I have seen these birds on some of the islands in the Gulf of St.
Lawrence in large flocks. They arrive late in July, the first
comers being steadily augmented by new arrivals until by the first
week of August their greatest abundance has been reached. From this
time on the numbers rapidly decrease, and by the last of the month
only odd birds are seen. The young appear about the middle of
September, and until October 1 are common in the same locations. On
the adjacent mainland and the shores farther south the birds are
seldom met with, and then only as odd stragglers. Where they stop
next and what their course is on departing is a mystery. Probably
they keep well out to the open sea, and along with the golden
plover wisely skip the United States in the fall flight south.
As indicated above, Hudsonian godwits evidently pass by New England far
out at sea in fair weather, as they are strong, swift fliers, capable of
a long, continuous flight. But during heavy easterly storms they are
occasionally driven in and onto our coasts. The first one I shot was one
of four birds taken on Monomoy Island, Massachusetts, September 5, 1892,
after a severe northeast storm, which lasted for two days and brought in
a heavy flight of shore birds. This was an adult. I have two other
birds, both young birds, taken on Cape Cod on October 2 and 4. Mr.
Forbush (1912) reports "a flock of about 50 birds seen at Ipswich on
August 26, 1908, of which several were killed." He also says:
On August 13, 1903, a large flight occurred on the Long Island
coast and many were killed, but little was heard of them to the
southward. The only flight of godwits that is shown on the record
of Chatham Beach Hotel for seven years is in August, 1903. No birds
were taken on the 13th, when the great flight appeared on Long
Island, for at Chatham the weather apparently was fair, with a west
wind. One bird, perhaps a straggler from the Long Island flight,
was picked up on the 20th after a southeast wind had blown for two
days. On the 26th a northeast wind set in, and it blew from the
east or northeast for six days. On the 29th seven godwits were
killed. During the seven years for which the record was kept
godwits were taken only singly or in pairs, with the above
exception, and the record shows 42 killed all told. Twenty-four
were taken during east, north, or northeast winds; eight in
northwest winds; six in southwest winds; two in west winds; and
only one in a south wind.
Mr. S. Prescott Fay (1911) reports an unusually heavy flight at Cape Cod
from early in August until October 22, 1910, during which 25 birds were
shot on 17 different dates. He saw a flock of 10 on August 15, but says:
In most cases they were lone birds and, contrary to their habits,
were tame and decoyed readily. However, on September 5, during a
heavy easterly storm with a downpour of rain, a flock of 30 to 35
birds went over our stand at Chatham. Instead of alighting, as we
supposed they would do, for they appeared very much exhausted, they
continued their slow flight and disappeared, going due south in the
heaviest part of the storm. However, a man a short way below us
shot three of these birds as we watched them go over him high up,
and later we found some one else above us had shot one from the
same flock only a minute or two earlier. One of these men estimated
that the flock contained over 40 birds, so my figures may be too
low or else, after he fired, the birds may have separated so that
we might have seen only part of the original flock.
_Winter._--The winter home of the Hudsonian godwit is in extreme
southern South America, from Argentina and Chile south to the Straits of
Magellan and the Falkland Islands.
A. H. Holland (1892) says that, in Argentina, it "appears in flocks late
in the winter after heavy rains from July to August. They were met with
both in summer and winter plumage." Ernest Gibson (1920) reported it as
formerly "very abundant, in numerous flocks, some of apparently over
1,000," in the Province of Buenos Aires. He says that--
On more than one of these occasions several birds have dropped to
my gun. The flock would then again and again sweep round and hover
over the individuals in the water, uttering loud cries of distress,
quite regardless of my presence in the open and the renewed
gunfire. Though the godwit is such an excellent table bird, I found
myself unable to continue the slaughter under these circumstances.
I might select my birds, but so closely were they packed together
that the shots went practically "into the brown," and caused
innumerable cripples.
