112 
BIRDS 
and humming birds are summer residents, migrating south¬ 
ward at the end of the season. Birds like wild geese, fox 
sparrows, and the like, are transients, stopping along their 
migratory route for rest or food or to escape unfavorable 
weather; while such birds as the snowy owl, northern shrike, 
and evening grosbeak are winter visitants which migrate 
Figure 100 . — Loggerhead Shrike. 
This bird has. the habit of hanging in¬ 
sects and small birds on the long thorns 
about its nest as it usually kills more than 
it can eat. 
to us from the North 
when the cold becomes 
excessive and the food 
supply is diminished. 
Birds are classified also 
by their nesting habits. 
Some birds, like' the 
meadow lark and bobo¬ 
link, nest in the open 
field, and their nests are 
made inconspicuous 
rather than inaccessible; 
other birds, like certain 
hawks and eagles, build 
their nests in tall trees, 
making them conspicu¬ 
ous, but inaccessible. 
Still others build like the 
oriole at the end of slen¬ 
der branches where they 
are out of reach of ani¬ 
mals. Birds like the 
kingfisher, sand swallow, and puffins build their nests at 
the bottom of a burrow in the ground. 
92. Nest Building. — Birds show great variation in nest 
building. Some build a large nest with materials loosely 
put together; others build small nests of neatly woven 
material, and some birds, like cowbirds, build no nest at 
all, but lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and 
