KEY TO THE ORDERS OF BIRDS xv 



Coccyges. 



Bill not strongly hooked and without a cere, but rather long and 

 somewhat hooked, and tail feathers not stiff or pointed. 



With 3 toes in front and 1 behind. 

 Steganopodes — Pelicans. Cormorants, and their allies. 

 All 4 toes connected by a web. 



Only front toes fully webbed. 

 TuBiNARES — Petrels and Shearwaters. 



With tubular nostrils. 

 Anseres — Ducks and Geese. 



Nostrils not tubular, and edges of bill more or less fringed or saw-like. 

 Pygopodes — Loons. 



Like Anseres but edges of bill not fringed, tail short, and legs 



placed far back. 

 LoNGiPENNEs — Gulls and Terns. 



Like Anseres but edges of bill not fringed, tail long, and legs placed 



near the middle of body. 



Front toes not fully webbed. 

 OcoNTOGLOSSiE — Flamingoes. 



Bill bent abruptly downward at its middle; neck and legs long. 

 CoLUMB^ — Pigeons. 



Bill not bent abruptly downward at its middle, the upper mandible 



with a soft cere, bill slightly if at all hooked; legs short. 

 Raptores — Hawks and Owls. 



Upper mandible with cere at base not soft, bill strongly hooked. 

 Pygopodes — Grebes. 



Upper mandible without naked skin (cere) at base; tail absent or 



practically so; toes with lobes, or flaps. 

 Herodiones — Herons. 



Tail well developed, lower part of thighs naked, or bill long and 



grooved on each side; outer toe separate from the middle toe for 



its whole length; space around the eye and between the eye and the 



bill not feathered; neck and legs long. 

 Paludicoli: — Cranes, Rails, an " Gallinules. 



Like Herodiones but space around the eye and between the eye and 



the bill feathered; hind toe on the same level as the front toes, or 



else bird over 3 feet long. 

 LiMicoL^ — Shore Birds. 



Like Paludicolce but hind toe short and inserted above the level of 



the front toes, or else bird not over 3 feet long, 

 Gallin^e — Gallinaceous Birds. 



Lower portion of thighs feathered, or else the outer toe united to the 



middle toe for half its length ; bill, if long, not grooved on the side ; 



the hind toe elevated, or else the longest wing quill not twice as long 



as the secondaries. 

 Coccyges — Cuckoos. 



Hind toe inserted on the same level as the front toes, and the outer 



toe united to the middle toe for half its length. 

 Macrochires — Goatsuckers, Swifts, and Hummingbirds. 



The outer toe not united to the middle toe for half its length; tail 



feathers, 10. 

 Passeres — Perching Birds. 



Similar to Macrochires but with 12 tail feathers. 