Conditions have changed since then, for Doctor Wetmore (1926) writes:
Save for a record to be mentioned later, the Hudsonian godwit was
first recorded on November 13, 1920, when four, in winter plumage,
were found with small sandpipers on the tidal flats near the mouth
of the Rio Ajo, below Lavalle, Buenos Aires. Two more were seen
here on November 15. The species was not noted again until March 3,
1921, when two were seen along the Laguna del Morte in the
outskirts of Guamini, Buenos Aires. Four more were found on March
4, one in brown dress and the others still in winter plumage. On
March 5 eight were recorded, one only showing distinct signs of
breeding plumage. On the day following three passed swiftly
northward over the lake without pausing to alight, while on March 7
eight were seen together and a single bird later, and by a lucky
shot I secured one, a male. March 8, 12 that fed in a small bay
were so slow in rising that I secured 3. At dusk 12 more came to
roost on a mud bar in company with golden plover. Though reported
50 years ago as found in great bands and among the most abundant of
shore birds in this region, the small number that I have recorded
here are all that were observed in continued field work throughout
the winter range of the species. I was fortunate in seeing these,
as by chance I found a spot where they tarried in northward
migration from some point to the south.
The passing of this fine bird must be a cause for regret among sportsmen
and nature lovers alike, to be attributed to the greed of gunners and to
the fact that its large size and gregarious habit made it desirable to
secure and when opportunity offered easy to kill in large numbers. There
is little hope even under the most rigorous protection that the species
can regain its former numbers. It would appear that the small number
that remain winter mainly in Patagonia, as the species was encountered
in any number only when in migration from that region.
DISTRIBUTION
_Range._--North America, chiefly east of the Rocky Mountains to southern
South America. Now almost extinct.
_Breeding range._--The only eggs of this species that have been
collected were taken at Mackenzie Bay and on the Anderson River,
Mackenzie. It has been reported in summer from Alaska (Kenai, Nulato,
Ugashik, mouth of the Yukon River, and Point Barrow); east to Prince
Edward Island and the Magdalen Islands (Audubon); but in no case, save
the one above mentioned, is there satisfactory evidence of breeding.
Preble found it common on the Barren Grounds south of Cape Eskimo,
during the early part of August, and it also was noted by him in the
country north of York Factory, in the middle of July.
_Winter range._--The Hudsonian godwit appears to winter only in southern
South America. It has been taken or observed at this season in the
Falkland Islands (Mare Harbor); Argentina (Chubut Valley, Lavalle, Azul,
Buenos Aires, and La Plata); and Chile (Straits of Magellan, Ancud, and
Valparaiso). MacFarlane (1887) reported them as abundant on the coast of
Peru (San Juan) on November 9, 1883, but it seems unlikely that they
were preparing to winter in that latitude.
_Spring migration._--This species always has been apparently rare on the
Atlantic coast in spring and but few records are available. Among these
are Maryland, West River, May 6, 1886 (only record for the State);
Delaware, Rehoboth, May 8, 1906; and New York, Long Beach, May 23,
1925. Records of spring arrival for the interior are not much more
numerous but among these are: Louisiana, Vinton, April 22; Missouri,
April 19; Illinois, Albany, April 22; Ohio, New Bremen, April 22, and
Youngstown, April 26; Michigan, Detroit, May 14; Ontario, Point Pelee,
May 13; Iowa, Blue Lake, May 7; Minnesota, Heron Lake, April 19, and
Grant County, April 25; Kansas, Lawrence, April 19; Nebraska, Lincoln,
May 10; South Dakota, Vermilion, May 8; North Dakota, Harrisburg, May 6;
Saskatchewan, Indian Head, May 11; Montana, Terry, May 10; Alberta,
Beaverhill Lake, April 28; Mackenzie, Fort Anderson, June 7; and Alaska,
Fort Kenai, May 5, Valdez, May 10, Lynn Canal, May 12, and St. Michael,
May 22.
Late dates of spring departure are: Ontario, Toronto, June 13; Iowa,
Sioux City, May 17; Wisconsin, Albion, June 3; Minnesota, Grant County,
May 15, Hallock, May 17, Hallock, May 18, and Mankato, May 25; Nebraska,
Lincoln, May 22, and Ceresco, June 12; South Dakota, Vermilion, May 24;
North Dakota, Charlson, May 22; and Manitoba, Shoal Lake, May 29, and
Lake Winnipegosis, June 5.
