A Synopsis of the Birds of North America

Spotted Sandpiper, Tringa macularia, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 60.

Totanus macularius, Bonap. Syn. p. 325.

Spotted Tatler or Peet-weet, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 162.

Spotted Sandpiper, Totanus macularius, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 81.

344. 2. Totanus solitarius, Wils. Solitary Tatler. – Solitary Sandpiper

Plate CCLXXXIX. Male and Female.

Bill a little longer than the head, very slender, greenish-black; feet greenish-grey, long; upper part of head, lores, cheeks, hind part and sides of neck greyish-brown, streaked with brownish-white; a dull white line from the bill to the eye; upper part of throat greyish-white; fore neck of the same colour, streaked with greyish-brown; the rest of the lower parts white; the axillars and wing-coverts broadly barred with dusky; back and scapulars deep greenish-brown, the feathers edged with a few small spots of white and dusky, those of the inner secondaries more numerous; larger wing-coverts similar; smaller coverts, primary coverts, and primaries, deep brownish-black, secondaries greyish-brown; tail feathers and coverts broadly banded with white and brownish-black, except the two middle, which are merely spotted with white on the edges.

Male, 81/2, 161/2.

Distributed from Texas over the United States, breeding in deep woody situations, in the Fur Countries on the bare sand. Columbia River. Partially migratory.

Solitary Sandpiper, Tringa solitaria, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 53.

Totanus chloropygius, Bonap. Syn. p. 325.

Totanus chloropygius, Green rump Tatler, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 393.

Green-rump Tatler, Totanus chloropygius, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 576; v. v. p. 583.

345. 3. Totanus flavipes, Lath. Yellowshanks Tatler. – Yellowshanks Snipe

Plate CCLXXXVIII. Male.

Bill a fourth longer than the head, black; feet long, bright yellow; upper part of the head, lores, cheeks, hind part and sides of the neck deep brownish-grey, streaked with greyish-white; a white line from the bill to the eye; fore neck greyish-white, streaked with greyish-brown, as are the sides; the rest of the lower parts white; the lower tail-coverts slightly marked with grey, the axillars and loral wing-coverts banded or spotted with the same; back and scapulars olivaceous brown, tinged with grey, the feathers edged with small dusky and white spots; wing-coverts and inner secondary quills similar, the marginal spots on the latter forming bands; primary quills blackish-brown, the shaft of the outer brownish-white, of the rest dark brown, the edges of the inner, and of the middle secondaries white; hind part of back brownish-grey; rump white, upper tail-coverts and tail barred with greyish-brown and white.

Male, 103/ , 20.

From Texas to Maine, in autumn and spring. Very abundant at the same seasons throughout the interior. Breeds in the Fur Countries, up to the highest northern latitudes.

Yellowshanks Snipe, Scolopax flavipes, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 55.

Totanus flavipes, Bonap. Syn. p. 324.

Totanus flavipes, Yellowshanks Tatler, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 390.

Yellowshanks Tatler, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 152.

Yellowshank, Totanus flavipes, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 573; v. v. p. 586.

346. 4. Totanus vociferus, Wils. Tell-tale Tatler. – Tell-tale Godwit or Snipe. Greater Yellowshanks. Long-shanks. Humility. Clou-Clou

Plate CCCVIII. Male and Female in winter.

Bill about half longer than the head, black, at the base bluish-grey; legs long, bright yellow. Upper part of head, lores, cheeks, and neck all round, excepting the throat, streaked with brownish-black, on a white ground, tinged with grey on the head and hind neck; breast, and abdomen, white; almost entirely spotted and barred with brownish-black, as are the sides and tail-coverts, together with the axillar feathers and lower wing-coverts; the lower surface of the primaries light grey, their shafts white; upper parts black, glossed with green, and variegated with white, each feather being margined with triangular spots of that colour; hind part of rump and upper tail-coverts white, barred with dusky; anterior small. Wing-coverts, alula, primary coverts, and primary quills, brownish-black, without spots, shaft of first primary white, of the rest brown; tail-feathers white, with numerous bands of dark greyish-brown, the middle six feathers more or less of a light brownish-grey toward the end, the bars not extending over their central part. In winter, the upper parts much paler, the lower having the greater part of the breast and abdomen pure white.

Male, 14, 243/4. Female, 133/4, 251/2.

