LAND BIRDS. 655 



Family 64. MOTACILLID.E. Wagtails. 

 Represented in Michigan by a single species, the Titlark. 



299. Titlark. Anthus rubescens (Timstall). (697) 



Synonyms: Tipit, American Pipit, American Titlark, Prairie Titlark, Hudsonian 

 Wagtail. — Alauda rubescens, Tunstall, 1771. — Alauda pensilvanica, Lath., 1787. — Anthus 

 pensylvanicus, Thien., 1849, and many others. — Anthus ludovicianus, Licht., 1828, and 

 most subsequent authors until 1884. — Anthus pensilvanicus, Stejn., 1884, A. O. V. C'lieck- 

 list, 1886, and later authors. 



Plate LXIV. 



A slender, active antl inconspicuous little bird, commonly found in 

 scattered flocks on the ground in open wet places in spring and fall; brownish 

 gray above and creamy or l)uffy-white below, streaked with brownish 

 black on breast and sides, and with two outer pairs of tail-feathers showing 

 much white. The bill is slender like a warbler's, but the claw of the hind 

 too is longer than any Warbler's — as long at least as the toe itself. 



Distrilmtion. — North America at large, breeding in the highei' parts of 

 the Rocky Mountains and in sub-arctic districts, and wintering in the 

 Gulf States, Mexico and Central America. 



The Titlark is a common migrant, spring and fall, in most parts of the 

 state, but appears to be but little known to the average observer. Doubt- 

 less every snipe hunter and most duck hunters are perfectly familiar with 

 the bird itself without knowing its name. 



It arrives from the south earl}^ in May, the earliest record given l)y 

 Mr. Wood at Ann Arbor being May 4, 1893, and its period of gi-eatest 

 abundance in the spring is from that time until about May L5, when it 

 passes northward beyond our limits. It reappears in the fall about the 

 middle of September and remains until the ground freezes in November. 

 Mr. Swales states that near Detroit it sometimes appears in large flocks 

 in April and October, but is seldom noted later than November first. 

 A single specimen was killed on Spectacle Reef Light, Lake Huron, Sep- 

 tember 23, 1889. 



It confines itself to open country entirely, slu)\ving a marked preference 

 for wet fields and bogs, especially such as are frequentetl l)y Wilson's 

 Snipe. In autumn it is often seen, however, on comparatively dry plowed 

 ground as well as in upland pastures and stubble fields. T^sually it occui's 

 in scattered flocks, from a dozen to fifty individuals being distributed 

 over a space of a dozen acres, and when one is started several take flight, 

 but even when fifty are on the wing they never collect into a solid flock, 

 but fly in extended order. When feeding the birds run about rapidly 

 on the ground, very much like sandpipers, and tilt and flirt the tail much 

 like the water-thrushes and some shore birds. When flushed they lise 

 very quickly to a considerable height, mounting by great leai)s with their 

 powerful wings, and constantly utteiing their sharp double-.syllabled 

 call which gives the bird its name of " l^i])it." We do not I'ccall ever 

 seeing one alight, on a bush or \vvo and they schlom make use of a wire or 

 fence-post. 



The food appears to consist mainly of worms, insects and such other 



