PLOVERS 113 



it is a shore bird. It is comparatively rare along the coast 

 but is found generally throughout the interior, frequenting 

 wet meadows, pastures, the shores of ponds or lakes, and 

 cultivated fields. It is noisy, rather shy, easily alarmed, and 

 very persistent in scolding intruders. The nest is placed on 

 the ground, sometimes near water, though often in the bed 

 of a cotton- or corn-row in a cultivated field. Killdeers are 

 found in flocks during the greater part of the year, scatter- 

 ing out as they feed in pastures or ploughed fields. They 

 run swiftly and their flight is also strong and rapid. 



Food habits. — The food of the killdeer has been studied 

 by W. L. McAtee, of the Biological Survey, and found to con- 

 sist almost entirely of insects and other animal matter, in- 

 cluding such serious agricultural pests as the boll weevil, 

 alfalfa weevil, clover-root weevil, rice weevil, cotton leaf- 

 worm, grasshoppers, crickets, and many others, besides craw- 

 fish.f 



SEMIPALMATED PLOVER; RINGNECK: Cha/radrius 

 senivpalmatus (Bonaparte) .% 



State records. — The semipalmated plover, or "ringneck," as 

 it is usually called, occurs as a rather uncommon migrant in 

 spring and fall. I found about 4 birds on Dauphin Island, 

 May 19, 1911, and Peters noted several small flocks there, 

 June 1 to 5, 1914. Gutsell took a specimen at Bayou Labatre, 

 August 14, 1911, and observed small numbers there and on 

 Dauphin Island during the rest of that month. I saw 4 and 

 shot 2 on Coffee Island, near Coden, November 12, 1915. The 

 only record for the interior is furnished by F. W. McCormack, 

 who saw 5 and collected 1 at Leighton, September 4 and 5, 

 1892. 



General habits. — This little plover is a familiar inhabitant 

 of the coast beaches and mud flats, where it lives in small, 

 loose flocks. It is not particularly shy, but if approached too 

 closely, will run swiftly along the beach or take wing for a 

 short distance. Its call note is a mellow, plaintive whistle of 

 two syllables. 



tFarmers' Bull. 497, pp. 14-16, repr. 1917. 



iAeKialitiii semipalmata of the A. O. U. Check-list ; for change of name see The Auk, 

 vol. 37, p. 444, 1920. 