_Fall migration._--Early dates of arrival in the fall are: Keewatin,
York Factory, July 19; Manitoba, Big Stick Lake, July 21; South Dakota,
Artesian, July 10; Iowa, Sioux City, August 12; Ontario, Rupert House,
July 30, and Toronto, August 20; Ohio, Pelee Island, August 24;
Illinois, Mount Carmel, August 29, and Aledo, September 9; Louisiana,
New Orleans, September 27; Rhode Island, Newport, July 29; New York,
Shinnecock, August 8, Mastic, August 21, South Oyster Bay, August 25,
and Quogue, August 31; New Jersey, Anglesea, August 26; North Carolina,
Pea Island, September 13, 1911 (only record for the State); and West
Indies, Barbados, October 5, and Dominica, October 8.
Late dates of fall departures are: Keewatin, Cape Eskimo, August 14, and
Fort Churchill, August 24; Minnesota, St. Vincent, September 15;
Wisconsin, Racine, November 1; Ontario, Ottawa, October 11, and Toronto,
October 20; Quebec, Montreal, October 11; Massachusetts, Monomoy Island,
October 2, Ipswich, October 20, and Eastham, November 3; Connecticut,
Little River marshes, October 11, and Lyme, October 30; Rhode Island,
Newport, October 13; and New York, Onondaga Lake, October 13,
Branchport, October 29, and Ithaca, November 5.
_Casual records._--A specimen of the Hudsonian godwit was taken near St.
George, Bermuda, in the fall of 1875.
_Egg dates._--Arctic Canada: 8 records, June 9 to 30.
LIMOSA LIMOSA LIMOSA (Linnaeus)
BLACK-TAILED GODWIT
_Contributed by Francis Charles Robert Jourdain_
HABITS
The only claim this species has to a place in the North American fauna
rests upon its accidental occurrence in Greenland, where it is said to
have occurred twice. There is, however, an element of doubt about the
records. The first is due to Fabricius, who states in his _Fauna
Greenlandica_ that he had seen a single specimen; the next occurrence is
said to have taken place near Godthaab, or if Holböll's reference is to
the same specimen, at the Kok Islands near Godthaab, and was recorded by
Reinhardt, senior, in 1824. The skin was sent to the Museum at
Copenhagen, but Dr. J. Reinhardt, junior, was unable to find it there,
as he states in the _Ibis_ 1861, page 11. Winge pertinently suggests
that there may have been some confusion with _Limosa haemastica_, of
which species several specimens were sent to Copenhagen from Greenland,
including one from Godthaab, sent by Holböll. The distance from Iceland
to Greenland is not very great, but one would expect stragglers from
that direction to arrive on the east side of Greenland instead of on the
west side, where the great majority of accidental visitors are of
Nearctic origin.
_Spring._--Fortunately we are now in possession of fairly full and
complete descriptions of the courtship activities of this species on the
arrival at its breeding grounds in Holland (Huxley and Montague 1926).
Here it appears during the last days of March; in 1925 the first arrival
took place on March 25, but up to March 31 a large proportion of the
breeding stock had not yet put in an appearance. It is, however,
interesting to note that many of the birds were not only on their
breeding territories, but were obviously in pairs, although some unmated
birds were also present and small flocks of newly arrived birds were
also met with. Evidently the males do not migrate in advance of the
females in order to "stake out their claims," as is the case with
certain other species.
In the British Isles, where the black-tailed godwit has long ceased to
breed, it is now only an irregular passage migrant chiefly from mid
April to mid June, in small numbers along the south and southeast
coasts. The Iceland breeding birds, however, pass through Ireland on
their way north and reach their destination during the latter half of
April or early in May in small flocks, but in these northern latitudes
the breeding season is naturally later than in Central Europe and the
eggs are not laid till late in May.
_Courtship._--This is dealt with by Huxley and Montague (1926) in
considerable detail and is divided into seven sections: (1) The
ceremonial flight and its variations, (2) the joint flight, (3) the
tail display, (4) the scrape ceremony, (5) the pursuit, (6) fighting,
and (7) coition. Taking these consecutively, the ceremonial flight is
much the commonest and most striking action during the courtship period
and is confined to the male alone. He rises at a steep angle with
quickly beating wings, uttering repeatedly a loud trisyllabic call,
_tur-ee-tur_. When a height of some 150 or 200 feet has been gained the
real ceremonial flight starts. The most obvious point about it is the
change of call--the quick trisyllable is suddenly replaced by a
lower-toned disyllable, which may be represented by the letter _ghrutoe_
(or _grutto_, the Dutch name for godwit).
