=89. Greater Shearwater= (_Puffinus gravis_). L. 20. _Ads._ Above
grayish brown or blackish; tips of longer upper tail coverts white;
below white; _middle of belly and under tail coverts ashy gray_.
Range.--"Atlantic Ocean, from Cape Horn and Cape of Good Hope north to
Arctic Circle." (A.O.U.)
[Illustration: 91.]
=91. Pink-footed Shearwater= (_Puffinus creatopus_). L. 19.5. _Ads._
Above dusky gray or brown; below white; sides and lower belly with
grayish; longer under tail coverts dusky brown; feet, flesh-color;
bill yellowish.
Range.--Pacific Ocean north on the American coast in summer and fall
to middle California.
[Illustration: 92.]
=92. Audubon Shearwater= (_Puffinus lherminieri_). L. 12. _Ads._ Above
black or brownish black; below white; _under tail coverts sooty_.
Range.--Middle Atlantic; breeds in West Indies and Bahamas; wanders
north to Long Island.
[Illustration: 93.]
=93. Black-vented Shearwater= (_Puffinus opisthomelas_). L. 15.
_Ads._ Above dusky _black_; below white; sides of breast grayish;
under tail coverts dusky brown; bill black.
Range.--"Pacific Ocean, chiefly southward; coast of Lower California
north to Santa Cruz, Cal." (A.O.U.)
=93.1. Townsend Shearwater= (_Puffinus auricularis_). Similar to No.
93, but bill and feet smaller, B. 1.2; above darker, nearly black;
black of head extending below eye. (Townsend.)
Range.--Pacific Ocean (Clarion Island, Lower California).
[Illustration: 96.]
=96. Slender-billed Shearwater= (_Puffinus tenuirostris_). L. 13.,
bill slender 1.2 _Ads._ "Above dark sooty slate; beneath deep sooty
gray, paler on throat where sometimes inclining to whitish." (Ridgw.)
Range.--North Pacific, from Japan and Kotzebue Sound south on the
American coast to middle California.
Petrels
[Illustration: 98.]
=98. Black-capped Petrel= (_A†strelata hasitata_). L. 15. _Ads._ Above
sooty brown; back of neck and upper tail coverts _white_; base of tail
_white_.
Range.--Tropical Atlantic; irregular in United States (Florida,
Virginia, New York, Kentucky, Vermont, and Ontario.)
[Illustration: 103.]
=103. Least Petrel= (_Halocyptena microsoma_). L. 5.7. _Ads._ Sooty
blackish brown, lighter below.
Range.--"Coast of Lower California south to Panama." (A.O.U.)
[Illustration: 105.]
=105. Forked-tailed Petrel= (_Oceanodroma furcata_). L. 8. 7.
_Ads._ Tail forked; bluish gray, wings darker; a blackish space
about eye.
Range.--North Pacific; breeds in Aleutian Islands; recorded north to
Bering Strait; winters south to California.
=105.1. Kaeding Petrel= (_Oceanodroma kaedingi_). W. 6. _Ads._ Similar
to _O. leucorrhoa_, but much smaller with much less deeply forked
tail. (Anthony.)
Range.--Pacific Ocean; (Socorro Islands, Lower California.)
[Illustration: 108.]
=108. Ashy Petrel= (_Oceanodroma homochroa_). L. 8.5. _Ads._ No white
on rump; tail forked; sooty black above, browner below; wing coverts
grayish.
Range.--"Coast of California; breeds on the Santa Barbara and
Farallone Islands." (A.O.U.)
[Illustration: 104.]
=104. Stormy Petrel; Mother Carey's Chicken= (_Procellaria pelagica_).
L. 5.5. _Ads._ Sooty black, browner below; upper tail coverts white,
_tipped with black_.
Range.--North Atlantic; winters south to western Africa and New
Brunswick.
[Illustration: 106.]
=106. Leach Petrel; Stormy Petrel= (_Oceanodroma leucorhoa_). L. 8.,
W. 6.2. _Ads._ Tail forked; above sooty brownish black; below browner;
_lesser wing coverts grayish brown_; longer upper tail coverts _not_
tipped with black. _Notes._ An elfin-like crow of eight notes.
