Part 3

This Kittiwake is similar to the preceding, with the exception that the legs are bright red, the mantle is darker, and the bill is shorter. This species was found by Dr. Leonard Stejneger to be a very abundant nesting bird on islands in Bering Sea, selecting steep and inaccessible rocks and ledges on which to build its nest. Their nesting habits are precisely the same as the Pacific Kittiwake, but they most often nest in separate colonies, but can be distinguished readily when nesting together by the darker mantles when on the nest and the red legs when flying. Grass, moss and mud are used in the nest. The ground color of the eggs is buffy or brownish, and the spots are dark brown and lilac. Size 2.15 × 1.50.

42. GLAUCOUS GULL. _Larus hyperboreus._

Range.--Arctic regions, south in winter to Long Island, the Great Lakes, and San Francisco Bay.

This Gull shares with the Great Black-backed Gull the honor of being the largest of the Gulls, being 28 inches in length. Mantle light gray; it is distinguished by its size and the primaries, which are white to the tips. A powerful bird that preys upon the smaller Gulls and also devours the young and eggs of smaller birds.

They nest on the ground on the islands and shores of Hudson Bay, Greenland, etc. The nest is made of seaweed, grass and moss and is generally quite bulky. The two or three eggs are laid in June. They are of various shades of color from a light drab to a brownish, and are spotted with brownish and black. Size about 3.00 × 2.20.

[Illustration 042: Brownish buff.] [Illustration: Red-legged Kittiwake. Glaucous Gull.] [Illustration: left hand margin.]

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42.1. POINT BARROW GULL. _Larus barrovianus._

Range.--Northwest coast from Bering Sea to Point Barrow.

This species is almost identical with the Glaucus Gull, averaging perhaps a trifle smaller. Its standing as a distinct species is still questioned and has not yet been decided satisfactorily. Early in June their nests are built on remote islands in Bering Sea. These nests are the same as the last species, large piles of vegetation, hollowed on top for the reception of the eggs. The eggs have the same variations in color and markings as the Glaucus Gull. Size 3.00 × 2.10. Data.--Herschel Is., Alaska, July 1, 1900. Nest made of seaweed and grass; placed on the ground. Three eggs. Collector, Rev. I. O. Stringer.

43. ICELAND GULL. _Larus leucopterus._

Range.--Arctic regions, south in winter to the Middle States.

This Gull in appearance is precisely like the two preceding ones but is considerably smaller; 24 inches in length. A very common bird in the north, breeding in colonies of thousands on many of the islands. It is regarded as one of the most common of the larger Gulls in Bering Sea and also nests commonly in Hudson Bay and Greenland, as well as in the Eastern Hemisphere. They nest indifferently on high rocky cliffs or on low sandy islands. Except when the eggs are laid in a sandy depression in the soil, quite bulky nests are made of seaweed and moss. The eggs are laid about the first of June; they number two to three and have a ground color of brownish or greenish brown and are blotched with umber. Size 2.80 × 1.83. Data.--Mackenzie Bay, Arctic America. June 18, 1899. Nest made of seaweed and grass on an island in the bay.

[Illustration: White.] [Illustration: Greenish brown.] [Illustration: right hand margin.]

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44. GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL. _Larus glaucescens_.

Range.--North Pacific coast, breeding from British Columbia northwards and wintering from the same country to southern California.

This Gull is very like the preceding except that the primaries are the same color as the mantle, and are tipped with white. Length about 27 inches. Not so northerly distributed a bird as the previous ones, and consequently better known. They breed in large numbers both on the high rocky cliffs of the islands along the coast and on the low sandy islands of the Aleutian Chain. On Copper Island they breed on the inaccessible cliffs overhanging the water. As in the case of the Iceland Gull, when the nests are on the cliffs, a large nest of seaweed is made, whereas if they are on the ground, especially in sandy places no attempt is made at nest-building. The eggs have a greenish brown ground color and dark brown spots. Size 2.75 × 2.05. Data.--West Coast of Vancouver Island. June 20, 1896. Three eggs; nest made of seaweed. Located on a low ledge. Collector, Dr. Newcombe.

45. KUMLIEN'S GULL. _Larus Kumlieni_.

Range.--North Atlantic coast, breeding in Cumberland Sound and wintering as far south as Long Island.

