nostrils
large, piercing the bill; head and more or less of neck, bare.
[Illustration: RED-TAILED HAWK.]
[Illustration: FOOT OF RED-TAILED HAWK.]
Family 36. FALCONS, HAWKS, EAGLES, ETC.
FalconidA|.
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.
[Illustration: BARN OWL.]
Family 37. BARN OWLS. StrigidA|.
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.
[Illustration: SCREECH OWL.]
Family 38. HORNED OWLS, ETC. BubonidA|.
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.
Order XIII. Paroquets and Parrots. PSITTACI.
(1 family, 2 species.)
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.
[Illustration: CAROLINA PAROQUET.]
Family 39. PARROTS AND PAROQUETS. PsittacidA|.
Characters the same as those of Order.
Order XIV. Cuckoos, Trogons, Kingfishers, Etc. COCCYGES.
(3 families, 8 species, 2 subspecies.)
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.
[Illustration: YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.]
Family 40. CUCKOOS, ANIS. ETC. CuculidA|.
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.
[Illustration: COPPERY-TAILED TROGON.]
Family 41. TROGONS. TrogonidA|.
Toes two in front, two behind; bill, short; upper mandible decurved
and dentate; tail square; plumage, soft, loose, and generally shining
green above.
[Illustration: BELTED KINGFISHER.]
Family 42. KINGFISHERS. AlcedinidA|.
Legs short; feet small; toes, three in front, one behind; third and
fourth toes joined; bill, stout and long.
Order XV. Woodpeckers. PICI.
(1 family, 24 species, 22 subspecies.)
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.
[Illustration: FOOT OF THREE-TOED WOODPECKER.]
[Illustration: PILEATED WOODPECKER.]
Family 43. WOODPECKERS. PicidA|.
Characters the same as those of the Order.
Order XVI. Goatsuckers, Swifts, and Hummingbirds. MACROCHIRES.
(3 families, 27 species, 6 subspecies.)
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.
[Illustration: WHIP-POOR-WILL.]
Family 44. GOATSUCKERS, ETC. CaprimulgidA|.
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.
[Illustration: CHIMNEY SWIFT.]
Family 45. SWIFTS. MicropodidA|.
Bill small, triangular when seen from above; mouth large, no bristles;
tail variable, in _ChA|tura_ with projecting spines; wings long and
narrow; feet small and toes short; plumage usually dark.
[Illustration: RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD.]
Family 46. HUMMINGBIRDS. TrochilidA|.
Bill long and slender; feet slender; wings large and pointed; tail
exceedingly variable, often assuming the most striking shapes.
Order XVII. Flycatchers, Jays, Blackbirds, Finches, Swallows,
Warblers, Thrushes, and Other Perching Birds. PASSERES.
(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_.
[Illustration: FOOT OF ROBIN.--(a typical Passerine foot.)]
[Illustration: PHOEBE.]
Family 48. FLYCATCHERS. TyrannidA|.
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.
[Illustration: HORNED LARK.]
Family 49. LARKS. AlaudidA|.
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.
[Illustration: BLUE JAY.]
Family 50. CROWS AND JAYS. CorvidA|.
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.
[Illustration: PURPLE GRACKLE.]
[Illustration: BALTIMORE ORIOLE.]
Family 52. BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, ETC. IcteridA|.
Base of bill, between nostrils, extending back and dividing feathers
on forehead; nostrils not concealed by bristles; first three primaries
of equal length.
[Illustration: REDPOLL.]
[Illustration: SONG SPARROW.]
[Illustration: EVENING GROSBEAK.]
[Illustration: CARDINAL.]
Family 53. FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. FringillidA|.
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.
[Illustration: SUMMER TANAGER.]
Family 54. TANAGERS. TanagridA|.
Bill somewhat finch-like but more swollen in outline; the upper
mandible, in typical forms, toothed or dentate.
[Illustration: TREE SWALLOW.]
Family 55. SWALLOWS. HirundinidA|.
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.
[Illustration: CEDAR WAXWING.]
Family 56. WAXWINGS. AmpelidA|.
Bill short, stout, and rounded, its tip notched; wings rather long;
head crested.
[Illustration: NORTHERN SHRIKE.]
Family 57. SHRIKES. LaniidA|.
Bill stout, its mandible hooked and hawk-like; feet truly Passerine;
pose, in perching, erect; solitary grayish birds.
[Illustration: RED-EYED VIREO.]
Family 58. VIREOS. VireonidA|.
Bill small, but distinctly hooked; outer primary usually very small
and sometimes apparently wanting; olive-green gleaners among the
leaves.
[Illustration: NASHVILLE WARBLER.]
[Illustration: YELLOW WARBLER.]
[Illustration: AMERICAN REDSTART.]
[Illustration: CHAT.]
Family 60. WARBLERS. MniotiltidA|.
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.
[Illustration: AMERICAN PIPIT.]
Family 61. WAGTAILS. MotacillidA|.
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.
[Illustration: AMERICAN DIPPER.]
Family 62. DIPPERS. CinclidA|.
Thick-set birds with short wings and tail; plumage thick and
water-proof; tarsus scaled; semi-aquatic in habit, haunting mountain
streams.
[Illustration: BROWN THRASHER.]
[Illustration: HOUSE WREN.]
Family 63. WRENS, THRASHERS, ETC. TroglodytidA|.
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.
[Illustration: BROWN CREEPER.]
Family 64. CREEPERS. CerthiidA|.
Bill slender and much decurved; tail usually pointed and stiffened.
[Illustration: CHICKADEE.]
[Illustration: RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH.]
Family 65. NUTHATCHES AND TITS. ParidA|.
Fourth or fifth primary longest; first an inch or less in length.
Chickadees (subfamily _ParinA|_) have a short, stout bill, the nostrils
covered with bristles; the tail is rather long and rounded. Nuthatches
(subfamily _SittinA|_) have a long, slender bill, short, square tail,
and large feet.
[Illustration: GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET.]
Family 66. KINGLETS, GNATCATCHERS, ETC. SylviidA|.
Bill slender and Warbler-like, but first primary only one-third as
long as the fourth.
[Illustration: WOOD THRUSH.]
Family 67. THRUSHES, BLUEBIRDS, ETC. TurdidA|.
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.
COLOR KEY TO
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS
Order I. DIVING BIRDS.
PYGOPODES.
Family 1. GREBES. PodicipidA|. 6 species.
Family 2. LOONS. GaviidA|. 5 species.
Family 3. AUKS, MURRES, and PUFFINS. AlcidA|. 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.