Color Key to North American Birds Part 29

[Ill.u.s.tration: 248.]

=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.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: 238.]

=238. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper= (_Actodromas ac.u.minata_). 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.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: 239.]

=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 _t-_, repeated eight times, made after filling aesophagus 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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 240.]

=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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 241.]

=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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 242.]

=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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 249.]

=249. Marbled G.o.dwit= (_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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 250.]

=250. Pacific G.o.dwit= (_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 _ku-we'w_, repeated."

Range.--"Sh.o.r.es 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.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: 251.]

=251. Hudsonian G.o.dwit= (_Limosa haemastica_). 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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 270.]

=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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 272.]

=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.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: 254.]

=254. Greater Yellow-legs= (_Tota.n.u.s 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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 255.]

=255. Yellow-legs= (_Tota.n.u.s 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 lat.i.tude 55; winters from Gulf States to southern South America; rare on Pacific coast.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 258.]

=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.