This bird differs from the Glaucous-winged only in the pattern of the gray markings of the primaries and in having a little lighter mantle. It is quite common in its breeding haunts where it places its nest high up on the ledges of the cliffs. The eggs are not different apparently from glaucescens.

46. NELSON'S GULL. _Larus nelsoni_.

Range.--Coast of Alaska.

Plumage exactly like that of Kumlien Gull and questionably a new species. The nests and eggs are not to be distinguished from the preceding.

[Illustration 044: Iceland Gull. Glaucous-winged Gull.] [Illustration: Pale greenish brown.] [Illustration: left hand margin.]

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47. GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL. _Larus marinus_.

Range.--North Atlantic on both the American and European sides; breeds from Nova Scotia northward and winters south to the Great Lakes and the Middle States.

The largest of the Gulls (thirty inches long) and unlike any other. The mantle is dark slaty black, and the primaries are black with white tips. The bill is very large and powerful and quite strongly hooked. They are quite abundant birds in their range, and are very quarrelsome, both among themselves and other species. They do not breed in as large colonies as do the other Gulls, half a dozen pairs appropriating a small island to the exclusion of all other birds. They are very rapacious birds and live to a great extent, especially during the breeding season, upon the eggs and young of other birds such as Ducks, Murres and smaller Gulls. They place their nests upon the higher portions of sandy islands. They are made of grasses and seaweed. The three eggs are laid early in June; they are grayish or brownish, spotted with brown and lilac. Size 3.00 × 2.15. Data.--South Labrador, June 21, 1884. Three eggs. Nest on a small island off the coast; of grasses and moss.

48. SLATY-BACKED GULL.--_Larus schistisagus_.

Range.--North Pacific and Arctic Oceans.

This Gull, which is similar to the Great Black-backed, but is smaller and has a lighter mantle, does not breed in any considerable numbers on the American side of the Pacific. It nests in June on some of the islands in Bering Sea and probably more commonly farther north. They often nest in company with other species, placing their small mounds of seaweed on the ground on the higher parts of the islands. The full set contains three eggs of grayish or brownish color, spotted with dark brown or black. Size 2.90 × 2.00. Data.--Harrowby Bay, N. W. T. Canada, June 11, 1901. Nest of grass, roots and mud and lined with dry grass; on point making into the bay. Collector, Capt. H. H. Bodfish.

[Illustration 045: Great Black-Backed Gull. Kumlien's Gull.] [Illustration: Grayish buff.] [Illustration: right hand margin.]

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49. WESTERN GULL. _Larus occidentalis._

Range.--Pacific Coast, breeding from southern California to British Columbia.

This bird, which is the most southerly distributed of the larger Gulls is twenty-four inches in length. Mantle slate colored; primaries black, both these and the secondaries being broadly tipped with white. These Gulls nest abundantly on the Farallones, the majority of them showing a preference for the lower portions of the island, although they nest on the ledges also. Besides man, these Gulls are the greatest enemies that the Murres have to content against. They are always on the watch and if a Murre leaves its nest, one of the Gulls is nearly always ready to pounce upon the egg and carry it away bodily in his bill. The Gulls too suffer when the eggers come, for their eggs are gathered up with the Murres for the markets. They make their nests of weeds and grass, and during May and June lay three eggs showing the usual variations of color common to the Gulls eggs. Size 2.75 × 1.90.

50. SIBERIAN GULL. _Larus affinis._

This bird does not nest in North America, and has a place on our list, by its accidental occurrence in Greenland. It is an Old World species and its nesting habits and eggs are like those of the Herring Gull.

51. HERRING GULL. _Larus argentatus._

Range.--Whole of the Northern Hemisphere, breeding from Maine and British Columbia northward and wintering south to the Gulf.

This Gull, which formerly was No. 51a, a subspecies of the European variety, is now regarded as identical with it, and is no longer a sub-species. It is twenty-four inches in length, has a light gray mantle and black primaries which are tipped with white. The Herring Gulls nest in colonies in favorable localities throughout their range, chiefly on the coasts and islands. A few pairs also nest on islands in some of the inland bodies of fresh water. Except in places where they are continually molested, when they will build in trees, they place their nests on the ground either making no nest on the bare sand, or building a bulky nest of seaweed in the grass on higher parts of the island. They lay three eggs of a grayish color marked with brown. In rare cases unspotted bluish white eggs are found. Size 2.80 × 1.70.

