Part 5

The Yellow Rail (_Coturnicops noveboracensis_) is smaller than the Sora and is rich buffy yellow with dark, streaked upperparts. It is exceedingly rare, in fact, virtually unknown, save at Erie and in the marshes about Philadelphia, where it occurs chiefly as a migrant. Additional records are very desirable.

The tiny Black Rail (_Creciscus jamaicensis jamaicensis_) is about as large as an English Sparrow, and is dark brown, sprinkled with white above, with a red-brown mantle from nape down neck, and dark ashy gray below, with barred flanks and red eyes. The Black Rail has been noted but a few times in Pennsylvania. Additional records are very desirable.

FLORIDA GALLINULE _Gallinula chloropus cachinnans_ Bangs

Other Name.—Mud Hen.

Description.—Smaller than crow; bill of medium length; general appearance rail-like; sexes similar. _Adults_: Head, neck, upper back and underparts slaty gray, darker on crown and face; a row of white streaks along sides and indistinct bars of white on the belly; lower back and wings olive-brown, richest on scapulars and tail; under tail-coverts white laterally, black in middle; bill, with frontal shield, red, and yellow tip; feet greenish yellow, with red area on tibiæ just above heel; eyes red-brown. _Immature_: Similar but with underparts whitish, no red on legs, and bill brown, with small frontal shield. _Length_: 13½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A rather rare migrant during mid-spring and early fall; rare and local as a summer resident.

Nest.—A crude cup of dead cat-tail leaves, placed on the ground or above the water, among water-plants. _Eggs_: 3 to 10, buffy, finely spotted with brown.

The Florida Gallinule, while not often recorded in Pennsylvania, may be commoner than we suppose. Look for it in cat-tail marshes, along channels or little pools of open water. Its call-notes are rather chicken-like.

COOT _Fulica americana_ Gmelin

Other Name.—Mud Hen.

Description.—Size of a small duck; feet with wide, flat _lobes_, unique among American birds; sexes similar. _Adults_: Head and neck black, rest of plumage dark slaty gray, somewhat paler below, and sometimes irregularly barred with whitish on breast and belly; edge of wing, tips of secondaries, and lateral undertail coverts, white; bill whitish, with frontal shield and two small spots near tip mahogany-red; legs and feet greenish, somewhat paler on tibiæ and on lobes on toes. _Young_: Similar but with a brownish wash on back and lighter below; frontal shield noticeably smaller. _Length_: 15 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly regular and common migrant, especially on the lakes and larger waterways, from April 15 to May 15 and from September 15 to November 15; often found in company with ducks. Rare as a summer resident. It should be looked for along the shore of Lake Erie in summer.

Nest.—A crude cup made of cat-tail leaves, sometimes placed in a rather open situation, but arched over with grasses. _Eggs_: 7 to 15, pale buffy white, heavily and evenly sprinkled with small dark brown spots.

The Coot’s queer feet are distinctive. As the bird rises from the water, it patters along with these until it has sufficient momentum to rise. Nesting records for the Coot in Pennsylvania are desirable.

WOODCOCK _Rubicolor minor_ (Gmelin)

Other Names.—Wall-eyed Snipe; Bog Snipe.

Description.—Appearance snipe-like, with very long bill and large eyes in back of the head, but feet very short, more as in gallinaceous birds; sexes similar, the female larger; three outer primaries narrow and stiff. _Adults_: Back of crown black, crossed with buffy bars; upperparts dark brown and black, the feathers barred, margined, and speckled with buffy brown and gray; wing coverts buffy brown, barred with darker brown; underparts buffy, tending toward rufous; tips of tail-feathers gray above, silvery white underneath; eyes dark brown; bill and feet pinkish flesh color. Downy young buffy brown considerably marked with blackish. _Length_: 11 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A rather uncommon and somewhat irregular migrant and summer resident, coming sometimes as early as the first week of March and remaining until the middle of October. It is sometimes common during migration, particularly in the fall.

