THE BIRD DEPARTMENT 



83 



those like the red-shouldered and red-tailed species, 

 which find their quarry while soaring high in the air 

 with their keen eyes fixed upon the ground. These have 

 broad, rounded wings, fanlike tails and rather heavy 

 bodies. Others, like the marsh hawk, beat back and forth 

 close to the ground, seldom if ever soaring, and these 

 have long, narrow wings and slender bodies. Still others 

 like the Cooper's and sharp-shinned species, remain 

 perched on some outpost awaiting the approach of their 

 quarry and then dart out after it, and these have short, 

 rounded wings for sudden bursts of speed. 



Another group of animal feeding birds are those which 

 feed upon fish, frogs or crayfish. Practically all have 

 long, pointed, javalin-like bills for spearing their prey, but 

 their various methods of catching the fish have brought 

 about modifications of their other structures. The 



A GREEN HERON NEAR ITS NEST 



The bill is like that of the kingfisher, but the legs and toes are modified 

 to assist it in stalking its prey through the shallow water. 



herons and cranes, which catch their fish by stalking 

 them in shallow water, have long, slender legs for wading 

 and long toes to distribute their weight and keep them 

 from sinking into the soft mud. The kingfishers, on the 

 other hand, which secure their fish by plunging from 

 above, have little use for their legs and these, following 

 nature's economy, have degenerated. The terns, like- 

 wise, with similar habits, have weak legs, although 

 webbed for swimming. The gulls, which have become 

 scavengers and no longer plunge for their food, have de- 

 veloped somewhat hooked bills for rending the flesh of 

 the larger dead fish upon which they feed. 



Another of the fish-eating birds and one that plunges 

 for its prey is the osprey, or fish hawk. This bird still 

 retains the sharp hooked bill characteristic of its family 

 and so, instead of spearing its fish as does the kingfisher, 

 it catches them in its strong, sharp talons which work 

 like a fish gaff. Furthermore the soles of its feet are 

 modified in having sharp, horny tubercles to cut through 



KINGFISHER WITH SMALL SUCKER 



The bill is an efficient spear, and the legs, being of little importance 

 in its method of fishing, have degenerated. 



the slime covering the fish and keep them from slipping 

 from its grasp. Others of the fish-eating birds, such as 

 the loons and grebes, are expert divers and pursue the 

 fish beneath the water. They have powerful legs with 

 strong webbed or lobed toes situated far back like the 

 propeller of a boat so that, although most graceful on the 

 water, they are extremely awkward and almost helpless 

 on land. 



The group of insect-eating birds is large and varied 

 for there are many kinds of insects and many ways of 

 securing them. Some insects live in the soft mud about 

 shores and marshes and for these the birds must probe ; 

 some live among the leaves and harder soil of the forest 

 floor, and for these the birds must scratch. Others live 

 in the trunks and branches of trees and in order to se- 

 cure them the birds must be proficient carpenters, sup- 

 plied chisels for gouging, and still others spend most 

 of their lives darting hither and thither in the sunlight 

 and these must be caught on the wing. Lastly, there are 



A LESSER YELLOWLEGS 



This bird is provided with a probe-like bill for finding its insect food in 

 the soft mud along shores. 



