A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 1 of 3

The Snow Bunting is also an inhabitant, during the breeding-season, of the Arctic regions of Europe and Asia, and the islands of the Arctic Sea. Scoresby states that it resorts...

HABITS. The early history of the Cliff Swallow must always remain involved in some obscurity, so far as concerns its numbers and distribution before the first settlement of the...

The number of the young is from four to six, and there are often two broods in a season. As soon as the second brood can fly, or early in September, they all prepare to leave. T...

SP. CHAR. This species is four inches and three quarters in length; the upper parts a rich yellow-olive; front, cheeks, and chin yellow, also the sides of the neck; breast and b...

_Certhia pinus_, LINN. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 187. _Sylvia pinus_, LATH., VIEILL. (not of WILSON). _Helminthophaga pinus_, BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 254; Rev. 174.—SCLATER & SALVIN...

It reaches Massachusetts the first of May, and is most numerous about the 15th, when the larger proportion pass farther north. In Western Maine, Professor Verrill states it to b...

(No. 3,322, ♂, Liberty County, Georgia.) Bill (from nostril), .45; tarsus, .60; wing, 2.60; tail, 2.00. Superciliary stripe, anterior to eye, wholly bright yellow; yellow of chi...

Mr. John Burroughs, of Washington, was so fortunate as to obtain the nest and eggs of this Warbler near the head-waters of the Delaware River, in Roxbury, Delaware County, N. Y....

In a large series of _Juncos_ collected at Fort Whipple, Arizona, by Dr. Coues, are several specimens so decidedly intermediate between _J. oregonus_ and _J. caniceps_ as to sug...

The young bird in its first dress is also quite different, again, from the autumnal-plumaged birds. The upper parts are hoary-grayish, the lower white; each feather of the whole...

_Muscicapa noveboracensis_, GM. Syst. Nat. I 1788, 947 (_Green Flycatcher_, PENNANT, Arctic Zoöl. II, 389). _Vireo noveb._ BON. Obs. Wilson, 1825.—AUD.; CASSIN.—BAIRD, Birds N....

_Fringilla gambeli_, NUTT. Man. I, (2d ed.,) 1840, 556.—GAMBEL, Pr. A. N. Sc. Phila. I, 1843, 262 (California.) _Zonotrichia gambeli_, GAMBEL, J. A. N. Sc. 2d series, I, Dec. 18...

Dr. Coues states that this Finch begins to sing when mating, and is afterwards, during the incubating, particularly earnest and persevering about it. Each pair usually claims so...

SP. CHAR. Feathers of the upper parts brownish-rufous or chestnut-brown, margined narrowly and abruptly with ash-color; reddest on the lower part of the back and rump; the feath...

HABITS. Much yet remains to be learned as to the general habits, the nesting, and distribution during the breeding-season of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. It is found, at varying pe...

While a few of these birds are resident of the Northern States, they are, to a considerable extent, of migratory habits. Wilson observed them leaving in large numbers for the So...

Mexican specimens, found breeding in the Alpine regions as far south as Orizaba and Mirador, most resemble the western series; one, however (No. 38,120 ♂, Orizaba), but in the a...

Although the differences between the eastern and western House Wrens, as stated in the Birds of North America, are not very appreciable, yet a comparison of an extensive series...

Dr. Suckley, who found them quite abundant in the neighborhood of Fort Steilacoom, on the edge of the forest, and in swampy land, describes the song as a low, soft, sad, and liv...

De la Sagra states that this bird occasionally breeds in Cuba, young birds having been killed that had evidently been hatched there. The record of this Warbler, as presented by...

Mr. Xantus found a nest of this bird (S. I., 896) at Fort Tejon, California, in May. It is a very symmetrical and exactly circular nest, six inches wide and three in height. The...

In the summer of 1870 a pair built their nest in a dwarf pear-tree, within a few rods of my house. They were at first very shy and would not permit themselves to be seen at thei...

