BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA 
101 
Habitat .—Arctic and subarctic America, migrating south throughout tropical 
America, as far as Brazil and Peru. 
The Semipalmated Plover is a rather common migrant (especially in 
the fall) about the lake shore and bay, in Erie county, where small flocks 
often in company with Piping Plovers and the small sandpipers, are 
seen. The Ringneck, as it is called by some, also occurs more or less 
frequently, usually singly or in pairs, and sometimes in small flocks 
with other species, particularly during the fall migrations along the 
shores of our principal rivers. The Ring Plover arrives in the Erie 
region early in May, and after breeding north of the United States, 
returns again in August, and remains until late in September. This 
little plover can easily be recognized from the next by the extent of the 
web, which extends to the second joint between the outer and middle 
toes. This species, according to different writers, feeds on insects, 
worms, small Crustacea, mollusca and the eggs of fish and other marine 
animals. 
iEgialitis meloda (Ord.). 
Piping Plover. 
Description. 
“ About the size of HZ. semipalmata ; bill short; strong. 
“ Adult male. —Forehead, ring around back of neck, and entire under parts,white ; 
a band of black in front above the band of ^vhite ; band encircling the neck before 
and behind, but usually interrupted in the middle of breast, black, immediately 
below the ring of white on the neck behind. Head above and upper parts of body 
light brownish cinereous ; rump and upper tail-coverts lighter, and often white; 
quills dark brown, with a large portion of their inner webs and shafts white ; shorter 
primaries with a large portion of their outer w ebs white ; tail at base white, and with 
the outer feathers white ; middle feathers with a wide sub-terminal band of brow r n- 
ish-black, and tipped with white. Bill orange at base, tipped with black ; legs orange 
yellow. 
“ Female similar to male, but with the dark colors brighter and less in extent. 
“ Young. —No black band in front; collar around the back of the neck ashy-brown.’’ 
— B. B. and R. B. of N. A. 
Habitat. —Eastern province of North America, breeding from the coast of Virginia 
(at least formerly) northward ; in winter, West Indies. 
The Piping Plover, an abundant summer resident on the Atlantic 
coast of the United States, breeding, it is said, from the Carolinas north¬ 
ward to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, is found in the same localities in Penn¬ 
sylvania as its near relative, the Semipalmated Plover. During migra¬ 
tions the Piping Plover, so called because of rather soft, musical and 
plaintive note, is about as plentiful in the Lake Erie region as the Semi¬ 
palmated, but elsewhere in our state it appears to be quite a rare and 
irregular visitor. I have never met with this bird in any part of Penn¬ 
sylvania except at Erie bay. The late Judge Libhart found it in autumn 
along the Susquehanna, in Lancaster county, where it has, also, recently 
