62 WATER BIRDS 



when, during nesting season, it adds much to the weird- 

 ness of the marsh music. The alarm call is something 

 between a croak and a whistle, but usually the retreat 

 is made with no sound but the soft flutter of wings as 

 the birds take refuge in the tall marsh grass. 



226. BLACK-NECKED STILT. — Himantopus mexicatws. 



Family : The Avocets and Stilts. 



Length: 14.50-15.00. 



Adult Male: Back of head and neck, upper back, and wings iridescent 



greenish black ; tail grayish ; forehead, throat, and under parts white ; 



white spots above and below each eye ; bill black ; feet and legs 



flesh-color. 

 Adult Female : Similar to male, except back, which is grayish brown. 

 Downy Young : Upper parts light grayish, mottled with dark ; large 



black patch on back and rump ; crown light grayish, with median 



line of black ; under parts white. 

 Geographical Distribution : United States, chiefly west of the Great Lakes ; 



south in winter to Brazil. 

 Breeding Range: From Southern States to Oregon. In California, breeds 



in Los Angeles County and in various localities in interior of State 



north to Sutter County, west of the Sierra Nevada ; east of the Sierra 



Nevada it breeds as far north as Rhett Lake. 

 Breeding Season : May 1 to June 16. 

 Nest: A shallow depression in ground ; lined with grass and occasionally 



rimmed with rootlets ; usually in grass on edge of lake. 

 Eggs: 3 to 4 ; light olive-brown, thickly and irregularly marked with 



purplish brown. Size 1.72 X 1.20. 



This bird with the extraordinarily long legs is rare 

 east of the Mississippi River, but throughout the West 

 it is abundant. It is a common summer visitant in 

 California, where it breeds in colonies. Formerly it was 

 found in numbers in Los Angeles County, but of late 

 years it seems to prefer more northern nesting grounds, 

 although a few pairs still breed there every year. It is 



