Bird Guide: Water Birds, Game Birds, and Birds of Prey East of the Rockies
Ruffed Grouse.
BY CHESTER A. REED Author of North American Birds’ Eggs, and, with Frank M. Chapman, of Color Key to North American Birds. Curator in Ornithology, Worcester Natural History Society
GARDEN CITY NEW YORK DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY 1921
Copyrighted 1906. Copyrighted, 1910, CHAS. K. REED, Worcester, Mass.
While strolling through a piece of woodland, or perhaps along the marsh or seashore, we see a bird, a strange bird—one we never saw before. Instantly, our curiosity is aroused, and the question arises, “What is it?” There is the bird! How can we find out what kind it is? The Ornithologist of a few years ago had but one course open to him, that is to shoot the bird, take it home, then pore through pages of descriptions, until one was found to correspond with the specimen. Obviously, such methods cannot be pursued today, both humane and economical reasons prohibiting. We have but one alternative left us: We must make copious notes of all the peculiarities and markings of the bird that is before us. On our return home, we get down our bird books, and there are many excellent ones. After carefully looking through the whole library, we find that, although many of our books are well illustrated, none of them has the picture of what we seek, so we adopt the tactics of the “Old-time” Ornithologist, before mentioned, and pore over pages of text, until finally we know what our bird was. It is for just such emergencies as this—to identify a bird when you see it, and where you see it, that this little pocket “Bird Guide” is prepared. May it be the medium for saving many of today’s seekers for “bird truths” from the many trials and tribulations willingly encountered, and hard and thorny roads gladly traveled by the author in his quest for knowledge of bird ways.
CHESTER A. REED.
Worcester, Mass.
1906.
The study of the birds included in this book is much more difficult than that of the small land birds. Many of the birds are large; some are very rare; all are usually shy and have keen eyesight, trained to see at a distance; in fact, many of them have to depend upon their vigilance for their very existence. Therefore, you will find that the majority of these birds will have to be studied at long range. Sometimes, by exercising care and forethought, you may be able to approach within a few feet of the bird you seek, or induce him to come to you. It is this pitting your wits against the cunning of the birds that furnishes one-half of the interest in their study. Remember that a quick motion will always cause a bird to fly. If you seek a flock of plover on the shore, or a heron in the marsh, try to sneak up behind cover if possible; if not, walk very slowly, and with as little motion as possible, directly towards them; by so doing you often will get near, for a bird is a poor judge of distance, while a single step sideways would cause him to fly. Shore birds can usually be best observed from a small “blind,” near the water’s edge, where they feed. Your powers of observation will be increased about tenfold if you are equipped with a good pair of field glasses; they are practically indispensable to the serious student and add greatly to the pleasures of anyone. Any good glass, that has a wide field of vision and magnifies three or four diameters, is suitable; we can recommend the ones described in the back of this book.
Chester A. Reed
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PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
ORDER 1. DIVING BIRDS—Pygopodes.
ORDER 2. LONG-WINGED SWIMMERS.—Longipennes.
ORDER 3. TUBE-NOSED SWIMMERS.—Tubinares.
ORDER 4. TOTIPALMATE SWIMMERS.—Steganopodes.
ORDER 5. DUCKS, GEESE AND SWANS. Anseres.
ORDER 6. FLAMINGOES. Odontoglossæ.
ORDER 7. HERONS, IBISES, ETC. Herodiones.
ORDER 8. MARSH BIRDS. Paludicolæ.
ORDER 9. SHORE BIRDS. Limicolæ.
ORDER 10. FOWLS. Gallinæ.
ORDER 11. PIGEONS AND DOVES. Columbæ.
ORDER 12. BIRDS OF PREY. Raptores.
