""^k 



86 AVOCETS AND STILTS 



FAMILY RECUR VIROSTRIDiE: AVOCETS AND 

 STILTS. 



KEY TO GENERA. 



1. Bill strongly curved upward toward end, hind toe present but minute ; 



front toes half webbed Recurvirostra, p. 86. 



1'. Bill scarcely or not at all curved upwards, hind toe wanting, only a 



small web between outer and middle toes . Himantopus, p. 80. 



GEIsTUS RECUKVIROSTRA. 



2'25. Recurvirostra americana Gmd. Avocet. 



Bill black, feet and leg-s bluish. Adults in summer plumage : head, neck, 



chest, and shoulders light 

 cinnamon, shading into 

 whitish around base of 

 ^ ,^'^— * ^ "^^^ bill ; under parts, rump, 



K ■^^^^^^^^____^^^^ ^^^ large patches on 



■fc ^^ ^ ^^^^^^^"^^^ wing white ; primaries, 



W^^Hf^^ base of wing, and half of 



^^r scapulars black. Adults 



^ ^°' in winter plumage : cinna- 



mon of head, neck, and chest replaced by grayish white. Young : like 

 winter adults, but quills and scapulars tipped with whitish, and back of 

 neck tinged with buffy. Length : 15.50-18.75, wing 8.50-9.00, bill 3.40- 

 3.65, tarsus 3.70-3.80. 



Distribution. — Temperate North America, breeding from Texas to 

 Saskatchewan ; south in winter to Guatemala and West Indies. Not com- 

 mon east of the plains. 



Nest. — In grass near water, made of grass stems. Eggs : 3 or 4, pale 

 olive or buffy, thickly spotted with varying shades of brown. 



Whether flying, walking, or swimming, the avocet is one of the 

 most conspicuous of our waders. Its long legs and neck, and strong 

 black and white markings distinguish it from all others even when 

 its turned-up bill is invisible. Its favorite haunts are the shores of 

 shallow alkaline lakes and ponds on the plains and in the western 

 valleys. Small flocks are often seen wading in water nearly up to 

 their feathers, rapidly picking up the small insects that gather on 

 the surface. When the water becomes too deep for wading they 

 swim freely, but do not usually go far from shore. They are seen 

 occasionally feeding in a marsh or irrigated meadow, and in July 

 I have found downy young hiding in the short grass just back from 

 the lake shore. Vernon Bailey. 



GENUS HIMANTOPUS. 

 226. Himantopus mexicanus {M'ulL). Black-necked Stilt. 



Bill black, feet and legs pinkish. Adult male : back of head and neck, 

 shoulders, and wings greenish black ; tail gray ; rest of plumage white, 

 breast tinged with dull pinkish in breeding plumage. Adult female : like 