This change was inevitable; on no single occasion did we hear it in
any way departed from. The change in flight is equally notable. The
quick beat of the wings is suddenly slowed and is replaced by a
succession of slow, clipping strokes; at the same time the wings
are markedly bent downward just as those of the redshank in some of
his courtship flights. The tail is spread to the full and is
twisted round, first to one side and then to the other.
Simultaneously the whole body is tilted over in the same direction
as the tail and the bird flaps along with slow wing beats and body
heeled over for 20 or 30 yards. Then the tail is screwed over
toward the other side, and the body heels over correspondingly.
Thus the performing bird flies along rolling from side to side and
repeating the _grutto_ call continuously. We are, on the whole,
inclined to attribute it to the rudder action of the tail.
The flight generally takes place within a circle of 150 to 300 yards in
diameter and about 200 feet up, but both direction and duration are
variable and Huxley has seen one bird "rolling" for over a mile in a
straight line, while another has come down after a dozen wing strokes.
The descent is even more striking; the rolling flight and call stop
simultaneously and the bird glides with rigid wings suddenly nose-diving
downwards with almost closed wings till about 50 feet from the ground
when the wings are opened and the godwit sideslips in all directions.
Just before alighting the wings are opened and held vertically for a
second or two afterwards. Another method, occasionally used, is to
descend with the wings about two-thirds open, causing a loud roaring
noise due to the wind passing through the separated primaries, and in
this case the bird alights directly with spread wings and tail.
The "joint flight" is shared by both sexes and is normal in character,
both birds (but especially the male) calling quickly as when rising for
the ceremonial flight. The female is generally slightly in front of the
male on these occasions. During the "tail display" the male struts round
the hen with the tail fully expanded like a fan, but depressed to about
an angle of 60° to 70° with the horizontal and tilts it from side to
side so that the black and white surface is presented to the female. The
"scrape ceremony" is chiefly confined to the male who runs to a
depression and crouches down in it with slightly open wings, tail
coverts puffed out and compressed tail pointing upwards, while he
presses his breast against the ground as if smoothing off a scrape.
Females were noticed to go through this action with appreciably spread
tails and after some scratching with the feet.
Other godwits are always pursued with loud outcry, as well as harriers,
lapwings, etc., but there is little real fighting between males, and
what there is does not seem to be of a particularly vicious type. The
opponents face each other and attempt to seize each other's bills,
striking with their feet as they descend from the jump. Such sparring
rarely lasts longer than two or, at the outside, three minutes. In
coition the hen stands rigid with horizontal bill, the male standing
about a foot behind her "with vibratory wings and spread tail, uttering
a clear disyllabic note; then he rises and floats forward above the
female with dangling legs and no apparent change in the rate of
vibration of his wings. He poses for a moment upon her back, still
calling with wings held stiffly upspread and vibrating tail. Immediately
after pairing both birds usually continue feeding."
_Nesting._--The breeding grounds of this species vary considerably in
character. On the great heaths of Brabant one may come across a pair
nesting in short, dry heather; in the dune country on the Dutch coast
they breed among the sea buckthorn and sallow bushes on the sandhills;
in Texel most pairs prefer the rectangular patches of rich grass in the
"polders" (reclaimed marshes), while in Jutland and Iceland a few pairs
breed on the vast expanses of quaking marsh near the coast. Nowhere have
we met with it more plentifully than in the Dutch polders where I have
seen as many as 13 nests with eggs in a single day. All were much alike;
a saucer-like hollow in the ground where the grass was thickest and
richest, lined with a thick pad of dead grass.
_Eggs._--Here are laid the four pyriform eggs; five have been recorded
once or twice, but the only case of six eggs which is known to me was
probably due to two females sharing a nest. As a rule the eggs do not
vary much, though sometimes a single egg may be found in which the
ground color is pale bluish gray with blotches of deeper ashy gray and a
few darker flecks. The great majority of eggs vary in color from
greenish or olive green to olive brown and occasionally reddish brown in
ground, with blotches or spots of darker brown or olive and a few ashy
shell marks. The measurements of 100 eggs average 54.71 by 37.37
millimeters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure =59.8= by 37.8,
55.3 by =40.7=, =48.5= by 37.7, and 55 by =34= millimeters.
