CHAPTER VI 



W^VDIXG BIEDS 



Flamingoes are tropical birds. Of the seven species in- 

 cluded in the order, only one reaches North America. Fla- 

 mingoes are gregarious throughout the year. Feeding in 

 shallow bays or mud flats, they are rarely found far from 

 the coast. They feed similar to ducks, having same strainer 

 nature of bill. 



Spoonbills are mostly tropical birds, only one species 

 inhabiting the United States, They are gregarious, nesting 

 in colonies. ^Vhile general habits resemble those of the 

 herons, they immerse their large, flat, sensitive bill and feed 

 by swinging it from side to side. 



Ibises are usuallj' tropical birds. Of thirty sjjecies, only 

 four are to be found in North America. These silent, gre- 

 garious birds feed along the shallow lagoons, bays, and mud 

 flats, usually of salt water. The peculiar bill is adapted to 

 taking and crushing crustaceans; it also eats frogs, small 

 fish, and reptiles. 



Herons and bitterns have a general distribution, though 

 they are most numerous in the tropics. Herons are grega- 

 rious; even when they feed singly they nest and roost in 

 flocks. Bitterns are usualh' found singly or in pairs. They 

 select grassy marshes for feeding, while herons prefer the 

 shores of sea, lake, or river. Protective attitude and color 

 of bitterns are marked. Some herons await their prey in 



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