120 THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 



Plover^ Ruddy. See Sanderling. 



Plover^ Semi-palmated^ or Ring-necked Plover. 



— Length, seven inches; extent, fourteen inches; bill, 

 half an inch, orange in color; above, grayish brown; fore- 

 head, ring around hind neck and entire under parts 

 white; a band across the crown, and one from the nostril 

 to the breast, as well as a conspicuous breast band, black; 

 wings and tail as in the preceding, but with less white. 

 The female is somewhat duller, and young as well as 

 winter adults are marked with gray instead of black. 

 While the darker back and complete band across the 

 breast serve to distinguish this bird from the Piping 

 Plover, it also differs in the webbing of the feet; in this 

 species the middle toe is connected with both the others 

 by a short web, while in the other only the outer and 

 middle toes are so joined. 



The nest is a depression in the sand lined with leaves. 

 The eggs are from two to four in number, of a drab color, 

 with black spots and blotches, and one and one-fourth by 

 one inch in size. 



They breed in the far north and spend the winter in 

 the West Indies and further south. They are very com- 

 mon in New Jersey along the coast between May 10 and 

 June 1, and again between July 19 and September 15. 



The birds are generally found in groups and look for 

 their food along sandy beaches, mud flats and marshes, 

 picking up small insects and shellfish; in the interior 

 they are found along ponds, lakes and the shores of 

 rivers. Their flesh, when not of a sedgy flavor owing to 

 too much seafood, is considered palatable. 



Plover, Upland. See Bartramian Sandpiper. 

 Poke. See Green Heron. 

 Quail. See Bob White. 

 Quabird. See Night Heron. 



