Chapter II: Part 2

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 3 eggs (3.1, 3-5; 17).

Nests are placed about 10 feet high (two to 35 feet) in willow, cottonwood, elm, and the like.

=Little Blue Heron=: _Florida caerulea caerulea_ (Linnaeus).--This is chiefly a postbreeding summer visitant, but there is one record of breeding in Finney County (Tordoff, 1956:312).

_Breeding schedule._--There is no information on breeding schedule in Kansas or in adjacent areas.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 2 to 4 eggs (Davie, 1898).

Nests are placed in trees and bushes at various heights above the ground.

=Common Egret=: _Casmerodius albus egretta_ (Gmelin).--This is a postbreeding summer visitant, but has been found nesting once in Cowley County (Johnston, 1960:10). Occurrence in time is listed in Table 10.

_Breeding schedule._--There is no information on breeding schedule in Kansas.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 2 to 4 eggs (Davie, 1898).

Nests are placed in trees, usually above 20 feet in height; the one instance of nesting in the State was within a colony of Great Blue Herons.

=Snowy Egret=: _Leucophoyx thula thula_ (Molina).--This postbreeding summer visitant has been found nesting once in Finney County (Tordoff, 1956:312).

_Breeding schedule._--There is no information on breeding schedule in the State.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 2 to 5 eggs (Davie, 1898).

Nests in Kansas are placed among those of Great Blue Herons.

=Black-crowned Night Heron=: _Nycticorax nycticorax hoactli_ (Gmelin).--This is a locally common summer resident around marshes and riparian habitats. Characteristics of the occurrence of the species in time are given in Table 10.

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs are laid in the period May 1 to August 10.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.

Nests are placed at medium elevations in riparian trees, in Kansas chiefly cottonwood, or in beds of emergent marsh vegetation.

=Yellow-crowned Night Heron=: _Nyctanassa violacea violacea_ (Linnaeus).--This is a local summer resident in riparian habitats, chiefly in southeastern Kansas. Specimens taken in the breeding season and records of nesting come from Meade, Stafford, Doniphan, Douglas, Greenwood, Woodson, Labette, and Cherokee counties. Characteristics of occurrence in time in Kansas are shown in Table 10. _Breeding schedule._--Eggs are laid in May and June.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.

Nests are placed in riparian trees.

=Least Bittern=: _Ixobrychus exilis exilis_ (Gmelin).--This is a local summer resident in marshland. Characteristics of its occurrence in time are indicated in Table 10.

_Breeding schedule._--Eleven records of breeding span the period May 21 to July 20; the modal date of egg-laying seems to be in the first week of June.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.

Nests are placed in dense emergent vegetation a few inches to a foot above the surface of the water.

=American Bittern=: _Botaurus lentiginosus_ (Rackett).--This is a local summer resident in marshes and heavy grassland. The species occurs temporally according to characteristics as listed in Table 10.

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs are laid in May and probably in June.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 3 or 4 eggs.

Nests are placed on the ground in heavy cover.

=White-faced Ibis=: _Plegadis chihi_ (Vieillot).--This is a local summer resident in marshland; actual records of breeding come only from Barton County (Nossaman, 1952:7; Zuvanich, 1963; M. Schwilling, personal communication, July, 1962). The species has been recorded in the State from April 17 to October 6.

_Breeding schedule._--Twenty-five breeding records are for June and early July.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 4 eggs (3.9, 3-4; 24).

Nests are placed in emergent marsh vegetation near the surface of the water, in Barton County in extensive cattail beds harboring also Black-crowned Night Herons.

=Mallard=: _Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos_ Linnaeus.--This is a local summer resident around marshes. The time of greatest abundance is October to April, but most birds move north for breeding.

_Breeding schedule._--Fifteen records of breeding span the period April 1 to June 10; the modal date of egg-laying is in the first ten days of May.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size varies widely; first clutches are of about 12 eggs. Brood sizes vary from 3 to 12 individuals in Kansas.

Nests are placed on the ground surface, in pasture grasses, marsh grasses, cattail, sedge, and smartweed.

=Pintail=: _Anas acuta_ Linnaeus.--This is a local summer resident in marshland. The time of greatest abundance is from September to May, but most birds move north for breeding.

_Breeding schedule._--Eleven records of breeding span the period April 21 to June 10; the peak of egg-laying seems to be in the period May 1 to 10.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is around 10 eggs. Brood sizes vary from 3 to 8 individuals in Kansas.

Nests are placed on the ground surface, in cover of marsh grass, cattail, or sedge.

=Blue-winged Teal=: _Anas discors discors_ Linnaeus.--This summer resident is locally common around marshes and ponds. The species arrives in spring in the period March 9 to April 5 (the median is March 23); birds are last seen sometime between October 7 and November 26 (the median is October 20).

_Breeding schedule._--Twenty-two records of breeding span the period May 1 to May 30; the peak of egg-laying is around May 15. It is doubtful that the present data indicate the full extent of the egg-season in this duck.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 8 to 12 eggs.

Nests are placed on the ground surface, in cover of grasses, cattail and sedges.

=Shoveler=: _Anas clypeata_ Linnaeus.--This is an irregular and local summer resident, around marshes. Most individuals seen in the State are passage migrants. Breeding records are from Barton and Finney counties.

_Breeding schedule._--Seasonal limits are unknown for the Shoveler in Kansas.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 8 eggs (Davie, 1898).

Nests are placed on the ground surface in cover of marsh vegetation.