Abundant during autumn, winter, and spring, from Texas along the Atlantic, and throughout the interior to Labrador. Few breed in the Jerseys; most from Labrador northward.

Tell-tale Godwit or Snipe, Scolopax vociferus, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 57.

Totanus melanoleucus, Bonap. Syn. p. 324.

Totanus vociferus, Tell-tale, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 389.

Tell-tale or Greater Yellowshanks, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 148.

Tell-tale Godwit, Totanus melanoleucus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 68.

347. 5. Totanus Glottis, Linn. Greenshank Tatler

Plate CCLXIX. Male.

Bill nearly one-half longer than the head, dusky green; legs long dull greyish-green; all the lower parts, and the back, excepting a small portion anteriorly, pure white; the fore part of head and cheeks also white; loral band with small oblong spots of greyish-brown, sides of lower part of fore neck and a portion of the breast faintly undulated with grey; upper part of head, hind part and sides of neck, greyish-white, lineated with greyish-brown; scapulars and inner secondaries greyish-brown, edged with greyish-white, and lined or mottled with dark brown towards the margins; smaller wing-coverts plain brown, the larger darker near the edge, and margined with whitish, as are the outer secondaries; primary quills and coverts dark brown, the shaft of the outer white; tail greyish-white, undulated with light brown, the outer four feathers on each side with only a series of spots on the outer edge, which on the outermost feathers is almost obliterated.

Male, 11, wing, 7.

Only three procured on Sand Key, Florida.

Scolopax Glottis, Linn. Syst. Nat. v. i. p. 245.

Greenshank, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 68.

Greenshank, Totanus Glottis, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 483.

348. 5. Totanus semipalmatus, Lath. Semipalmated Tatler. – Willet. Stone Curlew

Plate CCLXXIV. Fig. 1. Male in spring. Fig. 2. Female in winter.

Bill nearly a half longer than the head, rather stout, light blue, dusky toward the end; feet long, rather stout, light blue, the basal membranes large. In summer, the head and neck brownish-grey, streaked with blackish-brown; throat and a band from the bill over the eye white; fore part of back and scapulars brownish-grey, variegated with central marks of blackish-brown; third part of back brownish-grey with a gloss of olive; wing-coverts grey, with central lines of brownish-black; primary coverts and primary quills brownish-black, the latter white in their basal half; outer secondaries white, inner like the scapulars; lower wing-coverts and axillar feathers blackish-brown; breast and sides white, the latter transversely undulated with brownish-black; abdomen, and lower and upper tail-coverts white, with a few dusky bars; four middle tail-feathers barred with brownish-black and brownish-grey, the rest pale grey, fading to white on the outer, and all more or less minutely undulated with pale brownish-grey.

Male, 151/2, 273/4. Female, 151/2, 31.

Breeds abundantly in Texas, and along the Atlantic shores to New York, sparingly as far as Massachusetts. Constant resident in the Southern States. Rare in the interior.

Semipalmated Snipe, Scolopax semipalmata, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 27.

Totanus semipalmatus, Semipalmated Tatler, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 388.

Semipalmated Snipe or Willet, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 144.

Semipalmated Snipe or Willet, Totanus semipalmatus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 510; v. v. p. 585.

GENUS V. LIMOSA, Briss. GODWIT

Bill very long, slender, subcylindrical, tapering to an obtuse point, slightly recurved; upper mandible with the dorsal line slightly curved upwards, the ridge convex, the sides with a narrow groove extending almost to the point, the edges rather obtuse, the tip very slightly enlarged; lower mandible with the angle very long and extremely narrow, the sides with a narrow groove extending almost to the end, the edges blunt, the tip obtuse. Nostrils basal, linear, nearer the edge. Head small, oblong; neck rather long, slender; body slender. Feet long and slender; tibia bare for about a third, anteriorly scutellate; tarsus long, slender, scutellate before and behind; toes small, slender, scutellate above; anterior connected by webs at the base, first very small. Claws small, compressed, slightly arched, obtuse. Plumage soft and blended. Wings rather long, narrow, very acute; primaries tapering, the first longest, the inner secondaries elongated. Tail short, even, of twelve narrow rounded feathers.

349. 1. Limosa Fedoa, Linn. Great Marbled Godwit

Plate CCXXXVIII. Male and Female.