Range.--North Atlantic and North Pacific; breeds from Maine to
Greenland and from Farallone to Aleutian Islands; winters south to
Virginia and California.
=106.1. Guadalupe Petrel= (_Oceanodroma macrodactyla_). L. 8.4; W.
6.4; T. 3.9, fork 1 in. deep. _Ads._ Similar to _O. leucorhoa_, but
with much longer and more deeply forked tail, larger feet, shorter
bill, and very broad dusky tips to the upper tail coverts. (Ridgw. in
Cat. B. M.)
Range.--Pacific Ocean; (Guadalupe Island, Lower California.)
[Illustration: 107.]
=107. Black Petrel= (_Oceanodroma melania_.) L. 9. _Ads._ Sooty black,
paler below; wing-coverts grayish, tail forked.
Range.--South Pacific, north to Santa Barbara Islands; breeds on
Coronados Islands, southern California.
=108.1 Socorro Petrel= (_Oceanodroma socorroensis_). W. 5.5. _Ads._
Similar to No. 108, but wings longer; tail shorter and less deeply
forked; sides of rump _whitish_; no white on under surface of wing.
(Towns.)
Range.--Pacific Ocean; (Socorro Island, southern California.)
[Illustration: 109.]
=109. Wilson Petrel; Stormy Petrel= (_Oceanites oceanicus_). L. 7.
_Ads._ Webs of feet with yellow patch: tail not forked; longer upper
tail coverts not tipped with black. _Notes._ A weak _weet_, _weet_,
and a hoarse chattering _patret-tu-cuk-cuk-tu-tu_. (Wilson.)
Range.--Atlantic Ocean; breeds in Southern seas, (Kerguelen Island in
February), and migrates north to Newfoundland, spending summer off
coast of eastern United States.
Order IV. TOTIPALMATE SWIMMERS.
STEGANOPODES.
Family 1. TROPIC BIRDS. PhaA"thontidA|. 2 species.
Family 2. GANNETS. SulidA|. 6 species.
Family 3. DARTERS. AnhingidA|. 1 species.
Family 4. CORMORANTS. PhalacrocoracidA|. 6 species, 5 subspecies.
Family 5. PELICANS. PelecanidA|. 3 species.
Family 6. MAN-O'-WAR-BIRDS. FregatidA|. 1 Species.
The members of this Order agree in having all four toes connected by
webs, but in other respects they differ widely in structure and,
consequently, in habit. The young of all the Steganopodes are born
naked, unlike the young of most of the other water birds, which, as a
rule, are hatched covered with feathers and can swim or run about soon
after birth. The nests of the Steganopodes are, of necessity,
therefore, more complex structures than those of birds whose nests are
merely incubators and not cradles as well.
Tropic Birds resemble the larger Terns, when in the air, but their
wing strokes are more rapid. They usually nest in holes in the face of
cliffs, and lay one whitish egg, marked with chocolate.
Gannets are true sea birds, but, as a rule, do not live very far from
the land. When breeding, Gannets are usually associated in great
numbers. Their nests, as a rule, are placed on the ground or on
cliffs, and one or two chalky white eggs are laid. At this season the
birds are exceedingly tame and in localities where they have not been
much molested, one may walk about among the sitting birds without
their taking flight. Gannets are powerful birds on the wing. Their
vigorous wing strokes are interrupted at intervals by short sails.
They feed on fish which they capture by diving from the air.
The Darters or Anhingas number four species, distributed throughout
the tropical parts of the globe, only one species inhabiting America.
This is generally called the Snakebird or Water Turkey in Florida,
where it is a common species on the more isolated rivers and lakes.
The name Snakebird is derived from the bird's habit of swimming with
the body submerged, when the long, sinuous neck, appearing above the
water, readily suggests a snake. At other times Snakebirds mount high
in the air and sail about, like Hawks, in wide circles. They build a
large, well-made nest in a bush or tree, generally over the water, and
lay four bluish white, chalky eggs.