=Wood Duck=: _Aix sponsa_ (Linnaeus).--This is an uncommon summer resident around wooded streams and ponds in eastern Kansas. Nesting records and specimens taken in the breeding season come from east of stations in Pottawatomie, Coffey, and Woodson counties. Most nesting records at present come from the Marais des Cygnes Wildlife Refuge, Linn County. The species is present in the State from March 5 to December 8.

_Breeding schedule._--Eleven records of breeding span the period March 21 to May 10; the peak of egg-laying is probably in mid-April. The present data are inadequate for showing the full span of the breeding season.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is around 15 eggs, varying from 10 to 23 in the sample at hand.

Nests are placed in crevices and hollows in trees near water, 10 to 70 feet high.

=Redhead=: _Aythya americana_ (Eyton).--This duck nested at Cheyenne Bottoms, Barton County, 1962: 9 eggs found May 31 (M. Schwilling); also reported to have nested at Cheyenne Bottoms about 1928 (Tordoff, 1956:316).

=Canvasback=: _Aythya valisineria_ (Wilson).--This duck nested at Cheyenne Bottoms, Barton County, 1962: 14 eggs found June 20 (M. Schwilling).

=Ruddy Duck=: _Oxyura jamaicensis rubida_ (Wilson).--This is a local summer resident in marshland; numbers seem generally higher in western than in eastern Kansas. The season of greatest abundance is March through November, but numbers are conspicuously reduced in midsummer.

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs are known to be laid in May and June.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 10 eggs (Davie, 1898).

Nests are placed near the edge of water, either in or on emergent marsh vegetation; nests of other marshland birds, such as coots, are sometimes appropriated (Davie, 1898).

=Turkey Vulture=: _Cathartes aura teter_ Friedmann.--This summer resident is common throughout Kansas. Occurrence in time is indicated in Table 11.

_Breeding schedule._--Fifteen records of breeding span the period April 21 to June 10; earlier records will doubtless be found, to judge from the frequency distribution of the present sample. The peak of egg-laying is perhaps around May 1.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 2 eggs (1.8, 1-2; 12).

Nests are placed in holes and crevices in trees and cliffs, on rocky ledges, and the like.

=Black Vulture=: _Coragyps atratus_ (Meyer).--This is possibly a summer resident in the southeastern sector of Kansas. There is one nesting record, for Labette County (Goss, 1891:245).

_Breeding schedule._--There are no data for this species in Kansas.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 2 eggs (Davie, 1898).

Nests are placed in hollows (logs, stumps, _etc._) on the ground surface.

=Swallow-tailed Kite=: _Elanoides forficatus forficatus_ (Linnaeus).--This kite was formerly a summer resident in eastern Kansas; it no longer occurs as a breeding species.

_Breeding schedule._--In Kansas the season seemed to occur relatively late in the year for a raptor; eggs were laid in May, so far as is known.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 2 eggs (Davie, 1898).

Nests are placed in tops of trees.

=Mississippi Kite=: _Ictinia misisippiensis_ (Wilson).--This is a common summer resident in southern Kansas, west to Morton County. Specimens taken in the breeding season and records of nesting come from south of stations in Grant, Barton, Harvey, and Douglas counties; the present center of abundance is in Meade, Clark, Comanche, Barber, and Harper counties.

_Breeding schedule._--Seven records of breeding span the period April 20 to June 10; the peak of egg-laying seems to be in the first week of May.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 2 eggs.

Nests are placed about 35 feet high (from 25 to 50 feet) in cottonwood, willow, elm, black locust, and the like.

=Sharp-shinned Hawk=: _Accipiter striatus velox_ (Wilson).--This rare summer resident apparently occurs only in the eastern part. The two nesting records are from Cloud and Pottawatomie counties.

_Breeding schedule._--The information at hand suggests the birds lay in April and May.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 4 eggs (Davie, 1898).

Nests are placed 20 or more feet high in coniferous or deciduous trees.

=Cooper Hawk=: _Accipiter cooperii_ (Bonaparte).--This is an uncommon resident. Specimens taken in the breeding season and actual records of nesting come from east of stations in Cloud, Anderson, and Montgomery counties.

_Breeding schedule._--Fourteen records of breeding span the period March 21 to May 30; the modal date of egg-laying is April 25.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 4 eggs (3.8, 2-5; 5).

Nests are placed from 15 to 30 feet high, averaging 25 feet in elm, oak, and other trees.

=Red-tailed Hawk=: _Buteo jamaicensis borealis_ (Gmelin).--This is a common resident east of the 100th meridian; to the west numbers are reduced, although the species is by no means unusual in western Kansas. Red-tails probably always were uncommon in western Kansas; Wolfe (1961) reports that they were "very rare as a nesting species" in Decatur County shortly after the turn of the 20th Century. _Breeding schedule._--Thirty-six records of breeding span the period February 21 to April 10 (Fig. 3); the modal date of egg-laying is March 5.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 3 eggs (2.6, 2-3; 20).

Nests are placed about 40 feet high, ranging from 15 to 70 feet in cottonwood, honey locust, osage orange, sycamore, and walnut.

=Red-shouldered Hawk=: _Buteo lineatus lineatus_ (Gmelin).--This is an uncommon summer resident in eastern Kansas, in riparian and bottomland timber. Nesting records are available from Leavenworth, Woodson, and Linn counties, and red-shoulders probably also nest in Doniphan County (Linsdale, 1928).

_Breeding season._--Eggs are laid in March and April.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 3 eggs (Davie, 1898).

Nests are placed up to 70 feet high in elms and other streamside trees.

