A REVIEW OF THE ORNITHOLOGY OF 

 MINNESOTA 



INTRODUCTION 



This attempt at a "Review of the Ornithology of Minnesota" 

 is the outgrowth of an original plan to prepare a simple Check-List 

 of the birds occurring in the state for the use of the classes in bird 

 study at the University of Minnesota. But when such a list had 

 been completed it seemed so inadequate that one addition after 

 another was made to it until the present paper was the result. As 

 there have been many requests of late years, with the rapidly 

 growing interest in bird study, for an up-to-date statement in 

 regard to Minnesota birds, it is hoped that in its present form this 

 analysis may serve to fill the wider field as well. For the most 

 part the matter is presented in simple and popular form as it is 

 intended primarily for the amateur and non- technical student. 

 Except in the List of Accidental and Rare Birds, common names 

 only are employed, those presented in the 1910 Check- List of the 

 American Ornithologists Union being always given first place, 

 though frequently there are included one or more additional names 

 when such are in current use or likely to be encountered in litera- 

 ture. The A. O. U. names are further distinguished by being 

 printed in a different type from the others. As a matter of fact, 

 these authorized Common Names are, at present, really more 

 satisfactory to the general student than the Scientific Names, as 

 many of the latter are undergoing constant changes in an effort 

 to arrive at a stable nomenclature that shall in the end be in 

 accord with all the requirements of the official Code. 



It may appear on first thought that the separation of the 

 species into several lists is a mistake and will cause bewilderment 

 and confusion. This plan has been adopted in the belief that it 

 will impress upon the student the exact status of each bird more 

 clearly than would the usual single list. Brevity and lack of 

 repetition in annotation are also secured by this arrangement. 

 The presence of an index will obviate the chief objection and make 

 it easy to locate in its assigned place any particular species. 



Subspecies or geographical varieties or forms have been rec- 

 ognized and included in this paper because they will be encountered 

 in the bird books that students must use. Very often the dis- 