Bill dull flesh-colour at the base, blackish-brown toward the end; feet bluish-grey; head and neck light yellowish-grey, streaked with dusky; the rest of the upper parts spotted and barred with brownish-black and greyish-yellow; alula and primary coverts brownish-black, as are the outer webs of the first three quills, those of the other primaries, and both webs of the secondaries, reddish-ochre, all more or less finely mottled with dusky, and the primaries of that colour towards the end, but with the terminal margins whitish; the inner secondaries barred like the back, as are the tail-feathers; breast, abdomen, and lower surface of wings, light reddish-yellow, the axillar feather of a deeper tint, the sides faintly barred with dusky.

Male, 161/2, 281/2. Female, 201/2.

Passes in spring from Texas along the coast, in immense flocks, to Massachusetts, and apparently across the land, to the Saskatchewan, where it breeds. None seen in Labrador. A few breed in South Carolina, perhaps also in Texas. Not observed in the Western Country. In autumn returns southward beyond the limits of the United States.

Great Marbled Godwit, Scolopax Fedoa, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 30.

Limosa Fedoa, Bonap. Syn. p. 328.

Limosa Fedoa, Great Marbled Godwit, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 395.

Great Marbled Godwit, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 173.

Great Marbled Godwit, Limosa Fedoa, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 287; v. v. p. 590.

350. 2. Limosa Hudsonica, Lath. Hudsonian Godwit

Plate CCLVIII. Adult, Male, and Young Female.

Bill greyish-yellow, dark brown along the ridge of the upper mandible, and blackish toward the tips of both; feet light greyish-blue; head and neck brownish-grey, with darker lines; a band from the bill over the eye, and the throat, greyish-white; back deep grey, the scapulars brownish-black, with small white markings on the edges of the feathers; smaller wing-coverts, alula, primary quills, and their coverts brownish-black; secondaries lighter, and with their inner webs pale grey; tips of primary coverts and bases of quills white, as is a broad band over the rump; tail-feathers and upper tail-coverts brownish-black, their bases white; lower parts bright yellowish-red, the sides mottled with dark brown; abdomen and lower tail-coverts paler and variegated with dusky; lower wing-coverts blackish-brown, edged with whitish. Young in winter with the lower parts pale brownish-grey, the upper brownish-grey, the fore part of the back and scapular brownish-black, the feathers edged with light brownish-red, wing-coverts brownish-grey.

Male, 153/4, 28. Female, 163/4, 29.

Rather rare along the Atlantic Districts in spring and autumn. Breeds in the barren grounds of the Arctic seas in great numbers. Migratory.

Scolopax hudsonica, Lath. Ind. Orn. v. ii. p. 720.

Limosa hudsonica, Hudsonian Godwit, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 396.

Hudsonian Godwit, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 175.

Hudsonian Godwit, Limosa hudsonica, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 426; v. v. p. 592.

GENUS VI. SCOLOPAX, Linn. SNIPE

Bill twice as long as the head; subulate, straight, compressed for half its length, depressed toward the end; upper mandible with the dorsal line declinate at the base, then straight, at the end slightly arched, that part being considerably enlarged, the ridge convex, towards the end flattened, the sides with a narrow groove extending to near the tip, the edges soft and obtuse or flattened, the tip narrowed, but blunt; lower mandible with the angle extremely long and narrow, the sides erect, with a longitudinal groove, the edges flattened, and directly meeting those of the upper mandible, the extremity enlarged, the tip contracted and rather blunt. Nostrils basal, linear, very small. Head rather small, oblong, the forehead elevated and rounded; neck rather short; body rather full. Legs of moderate length, slender; tibia bare below; tarsus scutellate before and behind; toes very slender, free, scutellate; first toe very small and elevated, lateral toes nearly equal, the outer connected with the third by a basal web. Claws small, slightly arched, compressed, rather acute. Plumage very soft, rather dense. Wings long, narrow, pointed; the first quill longest; inner secondaries much elongated. Tail moderate, nearly even.

351. 1. Scolopax Wilsonii, Temm. Wilson's Snipe. – Common Snipe. English Snipe

Plate CCXLIII. Male and Female.