TABLE 11.--OCCURRENCE IN TIME OF THE SUMMER RESIDENT VULTURE
AND HAWKS IN KANSAS

===============+===========================+============================ | Arrival | Departure SPECIES +-----------------+---------+------------------+--------- | Range | Median | Range | Median ---------------+-----------------+---------+------------------+--------- Turkey Vulture | Mar. 7-Mar. 30 | Mar. 15 | Sept. 24-Oct. 28 | Oct. 5 Red-shouldered | | | | Hawk | Feb. 10-Mar. 14 | Feb. 26 | Oct.-Dec. | Broad-winged | | | | Hawk | Apr. 4-Apr. 21 | Apr. 12 | Sept. 1-Oct. 20 | Swainson Hawk | Mar. 24-Apr. 28 | Apr. 12 | Oct. 5-Nov. 2 | Oct. 11 ---------------+-----------------+---------+------------------+---------

=Broad-winged Hawk=: _Buteo platypterus platypterus_ (Vieillot).--This is an uncommon summer resident in eastern Kansas, in swampy woodland. Specimens taken in the breeding season and nesting records are from Shawnee, Douglas, Leavenworth, and Johnson counties; there are several nesting records from Missouri in the bottomlands just across the river from Wyandotte County Kansas. Occurrence in time is listed in Table 11.

_Breeding schedule._--Four records of nesting span the period April 21 to May 30, but it is likely that the egg-season is longer than this.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 3 eggs.

Nests are placed high in deciduous trees.

=Swainson Hawk=: _Buteo swainsoni_ Bonaparte.--This is a common summer resident in prairie grassland with open groves and scattered trees. Records of breeding are available from all parts of the State, but are least numerous from the southeastern quarter. Occurrence in time is listed in Table 11.

_Breeding schedule._--Sixteen records of breeding span the period April 11 to June 10; the modal date for completion of clutches is April 25.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 2 eggs (2.4, 2-3; 5).

Nests are placed about 35 feet high, actually ranging from 12 to 75 feet, in cottonwood, elm, willow, and honey locust. Occasionally nests are placed on ledges in cliffs.

=Ferruginous Hawk=: _Buteo regalis_ (Gray).--This is an uncommon resident in western Kansas, in grassland with scattered trees. Records of nesting and specimens taken in the breeding season come from Wallace, Hamilton, Gove, Logan, and Finney counties.

_Breeding schedule._--Five records of breeding span the period March 11 to April 30.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 3 eggs (3.3, 3-4; 4).

Nests are placed on the ground surface on small cliffs or promontories or low (six to 10 feet) in small trees such as osage orange, cottonwood, and mulberry.

=Marsh Hawk=: _Circus cyaneus hudsonius_ (Linnaeus).--This is a local resident in grassland throughout Kansas. Most records of breeding come from east of the Flint Hills, but it is not certain that the few records from the west actually reflect a low density of Marsh Hawks in that area.

_Breeding schedule._--Sixteen records of breeding span the period April 11 to May 20; the modal date for egg-laying is May 5.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 5 eggs (5.2, 3-7; 14).

Nests are placed on the ground surface in grassy cover.

=Peregrine Falcon=: _Falco peregrinus anatum_ Bonaparte.--This falcon nested, perhaps regularly but clearly in small numbers, in Kansas prior to the 20th Century. The best documented breeding occurrence was at Neosho Falls, Woodson County (Goss, 1891:283).

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs were recorded as being laid in February and March.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 3 or 4 eggs (Davie, 1898).

Nests are placed relatively high on cliffs and in trees; at Neosho Falls these birds used open cavities 50 to 60 feet high in sycamores.

=Sparrow Hawk=: _Falco sparverius sparverius_ Linnaeus.--This is a common resident throughout Kansas, in parkland and woodland edge.

_Breeding schedule._--Thirteen records of egg-laying span the period March 21 to May 20; the modal date of laying is not evident in this sample but it probably falls around April 10.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 4 eggs (4.2, 3-5; 5).

Nests are placed in cavities about 16 feet high, actually 12 to 30 feet, in cottonwood, ash, maple, Purple Martin "houses," and human dwellings.

=Greater Prairie Chicken=: _Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus_ (Brewster).--This is a locally common resident in eastern Kansas, in and about bluestem prairie grassland, and is local in the northwest in undisturbed plains grassland. Wolfe (1961) reports that the species was common in Decatur County shortly after the turn of the Century, but that it became rare by 1914.

_Breeding schedule._--Twenty-one records of breeding span the period May 1 to June 10 (Fig. 3); the modal date for laying is May 5. The sample indicates an abrupt inception to laying of eggs, and this may be a reflection of timing characteristic of behavior at leks, or booming grounds.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 12 eggs (11.7, 9-15; 17).

Nests are placed on the surface of the ground in bluestem grassland or plains bunchgrass, usually under cover of prairie grasses and forbs.

=Lesser Prairie Chicken=: _Tympanuchus pallidicinctus_ (Ridgway).--This is a local resident in sandy grassland in southwestern Kansas. Distribution is to the west and south of Pawnee County.

_Breeding schedule._--There is no information on timing of the breeding season in Kansas.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is thought to be near that of the Greater Prairie Chicken. Vic Housholder (MS) observed a hen with ten chicks ten miles south of Dodge City, Ford County, on June 1, 1955.

=Bobwhite=: _Colinus virginianus_ (Linnaeus).--This is a common resident in the east, but is local in western Kansas; occurrence is in broken woodland and other edge habitats. _C. v. virginianus_ (Linnaeus) is found northeast of stations in Nemaha, Douglas, and Miami counties, and _C. v. taylori_ Lincoln is found in the remainder of the State.