SP. CHAR. Crest moderate. General color soft vinaceous-cinnamon, deepest anteriorly, more olivaceous on back, scapulars and wing-coverts, passing into pure light ash on the rump...

Their eggs vary in length from .81 to .87 of an inch, and in breadth from .65 to .69. They have an oblong-oval shape, tapering to a point at one end and rounded at the other. Th...

The nest of this bird is usually, if not always, on the ground, but in various situations, as I have found them on a hillside, in the midst of low underbrush, in a swampy thicke...

HABITS. This species is one of the common birds of New England, and is probably abundant in certain localities throughout all the country east of the Rocky Mountains, as far to...

In its perfect plumage, this species has both rows of coverts distinctly tipped with white; but in the faded condition of midsummer, the bands thus produced are hardly discernib...

GEN. CHAR. Bill rather sylvicoline, compressed, with a distinct notch. Gonys ascending. Rictal bristles very short. Wings moderate, about three quarters of an inch longer than t...

There are three strongly marked geographical varieties of “Bewick’s Wren,” separable by quite constant characters. Of these the Mexican (_leucogaster_) and the typical form from...

_Parus carolinensis_, AUD. Orn. Biog. II, 1834, 474, pl. clx.—IB. Birds Am. II, 1841, 152, pl. cxxvii.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 392; Review, 81.—SCLATER, Catal. 1861, 13, no. 8...

The eggs, usually five, rarely six in number, are of a uniform bluish-white, sharply pointed at one and rounded at the other end. They measure from .65 to .67 of an inch in leng...

In size it is about equal to _P. coccinea_, which is now quite generally considered to be simply a large race of the common Bullfinch (_P. vulgaris_), and the habits of the Amer...

This variety inhabits the interior regions of North America, from the Yukon southward into Mexico; westward, its range meets that of the var. _lutescens_ at about the meridian o...

_Phyllomanes barbatulus_, CAB. Jour. III, 1855, 467 (Cuba).—GUNDLACH, Cab. Jour. 1861, 324 (Cuba).—IB. Repertorio, Cuba, 1865. _Vireosylvia barbatula_, BAIRD, Rev. Am. B. 1864,...

In the summer of 1851 our party, in their visit to one of the smaller Grand Menan Islands, was so fortunate as to meet with the nest of this bird. It was built in a decayed birc...

8. P. saira. Bill large, much swollen laterally, the culmen curved both terminally and basally. ♂. Above dark brownish-red, beneath deep scarlet, duller laterally. ♀. Bright oli...

Dr. Kirtland informs me that early in the winter of 1868 his grandson picked up a wing-broken male Red-Poll, and placed it in his greenhouse. It began at once to feed on crumbs...

A nest of this bird presented by Mr. Nuttall to Audubon was cylindrical in form, nine inches in length and three and a half in diameter. It was suspended from the fork of a smal...

Dr. Cooper’s observations in regard to this bird are a little different in some respects. He found it common everywhere west of the Sierra Nevada on dry plains and hillsides, am...

HABITS. The first specimen of this somewhat remarkable bird was shot by Captain Brotchie, at Fort George, Astoria, and presented to Mr. Townsend, and by the latter given to Mr....

SP. CHAR. (No. 1,017 ♀) Above olive-green, strongly glossed with ashy; the head and nape above more distinctly ashy, but without decided line of demarcation behind, and without...

Mr. Audubon found its nest placed deep among the branches of low fir-trees, supported by horizontal twigs, constructed of moss and lichens, and lined with fibrous roots and feat...

SP. CHAR. Bill yellowish, dark brown along the culmen. _Male._ Crown, a short stripe behind the eye, and a short crescent behind the ear-coverts, entire breast as far back as th...

These eggs have an average length of .69 of an inch and a breadth of .56 of an inch. They have an oblong-oval shape, a crystalline-white ground, and the entire surface is sprink...

