440 



GAME BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA 



San Joaquin Valley during June (Gold- 

 man, 19086, p. 203; Lamb and Howell, 

 1913, p. 116; J. MailHard, 1904, p. 16) ; 

 there is but one definite nesting record for the 

 species in California: Butte Valley, Siskiyou 

 County (Peilner, 1865, p. 423), although birds 

 seen at Goose Lake, Modoc County, June 3, 

 1910, were probably nesting ("W. P. Taylor, 

 MS). 



Size is in itself usually sufficient to dis- 

 tinguish the Long-billed Curlew from other 

 shore birds occurring in California. In addi- 

 tion the very long, sickle-shaped bill (fig. 73) 

 and distinctly pinkish cinnamon coloration, 

 without conspicuous barring on under wing 

 coverts, the total lack of contrasting black and 

 white, and the startlingly shrill cur-lew', cur- 

 lew' call-note are useful in field identification. 

 The only species of waders occurring in Cali- 

 fornia with which the Long-billed ' Curlew 

 might be confused are the Hudsonian Curlew, 

 Marbled Godwit,. and "Black Curlew" 

 (White-faced Glossy Ibis), all birds of fairly 

 large size. From the first it is distinguished 

 by larger size, much longer bill (compare 

 fig. 74), pinkish rather than grayish colora- 

 tion, and unbarred under wing coverts. Prom 

 the Godwit it is separable by larger size, and 

 a distinctly down-curved instead of slightly 

 up-curved bill. Prom the Ibis it may be 

 known by its pinkish brown rather than black- 

 appearing coloration. 



Although in structure a typical shore bird, 

 the Long-billed Curlew seems to be eqiially 

 at home on the sandy ocean beach, the salt 

 or fresh water marsh, the inland meadow, or 

 the dry prairie of the interior. In any of 

 these habitats at the right season it is to be 

 met with in small flocks of from four or five 

 to a dozen or twenty individuals. Formerly, 

 before it had been extensively hunted for the 

 market, larger flocks were commonly met with 

 in the winter time, but these are of infrequent 

 occurrence nowadays. Beck (MS) records 



