Part 6

Nest.—In June they lay two grayish or creamy white eggs (1.15 × .85), mottled with pale brown, gray and lilac. These are deposited on the ground in woods.

Range.—East of the Plains, breeding from the Gulf to Manitoba and New Brunswick. Winters south of the United States.

POOR-WILL 418. Phalænoptilus nuttalli. 7½ inches

The female of this beautiful little Night-jar differs from the male only in having narrow buffy tips to the outer tail feathers instead of broad white ones. Like all the members of this family these birds are dusk fliers, remaining at rest on the ground in daylight. Their frosted gray plumage harmonizes so perfectly with their surroundings that it is almost impossible to see them. Their eggs are nearly immaculate, but usually show traces of the lavender blotches that mark others of the family. Their call is a mournful “poor-will-ee.” They are found from the Plains to the Pacific, but are not common east of the Rockies.

MERRILL PARAQUE 419. Nyctidromus albicollis merrilli. 13 inches

As usual with birds of this family, sexual difference in the plumage occurs chiefly on the tips of the outer tail feathers. These birds are common in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas. Their eggs differ from any of the preceding in having a salmon-colored ground.

NIGHTHAWK 420. Chordeiles virginianus. 10 inches

Male with white throat and white band across tail; female with rusty throat and no white on tail. Notice that the Nighthawk has a forked tail and white band across the wings, thus being readily distinguished at a distance from the Whip-poor-will.

Note.—A loud nasal “peent.”

Nest.—None, the two mottled gray and white eggs being laid on bare rocks in pastures, on the ground or underbrush, or on gravel roofs in cities; size 1.20 × .85.

Range.—United States east of the Plains, breeding from Florida to Labrador; winters south of United States. Three sub-species occur: 420a. Western Nighthawk (henryi), west of the Plains; 420b. Florida Nighthawk (chapmani); 420c. Sennett Nighthawk (sennetti), a pale race found on the Plains north to Saskatchewan.

TEXAN NIGHTHAWK 421. Chordeiles acutipennis texensis

This species is found in southern Texas and New Mexico. It differs from the last in having the primaries spotted with rusty, like those of the whip-poor-will.

CHIMNEY SWIFT 423. Chætura pelagica. 5½ inches

Unused chimneys of old dwellings make favorite roosting and nesting places for these smoke-colored birds. They originally dwelt in hollow trees until the advent of man furnished more convenient places, although we would scarcely consider the soot-lined brick surface as good as a clean hollow tree. Spines on the end of each tail feather enable them to hang to their upright walls, and to slowly hitch their way to the outer world. Throughout the day numbers of them are scouring the air for their fare of insects, but as night approaches, they return to the chimney.

Note.—A continuous and not unmusical twittering uttered while on the wing and also within the depths of the chimney.

Nest.—Made of small twigs or sticks glued to the sides of a chimney and each other by the bird’s saliva. The three to five white eggs are long and narrow (.75 × .50).

Range.—N. A. east to the Plains, breeding from Florida to Labrador; winters south of U. S.

WHITE-THROATED SWIFT 425. Aeronautes melanoleucus. 6½ inches

This beautiful swift is one of the most graceful of winged creatures. Its flight is extremely rapid and its evolutions remarkable. They nest in communities, thousands of them often congregating about the tops of inaccessible cliffs, in the crevices of which they make their homes. No bird has a more appropriate generic name than this species—“aeronautes,” meaning sailor of the air; he is a sailor of the air and a complete master of the art.

Note.—Loud, shrill twittering, uttered chiefly while on the wing.

Nest.—Placed at the end of burrows in earthy cliffs or as far back as possible between crevices in rocks; usually in inaccessible places and as high as possible from the ground. It is a saucer-shaped structure made of vegetable materials cemented together with saliva, and lined with feathers. The four white eggs measure .87 × .52.

Range.—From the eastern foothills of the Rockies to the Pacific; north to Montana and northern California.

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD 428. Archilochus colubris. 3½ inches

This little gem is the only one of the family found within the territory included in this book. Owners of flower gardens have the best opportunities to study these winged jewels, on their many trips to and fro for honey, or the insects that are also attracted thereby. With whirring wings, they remain suspended before a blossom, then—buzz—and they are examining the next, with bill lost within the sweet depths. Their temper is all out of proportion to their size, for they will dash at an intruder about their moss-covered home as though they would pierce him like a bullet. Their angry twitters and squeaks are amusing and surprising, as are their excitable actions.

Nest.—A most beautiful creation of plant fibres and cobwebs adorned with lichens and resembling a little tuft of moss upon the bough on which it is placed. In June two tiny white eggs are laid (.50 × .35).

Range.—N. A. east of the Rockies, breeding from the Gulf north to Labrador and Hudson Bay; winters south of U. S.

SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER 443. Muscivora forficata. 14½ inches