_Breeding schedule._--Twenty-four records of breeding span the period May 1 to September 20 (Fig. 3); the modal date for first clutches is May 25. The long period of egg-laying after May probably includes both renesting efforts and true second nestings.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 13 eggs (12.8, 8-21; 22); in the present sample 16 eggs was the most frequent number.

Nests are placed on the surface of the ground at bases of bunch grasses, saplings, trees, or posts, under cover of prairie grasses, forbs, or small woody plants.

=Scaled Quail=: _Callipepla squamata pallida_ Brewster.--This is a locally common resident in southwestern Kansas, chiefly west of Clark County and south of the Arkansas River; preferred habitat seems to be in open, sandy prairie.

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs are laid at least in May; the egg-season in Kansas is unlikely to be so prolonged as that of the Bobwhite; among other factors involved, the Scaled Quail in Kansas is at a northern extreme of its distribution, where suboptimal environmental conditions may occur relatively frequently.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is around 10 to 12 eggs.

Nests are placed on the ground surface under woody or herbaceous cover.

=Ring-necked Pheasant=: _Phasianus colchicus_ Linnaeus.--This introduced resident is common in western Kansas, is local and uncommon in the east, and is found in agricultural land with scattered woody vegetation.

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs are laid at least in May.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 10 to 12 eggs.

Nests are placed on the surface of the ground in woody or herbaceous cover.

=Wild Turkey=: _Meleagris gallopavo_ Linnaeus.--Turkeys formerly occurred as common residents in flood-plain woodland in eastern Kansas, and their distribution extended through the west in riparian woodland. Present population in eastern and southern sectors are partly the result of introductions of birds from Missouri by humans in the 1950s. Turkeys in southern Kansas are also present owing to natural dispersal along the Arkansas and Medicine Lodge rivers of birds native to and introduced into Oklahoma. No specimens of turkeys presently found in Kansas are available for examination but these birds probably are referable to _M. g. silvestris_ Vieillot, the trinomen applied to turkeys in Missouri and northeastern Oklahoma.

Turkeys from southern Texas recently have been liberated at several localities in southern Nebraska; turkeys seen in extreme northern Kansas are thus probably of these stocks. The name _M. g. intermedia_ Sennett is applicable to these birds.

_Breeding schedule._--No information is available on the egg-season in Kansas; turkeys have nested in southern Kansas within recent years, however.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is perhaps 12 eggs.

Nests are placed on the surface of the ground, usually well-concealed under woody vegetation.

=King Rail=: _Rallus elegans elegans_ Audubon.--This summer resident is locally common in marshlands. Nesting records or adults taken in the breeding season are from Cheyenne, Meade, Pratt, Stafford, Cloud, Riley, Douglas, Anderson, and Allen counties. Dates of arrival in spring are recorded from April 7 to April 28; the median date is April 18. Departure in autumn is possibly as early as September in the north, but four records are in the period October 12 to November 25. The species occasionally can be found in winter (Douglas County, December 28, 1915).

_Breeding schedule._--Fourteen records of breeding span the period May 1 to July 20; the modal date for egg-laying is June 5.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 10 eggs (9 to 12; 4 records).

Nests are placed on the surface of the ground, under grassy or woody cover.

=Virginia Rail=: _Rallus limicola limicola_ Vieillot.--This is an uncommon summer resident, presumably throughout the State. The one breeding record is from Morton County (May 24, 1950; Graber and Graber, 1951). Dates of spring arrival are from April 19 to May 18; dates of last observation in autumn are within the period September 1 to October 30. A few birds overwinter in the southern part of the State (Meade County, December and January).

_Breeding season._--Eggs are laid probably in May and June.

_Number of eggs._--Six to 12 eggs are laid (Davie, 1898).

Nests are placed in emergent aquatic plants, near the surface of the water.

=Sora=: _Porzana carolina_ (Linnaeus).--This is an uncommon summer resident in marshland. Nesting records or specimens taken in the breeding season come from Finney, Barton, Jefferson, Douglas, and Miami counties. First dates of observation in spring are from April 11 to May 9 (the median is May 1); dates when last observed in autumn are from September 30 to November 9 (the median is October 18).

_Breeding schedule._--The one dated record comes from August.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is around 10 eggs (Davie, 1898).

Nests are on the ground in grassy or herbaceous cover.

=Black Rail=: _Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis_ (Gmelin).--This is an uncommon summer resident in Kansas. Records of breeding and specimens taken in the breeding season come from Finney, Meade, Riley, and Franklin counties. Seasonal occurrence is within the period March 18 to September 26.

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs are laid at least in June.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 8 eggs (6-10; 4). Nests are on the ground under cover of marsh plants.

=Common Gallinule=: _Gallinula chloropus cachinnans_ Bangs.--This is a local summer resident in marshlands. Nesting records and specimens taken in the breeding season come from Barton, Stafford, Shawnee, Douglas, and Coffey counties. Occurrence in the State is from April through September.

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs are laid in May and June.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 10 eggs.

Nests are in marsh grasses and other emergent vegetation, not necessarily over water.

=American Coot=: _Fulica americana americana_ Gmelin.--This is an uncommon, local summer resident in wetlands in Kansas. Coots are at greatest abundance in autumnal and spring migratory movements, but are present all year. Nesting has been recorded from Barton, Stafford, Doniphan, and Douglas counties.

_Breeding schedule._--Thirty-eight records of breeding span the period May 11 to June 30; the mode to laying is May 25. Earlier breeding probably occurs in the State.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 8 eggs (7.7, 5-12; 28).

Nests are made of marsh vegetation (arrowhead, cattail) and float on water.