Nest.—A mere depression in the leaves, usually in more or less open woodland, sometimes concealed from above by brush or a bush or tree. _Eggs_: 3 or 4, buffy brown, spotted with darker brown.

In spring the Woodcock must be sought in some bushy swale, along the borders of a marsh, or near a small stream where the low banks are constantly moist and where brush and old logs give this retiring species a retreat. Here the nocturnal birds bore in the mud with their long bills, searching for food which they may grasp with the mobile tips of their mandibles. When disturbed they fly up rapidly, their wings whistling musically as they make off, somewhat erratically, through the undergrowth.

The spring courtship flight of the Woodcock is remarkable. On warm evenings the males _bleat_ in their favorite haunts, then, as darkness descends, mount on whistling wings higher and higher, until they are far above the earth. They then hurl themselves back and forth as they start pitching toward the earth, the while producing a twittering sound with their throats as they drop at considerable speed, to alight not far from the point at which they started. Courting Woodcocks will sometimes alight within a few feet of a quiet observer.

Because the incubating bird is quiet and her back so perfectly resembles the leaves and twigs near her, she is very difficult to see. She so implicitly believes that she cannot be seen that she is not often flushed from her nest; sometimes she will permit her back to be stroked or her whole body to be lifted from her eggs.

WILSON’S SNIPE _Capella gallinago delicata_ (Ord)

Other Names.—Jack Snipe; English Snipe (erroneous).

Description.—A little heavier than a Robin, but with short tail, very long bill, and moderately long feet; sexes similar. Upperparts black, plumage edged, barred, and variously marked with white, buffy, and grayish; a light line through middle of crown, another over eye; wings dark brown, outer edge of outer primary and tips of greater coverts, white; tail black, tipped with orange-buff and white, the outer feathers white, barred with black; throat and belly white; neck and breast buffy, indistinctly barred with dark brown; sides barred with black; under tail-coverts buffy, barred with black; bill greenish dusky; feet dull green; eyes, which are placed rather far back in the head, dark brown. The female is somewhat browner than the male; immature birds are sometimes quite brownish, especially in the region of the head and neck. _Length_: 11 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—As a migrant, rather regular and common, particularly in suitable marshes or along the margins of streams, from March 15 to May 20 and from September 15 to November 10; as a summer resident, local, known to nest at Pymatuning Swamp, Crawford County, and presumably in other northern counties where there are suitable marshes.

Nest.—A shallow cup made of dead stalks of various plants, placed on a small island or a water-soaked log, or in a low, moist, field, among the grass. _Eggs_: 4, olive-brown, spotted with rich dark brown, chiefly at the larger end.

The average bird student knows the Snipe as a bird which springs from a marshy spot with startled _scaip, scaip_ as it zigzags its way to a safe retreat, or mounts in the air to circle and return. At such a time the reddish brown band at the tip of the tail and the white belly, which flashes as the bird erratically turns, are good field-marks.

On its nesting-grounds the Snipe is a different creature. High overhead, in wide circles, the birds fly, giving forth strange windy hoots which they are said to produce by spreading widely the outermost feathers of the tail. When the performers come to earth they may perch on a wayside post, on a fence, or on a tree—an unheard-of feat for a Snipe at any other season. The male Snipe, and perhaps the female also, performs many queer antics during the nesting season.

The downy young, which leave their nests shortly after hatching, are beautiful creatures—dark brown and black with cream-colored and buffy spots and flecks which are arranged in a pattern which gives them a protective coloration. They are strong-legged creatures and can run rapidly and swim with ease as soon as they leave the nest.

The Dowitcher (_Limnodromus griseus griseus_), a shore-bird which resembles the Wilson’s Snipe, is a rare migrant. It is pale rufous, speckled with black below, and variously mottled above in summer; in winter it is brownish gray above, white below, with a few dark barrings; in all plumages the rump and upper tail-coverts and tail are noticeably barred with black and white. _Length_: 10½ inches.

