Life Histories of North American Shore Birds, Part 1 (of 2)

PART I. Dover Publications, Inc.

DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC. NEW YORK

Published in Canada by General Publishing Company, Ltd., 30 Lesmill Road, Don Mills, Toronto, Ontario.

Published in the United Kingdom by Constable and Company, Ltd., 10 Orange Street, London WC 2.

This Dover edition, first published in 1962, is an unabridged and unaltered republication of the work originally published by the United States Government Printing Office. Part I was originally published in 1927 as Smithsonian Institution United States National Museum Bulletin 142; Part II was originally published in 1929 as Smithsonian Institution United States National Museum Bulletin 146.

International Standard Book Number: 0-486-20933-4

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 62-51562

Manufactured in the United States of America Dover Publications, Inc. 180 Varick Street New York, N. Y. 10014

ADVERTISEMENT

The scientific publications of the National Museum include two series, known, respectively, as Proceedings and Bulletin.

The Proceedings, begun in 1878, is intended primarily as a medium for the publication of original papers, based on the collections of the National Museum, that set forth newly acquired facts in biology, anthropology, and geology, with descriptions of new forms and revisions of limited groups. Copies of each paper, in pamphlet form, are distributed as published to libraries and scientific organizations and to specialists and others interested in the different subjects. The dates at which these separate papers are published are recorded in the table of contents of each of the volumes.

The Bulletin, the first of which was issued in 1875, consists of a series of separate publications comprising monographs of large zoological groups and other general systematic treatises (occasionally in several volumes), faunal works, reports of expeditions, catalogues of type-specimens, special collections, and other material of similar nature. The majority of the volumes are octavo in size, but a quarto size has been adopted in a few instances in which large plates were regarded as indispensable. In the Bulletin series appear volumes under the heading Contributions from the United States National Herbarium, in octavo form, published by the National Museum since 1902, which contain papers relating to the botanical collections of the Museum.

The present work forms No. 142 of the Bulletin series.

ALEXANDER WETMORE, Assistant Secretary, Smithsonian Institution.

WASHINGTON, D. C., November 15, 1927.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

Order Limicolae 1 Family Phalaropodidae 1 Phalaropus fulicarius 1 Red phalarope 1 Habits 1 Distribution 14 Lobipes lobatus 15 Northern phalarope 15 Habits 15 Distribution 26 Steganopus tricolor 28 Wilson phalarope 28 Habits 28 Distribution 35 Family Recurvirostridae 37 Recurvirostra americana 37 American avocet 37 Habits 37 Distribution 44 Himantopus mexicanus 47 Black-necked stilt 47 Habits 47 Distribution 53 Family Scolopacidae 54 Scolopax rusticola 54 European woodcock 54 Habits 54 Distribution 60 Rubicola minor 61 American woodcock 61 Habits 61 Distribution 75 Capella gallinago gallinago 78 European snipe 78 Habits 78 Distribution 81 Capella gallinago delicata 81 Wilson snipe 81 Habits 81 Distribution 94 Capella media 98 Great snipe 98 Habits 98 Distribution 101 Lymnocryptes minimus 101 Jack snipe 101 Habits 101 Distribution 105 Limnodromus griseus griseus 106 Eastern dowitcher 106 Habits 106 Distribution 113 Limnodromus griseus scolopaceus 115 Long-billed dowitcher 115 Habits 115 Distribution 121 Micropalama himantopus 122 Stilt sandpiper 122 Habits 122 Distribution 129 Calidris canutus rufus 131 American knot 131 Habits 131 Distribution 143 Calidris tenuirostris 145 Eastern Asiatic knot 145 Arquatella maritima 146 Purple sandpiper 146 Habits 146 Distribution 151 Arquatella ptilocnemis ptilocnemis 152 Pribilof sandpiper 152 Habits 152 Distribution 158 Arquatella ptilocnemis couesi 159 Aleutian sandpiper 159 Habits 159 Distribution 166 Pisobia acuminata 167 Sharp-tailed sandpiper 167 Habits 167 Distribution 169 Pisobia maculata 169 Pectoral sandpiper 169 Habits 169 Distribution 177 Pisobia fuscicollis 181 White-rumped sandpiper 181 Habits 181 Distribution 191 Pisobia bairdi 193 Baird sandpiper 193 Habits 193 Distribution 199 Pisobia minutilla 202 Least sandpiper 202 Habits 202 Distribution 209 Pisobia subminuta 213 Long-toed stint 213 Habits 213 Distribution 214 Pisobia ruficollis 215 Rufous-necked sandpiper 215 Habits 215 Distribution 217 Pelidna alpina alpina 217 Dunlin 217 Habits 217 Distribution 220 Pelidna alpina sakhalina 221 Red-backed sandpiper 221 Habits 221 Distribution 229 Erolia ferruginea 232 Curlew sandpiper 232 Habits 232 Distribution 236 Eurynorhynchus pygmeus 237 Spoonbill sandpiper 237 Habits 237 Distribution 243 Ereunetes pusillus 244 Semipalmated sandpiper 244 Habits 244 Distribution 252 Ereunetes mauri 255 Western sandpiper 255 Habits 255 Distribution 263 Crocethia alba 265 Sanderling 265 Habits 265 Distribution 274 Limosa fedoa 277 Marbled godwit 277 Habits 277 Distribution 287 Limosa lapponica baueri 289 Pacific godwit 289 Habits 289 Distribution 294 Limosa haemastica 295 Hudsonian godwit 295 Habits 295 Distribution 302 Limosa limosa limosa 304 Black-tailed godwit 304 Habits 304 Distribution 308 Glottis nebularia 309 Greenshank 309 Habits 309 Distribution 313 Totanus totanus 315 Redshank 315 Habits 315 Distribution 319 Totanus melanoleucus 321 Greater yellow-legs 321 Habits 321 Distribution 332 Totanus flavipes 336 Lesser yellow-legs 336 Habits 336 Distribution 346 References to bibliography 350 Explanation of plates 360 Index 415