[Illustration 046: Western Gull. Herring Gull.] [Illustration: Buff.] [Illustration: left hand margin.]

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52. VEGA GULL. _Larus vegae._

Range.--Coast of Alaska, south in winter to California.

Similar to the Herring Gull, but with the mantle darker, but not so dark as in the Western Gull. The nesting habits and eggs are the same as those of the Herring Gull, except that in a series, the eggs of the Vega will average a little darker in ground color. It nests during May on the coasts and islands of Bering Sea, placing its eggs in a hollow on the ground. Size 2.75 × 1.65.

53. CALIFORNIA GULL. _Larus californicus._

Range.--Western North America, breeding in the interior.

A smaller Gull than the Herring with the primaries grayish instead of black; length twenty-five inches. This Gull is found in winter on the coast from British Columbia southward to Lower California, but nests in the interior from Utah northward. They nest very abundantly around the Great Salt Lake, placing their nests generally upon the bare ground. Sometimes there is a scant lining of grasses or weeds and again the nests will be situated in the midst of a tussock of grass. Three or four eggs generally constitute a set, but occasionally five are laid. The usual nesting time is during May. They show the same great variations in color and markings common to most of the Gulls. Size 2.60 × 1.80.

54. RING-BILLED GULL. _Larus delawarenis._

Range.--Whole of North America, breeding from the United States northward and wintering south to the Gulf States.

A small Gull, eighteen inches in length, with a light gray mantle, black primaries with white tips, and always to be distinguished in the breeding season by the black band around the middle of the greenish yellow bill. They nest in enormous colonies on islands in the interior of the country and in smaller colonies on the coasts. Thousands of them breed on the lakes of the Dakotas and northward. The majority of them nest on the ground, although on the coast they are often found on the cliffs. They commonly lay three eggs placing them in a slight hollow in the ground, generally on the grassy portions of the islands. The color varies from grayish to brownish, marked with brown and lilac. The height of the nesting season is in June. Size of eggs, 2.80 × 1.75.

[Illustration 047: Grayish brown.] [Illustration: Ring-billed Gull. California Gull.] [Illustration: right hand margin.]

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55. SHORT-BILLED GULL. _Larus brachyrhynchus._

Range.--Breeds from the interior of British Columbia northward to Alaska; south in winter to Lower California.

The Short-billed or American Mew Gull is seventeen inches in length, has a short, stout bill and is otherwise similar to the preceding species. Nests on islands in the lakes and along the river banks of Alaska. The nest is made of grass, weeds and moss and is placed on the ground. Early in June the birds lay their set of three eggs, the ground color of which is greenish brown marked with dark brown. Size 2.25 × 1.60. Data.--Mackenzie River, N. W. T., June 18, 1900. Three eggs. Nest made of seaweed and grass and placed on the ground on an island in the river.

56. MEW GULL. _Larus canus._

This is the European variety of the above species, breeding commonly both in the British Isles and northern Europe. This species is given a place in our avifauna because of its accidental appearance in Labrador.

57. HEERMAN'S GULL. _Larus heermanni._

Range.--Pacific Coast of North America from British Columbia south to Panama, breeding chiefly south of the United States border.

A very handsome species, often called the White-headed Gull, and wholly unlike any other; length seventeen inches. Adults, in summer, have the entire head, neck and throat white, this shading quite abruptly into the slaty upper and under parts; the primaries and tail are black, the latter and the secondaries being tipped with white. The legs and bill are vermilion. They are found off the coast of California, but are not believed to breed there. They are known to breed on some of the islands off the Mexican coast nesting on the ground the same as the other species. The three eggs are greenish drab in color and are marked with different shades of brown and lilac. Size 2.45 × 1.50.

[Illustration: Pale greenish-brown.] [Illustration: Short-billed Gull. Heerman's Gull.] [Illustration: Left hand margin.]

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58. LAUGHING GULL. LARUS ATRICILLA.