The rare Stilt Sandpiper (_Micropalama himantopus_) has long _green_ legs, but otherwise looks rather like a Yellow-legs. In spring it has a red-brown patch on the face and heavily barred underparts; in the fall it is gray above, white below, with a few dusky spots on the breast. The upper tail-coverts in any plumage are white.

The Knot or Robin Snipe (_Calidris canutus rufus_), is a rare migrant also. It is dull rufous below in spring, and the upperparts are streaked and barred with black, white, and rufous. In winter it is gray above, with black and white barring on the upper tail-coverts; below it is white, with faint dark barring. The upperparts in winter have a scaly appearance as the result of light margins of the feathers. _Length_: 10½ inches.

PECTORAL SANDPIPER _Pisobia maculata_ (Vieillot)

Other Name.—Oxeye.

Description.—Smaller than Robin. _Adults in summer_: Upperparts black, the feathers margined with creamy buff, a distinct superciliary line of buffy white; rump and upper tail-coverts black, narrowly tipped with buffy; middle tail-feathers brownish gray, narrowly margined with white; underparts white, the neck and breast rather heavily but finely streaked with blackish and buffy brown. _Adults in winter and immature_: Similar, but the general appearance much more reddish brown. _Length_: 9 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Recorded chiefly at Erie; a rather rare and irregular migrant in spring from March 20 to May 15; somewhat more common and regular in midsummer and fall, occurring from late July to late October, though it is highly probable that individuals do not remain in one place during this period. As nesting duties in the north are completed, the immature birds and adults in fresh plumage come south in flocks.

The shore-birds are not, as a rule, common in Pennsylvania. There are not many extensive mud-flats where they may feed, and many of the streams have been polluted, destroying the animal food. Erie is such an admirable resting and feeding-ground for such birds that many of them stop there after their flight across Lake Erie, then strike out to the southward, _flying over_ most of Pennsylvania.

The White-rumped Sandpiper (_Pisobia fuscicollis_), which resembles the Pectoral Sandpiper but has a _distinctly white rump_, is a rare migrant, noted chiefly at Erie and in the Pymatuning Swamp region. The Baird’s Sandpiper (_Pisobia bairdi_) is rare, save at Erie, where it is a fairly regular and common fall migrant from late August to the end of September.

LEAST SANDPIPER _Pisobia minutilla_ (Vieillot)

Other Names.—Meadow Peep; Oxeye.

Description.—About as large as an English Sparrow. _Adults in spring_: Upperparts black, margined and tipped with buffy and reddish brown; rump and upper tail-coverts black; middle tail-feathers black, outer ones ashy gray; throat, superciliary, and narrow ring about eye, white; neck and breast buffy, streaked with dark brown; rest of underparts white, the sides with narrow streaks of dusky; bill blackish; _feet dull green. Adults and young in winter_: Upperparts brownish gray; breast pale brownish gray or grayish, indistinctly streaked. _Length_: 6 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—The Least Sandpiper occurs with some regularity both in spring and fall throughout the Commonwealth. It may be found at almost any wayside puddle or along the margins of streams from early May until about the end of the month and from mid-August to early October, and is particularly common at Erie.

The Least Sandpiper is noticeably smaller than the common Spotted Sandpiper and does not have that species’ habit of “tipping up” its tail. It is, however, very similar in general appearance to the Semipalmated Sandpiper, which may occur at the same time, but differs in having _green feet_, and (if the bird be in the hand) in having no _partial webs_ between the toes.

RED-BACKED SANDPIPER _Pelidna alpina pacifica_ Coues

Description.—About the size of a Spotted Sandpiper; bill slightly curved at tip. _Adults in spring_: Back and scapulars bright reddish brown, the feathers with dark centers; breast white, finely streaked with dark brown; _large black patch on middle of belly_; lower belly white. _Adults and young in winter_: Upperparts gray, wing-coverts gray, edged with buffy; underparts white, the breast grayish, the sides sometimes somewhat streaked. _Length_: 8 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant, rare in spring, fairly common in fall, especially at Erie, where it has been noted from mid-August to late October.

