Chapter I: Front Matter

Transcriber’s Note:

In Memory of

Chris Curnow
(1937–2023)
the Project Manager at Distributed Proofreaders
who selected this book,
and more than 2200 others,
to be preserved as free digital transcriptions
by Project Gutenberg.

The source scans used are from the Dover edition, published in 1962, an unabridged republication of the work first published by the United States Government Printing Office. Part I was originally published in 1927 as Smithsonian Institution United States National Museum Bulletin 142; Part II was originally published in 1929 as Smithsonian Institution United States National Museum Bulletin 146. In Part II, the Smithsonian publication used Plate 1 as a frontispiece. The Dover edition included Plate 1 with the rest of the plates at the end of the book.

Words and phrases in italics are surrounded by underscores, _like this_. Those in bold are surrounded by equal signs, =like this=. Footnotes were renumbered sequentially. Obsolete and alternative spellings were not changed.

Misspelled words were corrected. Missing diacriticals were added. Obvious printing errors, such as partially printed letters and punctuation, were corrected. Final stops missing at the end of sentences and abbreviations were added.

_Life Histories of North American Shore Birds_

_by Arthur Cleveland Bent_

_in two parts - Part II_

_Dover Publications, Inc., New York_

ADVERTISEMENT

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

The _Proceedings_, 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 _Bulletin_, the first of which was issued in 1875, consists of a series of separate publications comprising monographs of large zoological groups and other general systematic treatises (occasionally in several volumes), faunal works, reports of expeditions, catalogues 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. 146 of the _Bulletin_ series.

ALEXANDER WETMORE,
_Assistant Secretary, Smithsonian Institution_.
WASHINGTON, D. C., _December 11, 1928_.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
Order Limicolae 1
Family Scolopacidae 1
Tringa solitaria solitaria 1
Solitary sandpiper 1
Habits 1
Distribution 9
Tringa solitaria cinnamomea 13
Western solitary sandpiper 13
Habits 13
Distribution 15
Tringa ocrophus 16
Green sandpiper 16
Habits 16
Distribution 21
Rhyacophilus glareola 22
Wood sandpiper 22
Habits 22
Distribution 26
Catoptrophorus semipalmatus semipalmatus 27
Eastern willet 27
Habits 27
Distribution 35
Catoptrophorus semipalmatus inornatus 36
Western willet 36
Habits 36
Distribution 39
Heteroscelus incanus 41
Wandering tattler 41
Habits 41
Distribution 46
Heteroscelus brevipes 48
Polynesian tattler 48
Habits 48
Distribution 49
Philomachus pugnax 49
Ruff 49
Habits 49
Distribution 54
Bartramia longicauda 55
Upland plover 55
Habits 55
Distribution 65
Tryngites subruficollis 69
Buff-breasted sandpiper 69
Habits 69
Distribution 76
Actitis macularia 78
Spotted sandpiper 78
Habits 78
Distribution 93
Numenius americanus 97
Long-billed curlew 97
Habits 97
Distribution 106
Numenius arquata arquata 109
European curlew 109
Habits 109
Distribution 112
Numenius hudsonicus 113
Hudsonian curlew 113
Habits 113
Distribution 122
Numenius borealis 125
Eskimo curlew 125
Habits 125
Distribution 134
Numenius phaeopus phaeopus 136
Whimbrel 136
Habits 136
Distribution 139
Numenius tahitiensis 140
Bristle-thighed curlew 140
Habits 140
Distribution 143
Family Charadriidae 144
Vanellus-vanellus 144
Lapwing 144
Habits 144
Distribution 148
Eudromias morinellus 150
Dotterel 150
Habits 150
Distribution 153
Squatarola squatarola 154
Black-bellied plover 154
Habits 154
Distribution 166
Pluvialis apricaria altifrons 171
European golden plover 171
Habits 171
Distribution 174
Pluvialis dominica dominica 175
American golden plover 175
Habits 175
Distribution 189
Pluvialis dominica fulva 193
Pacific golden plover 193
Habits 193
Distribution 201
Oxyechus vociferus 202
Killdeer 202
Habits 202
Distribution 213
Charadrius semipalmatus 217
Semipalmated plover 217
Habits 217
Distribution 225
Charadrius hiaticula 229
Ringed plover 229
Habits 229
Distribution 232
Charadrius dubius curonicus 233
Little ringed plover 233
Habits 233
Distribution 236
Charadrius melodus 236
Piping plover 236
Habits 236
Distribution 244
Charadrius nivosus nivosus 246
Snowy plover 246
Habits 246
Distribution 251
Charadrius nivosus tenuirostris 252
Cuban snowy plover 252
Habits 252
Charadrius mongolus mongolus 253
Mongolian plover 253
Habits 253
Distribution 256
Pagolla wilsonia wilsonia 257
Wilson plover 257
Habits 257
Distribution 262
Podasocys montanus 263
Mountain plover 263
Habits 263
Distribution 267
Family Aphrizidae 269
Aphriza virgata 269
Surf bird 269
Habits 269
Distribution 277
Arenaria interpres 278
Turnstone 278
Habits 278
Distribution 293
Arenaria interpres interpres 293
Arenaria interpres morinella 294
Arenaria melanocephala 298
Black turnstone 298
Habits 298
Distribution 304
Family Haematopodidae 305
Haematopus ostralegus 305
European oyster catcher 305
Habits 305
Distribution 308
Haematopus palliatus palliatus 309
American oyster catcher 309
Habits 309
Distribution 315
Haematopus palliatus frazari 316
Frazer oyster catcher 316
Habits 316
Distribution 319
Haematopus bachmani 320
Black oyster catcher 320
Habits 320
Distribution 323
Family Jacanidae 324
Jacana spinosa gymnostoma 324
Mexican jacana 324
Habits 324
Distribution 327
References to publications 328
Explanation of plates 341
Index 407