=Snowy Plover=: _Charadrius alexandrinus tenuirostris_ (Lawrence).--This summer resident is fairly common on the saline flats of central and south-central Kansas. Breeding records are from Barton, Stafford, Meade, Clark, and Comanche counties.

_Breeding schedule._--Fifteen records show that eggs are laid in the period May 25 to June 20; the peak of laying seems to be around June 10.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 3 eggs.

Eggs are deposited on bare sand.

=Killdeer=: _Charadrius vociferus vociferus_ Linnaeus.--This summer resident is common throughout the State, in open country frequently near wetlands. A few individuals overwinter in Kansas, especially in the southern counties.

_Breeding schedule._--The 29 records of breeding span the period March 21 to June 30; the modal date of laying is May 20. The distribution of completed clutches (Fig. 3) suggests that Killdeers are here double-brooded.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 4 eggs.

Eggs are laid on the surface of the ground, frequently on gravel, field stubble, plowed earth, and pasture.

=Mountain Plover=: _Eupoda montana_ (Townsend).--This is an uncommon and local summer resident in western short-grass prairie. Breeding records come from Greeley and Decatur counties.

_Breeding schedule._--Wolfe (1961) wrote that the species in Decatur County laid eggs in the "last of May" in the early 1900s. The only other dated breeding record is of downy young (KU 5512, 5513) taken on June 21.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is usually 3 eggs.

Eggs are laid in slight depressions in the ground, "lined with a few grass stems," according to Wolfe (1961).

=American Woodcock=: _Philohela minor_ (Gmelin).--This is a rare summer resident in wet woodlands in eastern Kansas. Arrival in the northeast is from mid-March through April, with departures southward occurring from September to December; the last date on which the species has been seen in any year is December 5. There are nesting records only from Woodson County; probably the species nests in Douglas County (Fitch, 1958:194).

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs are laid in April.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is usually 4 eggs.

Nests are depressions in the dry ground within swampy places, usually under heavy plant cover.

=Long-billed Curlew=: _Numenius americanus americanus_ Bechstein.--This is an uncommon summer resident in western Kansas, in prairie grassland. Breeding records are from Stanton and Morton counties.

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs are laid at least in May and June.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 4 eggs.

Eggs are laid in slight depressions in the ground in grassy cover.

=Upland Plover=: _Bartramia longicauda_ (Bechstein).--This is a locally common summer resident, most conspicuously in the Flint Hills, in grassland. Breeding records are from Trego, Hamilton, Finney, Morton, Meade, Marion, Chase, Kearny, Butler, Cowley, Douglas, Johnson, Wabaunsee, Franklin, Anderson, and Coffey counties. Dates of first arrival in spring span the period April 2 to May 5 (the median is April 19), and dates last seen in autumn are from September 3 to October 6 (the median is September 13).

_Breeding schedule._--Sixteen records of breeding span the period April 21 to June 10; the modal date for egg-laying is May 5.

_Number of eggs._--Usually 4 eggs are laid.

Eggs are placed on vegetation on the ground surface, in pasture, field stubble, or gravel, frequently under heavy plant cover.

=Spotted Sandpiper=: _Actitis macularia_ (Linnaeus).--This summer resident is locally common on wet ground and along streams. Dates of arrival in spring are from March 29 to April 30 (the median is April 24), and dates of last observation in autumn span the period September 2 to October 10 (the median is September 18).

_Breeding schedule._--Egg records are all from the northeastern sector, and all are for May.

_Number of eggs._--Usually 4 eggs are laid.

Nests are of plant fibers in depressions in dry ground on gravel banks, pond or stream borders, or in pastureland.

=American Avocet=: _Recurvirostra americana_ Gmelin.--This is a local summer resident in marshes in central and western Kansas. There are breeding records from Finney, Barton, and Stafford counties. Extreme dates within which avocets have been recorded are April 2 to November 21.

_Breeding schedule._--Forty-one records of breeding span the period May 11 to June 20 (26 records shown in Fig. 3); the modal date for laying is June 5.

_Number of eggs._--Usually 4 eggs are laid.

Nests are placed on the surface of the ground, near water.

=Wilson Phalarope=: _Steganopus tricolor_ Vieillot.--This is a local summer resident in marshes in central and western Kansas, but breeding records are available only from Barton County. The earliest date of occurrence is April 7 and the latest is October 14.

_Breeding schedule._--Ten records indicate eggs are laid in May and June.

_Number of eggs._--Three or 4 eggs are laid.

Nests are of plant stems in slight depressions in the ground.

=Forster Tern=: _Sterna forsteri_ Nuttall.--This is a local summer resident in central Kansas, in marshes. There are breeding records only from Cheyenne Bottoms, Barton County (Zuvanich, 1963:1). First dates of arrival in spring span the period April 9 to 29 (the median is April 22), and apparent departure south in autumn occurs from August 1 to November 1 (the median is September 3).

_Breeding schedule._--Twenty-three records of nesting are from late May to mid-June; all records are for the year 1962.

_Number of eggs._--Usually 4 eggs are laid.

Nests are frequently floating platforms of vegetation (algae, cattail, and the like) in shallow water; old nests of Pied-billed Grebes are sometimes used as bases, and occasionally the birds nest on the ground.

=Least Tern=: _Sterna albifrons athalassos_ Burleigh and Lowery.--This tern is a local summer resident in marshes and along streams in central and western Kansas. There are breeding records from Hamilton, Meade, and Stafford counties. First dates of arrival in spring are from May 14 to 30 (the median is May 28), and last dates of occurrence in autumn are from August 9 to September 7 (the median is August 25).

_Breeding schedule._--Twenty-one records of egg-laying are from May 21 to June 30 (Fig. 4); the modal date for laying is June 5.

