14 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



in the water. In the aerial feeding habitat we notice such species as the 

 Nighthawk, Whippoorwill, swifts and swallows; and, to a certain degree, 

 the flycatchers, waxwings, the Red-headed woodpecker, warblers, kinglets, 

 and even many species of sparrows. Of our land birds, likewise, many 

 that are arboreal in nesting habits are eminently terrestrial in their feeding, 

 such as the crows, grackles, robins, and, to a certain extent, many species 

 which normally feed in trees or shrubbery, as they frequently alight upon 

 the ground to capture their prey; and others like the Bluebird and Red- 

 headed woodpecker which frequently take their food from the ground 

 although watching for it from more elevated stations. Many species 

 like the herons are arboreal in nesting habits but seek their food in the 

 marshes and streams and lake shores. Some species of ducks that feed 

 in the open water or in the marsh make their nests in hollow trees. Thus 

 the feeding habitat must be recognized in considering the landscape which 

 should be most advantageous to a species, as well as the breeding habitat 

 which is necessary for its increase. 



Likewise, the refuge habitat is of importance in this connection, for 

 many birds will not appear even in migration time unless their proper 

 refuge is at hand to protect them both from their enemies and from the 

 wind or rain or sunshine. Everyone has noticed that many species of 

 waterfowl which feed in the shallows or marshes make their refuge habitat 

 on the wide waters of lakes and bays, or even the ocean, and that birds 

 like the Blackbird, Robin and Swallow, that feed in the open field and 

 scatter widely during the nesting season, unite to seek a safe refuge for 

 roosting purposes, often congregating in immense numbers to pass the 

 night or to combine against their enemies. The importance of the refuge 

 habitat is more noticeable in the case of granivorous species than others, 

 for they necessarily seek their food largely in the fields, and yet most of 

 them do not roost or nest in the field, and, if disturbed while feeding, will 

 quickly seek the friendly shelter of shrubbery or dense foliage. This is 

 particularly noticeable in the case of sparrows and j uncos during the 

 migrating season. Scores of them may be feeding in the open field, but 



