112 BIRDS OF ALABAMA 



10 there, June 3, 1914. Occasional birds were seen on the 

 mainland near Bayou Labatre in May, 1911, and a pair on 

 Coffee Island, near Coden, November 20 and 23, 1915. Dr. 

 Avery records the capture of several specimens at C!ocke's 

 millpond, near Greensboro, several years prior to 1890.J 



General habits. — This large plover lives, in Alabama, chief- 

 ly about the sand bars and mud flats of the outer islands, 

 either in flocks by itself or associated with other species of 

 shorebirds. It is always a wild and suspicious bird and dif- 

 ficult to approach within shooting distance. Its call note is a 

 loud, far-reaching, mellow whistle of three syllables, the first 

 strongly accented. 



Food habits. — The food of this bird consists of marine in- 

 sects, small moUusks, crustaceans, worms, grasshoppers, and, 

 at certain seasons, berries. 



[GOLDEN PLOVER: Pluvialis dominica dominica (Muller).* 



The golden plover, formerly abundant but now very rare, probably 

 occurred in Alabama as a straggler in migration.] 



KILLDEE'R: Oxyechus vodferus vociferus (Linnaeus). 



State records. — The familiar "killdee" plover is the com- 

 monest and best known member of its family. It is generally 

 distributed in the State, in greater numbers in winter than in 

 summer. In the southern part of the State it is rare in sum- 

 mer and there are no records of its breeding. In February, 

 1912, it was fairly common in pastures near Mobile, but was 

 not at all numerous on the coast beaches, only 4 or 5 being 

 seen at Orange Beach in January, 1912, and December 8, 1915. 

 I saw a flock of 30 or more near Leighton, November 3, 19l5. 

 The bird has been observed, also, in winter and in spring at 

 Auburn, Piedmont, Dean, Uniontown, Autaugaville, Jackson, 

 Ashford, and Bayou Labatre. It breeds at Leighton, where 

 eggs have been found May 11 and 19 and June 2; also at 

 Greensboro (eggs, June 5). Several of the birds seen by 

 Holt at Elkmont, July 11 to 16, 1913, were probably breeders. 



General habits. — The killdeer is more an upland bird than 



tAvery, W. C, Amer. Field, vol. 84, p. 584, 1890. 



'Charadrius domiiucus dominicus of the A. O. U. Check-list; for change of name see 

 The Auk, vol. 37, p. 443, 1920. 