While the group is very well represented in the Old World, America has but one peculiar genus _Sialia_, and another _Saxicola_, represented by a single species, a straggler, per...

In this instance the parents showed much uneasiness at the approach of intruders, moving about among the twigs, snapping their bills, and uttering a plaintive note. In Newfoundl...

A warm climate, a low country, and the vicinity of the sea appear to be most congenial to their nature. Wilson found them less numerous west of the Alleghany than on the eastern...

_Motacilla coronata_, LINN. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 333. _Sylvia coronata_, LATH.; VIEILLOT; WILS.; NUTT.; AUD. Orn. Biog. II, pl. cliii. _Sylvicola coronata_, SWAINS.; BON.; AUD. B...

HAB. (Var. _vespertina_.) Pacific coast to Rocky Mountains; Northern America east to Lake Superior. (Var. _montana_.) Southern Rocky Mountains of United States into Mexico; Oriz...

_Cistothorus palustris_, var. _paludicola_, BAIRD, Rev. Am. B. 1864, 148. _Troglodytes palustris_, NEWB. P. R. Rep. VI, IV, 1857, 80 (Pacific region). _Cistothorus palustris_, C...

SP. CHAR. Tail-feathers rather acute. Above light yellowish-brown; the feathers everywhere streaked abruptly with dark brown, even on the sides of the neck, which are paler. Ben...

1. P. montanus. Edges of wing-coverts, secondaries, and tail scarcely paler than general tint above. Beneath ashy-whitish, medially. Wing, 2.85; tail, 2.50; bill (along culmen),...

Two nests of this interesting species were also obtained near Camp Grant, Arizona, in 1867, by Dr. E. Palmer. They are wrought like all the nests of this kind, below the small f...

In severe winters Mr. Audubon has met with the Pine Finch as far south as Henderson, Ky., and Charleston, S. C., but such visits were always brief. In August, 1832, he met with...

_Motacilla vermivora_, GMEL. Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 951. ? _Sylvia vermivora_, LATH. Ind. Orn. II, 1790, 499.—WILS. III, pl. xxiv, fig. 4.—AUD. Orn. Biog. I, pl. xxxiv. _Sylvicola...

Dr. Cooper, in his Report on the birds of California, further states that this Swallow, in summer, is found throughout the lower portions of that State. He saw them at Fort Moja...

Point of wing formed by four outer primaries, of which the fourth sometimes a little shorter than the third. Hind toe and claw as long as middle, shorter than tarsus, the claw a...

Coturniculus. Bill short; thick. Tertials almost equal to the primaries; truncate at the end. Claws small, weak; hinder one shorter than its digit. Outstretched feet not reachin...

Bill stout, the culmen and gonys very convex; wings pointed, the quills emarginated and hard at ends. Tail even, the feathers hard. Color ashy above; rump and beneath white. Hea...

_Fringilla frontalis_, SAY, Long’s Exp. II, 1824, 40.—(?) AUD. Orn. Biog. V, 1839, 230, pl. ccccxxiv. _Pyrrhula f._ BONAP. Am. Orn. I, 1825, 49, pl. vi. _Erythrospiza f._ BON. L...

A nest of the Northern Shrike, containing six eggs, was obtained by R. R. McFarlane, at Anderson River Fort, June 11, 1863. This is in many respects in striking contrast with th...

HAB. Eastern Province United States, north to about 40°, though occasionally straying as far as Nova Scotia; west to borders of the plains. In winter, south through the whole of...

The nest is very bulky, composed externally of rough sticks, principally the thorny twigs of the various “sage bush” plants. Nearer the centre the principal material is fine str...

Mr. Audubon, on his way to Labrador in 1833, found these birds quite common, in May, among the islands of the Bay of Fundy, evidently migrating, on their way to more northern re...

This Wren was first discovered by Mr. Say near the Arkansas River, inhabiting a sterile district devoid of trees, hopping along the ground or flitting through the low, stunted j...

