Marsh Birds Near Chicago 



Marshes and the edges of ponds attract a host of breeding birds each year. In a 

 group representing this habitat we have a typical aggregation of breeding birds on the 

 shores of Fox Lake, in northern Illinois -a scene characteristic of much of the middle 

 west during May and June. 



Red-wing blackbirds are the most numerous and prominent of all marsh-dwellers 

 in the Chicago area. The species occurs commonly from coast to coast in summer. 

 Red-wings can be found where\er their nesting requirements are met by local condi- 

 tions. The sexes are easily distinguished, for the male is black, with brilliant scarlet 

 epaulets that are partly concealed when the bird is at rest, while the female is smaller, 

 brownish, and streaked. 



The size of the breeding colonies of red-wings is controlled largely by the size and 

 composition of the marsh and the extent of the vegetation suitable for supporting their 

 basket-like nests. Where cat-tails or marsh reeds are sparse, only a few pairs will be 

 found; at other places, hundreds of nests may he found in a few acres. Male red-wings 

 return to the north several weeks before the females. In the Chicago area the first 

 individuals appear early in March. Thereafter the sloughs and marshes become alive 

 with activity as the exuberant males sing and posture while estalDlishing their individ- 

 ual nesting territories. A related western species, the yellow-headed blackbird, also 

 occurs in the vicinity of Chicago. It, too, is a marsh bird, but it seeks larger, deeper 

 marshes and is much less numerous in this area. An adult male, and a female feed- 

 ing its young, are shown in the right foreground of the exhibit. 



Florida gallinules and several rails also nest commonly in marshes of the middle 

 west. Rails are among the most difficult of all birds to observe, since they are both 

 obscurely colored and furtive in habit. Ordinarily they skulk among the stems of rank, 

 water-side vegetation and are rarely seen, although the marsh may ring with their 

 calls. Two common species are shown in the exhibit. An adult \'irginia rail followed 

 by four newly hatched young may be seen crossing the mud flat near the center of the 

 case. As with most birds of related families, the young, dowTi-covered rails leave the 

 nest soon after hatching. A sora rail appears near the front of the exhibit. It is easily 

 distinguished from the \'irginia rail by its much shorter bill. 



Several other common marsh-dwellers may also be found in this exhibit. A female 

 least bittern crouches over its five eggs in a nest obscured by the thick vegetation at the 

 right. The more brightly colored male clings to a reed near-by. This species is among 

 the smallest of all herons. It is more elusive than most, however, and rarely leaves the 

 security of dense marsh vegetation except during migration. A bank swallow soars 

 over the pond in the center background, while overhead several black terns hover 

 above a nest placed on the mud flat. Unlike most terns, this species prefers small ponds 

 and marshy prairie-lands for nesting, often placing the eggs on floating logs or other 

 vegetation. In the exhibit a bird in \\hitc. sulj-adult plumage darts above the reeds. 



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