The gay spring plumage of this species is easily remembered. In the gray winter plumage it is not so easy to recognize, but its somewhat curved bill is diagnostic.

SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER _Ereunetes pusillus_ (Linnæus)

Description.—About as large as an English Sparrow; half-webs between the front toes, which are responsible for the bird’s name. _Adults in spring_: Upperparts dark brown, plumage margined with brownish gray and traces of reddish brown; rump grayish brown; upper tail-coverts blackish; tail gray, central feathers darkest; underparts white, with faint streaking on breast. Young birds in their first fall plumage have a somewhat scaly appearance above as a result of the buffy tips and borders of the feathers; their breasts are buffy, unstreaked; bill black; feet blackish. _Length_: A little over 6 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant, commoner in the fall than in the spring, and noted chiefly at Erie. It occurs during May and from late July or early August to late September.

The legs and feet of this species are black; in the Least Sandpiper they are greenish. The bill of this species is about straight; that of the Least Sandpiper is slightly decurved at the tip; in any age or plumage the Semipalmated Sandpiper may be recognized when in the hand by its partially webbed front toes.

SANDERLING _Crocethia alba_ (Pallas)

Description.—_Three toes_; a little smaller than Robin. _Adults in summer_: Head, back, lower throat, and sides of breast, rusty brown, the feathers edged with whitish and centered with black; wings with white area on basal half of inner flight-feathers; belly and narrow margins of tail-feathers white. _Adults in winter_: Gray above, white below, with white face and eye-ring. _Young in first winter plumage_: Whitish, streaked with black above; breast buffy; rest of underparts white. _Length_: 8 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—An abundant fall migrant at Erie from late July on; rare elsewhere.

GREATER YELLOW-LEGS _Totanus melanoleucus_ (Gmelin)

Other Name.—Yellow-legs Snipe.

Description.—Larger than Robin; legs very long and _yellow_; bill long, slender, and straight. _Adults_: Upperparts black; head and neck streaked with white; feathers of back spotted and barred with whitish; upper tail-coverts and tail white, barred with black; underparts white, breast spotted and sides barred with black. _Adults and young in winter_: Similar but with less striking markings both above and below; sides only slightly barred; bill and eyes black. _Length_: 14 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common migrant throughout, to be observed at small pools and larger bodies of water from mid-April until May and from early August to latter October; not often seen in flocks.

The Greater and Lesser Yellow-legs are much alike in appearance, this species being much the larger. Their loud, clear whistles and their habit of lifting their wings high above their backs as they alight are characteristic.

LESSER YELLOW-LEGS _Totanus flavipes_ (Gmelin)

Other Names.—Summer Yellow-legs; Yellow-legs.

Description.—Remarkably similar to the Greater Yellow-legs in all respects, even in habits, but noticeably smaller, even in the field. _Length_: Almost 11 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common and regular migrant, often commoner than the Greater Yellow-legs and more apt to be noted in small flocks. It is to be found from late April to mid-May and from early August to mid-October.

Look for the Yellow-legs along some mud-flat, preferably on an inland pool. The clear whistle may be imitated easily, and will sometimes lure the birds back after they have taken flight. Both the Greater and Lesser Yellow-legs jerk their bodies stiffly as they become uneasy.

SOLITARY SANDPIPER _Tringa solitaria solitaria_ Wilson

Description.—Smaller than Robin; flight swift and graceful; _wings in flight look black_. _Adults_: Upperparts dark olive-brown; head and neck streaked, and back finely spotted with white; middle tail-feathers dark, the others _white, barred with black_; underparts white, the breast streaked, the sides sometimes barred with black. In winter the birds are similar but are less streaked and spotted. _Length_: 8½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Common and regular migrant from early May until about the first of June and from mid-July to early October. It sometimes occurs in midsummer and may nest, though we have no actual records at present.