Cormorants nest in large colonies, generally on isolated islets, but
sometimes in remote swamps. The nests are placed closely together on
the ground, in bushes, and less frequently in trees, according to the
nature of the bird's haunts.
Cormorants feed on fish which they catch by pursuing them under the
water. They dive from the surface of the water like Ducks, or from a
low perch, but not from the air, as do the Gannets.
Pelicans nest in colonies, generally on some small island, building
their nests on the ground or in bushes, and laying two or three large,
white, chalky eggs.
Brown Pelicans secure their food by plunging on it from the air,
generally from about twenty feet above the water. The sides of the
bill are then bowed outward, the opening widened, forming, with the
pouch, an effective net in which fish, twelve and fourteen inches
long, are captured.
White Pelicans, on the contrary, feed from the water, scooping up
fishes as they swim. At times a flock of these birds may surround a
school of small fish in shallow water and drive them shoreward, at the
same time actively filling their pouches.
Young Pelicans are fed on fish which they take from the pouch of the
parent bird by thrusting their bills and heads well into it and
prodding actively about for the food to be found there. Young
Cormorants secure their food in a similar manner.
Frigate Birds, of which only two species are known, have a greater
expanse of wing in proportion to the weight of their body than any
other bird. Their power of flight is consequently unexcelled and they
may spend days in the air without tiring. Their feet are as weak as
their wings are strong, and are of use only in perching.
The food of Frigate Birds consists chiefly of fish, which they catch
from near the surface of the water, or rob from Gulls and Terns by
pursuing them, forcing them to disgorge their prey, and catching it
ere it reaches the water.
Tropic Birds and Gannet
[Illustration: 112.]
=112. Yellow-billed Tropic Bird= (_PhaA"thon americanus_). L. 30;
T. 19. _Ads._ Bill yellow; no bars above; middle tail feathers
lengthened. _Yng._ Above barred with black; middle tail feathers not
lengthened.
Range.--Tropical coasts; breeds in West Indies, Bahamas and Bermudas;
casual in Florida; accidental in western New York and Nova Scotia.
[Illustration: 113.]
=113. Red-billed Tropic Bird= (_PhaA"thon A|thereus_). L. 30; T. 20.
_Ads._ Bill red; above barred with black; long middle tail feathers
pure white.
Range.--"Coasts of tropical America, north on the Pacific coast to
Cape Colnett, Lower California; accidental on the Newfoundland Banks.
Breeds on San Pedro Martir and other Islands in the Gulf of
California." (A.O.U.)
[Illustration: 117.]
[Illustration: 117. Immature.]
=117. Gannet= (_Sula bassana_). L. 35. _Ads._ White; head and neck
tinged with straw; primaries blackish. _Yng._ Grayish brown with white
spots. _Notes._ A harsh _gor-r-r-rok_.
Range.--North Atlantic; breeds, in America, only on Bird Rock and
Bonaventure Islands, Gulf of St. Lawrence; winters off the coast,
south to Florida.
Boobies
[Illustration: 114.]
=114. Blue-faced Booby= (_Sula cyanops_). L. 28. _Ads._ Body and
lesser wing coverts white; central tail feathers whitish, others dark
brown. _Yng._ Above plain dark grayish brown with some grayish
streaks; below white; flanks streaked with grayish.
Range.--Tropical seas; north in America to Lower California and
Bahamas; casual in southern Florida.
[Illustration: 114.1.]
=114.1. Blue-footed Booby= (_Sula nebouxii_). L. 33. _Ads._ Head,
neck, and underparts white, the first two streaked with grayish; back
dusky brownish, tipped with whitish; legs and feet bright blue.
(Goss.)
Range:--Pacific coast of America, from Gulf of California to Galapagos
and Chili. (Cat. B. M.)
[Illustration: 115.]
[Illustration: 115. Immature.]
=115. Booby= (_Sula sula_). L. 30. _Ads._ Breast and belly white; bill
and feet yellow. _Yng._ Entirely brownish, lighter below; bill
blackish; feet yellow. _Notes._ A harsh, guttural _bork_, _hork_.
(Audubon).
