Color Key to North American Birds / with bibliographical appendix

by Frank M. Chapman

237. Pribilof Sandpiper (Arquatella ptilocnemis). L. 10. Ads. Similar to [No. 236] above but crown much lighter; breast with a black patch. Yng. Resemble adult above but breast grayish indistinctly streaked and with a pale buff band; belly white. Winter. Similar to yng. but slaty gray above. Range.—"Breeding in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, and migrating to coast of adjacent mainland south of Norton Sound." (A. O. U.) 243a. Red-backed Sandpiper (Pelidna alpina pacifica). L. 8; B. 1.5; slightly curved. Ads. Belly black; back chiefly rusty. Yng. Breast buffy, lightly streaked with dusky; belly white spotted with black; back black, rusty, and buff. Winter. Above brownish gray; below white; breast grayish, indistinctly streaked. Range.—North America; breeds in Arctic regions and winters from Gulf States and California to South America. 246. Semipalmated Sandpiper (Ereunetes pusillus). L. 6.3; B. .6 to .8. Toes webbed at base. Ads. Above brownish gray and black; little or no rusty; below white, breast indistinctly streaked. Yng. Above with rusty and whitish margins; below white, breast grayish no streaks. Winter. Above brownish gray with black shaft streaks; below white. Notes. weet-weet. Range.—Eastern North America; breeds in Arctic regions; winters from Gulf States to South America. 247. Western Sandpiper (Ereunetes occidentalis). Similar to preceding but bill longer .8 to 1.2; ads. more rusty above, breast streaks more distinct, and more numerous. Notes. Call, a soft weet-weet; song, uttered on the wing, "a rapid, uniform series of rather musical trills." (Nelson.) Range.—North America, chiefly west of Mississippi Valley; breeds in Arctic regions; winters from Gulf States to South America. 248. Sanderling (Calidris arenaria). L. 8. Three toes, tarsus scaled. Ads. Above rusty, black and grayish; below white, breast spotted with black and washed with rusty. Yng. Nape grayish, back black, feathers with two white or yellowish white terminal spots; below silky white. Winter. Above brownish gray with dusky shaft streaks; below silky white. Range.—"Nearly cosmopolitan, breeding in Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions, migrating, in America, south to Chili and Patagonia." (A. O. U.)

238. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Actodromas acuminata). L. 8.7. Tail feathers pointed. Ads. A white line over eye; breast buff streaked with blackish. Yng. Crown as in ad., back black and rusty; below white, breast buffy, no streaks. Winter. Back grayish brown streaked with blackish; below as in yng., but breast grayer and with indistinct streaks. Notes. A soft metallic pleep-pleep. (Nelson.) Range.—"Eastern Asia, and coast of Alaska, migrating south to Java and Australia." (A. O. U.) 239. Pectoral Sandpiper (Actodromas maculata). L. 9. Ads. Middle tail-feathers longest, pointed, blackish margined with rusty; above black and rusty; below white, breast thickly streaked; upper tail-coverts black. Yng. and in winter much the same. Notes. Call, a grating whistle; song, a hollow, resonant, musical tōō-ū, repeated eight times, made after filling æsophagus with air until it is puffed out to size of the body. (Nelson.) Range.—North America; breeds in Arctic regions; winters south of United States to South America; rare on Pacific coast. 240. White-rumped Sandpiper (Actodromas fuscicollis). L. 7.5. Longer upper tail-coverts white. Ads. Breast white, distinctly spotted or streaked. Yng. More rufous above; breast less distinctly streaked. Winter. Brownish gray above; similar to yng. below. Range.—Eastern North America; breeds in the interior north of Hudson Bay; winters south of United States to southern South America; rare on Pacific coast. 241. Baird Sandpiper (Actodromas bairdii). L. 7.5. No rusty in plumage. Ads. Longest upper tail-coverts blackish; breast buffy, faintly streaked. Yng. Similar, but back conspicuously margined with whitish. Winter. Above "buffy grayish brown," no white margins. Range.—Interior of North America; breeds in the Arctic regions and winters south of United States to southern South America. 242. Least Sandpiper (Actodromas minutilla). L. 6. Smartest of our Sandpipers. Ads. Above black, buff and rufous; below white breast lightly streaked. Yng. Similar, but breast less distinctly streaked. Winter. Above brownish gray, often streaked with black, below white. Notes. Peep-peep. Range.—North America; breeds from Sable Island and Magdalens northward; winters from Gulf States and California south to South America.

249. Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa). L. 18; B. 4; slightly recurved. Tail barred, cinnamon and black; under wing-coverts cinnamon with more or less fine black markings. Ads. Above black and ochraceous; below buffy white finely and uniformly barred with black. Yng. Similar, but with no or with but few bars below. Range.—North America; breeds in the interior from western Minnesota, rarely Iowa and Nebraska northward; winters south of United States to Central America and West Indies. 250. Pacific Godwit (Limosa lapponica baueri). L. 16. B. 3.7, slightly recurved, tail barred black and white; under wing-coverts black and white. Ads. "Head, neck and lower parts, plain cinnamon color." (Ridgw.) Winter. Above black, grayish and rusty, former prevailing; below white; throat streaked, elsewhere with irregular, black bars. Notes. "A loud ringing kû-we'w, repeated." Range.—"Shores and Islands of the Pacific Ocean, from New Zealand and Australia to Kamchatka and Alaska. On the American coast recorded south of Alaska only from La Paz, Lower California." (A. O. U.) 251. Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa hæmastica). L. 15; B. 3.2, slightly recurved. Under wing-coverts dusky; upper tail-coverts black and white; tail black at end, white at base. Ads. Above black, rusty and grayish, below chestnut-red barred with blackish and faintly tipped with white. Yng. Similar, but below buffy whitish, breast grayer. Winter. Similar below but above brownish gray. Range.—Eastern North America chiefly interior; breeds in Arctic Regions; winters south of United States to South America. 270. Black-bellied Plover (Squatarola squatarola). L. 11. Hind-toe present, small. Ads. Above black and white, no yellowish; below black. Yng. Above grayish brown spotted with white and some yellowish; below white. Winter. Similar to preceding but nearly uniform brownish above. Range.—Northern Hemisphere; breeds in Arctic Regions, winters in America from Florida to Brazil. 272. American Golden Plover (Charadrius dominicus). L. 10.5; W. 7. No hind-toe; axillars dusky. Ads. Above conspicuously spotted with yellow; below black, sides of breast white. Yng. Duller above, below grayish white with dusky marks and yellowish wash. Winter. Similar but no yellow below. Notes. Call, a plaintive too-lee-e; song, a marvelously harmonious succession of notes. (Nelson.) Range.—Western Hemisphere; breeds in Arctic Regions; winters from Florida to Patagonia, rare on Pacific coast. 272a. Pacific Golden Plover (C. d. fulvus). Similar to [No. 272] but wing shorter, 6.5; yellow richer. Range.—"Breeding from northern Asia to the Pribilof Islands and coast of Alaska, south in winter through China and India to Australia and Polynesia." (A. O. U.)