Tail of sixteen feathers; upper part of head with two brownish-black longitudinal broad bands, separated by a narrower central pale brown band; another band of the latter colour on each side over the eye, then a loral band of dark brown; chin whitish; neck pale reddish-brown, spotted with brownish-black; general colour of upper parts brownish-black, variegated with pale reddish-brown, of which latter colour are the outer edges of the scapulars and of the lateral feathers on the anterior part of the back; wing-coverts and inner secondaries similarly mottled, the smaller anterior coverts, primary coverts, primary quills, and outer secondaries, deep brown, more or less tipped with white; first quill with the outer web brownish-white, rump barred with yellowish-grey and dusky; upper tail-coverts similar, but the larger barred with brownish-red and black; tail-feathers brownish-black at the base, with a broad subterminal band of brownish-red on the outer web of the two middle, and on both webs of the rest, excepting the outer on each side, which is barred with brownish-black and white, the black bars five, the tips of all white; anterior part of breast like the neck, the rest white; abdomen and lower tail-coverts greyish-yellow, barred with brownish-black, as are the sides; axillars white, barred with greyish-black, lower wing-coverts similarly marked.

Male, 101/2, 17.

Distributed throughout the country. Breeds from Virginia northwards. Exceedingly abundant in the Southern and Western Districts during winter.

Scolopax Wilsonii, Bonap. Syn. p. 330.

Snipe, Scolopax Gallinago, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vi. p. 18.

Scolopax Wilsonii, Wilson's Snipe, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 401.

Wilson's Snipe, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 185.

American Snipe, Scolopax Wilsonii, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 322; v. v. p. 583.

352. 2. Scolopax Drummondii, Swains. Drummond's Snipe

Not figured.

"Dorsal plumage and wings mostly brownish-black; the top of the head, scapulars, interscapulars, intermediate coverts, posterior greater ones, and tertiaries, reflecting green and mottled, or barred with yellowish-brown; this colour also forming stripes from the forehead to the nape, over the eyes to the sides of the neck, and more broadly on the exterior edges of the scapulars and interscapulars; middle dorsal plumage and first quill fringed with white, and most of the wing-coverts and lesser quills tipped with the same. Shafts of the primaries deep brown, an inch of the first near its point whitish. Rump and tail-coverts rich greenish-black, with reddish-orange or ferruginous ends, crossed by a blackish subterminal line, and tipped with white; the three exterior pairs barred externally with clove-brown and brownish-white, the white tips broader; the two intermediate pairs coloured nearly like the middle ones, but partly barred and tipped with white. Under plumage, a dark brown stripe on the lores, another under the ear; sides of the head, front of the neck, and breast pale wood-brown, with central spots of dark umber; the flanks, insides of the wings, and under tail-coverts barred with black and white, which on the latter is tinged with brown; belly white; bill blackish towards its tip, dark wood-brown at the base. Length 111/2, wing 53/8.

"Fur Countries to Lat. 55°. Rocky Mountains."

Scolopax Drummondii, Drummond's Snipe, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 400.

Drummond's Snipe, Scolopax Drummondii, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 319.

353. 3. Scolopax Noveboracensis, Gmel. Red-breasted Snipe

Plate CCCXXXV. Adult in summer and winter.

Tail of twelve feathers; bill dark olive; feet light yellowish-olive. In summer, the upper parts brownish-black, variegated with light brownish-red, the feathers being margined and the scapulars obliquely barred with that colour; hind part of back, upper tail-coverts, and tail-feathers light buff or white, barred with black, the bars on the tail seven or eight, and its tip white; wing-coverts and secondaries greyish-brown, margined with greyish-white; secondary coverts tipped with white, the quills tipped and obliquely banded with the same; alula, primary coverts, and quills brownish-black, the shaft of the first quill white; from the base of the bill to the eye, and surrounding it, a dull reddish-white band; loral space dusky; all the lower parts dull orange-red, with streaks and spots of black, more numerous along the sides and on the tail-coverts. In winter, the upper parts of a nearly uniform brownish-grey, the hind part of the back and tail barred as in summer, head and neck all round ash-grey, streaked with dusky, the rest of the lower parts greyish-white, the sides barred with dusky.

Adult, 101/4, 181/2.

Passes in immense numbers from Texas eastward and northward to the highest latitudes, where it breeds, and returns in autumn. Occasionally seen in groups through the interior. Columbia River.

Red-breasted Snipe, Scolopax noveboracensis, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 48.

Scolopax grisea, Bonap. Syn. p. 330.

Scolopax noveboracensis, New York Godwit, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 398.

Brown or Red-breasted Snipe, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 181.

Red-breasted Snipe, Scolopax noveboracensis, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 285.

