Chapter I: Front Matter

_Life Histories of North American
Cuckoos, Goatsuckers, Hummingbirds,
and Their Allies_

_by_

_Arthur Cleveland Bent_

_in two parts_

_PART I_

_DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC._

_NEW YORK_

This Dover edition, first published in 1964, is an unabridged and unaltered republication of the work first published in 1940 by the United States Government Printing Office, as Smithsonian Institution United States National Museum _Bulletin 176_.

_Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 64–14301_

Manufactured in the United States of America

Dover Publications, Inc.
180 Varick Street
New York 14, N. Y.

ADVERTISEMENT

The scientific publications of the National Museum include two series, known, respectively, as _Proceedings_ and _Bulletin_.

The _Proceedings_ series, begun in 1878, is intended primarily as a medium for the publication of original papers, based on the collections of the National Museum, that set forth newly acquired facts in biology, anthropology, and geology, with descriptions of new forms and revisions of limited groups. Copies of each paper, in pamphlet form, are distributed as published to libraries and scientific organizations and to specialists and others interested in the different subjects. The dates at which these separate papers are published are recorded in the table of contents of each of the volumes.

The series of _Bulletins_, the first of which was issued in 1875, contains separate publications comprising monographs of large zoological groups and other general systematic treatises (occasionally in several volumes), faunal works, reports of expeditions, catalogs of type specimens, special collections, and other material of similar nature. The majority of the volumes are octavo in size, but a quarto size has been adopted in a few instances in which large plates were regarded as indispensable. In the _Bulletin_ series appear volumes under the heading _Contributions from the United States National Herbarium_, in octavo form, published by the National Museum since 1902, which contain papers relating to the botanical collections of the Museum.

The present work forms No. 176 of the _Bulletin_ series.

ALEXANDER WETMORE,
_Assistant Secretary, Smithsonian Institution_.

WASHINGTON, D. C., _May 3, 1940_.

CONTENTS

Page
Order PSITTACIFORMES 1
Family Psittacidae: Parrots and parakeets 1
Conuropsis carolinensis carolinensis: Carolina parakeet 1
Habits 1
Distribution 10
Conuropsis carolinensis ludovicianus: Louisiana parakeet 11
Habits 11
Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha: Thick-billed parrot 14
Habits 14
Distribution 18
Order CUCULIFORMES 19
Family Cuculidae: Cuckoos, roadrunners, and anis 19
Crotophaga ani: Smooth-billed ani 19
Habits 19
Distribution 25
Crotophaga sulcirostris sulcirostris: Groove-billed ani 26
Habits 26
Distribution 34
Crotophaga sulcirostris pallidula: San Lucas ani 35
Habits 35
Geococcyx californianus: Roadrunner 36
Habits 36
Distribution 50
Coccyzus minor maynardi: Maynard’s cuckoo 51
Habits 51
Distribution 53
Coccyzus americanus americanus: Yellow-billed cuckoo 54
Habits 54
Distribution 64
Coccyzus americanus occidentalis: California cuckoo 67
Habits 67
Coccyzus erythropthalmus: Black-billed cuckoo 70
Habits 70
Distribution 81
Cuculus optatus optatus: Himalayan cuckoo 84
Habits 84
Distribution 90
Cuculus canorus bakeri: Khasia Hills cuckoo 91
Habits 91
Distribution 105
Order TROGONIFORMES 106
Family Trogonidae: Trogons 106
Trogon ambiguus ambiguus: Coppery-tailed trogon 106
Habits 106
Distribution 110
Order CORACIIFORMES 111
Family Alcedinidae: Kingfishers 111
Megaceryle alcyon alcyon: Eastern belted kingfisher 111
Habits 111
Distribution 126
Megaceryle alcyon caurina: Western belted kingfisher 129
Habits 129
Megaceryle torquata torquata: Ringed kingfisher 130
Habits 130
Distribution 139
Chloroceryle americana septentrionalis: Texas kingfisher 140
Habits 140
Distribution 146
Order CAPRIMULGIFORMES 147
Family Caprimulgidae: Goatsuckers 147
Antrostomus carolinensis: Chuck-will’s-widow 147
Habits 147
Distribution 161
Antrostomus vociferus vociferus: Eastern whippoorwill 163
Habits 163
Distribution 181
Antrostomus vociferus arizonae: Stephens’s whippoorwill 183
Habits 183
Phalaenoptilus nuttalli nuttalli: Nuttall’s poorwill 187
Habits 187
Distribution 193
Phalaenoptilus nuttalli californicus: Dusky poorwill 194
Habits 194
Phalaenoptilus nuttalli hueyi: Desert poorwill 197
Habits 197
Phalaenoptilus nuttalli dickeyi: San Ignatio poorwill 198
Habits 198
Nyctidromus albicollis merrilli: Merrill’s pauraque 199
Habits 199
Distribution 205
Chordeiles minor minor: Eastern nighthawk 206
Habits 206
Distribution 231
Chordeiles minor henryi: Western nighthawk 235
Habits 235
Chordeiles minor chapmani: Florida nighthawk 237
Habits 237
Chordeiles minor sennetti: Sennett’s nighthawk 239
Habits 239
Chordeiles minor hesperis: Pacific nighthawk 240
Habits 240
Chordeiles minor howelli: Howell’s nighthawk 242
Habits 242
Chordeiles minor aserriensis: Cherrie’s nighthawk 243
Habits 243
Plates 245