88 



Distinctions. Adult is distinctive. Juvenile may, at a hasty glance, resemble the 

 Bittern, but lacks any decided yellow tinge, and the plain simple colour pattern is very 

 different from the highly involved and finely vermiculated colour scheme of that bird. 



Field Marks. Size, general coloration lacking strong yellow of the Bittern; often 

 alights in trees, the Bittern never does so. 



Nesting. Often in communities with Great Blue Heron, nest usually of sticks in 

 trees, sometimes on the ground. 



Distribution. The Black-crowned Night Hercn is a bird of irregular and local distri- 

 bution. It is found in eastern Ontario, western Quebec, and Manitoba, in occasional 

 colonies. In Ontario, from Kingston west, it is scarce or exceedingly rare. 



SUBSPECIES. The Black-crowned Night Heron occurs in both eastern and western 

 hemispheres. The New World bird under the name of American Black-crowned Night 

 Heron N. n. ncevius is subspecifically distinct from that of the Old World. 



This is a rather heavily built Heron. Though not without some 

 beauty and grace it lacks the fine, slender lines of most of the Herons and 

 resembles the Bitterns in build. Its habits are a composite of those of 

 the Great Blue and the Green Heron. 



The Yellow-crowned Night Heron Nyctanassa violacea, also, occasion- 

 ally occurs in Canada, but is too rare to require more than passing mention. 

 The adult is, on the whole, a slate-grey bird, sharply streaked on the back 

 with black and has a conspicuously black and white head. The juvenile is so 

 like the Black-crowned that it is distinguished with difficulty, but its head 

 is darker than the back and there is no trace of rufous on the primaries, 

 which close inspection reveals on the young Black-crown. Juvenile Yellow- 

 crowns should be recorded in Canada only with caution. 



Economic Status. Its food is similar to that of the Green Heron and 

 its status is much the same. 



Order Paludicolae. Marsh Birds, Cranes, Rails, etc. 



General Description. This is a poorly defined order, including a number of families 

 of Waders that can be referred to neither the Herons nor the Shore Birds, but superficially 

 resemble both. They are birds having four long, well-developed toes, without webs, and 

 with legs adapted for wading. They are best defined by subfamily description. The 

 Canadian species are divided into two suborders: Grues, including Cranes, Courlans. 

 etc.; and Ralli. including Rails, Gallinules, and Coots. Of the Grues only the family, 

 Gruidce, Cranes, is represented in Canada. 



SUBORDER-GRUES. CRANES AND COURLANS. 



As the Courlan, family Aramidas, does not occur in Canada, we are 

 interested only in the one family, Gruidce Cranes. As far as Canada is 

 concerned, this suborder may be called the "Large Marsh Birds," a term, 

 however, which has no other warrant than that of convenience. 



FAMILY GRUID.E. CRANES. 



General Description. Large heron-like birds; dull, slaty blue with rusty overwash; 

 or pure white, with black primaries. All colours are in even, over-all tints and the birds 

 have no plumes or crests. 



Distinctions. Distinguished from the Herons by having the forehead and the space 

 about the eves bare, or with a sparse sprinkling of peculiarly modified hair-like feathers 

 and by the lack of pectinations on middle claw (See Figure 19, p. 21) ; bill is smaller pro- 

 portionally than that of Heron but more heavily built, in both material and shape (Com- 

 pare Figures 18 and 20, p. 21). 



Field Marks. Cranes fly with outstretched neck instead of with head drawn into 

 the shoulders as do the Herons, and contrary to the habits of Herons they commonly 

 feed in flocks on upland fields. 