BIRD GUIDE
HOLBŒLL GREBE
HORNED GREBE
AMERICAN EARED GREBE
LEAST OR ST. DOMINGO GREBE
PIED-BILLED GREBE
BLACK-THROATED LOON
RED-THROATED LOON
BLACK GUILLEMOT; SEA PIGEON
MURRE
RAZOR-BILLED AUK
GREAT AUK
DOVEKIE; SEA DOVE
POMARINE JAEGER
PARASITIC JAEGER
LONG-TAILED JAEGER
KITTIWAKE
GLAUCUS GULL
ICELAND GULL
KUMLIEN GULL
GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL
HERRING GULL
RING-BILLED GULL
LAUGHING GULL
FRANKLIN GULL
BONAPARTE GULL
ROSS GULL; WEDGE-TAILED GULL
SABINE GULL
GULL-BILLED TERN
CASPIAN TERN
ROYAL TERN
CABOT TERN
TRUDEAU TERN
FORSTER TERN
COMMON TERN
ARCTIC TERN
ROSEATE TERN
LEAST TERN
SOOTY TERN
BRIDLED TERN
BLACK TERN
NODDY
CORY SHEARWATER
AUDUBON SHEARWATER
GREATER SHEARWATER
SOOTY SHEARWATER
STORMY PETREL
WILSON PETREL
LEACH PETREL
BOOBY
GANNET
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT
MEXICAN CORMORANT
BROWN PELICAN
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER
HOODED MERGANSER
MALLARD
BLACK DUCK
FLORIDA DUCK
GADWALL
WIDGEON
BALDPATE; AMERICAN WIDGEON
GREEN-WINGED TEAL
BLUE-WINGED TEAL
CINNAMON TEAL
SHOVELLER
PINTAIL
WOOD DUCK
REDHEAD
CANVAS-BACK
AMERICAN SCAUP DUCK
LESSER SCAUP DUCK
RING-NECKED DUCK
BUFFLE-HEAD
AMERICAN GOLDEN-EYE
BARROW GOLDEN-EYE
OLD SQUAW; LONG-TAILED DUCK
HARLEQUIN DUCK
LABRADOR DUCK
NORTHERN EIDER
AMERICAN EIDER
KING EIDER
AMERICAN SCOTER
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER
SURF SCOTER
RUDDY DUCK
LESSER SNOW GOOSE
GREATER SNOW GOOSE
BLUE GOOSE
AMERICAN WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
CANADA GOOSE
BRANT
BLACK-BELLIED TREE DUCK
FULVOUS TREE DUCK
WHISTLING SWAN
SCARLET IBIS
GLOSSY IBIS
WHITE-FACED GLOSSY IBIS
LEAST BITTERN
CORY LEAST BITTERN
GREAT WHITE HERON
GREAT BLUE HERON
AMERICAN EGRET
SNOWY HERON
REDDISH EGRET
LOUISIANA HERON
LITTLE BLUE HERON
GREEN HERON
BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON
YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON
LITTLE BROWN CRANE
SANDHILL CRANE
CLAPPER RAIL
VIRGINIA RAIL
CAROLINA RAIL; SORA
YELLOW RAIL
BLACK RAIL
PURPLE GALLINULE
FLORIDA GALLINULE
AMERICAN COOT
NORTHERN PHALAROPE
WILSON PHALAROPE
BLACK-NECKED STILT
WILSON SNIPE
DOWITCHER
STILT SANDPIPER
KNOT
PURPLE SANDPIPER
PECTORAL SANDPIPER
WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER
BAIRD SANDPIPER
LEAST SANDPIPER
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER
RED-BACKED SANDPIPER
SANDERLING
MARBLED GODWIT
HUDSONIAN GODWIT
GREATER YELLOW-LEGS
LESSER YELLOW-LEGS
SOLITARY SANDPIPER
WILLET
BARTRAMIAN SANDPIPER
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER
SPOTTED SANDPIPER
LONG-BILLED CURLEW
HUDSONIAN CURLEW
ESKIMO CURLEW
AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER
KILLDEER
SEMIPALMATED PLOVER
PIPING PLOVER
SNOWY PLOVER
WILSON PLOVER
MOUNTAIN PLOVER
TURNSTONE
RUDDY TURNSTONE
AMERICAN OYSTER-CATCHER
MEXICAN JACANA
SCALED PARTRIDGE
GAMBEL PARTRIDGE
MEARNS OR MASSENA PARTRIDGE
DUSKY GROUSE
HUDSONIAN SPRUCE GROUSE
CANADA GROUSE; SPRUCE GROUSE
RUFFED GROUSE
WILLOW PTARMIGAN
ROCK PTARMIGAN
PRAIRIE HEN; PINNATED GROUSE
HEATH HEN
LESSER PRAIRIE HEN
PRAIRIE SHARP-TAILED GROUSE
SAGE GROUSE
RING-NECKED OR MONGOLIAN PHEASANT
MOURNING DOVE
WHITE-FRONTED DOVE
WHITE-WINGED DOVE
GROUND DOVE
INCA DOVE
BLACK VULTURE
WHITE-TAILED KITE
MISSISSIPPI KITE
EVERGLADE KITE
MARSH HAWK
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK
COOPER HAWK
AMERICAN GOSHAWK
HARRIS HAWK
RED-TAILED HAWK
RED-SHOULDERED HAWK
SENNETT WHITE-TAILED HAWK
SWAINSON HAWK
BROAD-WINGED HAWK
AMERICAN ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
FERRUGINOUS ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
GOLDEN EAGLE
BALD EAGLE
WHITE GRYFALCON
GRAY GYRFALCON
PRAIRIE FALCON
DUCK HAWK
PIGEON HAWK
RICHARDSON MERLIN
SPARROW HAWK
AUDUBON CARACARA
AMERICAN OSPREY; FISH HAWK
SHORT-EARED OWL
BARRED OWL
GREAT GRAY OWL
RICHARDSON OWL
SAW-WHET OWL; ACADIAN OWL.
SCREECH OWL
GREAT HORNED OWL
SNOWY OWL
AMERICAN HAWK OWL
BURROWING OWL
INDEX.
Transcriber’s Notes
