SNOWY PLOVER 473 



' ' Its food on the coast consists largely of small Crustacea, mollusks, 

 eggs of marine animals, and insects, which it sometimes gleans from 

 ploughed fields. In the interior it feeds on locusts, other Orthoptera, 

 and many other terrestrial insects" (Forbush,, 1912, p. 353). 



The Semipalmated Plover is an unobtrusive member of the great 

 group of shore birds. It occurs in but limited numbers in California 

 and only or chiefly during the migrations, even then rarely away from 

 the ocean. In consequence, it is of indifferent value agriculturally. 

 Being of small size and not too good flavor, it seems hardly proper to 

 class it as a game species either. As it is. of little import economically, 

 we have left only its esthetic value : the scurrying crowds of plover, 

 advancing and retreating with the surf, constitute an agreeable 

 feature of the seashore scene. 



Snowy Plover 



Aegicditis nivosa Cassin 



Other names — Kentish Plover; Aegialitis alexandrina nivosa; Aegialitis 

 cantiana; Aegialites cantianus nivosus; Charadrius cantianus; Charadrius cantianus 

 nivosus, 



Descripton — Adult male, in spring and summer: Forehead, stripe over eye, 

 collar around hind neck, and whole chin, throat and foreneck, pure white; 

 narrow area from side of bill to eye, flecked with blackish; band across forepart 

 of crown between eyes, and ear region, abruptly black; top and back of head 

 clay color; bill blackish; iris dark brown; whole back, rump, middle upper 

 tail coverts, and outer surface of closed wing, drab, with faint feather tippings 

 of pale ashy; outermost upper tail coverts, white; tail blackish brown toward 

 tips of middle feathers, lighter, or drab, toward bases and on terminal por- 

 tions of next outer feathers, the outermost ones pure white; tips of inner 

 primary coverts, of greater coverts (more broadly), and middle portions of 

 secondaries, white, forming a bar on expanded wing; primaries blackish brown, 

 shafts chiefly white; margin and lining of wing, and axillars, white; under sur- 

 face of flight feathers silvery drab; whole under surface of body white, con- 

 tinuous with that of lower side of head; patch on each side of breast near bend 

 of folded wing, abruptly black; feet dusky. Adult female, in spring and 

 summer: Similar to adult male, but top and back of head drab like back, with little 

 or no clay color, and dark markings on head and sides of breast more restricted, less 

 intensely black, even brownish in color. Adults and immatures, ioth sexes, in fall 

 and winter: Like adults in summer, save that black or dark brown markings on 

 head and sides of breast are ashy brown, or drab, of same tone as upper sur- 

 face or but slightly darker; top of head in both sexes like back. Males: Total 

 length 6.00-7.40 inches (152-188 mm.) (ten specimens); folded wing 3.95-4.18 

 (100.3-106.0); bill along culmen 0.52-0.60 (13.2-15.3); tarsus 0.92-0.98 (23.4- 

 25.0) (ten specimens). Females: Total length 6.10-7.00 (155-178) (ten speci- 

 mens); folded wing 3.76-4.14 (95.5-105.3); bill' along culmen 0.52-0.58 (13.3- 

 14.8); tarsus 0.92-1.00 (23.5-25.5) (ten specimens); all from California. Juvenile 

 plumage: Like that of summer adult, save that black or brown markings are 

 replaced by drab, like whole upper surface; feathers of upper surface, including 



