140 YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES 



FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS OF BIRDS 



The character of the bill and feet of a bird often may serve as 

 a guide to its habits and an indication of its relationship to 

 other birds. for example, seed-eating species have short stout bills 

 that are used in cracking seeds, woodpeckers have long chisel- 

 like bills for drilling into wood, and owls have hooked beaks for 

 tearing apart animals they capture with their long curved talons. 

 Often all the members of a bird family have similar beak and foot 

 structure but this is not invariably true because the members of 

 a family may have become adapted to different modes of life. 



The illustrations (plates 2-4, figures 1-45) depict variation in beak and 

 foot structure. The families shown with the species representing them are 

 as follows: 



Grebes: Order Colymbiformes 



1. Grebes: Family Colymbidae — Western grebe 

 Pelican-like birds: Order Pelecaniformes 



2. Pelicans: Family Pelecanidae— White pelican (Foot as in figure 3) 



3. Cormorants: Family Phalacrocoracidae — Double-crested cormo- 



rant 

 Stork-like birds: Order Ciconiiformes 



4. Herons and Bitterns: Family Ardeidae — Green heron (note comb 



on middle toenail) 

 Goose-like birds: Order Anseriformes 



5. Ducks, Geese, and Swans: Family Anatidae — Buffle-head duck 

 Hawk-like birds: Order Falconiformes 



6. New- World Vultures: Family Cathartidae — Turkey vulture 



7. Kites, Hawks, and Eagles: Family Accipitridae — Red-tailed hawk 

 Fowl-like birds: Order Galliformes 



8. Quail and Pheasants: Family Phasianidae — Gambel's quail 

 Crane-like birds: Order Gruiformes 



9. Rails: Family Rallidae — American coot 

 Plover-like birds: Order Charadriiformes 



10. Plovers: Family Charadriidae — Killdeer 



11. Snipe, Sandpipers, etc.: Family Scolopacidae — Least sandpiper 



12. Avoccts and Stilts: Family Recurvirostridae — American avocet 



13. Phalaropes: Family Phalaropodidae — Northern phalarope 



14. Gulls and Terns: Family Laridae — Ring-billed gull (immature) 

 Pigeon-like birds: Order Columbiformes 



15. Pigeons and Doves: Family Columbidae — Mourning dove 