Range.--"Atlantic coasts of tropical and subtropical America, north to
Georgia. Also, West Pacific and Indian Oceans." (A.O.U.) Accidental
on Long Island. No United States breeding record.
=115.1. Brewster Booby= (_Sula brewsteri_). L. 30. _Ads._ Similar to
No. 115, but head and neck paler, bill blue, feet greenish.
Range,--"Coasts and Islands of the eastern south Pacific Ocean, north
to Lower California; breeding as far north as Georges Island at the
head of the Gulf of California." (A.O.U.)
=116. Red-footed Booby= (_Sula piscator_). L. 28. Feet _reddish_.
_Ads._ White; head and nape straw color; primaries _hoary grayish
brown_; tail _white_. _Yng._ Above sooty brown; head, neck, and lower
parts light smoky gray. (Ridgw.)
Range.--Tropical seas, except Pacific coast of America (Cat. B. M.);
north in Atlantic to Bahamas and, rarely, southern Florida.
Cormorants
[Illustration: 119. Breeding Plumage]
=119. Cormorant= (_Phalacrocorax carbo_). L. 36; T. 7.5, of 14
feathers. _Ads._ Chin and sides of throat whitish; back glossy
brownish, _distinctly_ margined with black; below uniform shining
black. _Breeding plumage._ Head and throat with white plumes; a white
patch on flanks. _Yng._ _Belly white_; above olive grayish brown,
margined with black; throat _whitish_; neck brownish.
Range.--North Atlantic; breeds from Nova Scotia to Greenland; winters
south to Carolinas.
[Illustration: 120. Breeding Plumage]
=120. Double-crested Cormorant= (_Phalacrocorax dilophus_). L. 30; W.
12.5; T. 6.2, of 12 feathers. _Ads._ Back brownish with distinct black
margins; below shining black. _Breeding plumage._ With tufts on either
side of head black, sometimes mixed with white; throat pouch orange.
_Yng._ Back browner; head, neck, and lower belly brown; breast
whitish.
Range.--Eastern North America; breeds locally from Bay of Fundy,
Minnesota, North Dakota, northward; west to Assiniboia; winters from
southern Illinois and Virginia southward.
[Illustration: 120a.]
=120a. Florida Cormorant= (_P. d. floridanus_). Similar to No. 120,
but blacker and smaller. L. 25.
Range.--South Atlantic and Gulf States; breeds north to North Carolina
and southern Illinois.
=120b. White-crested Cormorant= (_P. d. cincinatus_). Similar to No.
120, but larger, L. 36; nuptial crests _white_.
Range.--Pacific coasts; breeds in Alaska; winters south to California.
=120c. Farallone Cormorant= (_P. d. albociliatus_). Similar to 120b.,
but smaller, L. 28.
Range.--Breeds on California coast and in interior, south to Socorro
Island. (Ridgw.)
[Illustration: 121 Breeding Plumage]
=121. Mexican Cormorant= (_Phalacrocorax mexicanus_). L. 25. W. 10.
_Ads._ Narrow border at base of pouch white. _Breeding plumage._ Neck
with white plumes. _Yng._ Head and hindneck brownish; back grayish,
margined with black; throat, foreneck and breast brownish white; belly
black.
Range.--Breeds In West Indies and Central America to west Gulf
States; north in summer rarely to Kansas and southern Illinois.
[Illustration: Hind Toe. Outer Toe. Foot of Cormorant.]
[Illustration: 122. Breeding Plumage.]
=122. Brandt Cormorant= (_Phalacrocorax penicillatus_). L. 35; T. 6.
Chin and sides of throat _buffy white or brownish_. _Ads._ Above blue
black, _faintly_ margined with black; below green black. _Breeding
plumage._ With white, hair-like plumes from back and neck; no white on
flanks; throat pouch blue. _Yng._ Above dark brown; throat and belly
whitish; breast and sides brown.
Range.--Pacific coast from Cape St. Lucas to Washington; resident.
