248 
BIRDS OF NEW MEXICO 
forehead , on ear 'patch , and side of chest; face , collar , bar on expanded wing , outer 
tail feathers , and umierparts white; iris brown; bill blackish; feet dusky. Adults in 
winter plumage: Black replaced by dusky gray. Young in juvenal plumage: 
Similar to winter adults but with feathers of back tipped with white. 
Range. —Breeds from California, Utah, and Kansas south to Texas, Lower 
California, and Peru; winters from Oregon and Texas to Venezuela, Brazil, and the 
Straits of Magellan; casual in Wyoming, etc. 
State Records. —Ten or twelve breeding birds were seen May 30, 1924, on 
the gypsum flats on Salt Creek about 3 miles west of the Pecos River and 18 miles 
north of Roswell. Although this is the first record for the State, others have been 
seen farther south, in western Texas, during migration (Ligon). 
General Habits. —In describing his encounter with Snowy Plover 
on the gypsum flat west of the Pecos, Mr. Ligon writes: “I first saw 
three of the birds flying together, whipping about near the surface over 
the flat at such swift speed that it was difficult to determine what they 
were although I could tell at a glance that they were unusual birds 
for that section. A few minutes later I saw a lone bird streaking away 
through the salt grass tussocks and into the open, stopping here and 
there for an instant; but as I followed it, it took to wing, leading a 
devious course, near the ground, and was soon out of sight. Further 
on several more were seen singly and in twos and threes about the 
shallow surface pools, and their conduct indicated clearly that they 
were breeding birds. 
“The actions of these little deceivers were interesting and in some 
respects their conduct resembled that of nesting Killdeers. One would 
fly up near where I stood, alight and then streak away so swiftly as to 
leave one wondering whether it was on foot or wing. After going fifty 
or seventy-five yards, it would fall over on one side with the free wing 
extended and flop about on the ground as if seized by some agonizing 
affliction. When I crouched low on the ground the distressed little mite 
would again fly back within a few feet and nervously run back and forth; 
but when I would stand up, it would again shoot away like a rocket. 
Where the ground was more barren, others would run from one small 
object, such as a stick or tuft of grass, to another, conducting a skillfully 
executed hiding ruse before dashing off a little way to where the per¬ 
formance would be repeated. 
“No nests or young birds were located, as my time was too limited to 
hunt carefully for them. The breeding area probably covers a square 
mile. There is always surface water on the flat, although it is very 
brackish” (MS). 
On the coast of Peru, where Doctor Murphy found it a permanent 
resident, he found it difficult to see as it scurried over the white sand 
(1925, p. 281). 
