176 
CHARADRI I FORMES 
Nesting. Usually some slight eminence, such as an old muskrat house, in watery 
marsh in nest of waste vegetation. 
Distribution. North America. Nesting in Canada across the continent, north to the 
Mackenzie and throughout Cariboo District in British Columbia. 
The coot is a common bird on all our southern waters. In the autumn 
immense flocks gather on the lakes, often bedding out in the open water in 
black, raft-like masses. They are not generally regarded as desirable game 
birds and their large flocks have been blamed at times for exhausting the 
food for more valuable species. 
Economic Status. The coot is a vegetable feeder, but, owing to its 
habitat, cannot be of economic importance except as a second-rate object 
of sport. 
Order — Charadriiformes. Shore Birds, Gulls, Auks, etc. 
A rather composite order composed of many superficially diverse 
suborders. No popularly recognizable diagnosis of the order can be given 
and the members can be best recognized by the various suborders. These 
are: Charadrii the shore birds; Lari the skuas or jaegers, gulls, and terns; 
and Alcae the auks, murres, and puffins. 
SUBORDER— CHARADRII. SHORE BIRDS, SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, 
PLOVERS, ETC. 
General Description. Shore birds constitute an order comparatively easy to recog- 
nize but difficult to describe briefly. All snipe-like or plover-like birds are included in 
this order. They have moderately, to extremely, long, delicately formed legs for wading 
in shallow water and pond edges, and length of neck and bill to correspond. The toes 
may be either three or four in number, and are poorly adapted for perching. They may 
be without webs entirely (Figure 290, page 202), or with partial webs situated either at 
the bases of the toes (Figure 296, page 206), or forming scalloped or entire edgings to 
them (Figures 306 and 308, pages 212, 213). The hind toe when present is small, weak, 
and slightly elevated above the rest. The 
wings are long and pointed and the ter- 
tials next to the body are lengthened 
(Figure 250). 
Distinctions. Some shore birds show 
superficial resemblance to the rails, whereas 
others (curlews) in certain characteristics 
may be mistaken for either ibises or herons, 
but may be distinguished from them by 
the small and elevated, or absent, hind toe 
and the feathered lores in front of the eye. 
Field Marks. General outline, habit, habitat, and flight, characteristics which are 
usually quite diagnostic. 
Nesting. On the ground, except in one species. 
Distribution. The order, shore birds, is cosmopolitan and there are few areas in the 
world that some of its members do not occupy. The Old and New World forms of the 
northern hemisphere are closely related; some are identical, many are subspecifically 
related, and a few, such as the Turnstone, are found all over the world. Most of our 
northern species breed in the far north, some of them as far as land extends, though a few 
nest along, and across, our southern borders. 
The shore birds, in the days of their original abundance, were, in the 
east and south, favourite game; now, since their numbers have been so 
greatly reduced, they are seldom systematically hunted, and are shot 
only incidentally. Of the shore birds of Canada, the woodcock and Wilson’s 
Snipe are the most interesting game. 