254. Greater Yellow-legs (Totanus melanoleucus). L. 14; B. 2.2. No rusty; upper tail-coverts mostly white; tail barred with black and white or gray. Ads. Above black margined with whitish; below white and black. Yng. Above grayish margined with whitish; below white, breast lightly streaked. Winter. Similar but white margins less conspicuous. Notes. A whistled wheu, wheu-wheu-wheu-wheu-wheu-wheu, wheu-wheu. Range.—North America; breeds from Minnesota, rarely northern Illinois, and Anticosti northward; winters from Gulf States and California to southern South America. 255. Yellow-legs (Totanus flavipes). L. 10.7; B. 1.4. Similar in color to preceding but smaller in size. Range.—North America; breeds rarely in upper Mississippi Valley but chiefly north of latitude 55°; winters from Gulf States to southern South America; rare on Pacific coast. 258. Willet (Symphemia semipalmata). L. 15; W. 8; B. 2.1. Primaries black with a broad white band; upper tail-coverts mostly white. Ads. Above brownish gray, black, and a little buff; below white heavily marked with black and slightly washed with buff. Yng. Above brownish gray margined with buffy; below white, breast lightly streaked with dusky. Winter. Similar, but above plain brownish gray. Notes. Song, pilly-will-willet, repeated. Range.—Eastern North America; breeds from Florida to southern New Jersey, later strays casually to Maine; winters from Gulf States to South America. 258a. Western Willet (S. s. inornata). Similar to [No. 258] but slightly larger. W. 8.5; B. 2.4. In summer above paler, less heavily marked with black both above and below. Yng. and Winter. Indistinguishable in color from [No. 258]. Range.—Western United States; breeds from Texas to Manitoba; winters from southern California and Gulf States southward. A rare migrant on Atlantic coast from South Carolina to Florida. 259. Wandering Tattler (Heteractitis incanus). L. 11. Tail-coverts plain slaty gray. Ads. Above plain slaty gray; below white barred with slaty gray. Yng. Above slaty gray more or less margined with whitish; breast and sides slaty gray; throat and belly white. Winter. Similar, but no white margins above. Range.—Pacific coast; breeds from British Columbia northward; winters south to Hawaiian Islands and Galapagos. 282. Surf Bird (Aphriza virgata). L. 10; B. 1. Upper tail-coverts and base of tail-feathers white. Ads. Above black, slaty, and rusty. Yng. Above slaty margined with whitish; breast barred slaty and whitish; belly white spotted with slaty. Winter. The same, but no whitish margins. Range.—"Pacific coast of America, from Alaska to Chili." (A. O. U.)

273. Killdeer (Oxyechus vociferus). L. 10.5. Rump and upper tail-coverts rusty. Ads. Above grayish brown and rusty; below white with two black rings. Notes. A noisy kildeē, kildeē. Range.—North America, north to Newfoundland, Manitoba and British Columbia; (rare on North Atlantic coast); breeds locally throughout its range; winters from Virginia, Lower Mississippi Valley and California south to South America. 274. Semipalmated Plover (Ægialitis semipalmata). L. 6.7. Web between bases of inner and middle toes. Ads. One black ring around neck; a white ring in front of it. Yng. Similar, but black parts brownish; back margined with whitish. Winter. Same as last but no whitish margins. Range.—Breeds from Labrador northward; winters from Gulf States to Brazil. 275. Ring Plover (Ægialitis hiaticula). L. 7.5. No webs between toes. Similar to [274] but larger, bill yellow at base, black or brown bands wider. Range.—"Northern parts of Old World and portions of Arctic America, breeding on the west shore of Cumberland Gulf." (A. O. U.) 277. Piping Plover (Ægialitis meloda). L. 7; B. short, .5. Very pale above. Ads. Above ashy, crown and sides of breast black; no rusty. Yng. Similar, but black replaced by ashy gray. Notes. A short plaintive, piping whistle, repeated. Range.—Eastern North America; breeds from Virginia to Newfoundland; winters from Florida southward. 277a. Belted Piping Plover (Æ. m. circumcincta). Similar to [No. 277] but black on sides of breast meeting to form a breast band. Range.—Mississippi Valley; breeds from northern Illinois and Nebraska north to Lake Winnipeg, east to Magdalen and Sable Islands; winters from Gulf southward; casual migrant on Atlantic coast. 278. Snowy Plover (Ægialitis nivosa). L. 6.5. No complete ring. Ads. Black on crown; ear-coverts and sides of breast black. Yng. The same, but no black; above margined with whitish. Winter. Same as last but no whitish margins. Range.—Western United States east to Texas and Kansas; breeds from Indian Territory and southern California northward; winters from Texas and southern California southward. 280. Wilson Plover (Ochthodromus wilsonius). L. 7.5; B. .8. No black on hindneck. Ad. ♂. One black breast-and crown-band; some rusty about head. Ad. ♀. Similar but black areas brownish gray. Yng. Same as last, but above margined with whitish. Winter. No whitish margins. Range.—Tropical and temperate America; breeds north to Virginia, Gulf States, and Lower California; winters southward to Brazil; casual north to Nova Scotia.