SOME COMMON BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA 



367 



They are found in the warmer regions of the globe and feed 

 chiefly on fishes. The great blue heron (Fig. 242) is a large 

 species occurring in all parts of North America. It is about 

 four feet long and has an extent of wings of about six feet. 

 Its large flat nest is built of coarse sticks usually in the 

 top of a high tree; four to six greenish blue eggs are laid. 



Flamingoes. — The 

 flamingoes are gregarious 

 birds, congregating in 

 thousands on mud flats, 

 where they build their 

 conical mud nests. They 

 are rosy vermilion in gen- 

 eral color. One species 

 occurs in Florida. 



Cranes, Rails, and 

 Coots. — Cranes are large 

 birds with long legs and 

 neck. They live in grassy 

 plains and marshes. Rails 

 and coots are also marsh 

 inhabitants, but much 

 smaller. The coots are fre- 

 quently called mud hens, 

 and sometimes hell-divers, 

 because of their ability to 

 dive quickly. 



Shore Birds. — Plovers, snipes, and sandpipers are called 

 shore birds because they frequent the shores of ponds, lakes, and 

 streams, where they probe the soft mud for the small animals 

 that constitute their food. The killdeer (Fig. 220) is an inter- 

 esting species whose name resembles its loud call note. It 

 scratches a slight cavity in the ground near a stream or in a 

 neighboring field and lays four large, dark-spotted eggs. The 

 young can run about soon after hatching. The eggs, young, 



Fig. 246. — Nest and three eggs of the 

 great horned owl. (Photo, by Hegner.) 