GENUS VII. MICROPTERA, Nutt. BOGSUCKER

Bill double the length of the head, straight, slender, tapering, subtrigonal, and deeper than broad at the base, slightly depressed towards the end; upper mandible with the ridge narrow, towards the end flattened, the sides with a narrow groove extending to near the tip, the tip blunt, knob-like, and longer than that of the lower. Head rather large, oblong; eyes large, and placed high; neck short; body full. Feet rather short; tibia feathered to the joint; tarsus rather short, compressed, scutellate; first toe very small, the third much longer than the tarsus. Claws very small, arched, acute. Wings short, rounded, the fourth and fifth quills longest, the first three extraordinarily attenuated. Tail very short, cuneate, of twelve feathers.

354. 1. Microptera Americana, Aud. Common Bogsucker. – American Woodcock

Plate CCLXVIII. Male, Female, and Young.

Bill and feet flesh-coloured; forehead yellowish-grey, with a few dark mottlings in the centre; on the upper part of the head two broad blackish-brown transverse bands, and on the occiput two narrower, separated by bands of light red; a brownish-black loral band, and a narrow irregular line of the same across the cheek, and continued to the occiput; upper parts variegated with brownish-black, light yellowish-red, and ash-grey; inner wing-coverts and secondary quills similarly barred, the outer pale greyish-red, faintly barred with dusky; quills brown, tipped with dull grey, secondaries spotted on the outer web with dull red; upper tail-coverts barred; tail-feathers brownish-black, their tips grey, their outer edges mottled with reddish; sides of the neck grey, tinged with red; lower part in general light red, tinged with grey on the breast, on the sides and lower wing-coverts deeper; lower tail-coverts with a central dusky line, the tip white. Young with a longitudinal black band on the head.

Male, 11, 16. Female, 117/12, 171/4.

Distributed throughout the country. Extremely abundant in the Middle and Eastern Districts, as well as in the interior, where it breeds, as far as Nova Scotia. Equally abundant in winter in the Southern States, though many migrate southward.

Scolopax minor, Gmel. Syst. Nat. v. i. p. 661.

Woodcock, Scolopax minor, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vi. p. 40.

Scolopax minor, Bonap. Syn. p. 331.

Lesser Woodcock, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 194.

American Woodcock, Scolopax minor, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 474.

GENUS VIII. RECURVIROSTRA, Linn. AVOCET

Bill twice the length of the head, very slender, much depressed, tapering to a point, and slightly recurved; upper mandible with the dorsal line straight for half its length, then a little curved upwards, and at the tip slightly decurved, the ridge broad and flattened, the edges rather thick; nasal groove rather long and very narrow; lower mandible with the angle long and very narrow, the dorsal line slightly curved upwards, the point very slender, extremely thin, and a little curved upwards. Nostrils linear, basal. Head small, rounded above, rather compressed; neck long; body compact. Legs very long, slender; tibia bare for half its length, and reticulated; tarsus very long, compressed, reticulated with hexagonal scales; toes rather short, the first extremely small; outer toe a little longer than inner; anterior toes connected by webs of which the anterior margin is deeply concave. Claws very small, compressed, rather acute. Plumage soft and blended. Wings long, pointed, the first quill longest; inner secondaries elongated and tapering. Tail short, even, of twelve rather narrow rounded feathers. Tongue short in proportion to the length of the bill, slender, tapering to a point; œsophagus wide, considerably dilated at the lower part of the neck; stomach an oblong gizzard of moderate strength, its epithelium hard, longitudinally rugous; intestine long and of moderate width; cœca rather long.

355. 1. Recurvirostra Americana, Linn. American Avocet

Plate CCCXVIII. Adult, and Young in winter.

Bill black; feet light blue; head, neck, and fore part of breast reddish-buff, the parts around the base of the bill and the eye nearly white; back white, with a longitudinal band of brownish-black elongated feathers on each side; inner scapulars of the same colour, the outer and interior edge of the wing being white; wing brownish-black, with a broad band of white, formed by the tips of the secondary coverts, four of the inner secondaries, and the basal part, with the inner webs and outer edges of the rest; lower parts white.

Male, 18, 305/8.

Passes along the coast from Texas northward, in small numbers, a few breeding in New Jersey. Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. Abundant in the Rocky Mountains, and the Fur Countries. Migratory.

American Avocet, Recurvirostra Americana, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 126.

Recurvirostra Americana, Bonap. Syn. p. 394.

Recurvirostra Americana, American Avocet, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 375.