Range.--Eastern North America, breeding from the Gulf to Nova Scotia, chiefly on the coast. A beautiful Gull, 16 inches long, with a dark slate colored head, gray mantle, black primaries, and white neck, underparts and tail. Bill and feet red. This bird has its name from its peculiar laughing cry when alarmed or angry; it is also called the Black-headed Gull. They nest by thousands on the islands off the Gulf Coast and along the South Atlantic States. The nest is placed on the ground and is made of seaweed. Three, four and sometimes five eggs are laid, of a grayish to greenish brown color, marked with brown and lilac. Size 2.25 × 1.60. Data.--Timbalin Is., La., June 3, 1896. Three eggs. Nest of drift grass thrown in a pile about 8 inches high, slightly hollowed on top, in low marsh back of beach. Collector, E. A. McIlhenny.

[Illustration 049: Pale grayish brown.] [Illustration: Laughing Gull.] [Illustration: RING-BILLED GULL--Gray.] [Illustration: deco.] [Illustration: right hand margin.]

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59. FRANKLIN'S GULL. _Larus franklini._

Range.--Interior North America, breeding from middle United States northward.

Like the last but smaller and with the primaries light. Underparts rosy in breeding season. Nests very abundantly in the marshes of Minnesota and northward. Nest made of grasses and placed in the marsh grass barely above the surface of the water. Eggs same color as the last but the markings more inclined to zigzag lines. Size 2.10 × 1.40. Data.--Heron Lake, Minn., May 26, 1885. Nest of wet sedge stalks and rubbish placed in a bunch of standing sedge in shallow water; at least five thousand birds in rookery. Collector, J. W. Preston.

60. BONAPARTE'S GULL. _Larus philadelphia._

Range.--Breeds in the northern parts of North America; winters from Maine and British Columbia to the southern border of the United States.

Smaller than the last; 14 inches long. Plumage similar, but bill slender and black. They nest in great numbers on the marshes of Manitoba and to the northward. The nests, of sticks and grass, are placed on the higher parts of the marsh and the usual complement of three eggs is laid during the latter part of June. The eggs are grayish to greenish brown, marked with dark brown and lilac. Size 1.90 × 1.30.

[Illustration 050: Grayish brown.] [Illustration: Franklin's Gull. Bonaparte's Gull.] [Illustration: Pale grayish brown.] [Illustration: left hand margin.]

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60.1. LITTLE GULL. _Larus minutus._

This Gull is the smallest of the family; it is a European bird, and has accidentally strayed to our shores but a few times. Its plumage is similar to that of the Bonaparte Gull but the bill is red. It breeds in the marshes around the Baltic Sea, placing its nest of dead vegetation on the highest parts of the marsh. They lay three eggs of a greenish gray color marked with dark brown and lilac. Size 1.75 × 1.25.

61. ROSES GULL. _Rhodostethia rosea._

Range.--The Arctic regions, south in winter to Alaska, Greenland, northern Europe and Asia.

This beautiful bird is the most rare of all the Gulls, being very difficult to obtain because of its extreme northerly distribution. It is in form and plumage like Bonaparte Gull, with the exceptions that the head is white, there being a narrow black collar around the neck, the tail is wedge shaped, and the whole under parts from the chin to the tail are rosy in the breeding plumage. The nests and eggs remain still undiscovered, although Nansen, in August 1896, found a supposed breeding ground in Franz Josef Land, because of the numbers of the birds, but found no nests.

62. SABINE'S GULL. _Xema sabinii._

Range.--Arctic regions, breeding from Alaska and Greenland and northward, and wintering south to New England.

A handsome bird, having the slaty hood bordered behind with a black ring, the primaries black, white tipped, and the tail slightly forked. They breed abundantly on the marshes of northern Alaska and Greenland, nesting the same as others of the species. The two or three eggs are laid in June. They are greenish brown in color and are marked with dark brown. Size 1.75 × 1.25. Data.--Hudson Bay, August 1, 1894. Eggs laid on the ground in the moss; no nest except the hollow in the moss.

[Illustration 051: Rose Gull. Sabine Gull.] [Illustration: Greenish brown.] [Illustration: deco.] [Illustration: right hand margin.]

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63. GULL-BILLED TERN. _Gelochelidon nilotica._

Range.--Found in North America along the Gulf Coast and on the Atlantic Coast north to Virginia and casually farther.

