104 
PLOVERS 
neck; forehead, collar, and under parts white; 
front of crown black; rump and sides of tail bright 
ochraceous yellow; rest of upper parts dull olive 
brown. Young: similar to adults but duller, with 
much rusty on back. Length: 10.00-11.25, wing 
6.20-6.75, bill .70-.90, tarsus 1.40-1.55. 
Distribution. — Whole of temperate North Amer¬ 
ica, breeding throughout its range, wintering from 
California and the Gulf coast of the United 
States and West Indies south to northern South 
America. 
Nest. — A slight depression in bare ground. Eggs: 4, dull buffy, 
spotted with dark brown and black. 
The killdeer is everywhere too common to need description, and 
even its name, dinned in our ears from morning till night from 
roadside puddles, barnyard, and meadow in the shrill kill-dee , kill- 
dee', kill-dee', kill-dee, becomes almosttiresomely familiar. Vocifer¬ 
ous at all times, the plover becomes doubly so when the little downy 
striped young are trotting about in the short grass. Then the cries 
and frantic endeavors of the old birds to lead the intruder another 
way by running ahead, limping, falling over, fluttering the spread 
wings and tail, and uttering low notes of pain, would be ludicrous 
if not done in tragic earnest. Vernon Bailey. 
Subgenus ^Egialitis. 
274. JEgialitis semipalmata Bonap. Semipalmated Plover. 
Size small; distinct basal webs between front toes; bill very small and 
short, less than middle toe without claw, the basal half yellow in adults. 
Adults in summer: throat encircled by a black collar, 
bordered above on back of neck with a white band; 
face black, with a white bar across forehead ; upper 
parts brownish gray, under parts white. Adults in 
winter: black of summer plumage replaced by dark 
gray. Young: like winter adults, but with feathers 
of upper parts edged with buffy. Length: 6.50-7.50, 
wing 4.65-5.00, bill .48-55, tarsus .95-1.05. 
Distribution. — In North America, breeding far 
north, wintering from Texas to Brazil, Peru, and the 
Galapagos Islands. 
Nest. — A depression in the ground, sometimes lined with grass and 
leaves. Eggs: 4, dull buffy or olive buff, spotted with dark brown and 
black. 
“This species is quite common in suitable localities throughout 
the continent. They are often met with upon low, marshy ground, 
but seem to prefer the sandy shores to barren lands.” (Goss.) 
277a. iEgialitis meloda circumcincta Ridgw. Belted Pip¬ 
ing Plover. 
Middle and inner toes without basal web. Adult male in summer : upper 
parts buffy gray, a black bar across chest and one across front of crown ; 
Fig. 121. 
Fig. 120. Killdeer. 