_Number of eggs._--Two, 3 or 4 eggs are laid.

Eggs are laid on the bare ground, usually a sandy surface, near water.

=Black Tern=: _Chlidonias niger surinamensis_ (Gmelin).--This is a local summer resident in marshlands in central Kansas. There are breeding records only from Barton County for 1961 and 1962; possibly the species breeds in Douglas County. First dates of arrival in spring are from May 3 to 29 (the median is May 14), and last dates of occurrence in autumn are from September 2 to 30 (the median is September 11).

_Breeding schedule._--Twenty-four sets of eggs (Parmelee, 1961:25; M. Schwilling) were complete between June 11 and July 12.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 3 eggs.

Nests are of dead plant matter placed on floating parts of emergent green plants in shallow water.

=Rock Dove=: _Columba livia_ Gmelin.--This species was introduced into North America by man from European stocks of semi-domesticated ancestry. "Pigeons" now are feral around towns and farms, and cliffsides in the west, and are locally common permanent residents throughout the State.

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs are laid in every month of the year. The main season of breeding is spring, and this is depicted in Figure 4; the 26 records of breeding by feral birds are from January 11 to June 10, and the modal date of laying is probably April 5.

_Number of eggs._--Pigeons usually lay 2 eggs. Nests are of sticks and other plant matter placed on ledges and recesses of buildings, bridges, and cliffs, 10 to 60 feet high.

=Mourning Dove=: _Zenaidura macroura marginella_ (Woodhouse).--This is a common summer resident throughout the State, in open country and woodland edge. The species is also present in winter in much reduced numbers, and many are transient in periods of migration. The time of greatest abundance is from March to November. Doves of extreme eastern Kansas have by some workers been referred to the subspecies _Z. m. carolinensis_ (Linnaeus); specimens at the Museum of Natural History indicate that these doves are best regarded as members of populations of intermediate subspecific, or morphologic, affinities, and that they are satisfactorily included within _Z. m. marginella_.

_Breeding schedule._--Numerous (983) records of egg-laying from north-central Kansas are from April 1 to September 10; the modal date for laying is May 15. Forty-three records of breeding from northeastern Kansas span the period March 21 to August 10; the modal date of laying is May 15. These samples are depicted in Figure 4.

Both sets of data are shown here to illustrate some of the differences between large and small samples of heterogeneous data. The small sample tends to be incomplete both early and late in the season, and the mode tends to be conspicuous. Yet, the modes for the two samples coincide. Also, the data from the north-central sector indicate that egg-laying in March would be found less than once in 983 records, but the small sample from the northeast includes one record for March. Such an instance doubtless reflects, at least in part, the fact that the two geographic sectors have different environmental conditions, but it is likely that the instance also partly reflects the unpredictable nature of sampling.

_Number of eggs._--Doves lay two eggs. About one per cent of all nests have 3 eggs, but it is not known for any of these whether one or two females were responsible.

Nests are placed in a wide variety of plants, or on the ground. The commonest plants are those used most frequently; in north-central Kansas one-third of all nests are placed in osage orange trees, but in the northeast elms are most frequently used. Nestsites are from zero to 15 feet high.

=Yellow-billed Cuckoo=: _Coccyzus americanus americanus_ (Linnaeus).--This is a common summer resident in riparian and second-growth habitats throughout the State. Twenty-three dates of first arrival in spring fall between April 29 and May 22 (the median is May 12), and nine dates of last observation in autumn run from September 13 to October 12 (the median is September 23).

_Breeding schedule._--Sixty-nine records of egg-laying span the period May 11 to September 10 (Fig. 4); the modal date of laying is June 5.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 3 eggs (3.1, 2-5; 54).

Nests are placed about six feet high (from four to 20 feet) in sumac, rose, pawpaw, mulberry, elm, cottonwood, willow, redbud, oak, osage orange, walnut, boxelder, usually on horizontal surfaces, and in heavy cover.

=Black-billed Cuckoo=: _Coccyzus erythropthalmus_ (Wilson).--This is an uncommon summer resident, occurring in heavy riparian shrubbery and second-growth. Breeding records are chiefly from eastern Kansas, but specimens have been taken in the breeding season in all parts of the State. Eleven dates of first arrival in spring are from May 7 to May 30 (the median is May 19), and four dates of last observed occurrence in autumn are between September 4 and October 7 (the average is September 18).

_Breeding schedule._--Seventeen records of egg-laying are between May 21 and August 10; the mode is at June 5.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 2 to 3 eggs (2.5, 2-3; 13).

Nests are placed about four feet high in heavy cover in plum, elm, locust, and the like.

=Roadrunner=: _Geococcyx californianus_ (Lesson).--This is a local resident in southern Kansas in xeric scrub or open edge habitats. Breeding records are from Cowley and Sumner counties.

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs are laid at least from early April to mid-July.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 5 eggs (4.5, 3-6; 4).

Nests are placed on the ground under plant cover, or occasionally low in bushes.

=Barn Owl=: _Tyto alba pratincola_ Bonaparte.--This resident has a low density throughout Kansas in open woodland and near agricultural enterprises of man.

_Breeding schedule._--The few records available indicate egg-laying occurs at least from April to July; elsewhere the species is known to have a more protracted breeding schedule.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 5 eggs (4.7, 2-6; 4).

Nests are informal aggregations of sticks and litter placed in recesses in stumps, hollow trees, rocky and earthen banks, and dwellings and outbuildings of man.