Mr. J. K. Lord states that he met with a flock of these rare and beautiful birds on the summit of the Cascade Mountains. It was late in October, and he observed a flock of nine...

Mr. Nuttall met with this species in the early part of June, northwest of Laramie Fork. The female uttered a low complaint when her nest was approached. This was constructed in...

HABITS. The Western Savanna Sparrow was found throughout the Great Basin, by Mr. Ridgway, in all wet, grassy situations, in which preference it is like its eastern relative. It...

_b._ Edge of wing smooth. Tarsus longer than in last; equal to middle toe and half the claw. Nostrils bordered along posterior half by membrane, but not overhung internally. Bil...

If any of these characters do not display properly—in particular, if the diacritic does not appear directly above the letter—or if the apostrophes and quotation marks in this pa...

12. D. pennsylvanica. ♂. Crown pure yellow; throat and auriculars pure white; ♀ _ad._ similar, but crown greenish, and more or less streaked. _Juv._ Above bright olive-green, ne...

HABITS. Bell’s Finch has apparently a more restricted distribution than the Black-throated species, and is resident wherever found. It has been met with at Posa Creek, Cal., by...

This genus is one of those especially characterizing the West Indies, almost every island as far as known having its peculiar species, differing, it is true, in very slight char...

These birds are confiding, easily approached, and rarely exhibit any signs of alarm. Even when their nest is disturbed they make but little complaint, and do not manifest any ve...

Of the three families, the _Turdidæ_ contain a great variety of forms, and exhibit widely different characters, rendering it exceedingly difficult to arrange them in any systema...

B. PICARIÆ.[10] Hallux inconsiderable, weak or wanting, not always incumbent, not separately movable by distinction of a special muscle, its claw not longer than that of the mid...

Base of bill with two tufts of bristly feathers, ending in simple filaments without lateral branches, its tip mostly unnotched. Basal joint of middle toe united nearly all its l...

Quiscalinæ, II. 147, 202. Quiscalus, II. 202, 212. æneus, II. 213, 218. ænius, II. 218. aglæus, II. 213, 221. assimilis, II. 214. baritus, II. 213, 221. brachypterus, II. 213. b...

Macrocercus pachyrhynchus, II. 586. Megaceryle alcyon, II. 392. Megapicus, II. 494. Megaquiscalus, II. 214. Megascops, III. 47. Melampicus, II. 559. Melanerpes, II. 553, 559. al...

Dædalion, III. 220, 236. nitidum, III. 245. Dædalium, III. 220, 236. Dendragapus, III. 421. obscurus, III. 422. richardsoni, III. 427. Dendrochelidon, II. 422. Dendrocopus princ...

Aburria, III. 397. Acanthis, I. 491. canescens, I. 498. holbölli, I. 493. Acanthylis, II. 431. pelagica, II. 432. vauxi, II. 435. Accipiter, III. 220, 222. æsalon, III. 142. ard...

Tachycineta bicolor, ♂ I. 344, pl. 16, “ 8 thalassina, ♂ “ 347, “ “ 11 Thaumatias linnæi, II. 468. Thryothorus berlandieri, I. 144, pl. 9, “ 2 bewicki, ♂ “ 145, “ “ 3 “ “ “ “ “...

[79] _Bombycilla phœnicopterum_, TEMM. Pl. Col. II, 1838; pl. 450. The _A. phœnicopterum_ is stated by Temminck to have the nasal setæ so short as to leave the nostrils exposed,...

Galeoscoptes carolinensis, I. 52, pl. 3, “ 5 Geococcyx californianus, ♂ II. 492, pl. 48, “ 1 Geothlypis macgillivrayi, ♂ I. 303, pl. 15, “ 4 “ ♀ “ “ “ “ 5 philadelphia, ♂ “ 301,...

In the discussion of the Florida Greenlet, the author used a ‘y’ with a breve above it to describe the song sound. As this character is not easily reproduced in UTF-8, a macron...