This is one of the largest of the Terns, is 14 inches long, has a short, thick, black bill and a short slightly forked tail; the crown is black, mantle pearly gray, white below. This species is very widely distributed, being found in Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. They are known locally as "Marsh Terns" where they breed in immense numbers on some of the marshes about the Gulf, particularly in Texas. They also breed on many of the islands along the Coast, rarely making any nest, but laying the eggs in a hollow in the sand. They nest most abundantly in the latter part of May, generally laying three eggs. They are of a yellowish, grayish or greenish buff color and are spotted with brown and lilac. Size 1.80 × 1.30. Data.--Northampton Co., Va., May 28, 1882. Three eggs laid on a mass of seaweed on marsh above tide water.

64. CASPIAN TERN. _Sterna caspia._

Range.--Like the preceding species, this bird is nearly cosmopolitan in its range, in North America breeding from the Gulf Coast and Texas northward to the Arctic Regions.

This beautiful bird is the largest of the Tern family, being about 22 inches in length, with the tail forked about 1.5 inches. The bill is large, heavy and bright red; the crest, with which this and the next three species are adorned, is black. The mantle is pale pearl and the under parts white. These Terns sometimes nest in large colonies and then again only a few pairs will be found on an island. In Texas, the breeding season commences in May, it being later in the more northern breeding grounds. They may be regarded as largely eastern birds, as while they are common in the interior of the country, they are rarely found on the Pacific Coast. Two or three eggs constitute a complete set; these are laid on the sand in a slight hollow scooped out by the birds. They vary from gray to greenish buff, marked with brown and lilac. Size 2.60 × 1.75. Data.--Hat Island, Lake Michigan, July 1, 1896. No nest. Two eggs in a hollow in the gravel. Fully a thousand terns nesting on about one acre. Collector, Charles L. Cass.

[Illustration 052: Pale greenish buff.] [Illustration: Grayish buff.] [Illustration: left hand margin.]

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65. ROYAL TERN. _Sterna maxima._

Range.--Temperate North and South America, breeding in the United States locally from Texas and the Gulf States northward to the northern boundary of the United States.

The Royal Terns nest in great numbers on the coasts and islands on the South Atlantic and Gulf States and in the marshes of southern Texas. Like the former species they lay two or three eggs in a hollow on the bare sand. The eggs are the same size but differ in being more pointed and having a lighter ground and with the markings more bold and distinct. Size 2.60 × 1.70.

66. ELEGANT TERN. _Sterna elegans._

Range.--Pacific Coast of South and Central America; north to California in summer.

A similar bird to the Royal Tern, but easily distinguished by its smaller size, slender bill, and more graceful form. In the breeding plumage the under parts of these Terns are tinged with rosy, which probably first gave the birds their name. They breed on the coasts and islands of Mexico and Central America, placing their eggs on the sand. They are believed to lay but a single egg, like that of the Royal Tern, but smaller. Size 2.40 × 1.40. Data.--Honduras, Central America, June 5, 1899. Single egg laid on the sandy beach.

[Illustration 053: Gull-billed Tern. Caspian Tern. Royal Tern.] [Illustration: Grayish buff.] [Illustration: Cream color.] [Illustration: right hand margin.]

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67. CABOT TERN. _Sterna sandvicensis acuflavida._

Range.--A tropical species breeding regularly north to the Bahamas and Florida; casually farther north. A beautiful bird distinguished from the three preceding ones by its smaller size (sixteen inches) and by the bill which is black with a yellow tip. They nest in colonies on the shores of islands in the West Indies and Bahamas, but not to a great extent on the United States Coast. Their two or three eggs have a creamy ground color, and are boldly marked with brown and black. Size 2.10 × 1.40.

68. TRUDEAU'S TERN. _Sterna trudeaui._

Range.--South America; accidentally along the coast of the United States.

A rare and unique species with a form similar to the following, but with the coloration entirely different. About fifteen inches in length; tail long and deeply forked; bill yellow with a band of black about the middle. Whole head pure white, shading into the pearly color of the upper and under parts. A narrow band of black through the eye and over the ear coverts. A very rare species that is supposed to breed in southern South America. Given a place among North American birds on the strength of a specimen seen by Audubon off Long Island.

[Illustration 054: Elegant Tern. Cabot's Tern.] [Illustration: Cream color.] [Illustration: left hand margin.]

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69. FORSTER'S TERN. _Sterna forsteri._

Range.--Temperate North America, breeding from Manitoba, Mass., and California, south to the Gulf Coast and Texas.