=123. Pelagic Cormorant= (_Phalacrocorax pelagicus_). L. 28; W. 10;
T. 6.2. Forehead _feathered_; back feathers _not_ margined. _Ads._
Above glossy green and purplish black; below bottle green. _Breeding
plumage._ With white plumes on neck and rump and white patches on
flanks; nape and forehead, crested. _Yng._ Above greenish dusky brown,
less green below.
Range.--"Aleutian and Kuril Islands, and Kamchatka, south to Japan."
(A.O.U.)
[Illustration: 123a. Breeding Plumage]
=123a. Violet-green Cormorant= (_P. p. robustus_). Similar to No. 123,
but larger; bill stouter, W. 10.8.
Range.--"Coast of Alaska, from Norton Sound south to Washington."
(A.O.U.)
[Illustration: 123b.]
=123b. Baird Cormorant= (_P. p. resplendens_). Similar to No. 123, but
smaller; bill slenderer; W. 9.5. _Notes._ A croaking, guttural note.
Range.--Pacific coast from Washington south to Mazatlan, Mexico.
[Illustration: 124. Breeding Plumage]
=124. Red-faced Cormorant= (_Phalacrocorax urile_). L. 34. _Forehead_
as well as lores bare. _Ads._ Above green and purple; head and neck
blue black; belly green. _Breeding plumage._ With forehead and nape
crests and white patches on flanks. _Notes._ "A low, droning croak."
(Nelson.)
Range.--"Pribilof, Aleutian, and Kuril Islands, and coast of
Kamchatka. South in winter to northern Japan." (A.O.U.)
Anhinga, Pelicans, and Man-o'-War bird
[Illustration: 118.]
=118. Anhinga; Snakebird; Water Turkey= (_Anhinga anhinga_). L. 36.
_Ad._ [Male]. Black; grayish head and neck plumes which, in winter,
are absent. _Ad._ [Female]. Resembles male but whole head, neck, and
breast brownish. _Yng._ Similar to [Female] but black parts duller.
_Notes._ A rasping, clattering croak, uttered when fighting or in
coming to the nest.
Range.--Tropical and subtropical America; breeds north to southern
Illinois and South Carolina; winters from Gulf States southward.
[Illustration: 125.]
=125. American White Pelican= (_Pelecanus erythrorhynchos_). L. 60.
_Ads._ White; primaries black; bill in breeding season with a knob.
_Yng._ With crown brownish.
Range:--North America; breeds in interior from eastern California,
Utah, Yellowstone Park, Minnesota (?) northward to Lat. 61A deg.; winters
from Gulf States and southern California, south to Central America.
[Illustration: 126.]
=126. Brown Pelican= (_Pelecanus occidentalis_). L. 50; W. 19.5.
_Ads._ Pouch greenish; head white, rarely yellowish; neck brown. In
fall, no brown on neck. _Yng._ Brownish gray, white below. _Notes._
Adults as a rule silent; young before flying, very noisy.
Range:--Atlantic and Gulf coast of tropical and subtropical America;
breeds from northern South America to South Carolina; has strayed to
Illinois and Nova Scotia; winters from Gulf States southward.
=127. California Brown Pelican= (_Pelecanus californicus_). Similar to
No. 126, but larger. L. 54; W. 21; pouch in breeding season, red.
Range.--Pacific coast from Galapagos north to British Columbia; breeds
north only to Los Coronados Islands.
[Illustration: 128.]
=128. Man-o'-War Bird; Frigate Bird= (_Fregata aquila_). L. 40. _Ad._
[Male]. Black, glossy above; pouch "scarlet or orange." _Ad._
[Female]. Browner; breast and belly white. _Yng._ Similar to [Female],
but head and neck white. _Notes._ Usually silent; rarely a croaking
note.
Range:--Tropical and subtropical coasts; in America north to Florida,
Texas, and southern California; casually to Kansas, Ohio and Nova
Scotia; winters from southern Florida and Lower California southward.
Order V. DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS.
ANSERES.
Family 1. DUCKS, GEESE, and SWANS. AnatidA|. 49 species, 6 subspecies.
The AnatidA| of North America are placed in five well-marked
subfamilies, the Mergansers (_MerginA|_), River Ducks (_AnatinA|_), Sea
Ducks (_FuligulinA|_), Geese (_AnserinA|_), and Swans (_CygninA|_).