INTRODUCTION

This is the seventh in a series of bulletins of the United States National Museum on the life histories of North American birds. Previous numbers have been issued as follows:

107. Life Histories of North American Diving Birds, August 1, 1919.

113. Life Histories of North American Gulls and Terns, August 27, 1921.

121. Life Histories of North American Petrels, Pelicans and their Allies, October 19, 1922.

126. Life Histories of North American Wild Fowl, May 25, 1923.

130. Life Histories of North American Wild Fowl, June 27, 1925.

135. Life Histories of North American Marsh Birds, "1926." (= March 11, 1927).

The same general plan has been followed, as explained in previous bulletins, and the same sources of information have been utilized.

The classification and nomenclature adopted by the American Ornithologists' Union, in its latest check list and its supplements, have been followed, mainly, with such few changes as, in the author's opinion, will be, or should be, made to bring the work up to date, and in line with recent advances in the science.

The main ranges are as accurately outlined as limited space will permit; the normal migrations are given in sufficient detail to indicate the usual movements of the species; no attempt has been made to give all records, for economy in space, and no pretense at complete perfection is claimed. Many published records, often repeated, have been investigated and discarded; many apparently doubtful records have been verified; some published records, impossible to either verify or disprove, have been accepted if the evidence seemed to warrant it.

The egg dates are the condensed results of a mass of records taken from the data in a large number of the best egg collections in the country, as well as from contributed field notes and from a few published sources. They indicate the dates on which eggs have been actually found in various parts of the country, showing the earliest and latest dates and the limits between which half the dates fall, the height of the season.

The plumages are described only in enough detail to enable the reader to trace the sequence of molts and plumages from birth to maturity and to recognize the birds in the different stages and at the different seasons. No attempt has been made to fully describe adult plumages; this has been already well done in the many manuals. The names of colors, when in quotation marks, are taken from Ridgway's Color Standards and Nomenclature (1912) and the terms used to describe the shapes of eggs are taken from his Nomenclature of Colors (1886 edition). The heavy-faced type in the measurements of eggs indicates the four extremes of measurements.

Many of those who contributed material for former volumes have rendered a similar service in this case. In addition to those whose contributions have been acknowledged previously, our thanks are due to the following new contributors: Photographs, notes, or data have been contributed by W. B. Alexander, Clark Blickensderfer, C. E. Chapman, Karl Christofferson, C. W. Colthrup, Walter Colvin, W. M. Congreve, Joseph Dixon, J. G. Gordon, S. A. Grimes, W. C. Herman, Frank Howland, W. I. Lyon, T. R. Miley, D. J. Nicholson, R. H. Rauch, Russell Richardson, jr., W. A. Smith, J. D. Soper, E. S. Thomas, M. B. Trautman, C. F. Walker, F. M. Weston, H. F. Witherby, A. H. Wood, jr., and C. J. Young.

Receipt of material from over 250 contributors has been acknowledged in previous volumes.

Through the courtesy of the Biological Survey, the services of Frederick C. Lincoln were secured to compile the distribution paragraphs. With the matchless reference files of the Biological Survey at his disposal and with some advice and help from Dr. Harry C. Oberholser, his many hours of careful and thorough work have produced results far more satisfactory than could have been attained by the author, who claims no credit and assumes no responsibility for this part of the work. The few minor changes made in the system do not materially alter the general plan.

Dr. Charles W. Townsend has written the life histories of two species and the Rev. Francis C. R. Jourdain, a well-known British authority, has contributed the life histories and the distributions of six Old World species, which are known to us only as rare stragglers. Mr. J. H. Riley has furnished descriptions and measurements of some rare eggs in the National Museum. We are indebted to Mr. H. F. Witherby for the loan of the valuable photographs of the knot, taken by Admiral Peary, which the author publishes at his own risk, without permission.

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