136 



BIRDS OF NORTH CAROLINA 



Genus Totanus (Bechst.) 



KEY TO SPECIES 



1. Length more than 12, wing over 7 inches. Greater Yellow-legs. 

 1. Length less than llj^, wing under 7. Yellow-legs. 



117. Totanus melanoleucus (Gmel). GREATER YELLOW-LEGS. 



Ads.^in summer. Upperparts black, head and neck streaked and back spotted or barred with 

 white or ashy; upper tail-coverts white, more or less barred with black; tail white or ashy, barred 

 with black; breast heavily spotted with black; sides barred with black; middle of belly white. 

 Ads. and Juv.in winter. Similar, but upperparts brownish gray, edged with whitish; sides of 

 scapulars, tertials, and wing-coverts with blackish and whitish spots; breast only lightly streaked 

 with blackish, and sides slightly barred. L., 14.00; W., 7.70; Tar., 2.40; B., 2.20. (Chap., Birds 

 of E. N. A.) J 



Range. Breeds north of the United States; winters from Georgia to Patagonia. 



Range in North Carolina. Common in the coastal region during the periods of migration; 

 also during^the spring migration inland, but not common. Occasional in winter. 



FIG. 98. GEEATEE YELLOW-LEGS. 



To the sportsman the Greater Yellow-legs or " Yellow-shanks " is one of the best 

 of the beach-birds. In habits it is not strictly maritime, being frequently found 

 in abundance around shallow bodies of fresh water. Long of leg, it prefers clear 

 water to mud, often seeking its food in water nearly up to the body line. 



It is a graceful, not particularly active bird when on the ground, and its wading 

 habits cause it to show slower movements when feeding than do the smaller related 

 species. It is on the wing that it appears at its best. The long, slender neck, legs, 

 and bill, the white underside and mottled black and gray upperparts, give it a trim, 

 handsome appearance, and the long, powerful wings drive it down wind in a manner 

 to call forth the gunner's greatest skill. The soft, clear whistle is characteristic, 

 and imitation of it from the shooter's blind will often bring the bird within range. 



Cairns records it from Buncombe County as a rare transient. At Raleigh it 

 occurs irregularly from March 22 to May 29. It is a common bird of the coastal 

 region during the migrations, reaching its greatest abundance in May. On May 15, 

 1911, the species was common on Lake Ellis. In the fall the southbound birds 