The Mergansers, Saw-bills, or Shelldrakes are fish-eating Ducks and
their rounded bills, set with tooth-like projections along the sides,
are of evident use to them in holding their prey.
The River Ducks include such well-known species as the Mallard, Black
Duck, and Widgeon. They differ from the Bay or Sea Ducks in not having
a well-developed web or flap on the hind-toe. As a rule they feed in
shallow water by tipping, standing on their heads, as it were, while
reaching the bottom for food.
The Bay or Sea Ducks have the hind-toe webbed. They feed, as a rule,
in deeper water than the River Ducks, sometimes descending to the
bottom in water over one hundred feet deep. During the winter they
gather in flocks often of several thousand individuals, and frequent
the larger bodies of water.
With both the River and Bay Ducks the sides of the broad, flat bill
are set with gutters which serve as strainers, retaining the mollusks,
seeds and roots of aquatic plants on which these Ducks feed, while the
mud or water taken in with the food is forced out the sides of the
bill as it closes.
Geese are more terrestrial than Ducks and often visit the land to nip
the grass. This is particularly true in the west where large flocks
of, Geese, especially Snow Geese, may be seen feeding on the prairies.
On the water they feed over shallows by tipping and probing the
bottoms.
Swans also feed from the surface of the water either by simply
immersing the head and neck or by half submerging the body, when, with
the tail pointed to the zenith, the length of their reach is greatly
increased.
In spite of their comparatively short wings the large muscles attached
to them give to the AnatidA| great power of flight. Not only do they
make extended journeys, when migrating, without a rest, but they
attain a speed which is surpassed by but few birds. Some of the
smaller species, when alarmed, doubtless flying at the rate of one
hundred miles an hour.
In common with other diving water birds the Ducks, when molting, lose
most of their wing feathers all at once, and for a time are therefore
unable to fly. During this comparatively helpless period the brightly
colored males assume in part the plumage of the females and are
thereby rendered less conspicuous. With the return of the power of
flight, however, they regain their distinctive, male plumage, which is
usually brighter than that of the female. With our Geese and Swans
there is no sexual difference in color.
Most of our Ducks and Geese breed in the north, some within the Arctic
Circle, and winter from the southern limit of frozen water southward.
The American Merganser, Hooded Merganser, Wood Duck, Buffle-head,
Golden-Eyes, Tree Ducks, and possibly Harlequin Duck nest in hollow
trees, at times some distance from the water. The young of the
American Golden-eye and of the Wood Duck have been seen to reach the
water by jumping from the nest-hole and fluttering down in response to
the calls of the parent below. It is said that they are also brought
down in the bill of the old bird, but this statement apparently lacks
confirmation.
The remaining species of our Ducks, Geese, and Swans, nest as a rule,
on the ground generally near water. From five to fifteen and, in the
case of the Fulvous Tree Duck, possibly as many as thirty eggs are
laid. In color they vary from white to buffy and pale olive and are
always uniformly colored. Incubation is performed by the female alone.
The males at this period among most Ducks deserting their mate to
undergo the partial molt before mentioned. While incubating the
females surround their nest with soft down plucked from their bodies
and when leaving the nest to feed, this down is drawn over the eggs
with the double object, doubtless, of concealing them and of keeping
them warm.
With Eider Ducks this down constitutes the larger part of, if not the
entire nest. Saunders states that in Iceland the down in each nest
weighs about one-sixth of a pound. This is gathered by the natives,
who, however, are careful to afford the sitting bird an opportunity to
raise her brood without further molestation.
The collection of Eider down thus furnishes an admirable illustration
of proper economic relations between man and birds. The down is an
important source of income to the natives of the comparatively barren,
northern countries in which the Eiders nest. So long as man can
remember it has been gathered annually. Still the Ducks continue to
return in numbers year after year to the same region, perhaps the
exact spot in which they nested the year before.
Less intelligent methods would perhaps rob the bird of its second, as
well as of its first nest and, unable to reproduce its kind, the
species would become extinct within a comparatively short period.