eels Le bl BrOCN Be by in EVE EN 5 
Marbled Godwit, Red Phalarope, and Northern Phalarope 
at Chicago 
By LAURENCE C. BINFORD 
ON SEPTEMBER 24, 1957, I observed three bird species of unusual occurrence 
in Illinois: Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa), Red Phalarope (Phalaropus 
fulicarius) and Northern Phalarope (Lobipes lobatus). All were observed 
on the cinder flats at the north end of Lake Calumet, Chicago, Cook County, 
Illinois. One individual of each species was taken; all three specimens are 
now in the collection of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology at 
Ann Arbor, Michigan. 
Marbled Godwit (Limosa, fedoa) 
Three individuals were observed feeding together in a large pool. The 
specimen (UMMZ 152,484) was a male, with each testis measuring 1 x 3 
mm. The bird was extremely fat, and was undergoing slight body molt. 
I have observed this species on two previous occasions in Illinois. On 
July 22, 1951, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Campbell, Thomas Kemper, Mrs. Paul 
A. Stephenson, and I saw a single bird feeding on a mud strip in Saganash- 
kee Slough, three miles northwest of Palos Park, Cook County. This record 
was published, but without details, by Smith and Parmalee (1955. “A 
Distributional Check List of the Birds of Illinois.” Illinois State Mus. Pop. 
Sci. Series, Vol. IV). On September 13, 1953, I observed a single bird near 
the south end of Lake Calumet, Chicago, Cook County. 
Smith and Parmalee (op. cit.) and Ford (1956. “Birds of the Chicago 
Region.” Chicago Acad. Sci., Special Publ., No. 12) list this species as a 
rare migrant and record a total of 2 specimens and 13 other records (not 
including 3 observations from Wolf Lake which may be Indiana records). 
Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) 
One individual was observed swimming and feeding at the edge of a 
small pool. The specimen (UMMZ 152,486) was a male, with the right 
testis measuring 1 x 14% mm. and the left testis 1 x 2 mm. The bird was 
moderately fat. Smith and Parmalee (op. cit.) and Ford (op. cit.) list this 
species as a rare migrant and record a total of one specimen and only 
three sight records. 
Northern Phalarope (Lobipes lobatus) 
Three birds were seen actively feeding together in a foot-deep pool. The 
specimen (UMMZ 152,487) was an immature male, with each round testis 
measuring about 14% mm. in diameter. The bursa measured 3 x 3 mm. The 
amount of body fat was slight. Three days later, on September 28, 1957, I 
observed a single Northern Phalarope in this same area. My personal notes 
contain two previous sight records for Illinois: single individuals in winter 
plumage on September 5, 1954, at Washington Park, Wilmette, Cook 
County, and on September 20, 1952, at Lake Calumet, Cook County. 
Smith and Parmalee (op. cit.) record this species as a rare migrant, 
while Ford (op. cit.) considers it to be a rare spring migrant and an un- 
common fall migrant. These two publications list a total of 28 Illinois 