_Young._--The only estimate of the incubation period known to me is that
of Faber, who gives it as 24 days, but recent evidence on this point is
lacking. Both sexes share in the work of incubation, according to von
Wangelin, and this is confirmed by Huxley and Montague, who noticed that
in the earlier stages the male spent, at least in one case, three hours
on the nest to one by the female. This, however, applies only to the
daytime. Hantzsch's statement, that apparently it is carried out by the
hen alone, seems to be quite erroneous. The downy young as soon as dried
are led out of the nest and are closely attended to by both parents.
Only a single brood is reared in the season.
_Plumages._--The molts and plumages are fully described in "A Practical
Handbook of British Birds," edited by H. F. Witherby (1920), to which
the reader is referred.
_Food._--Naumann (1887) records insect larvae, worms, snails and slugs,
fish and frog spawn, tadpoles; also insects (Coleoptera, Orthoptera, and
Odonata). On migration, shells of small marine and fresh-water mollusca
have been found in stomachs, also insects, small shore crustacea
(Gammaridae) and the usual sand or gravel.
_Behavior._--The godwits are striking looking birds, readily
recognizable in summer plumage by the cinnamon pink of the neck and
breast and the bold contrast of black and white in the tail, taken in
connection with the long legs and straight, slightly upturned bill. The
latter character at once distinguishes them from the whimbrels and
curlews and their large size marks them out from most of the other
European Limicolae. The loud, musical, disyllabic call of the male is
also very characteristic. In winter the warm coloring is lost, but the
godwits are noisy birds and at this time of year the breeding note is
replaced by a monosyllabic _chut_. Moreover, their contour when flying
overhead is peculiar, for the long legs are carried out beyond the tail
and have somewhat the effect of long middle tail feathers not unlike
those of the Arctic skua or jaeger.
_Fall._--In the British Isles they begin to appear on our southeast
coasts in August, though not in any numbers as a rule, and have
generally left before the end of October. The Iceland birds assemble in
flocks at the end of August and leave the island by the beginning of
September, while in south Sweden, the Baltic republics, and Poland they
desert their breeding grounds in the latter part of July and drift
southwards to the North German coast. None stay in Holland after
September, and gradually they work their way southward to the shores of
the Mediterranean, where a certain number winter in favorable
localities. The main streams of migration seem to be towards the Straits
of Gibraltar on the west side and along the east side of the Balkan
Peninsula, but along the west side of the peninsula they are much
scarcer. Considerable numbers of west Asiatic birds migrate to the
marshes of the Euphrates and winter there, while others pass into India
and Burma.
_Winter._--During the winter months these godwits either haunt the
seashore, displaying special preference for low-lying coasts where
extensive areas of mud flats are exposed at low tide, or else are to be
found where there are large marshes along the edges of lakes, and less
frequently by the banks of rivers. On the open coasts and the Spanish
marismas they are subject to a good deal of persecution from the larger
falcons, especially the peregrine, which greatly appreciates them as an
article of diet. Lord Lilford describes the great flocks of these
godwits on the lower reaches of the Guadalquiver as spreading out into
long lines or gathering into dense masses like starlings or dunlins,
when trying to avoid the attentions of their long-winged enemies.
DISTRIBUTION
_Breeding range._--In Iceland it is very local, being confined to the
low-lying country in the southwest (Arnes and Rangarvalla-Sysla), where
it breeds in fair numbers; Faroes (only once definitely recorded);
formerly in the British Isles from Yorkshire to Norfolk, but extinct as
a breeding species since 1847, unless a possible Lincolnshire record for
1885 is accepted; Belgium, Holland, and its islands, West Jutland, North
Germany, locally in South Sweden, Hungary, Poland, the Baltic Republics
(Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia); in Russia, according to Buturlin, it
breeds in the governments of St. Petersburg (Leningrad), Moscow, Riazan,
on the Volga south to the mouth of the Kama, in the Ufa and Perm
governments north to 60° N. In western Asia it nests in the Tobolsk
government. The Irtysh Valley, Baraba Steppe, and locally in Turkestan,
but the exact limits of this and the smaller eastern race (_L. l.
melanuroides_ Gould) are not yet defined.