=Screech Owl=: _Otus asio_ (Linnaeus).--This is a common resident in woodland habitats throughout Kansas. _O. a. aikeni_ (Brewster) occurs west of Rawlins, Gove, and Comanche counties, and _O. a. naevius_ (Gmelin) occurs in the remainder of the State except for the eastern south-central sector, occupied by _O. a. hasbroucki_ Ridgway.

_Breeding schedule._--Fifteen records of egg-laying span the period March 20 to May 10; there is a strong mode at April 5.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 4 eggs (4.0, 3-6; 12).

Nests are placed in holes and recesses in trees, three to 20 feet high.

=Great Horned Owl=: _Bubo virginianus_ (Gmelin).--This is a common resident throughout Kansas, especially near woodlands and cliffsides. _B. v. virginianus_ (Gmelin) occurs east of a line through Rawlins and Meade counties and _B. v. occidentalis_ Stone occurs to the west.

_Breeding schedule._--Fifty-seven records of egg-laying span the period January 11 to March 20 (Fig. 4); the modal date for laying is near February 10.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 2 eggs (2.4, 2-3; 22).

Nests are placed about 30 feet high in cottonwood, elm, osage orange, hackberry, juniper, locust, cliffsides, and buildings of man. Old nests of hawks, crows, and herons are frequently appropriated.

=Burrowing Owl=: _Speotyto cunicularia hypugaea_ (Bonaparte).--This is an uncommon summer resident in western Kansas in grassland and open scrub habitats. Stations of breeding all come from west of a line running through Cloud and Barber counties. Arrival in spring is between March 22 and April 17 (the median for 7 records is April 9), and dates last seen in autumn span the period September 8 to November 14 (the median for 9 records is September 26).

_Breeding schedule._--Twenty-one records of egg-laying run from April 11 to July 10 (Fig. 4); the mode of laying is May 15.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 7 or 8 eggs.

Nests are informal aggregations of plant and animal fibers in chambers of earthen burrows usually made by badgers or prairie dogs.

=Barred Owl=: _Strix varia varia_ Barton.--This is a local resident in eastern Kansas, in heavy woodland. The species is said by implication (A. O. U. Check-list, 1957) to occur in western Kansas, but no good breeding records are available, all such records coming from and east of Morris County. Specimens from southeastern Kansas show morphologic intergradation with characters of _S. v. georgica_ Latham.

_Breeding schedule._--Three records of egg-laying are for the first half of March.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size in our sample is 2 eggs.

Nests are situated in cavities in trees or in old hawk or crow nests.

=Long-eared Owl=: _Asio otus wilsonianus_ (Lesson).--This owl is a local resident or summer resident in woodland with heavy cover throughout the State. Breeding records are available from Trego, Meade, Cloud, and Douglas counties.

_Breeding schedule._--Four records of egg-laying are for the period March 11 to April 10.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 5 or 6 eggs.

Nests are placed in hollows of trees, stumps, cliffsides, on the ground surface, or in old hawk, crow, or magpie nests (Davie, 1898).

=Short-eared Owl=: _Asio flammeus flammeus_ (Pontoppidan).--This is a local resident or summer resident in open, marshy, and edge habitats; records of nesting come from Republic, Marshall, Woodson, and Bourbon counties.

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs are laid at least in April.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 6 eggs (Davie, 1898).

Nests are simple structures of sticks and grasses, placed on the ground in grasses, frequently near cover of downed timber or bushes.

=Saw-whet Owl=: _Aegolius acadicus acadicus_ (Gmelin).--This is a rare and local resident, in woodland. There is one breeding record (summer, 1951, Wyandotte County; Tordoff, 1956:331).

=Chuck-will's-widow=: _Caprimulgus carolinensis_ Gmelin.--This is a locally common summer resident in woodland habitats in eastern Kansas. Stations of occurrence of actual breeding fall south of Wyandotte County and east of Shawnee, Greenwood, Stafford, and Sedgwick counties.

_Breeding schedule._--Five records of breeding come between April 21 and May 31, with a peak perhaps in the first third of May.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 2 eggs.

Eggs are laid on heavy leaf-litter, usually under shrubby cover.

=Whip-poor-will=: _Caprimulgus vociferus vociferus_ Wilson.--This is a local summer resident in woodland in eastern Kansas. Breeding records are available only from Doniphan, Leavenworth, and Douglas counties; there are sight records in summer from Shawnee County.

_Breeding schedule._--Two records of breeding cover the period May 21 to June 20.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 2 eggs.

Eggs are laid on heavy leaf-litter in shrubby cover.

=Poor-will=: _Phalaenoptilus nuttallii nuttallii_ (Audubon).--This is a common summer resident in western Kansas, in xeric, scrubby woodland. Breeding records are chiefly from west of Riley County, but there is one from Franklin County; specimens taken in the breeding season are available from Doniphan, Douglas, Anderson, Woodson, and Greenwood counties.

_Breeding schedule._--Six records of egg-laying are from the period May 1 to June 20.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 2 eggs.

Eggs are laid on the ground, with or without plant cover.

