Color Key to North American Birds / with bibliographical appendix

by Frank M. Chapman

Family 28. SURF BIRDS AND TURNSTONES. Aphrizidæ.

Toes four, tarsus with transverse scales; bill short, rather hard.

Family 29. OYSTER-CATCHERS. Hæmatopodidæ.

Toes three, webbed at base; tarsus stout, with rounded scales; bill heavy, compressed, and said to be used for opening shells.

Family 30. JACANAS. Jacanidæ.

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.