The Solitary Sandpiper is confused more easily with the Spotted Sandpiper than with any other species. It _jerks stiffly_ and does not bob constantly as does the Spotted when approached; the wings of the Solitary are dark, unmarked, while the Spotted Sandpiper’s wings have a band of white which shows plainly in flight; and the Solitary’s tail appears white in flight, while that of the Spotted is dark. Look for the Solitary Sandpiper at small pools in woodlands, or along the grassy margins of slow-moving streams or of ponds.

The Willet and Western Willet (_Catoptrophorus semipalmatus semipalmatus_ and _s. inornatus_) rarely occur. They are large gray shore-birds, much barred with blackish above and below in spring, plain gray above in winter, the wings always with large, noticeable white patches which show plainly in flight. _Length_: 15 inches.

BARTRAMIAN SANDPIPER; UPLAND PLOVER _Bartramia longicauda_ (Bechstein)

Other Names.—Field Plover; Prairie Whistler.

Description.—Larger than Robin; tail rather long and much pointed; upperparts rich buffy; the head and neck streaked and the back barred with black; primaries dark brown, the outermost barred with white; inner tail-feathers dark brown, the outer ones buffy, all tipped and edged with white, showing plainly in the field, and all more or less barred with black and marked with noticeable subterminal band of black; underparts whitish, the breast and sides washed with buffy and marked with black in the form of delicate bars, arrow-heads, and spots; legs and feet brownish yellow. Young birds are similar but the buffy coloration is richer. _Length_: 11½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A rather local summer resident, found only in wide, open fields, apparently rare in western Pennsylvania, save in Mercer and Crawford counties where it nests irregularly, but fairly common in southeastern Pennsylvania, where it inhabits the wide fields in the less mountainous districts from early April to mid-September.

Nest.—A depression in the ground, usually in the middle of a large, flat, upland field, not near water. _Eggs_: 4, buffy brown, spotted with dark or reddish brown. The eggs are surprisingly large for so small a bird, as is the case in all shore-birds.

The Upland Plover is a bird of wide pastures and grassy fields. It is difficult to approach, save at the nesting season, when it may come near so as to lead us away from its young; but its presence is announced by the high and musical whistle which has given the bird one of its popular names, “Prairie Whistler,” and which it utters from the ground, while in flight, or while perched on a fencepost, telegraph-pole, or tree.

The flight of this bird is singularly beautiful as, with wide wings beating through a comparatively short arc, it fairly quivers through the air. All its movements seem tremulous and graceful, and as it alights it lifts its wings gracefully, high above its back, and folds them carefully.

Its call-note, which is heard as the bird is disturbed, is a mellow, bubbling whistle, very musical, and with a quality of liquidity which few bird-notes possess.

The young birds run about shortly after hatching and are difficult to find. They never go to the margins of streams to hunt their food, as do other members of the family, and when autumn comes they mount to the sky and make their way to the prairies of Texas where they stop for a time while _en route_ to their winter home in Argentina.

If this magnificent bird is given careful protection, it may survive; but unless it is guarded in South America, as well as in its nesting-grounds, there is little hope for it.

SPOTTED SANDPIPER _Actitis macularia_ (Linnæus)

Other Names.—Tilt-up; Tip-up; Peep.

Description.—Larger than an English Sparrow, with long, narrow, pointed wings; upperparts brownish gray, with a faint greenish gloss, more or less barred with black; an indistinct superciliary line of white; face and underparts white, _spotted throughout with black_, the largest spots on the sides and flanks; wings like back, the bases of the primaries and secondaries whitish, showing in flight; inner tail-feathers dark like back, outer ones lighter, about white, but never appearing, even in flight, as white as in the Solitary Sandpiper. Immature birds are not spotted below, and the barring of the upperparts is restricted to the scapulars and wing-coverts; there is a slight buffy gray wash on the breast. _Length_: 7½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Common summer resident throughout from mid-April to late September. It is found along all small streams, sometimes even in the mountains and heavily wooded districts.

Nest.—On the ground, often near a stream, sometimes in a field, and made of dead weed-stalks, lined with finer materials. _Eggs_: 4, whitish to brownish buffy, irregularly and sometimes heavily spotted and blotched with reddish brown, usually about the larger end.