Hudsonian Curlew 129 



Distribution. — Breeding from British Columbia and Alberta south 

 to Arizona and Oklahoma, but chiefly in the prairie states ; wintering 

 in the Gulf States and south to Guatemala. It is rare and only a 

 migrant in the North Atlantic States. 



In Colorado this Curlew is a fairly common summer resident chiefly on 

 the prairie portion of the State though mounting up into the parks 

 to about 7,500 feet. It arrives from the south about the middle of 

 April ; Salida, April 29th (Frey), Loveland, April 10th to 15th (W. H. 

 Smith). It has been noticed in Baca co. (Warren), near Pueblo (Lowe), 

 Fremont co. (Aiken coll.), Boulder co., breeding (Gale), Middle and 

 South Parks, breeding (Carter), and is stated to be abundant near Fort 

 Lewis by Morrison, while Rockwell believes that it is rare in Mesa co., 

 whence he has only one record : Plateau Valley, 6,500 feet, in the spring 

 of 1905 ; Felger states that it is a common summer resident about 

 Barr Lake. 



Habits. — The Curlew is as often found on the dry upland 

 prairies as in marshy places near water ; its food consists 

 chiefly of worms, small mollusca, and insect larvae, 

 and it probes for these with its long bill where the ground 

 is soft enough. It has a loud whistling note, and if 

 disturbed on its breeding-grounds, its harsh cries of 

 alarm resound. 



Gale found nests on several occasions near Gold Hill. 

 He gives May 1st to 15th as the date for fresh eggs. The 

 nest is only a flight depression in a dry meadow bottom, 

 and is lined scantily with a few blades of grass. The eggs, 

 usually four in number, are rather ovate and not so 

 pyriform as those of other waders. They are buffy to 

 olive-drab, blotched and spotted with several shades 

 of brown, and average 2*85 x 1*85. 



Hudsonian Curlew. Numenius hudsonicus. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 265 — Colorado Records — Beckham 85, p. 143; 

 Thome 87, p. 264 ; Morrison 89, p. 181 ; Cooke 97, p. 07 ; Hersey & 

 Rockwell 09, p. 116. 



Description. — Resembling N. americanus, but decidedly smaller and 

 with a shorter bill ; top of the head more or less uniform blackish- 

 brown with a median and two lateral stripes of whitish ; general colour 