TABLE 12.--OCCURRENCE IN TIME OF SUMMER RESIDENT CAPRIMULGIDS
AND APODIDS IN KANSAS

==================+==========================+============================ | Arrival | Departure SPECIES +----------------+---------+------------------+--------- | Range | Median | Range | Median ------------------+----------------+---------+------------------+--------- Chuck-will's-widow| Apr. 20-May 1 | Apr. 28 | Oct.-Dec. | Oct. ? Whip-poor-will | Apr. 6-Apr. 25 | Apr. 17 | Sept. 10-Oct. 11 | Sept. 21 Poor-will | Apr. 12 | ... | Sept. 20 | ... Common Nighthawk | Apr. 29-May 23 | May 15 | Sept. 13-Oct. 18 | Sept. 23 Chimney Swift | Apr. 2-Apr. 30 | Apr. 22 | Sept. 18-Oct. 30 | Oct. 4 Ruby-throated | | | | Hummingbird | Apr. 2-May 19 | May 6 | Sept. 3-Oct. 15 | Sept. 10 ------------------+----------------+---------+------------------+---------

=Common Nighthawk=: _Chordeiles minor_ (Forster).--This is a common summer resident throughout Kansas. Temporal occurrence is indicated in Table 11. Three subspecies reach their distributional limits in the State, _C. m. minor_ (Forster) in northeastern Kansas, _C. m. chapmani_ Coues in southeastern Kansas, and _C. m. howelli_ Oberholser west of the Flint Hills.

_Breeding schedule._--Twenty-two records of breeding span the period May 11 to June 30; the modal date for egg-laying is June 10 (Fig. 5).

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 2 eggs.

Eggs are laid on the ground in rocky or gravelly areas, on unpaved roads, or on flat, gravelled tops of buildings of man.

=Chimney Swift=: _Chaetura pelagica_ (Linnaeus).--This is a common summer resident in eastern Kansas, around towns. Temporal occurrence in the State is indicated in Table 12.

_Breeding schedule._--Thirty-six records of breeding span the period May 11 to June 30; the modal date for egg-laying is May 25 (Fig. 5).

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.

Nests are secured by means of a salivary cement to vertical surfaces, usually near the inside tops of chimneys in dwellings of man, but occasionally in abandoned buildings and hollow trees.

=Ruby-throated Hummingbird=: _Archilochus colubris_ (Linnaeus).--This is an uncommon summer resident in eastern Kansas, and is rare in the west, in towns and along riparian vegetation. Temporal occurrence in the State is listed in Table 12.

_Breeding schedule._--Eight records of breeding fall within the period May 21 to July 10; there seems to be a peak to laying in the last third of June. _Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 2 eggs.

Most nests are on outer branches of shrubs and trees, in forks or on pendant branches, 10 to 20 feet high.

=Belted Kingfisher=: _Megaceryle alcyon alcyon_ (Linnaeus).--This summer resident is common throughout the State in streamside and lakeside habitats. Timing of arrival and departure of the breeding birds is not well-documented owing to the fact that the species is also transient and a winter resident in the State.

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs are laid at least from April 21 to May 20.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is near 6 eggs.

Eggs are laid on the floor of the chamber at the inner end of a horizontal tunnel excavated in an earthen bank. The tunnel is two to six feet long and many tunnels are strewn with bones and other dietary refuse.

=Yellow-shafted Flicker=: _Colaptes auratus_ (Linnaeus).--This is a common resident and summer resident in eastern Kansas, meeting, hybridizing with, and partly replaced by _Colaptes cafer_ westward, in open woodlands. _C. a. auratus_ (Linnaeus) occurs in southeastern Kansas, and _C. a. luteus_ Bangs occurs in the remainder, intergrading west of the Flint Hills with _C. cafer_.

_Breeding season._--Forty-eight records of breeding span the period April 11 to June 10; the modal date for egg-laying is May 10 (Fig. 5). This sample is drawn from central and eastern Kansas, but includes records of breeding by some birds identified in the field as _C. cafer_.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 6 eggs.

Nests are piles of wood chips in cavities excavated in stumps and dead limbs of trees such as willow, cottonwood, mulberry, and catalpa, ordinarily about six feet above the ground.

=Red-shafted Flicker=: _Colaptes cafer collaris_ Vigors.--This woodpecker is a common summer resident in western Kansas, meeting, hybridizing with, and largely replaced by _C. auratus_ in central and eastern sectors. The vast majority of specimens taken in Kansas show evidence of intergradation with _C. auratus_.

_Breeding schedule._--The few records of flickers identified in the field as _C. cafer_ have been combined with those of _C. auratus_ (Fig. 5).

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is perhaps 6 eggs.

Nests are like those of _C. auratus_.

=Pileated Woodpecker=: _Dryocopus pileatus_ (Linnaeus).--This is a rare and local resident in the east, in heavy timber. The species has been seen, chiefly in winter, in all sectors of eastern Kansas in recent years, but actual records of breeding come only from Linn and Cherokee counties. _D. p. abieticola_ (Bangs) occurs in the northeast, and _D. p. pileatus_ (Linnaeus) in the southeast.

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs are laid at least in April.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 3 or 4 eggs.

Nests are of wood chips in cavities excavated 45 to 60 feet high in main trunks of cottonwood, sycamore, and pin oak.

=Red-bellied Woodpecker=: _Centurus carolinus zebra_ (Boddaert).--In woodland habitats this is a common resident in eastern Kansas, local in the west.

_Breeding schedule._--Thirty-seven records of breeding span the period March 1 to June 30 (Fig. 5); the modal date of egg-laying is around April 25.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 5 eggs.

Nests are of wood chips in cavities excavated in elm, cottonwood, box elder, ash, hickory, or willow, about 25 feet high (nine to 60 feet).

=Red-headed Woodpecker=: _Melanerpes erythrocephalus_ (Linnaeus).--This is a common summer resident and uncommon permanent resident in open woodland; in winter it is noted especially around groves of oaks. _M. e. erythrocephalus_ (Linnaeus) occurs in eastern Kansas and _M. e. caurinus_ Brodkorb occurs in central and western Kansas.

_Breeding schedule._--Fifty-eight records of breeding span the period May 1 to August 10 (Fig. 5); the modal date of egg-laying is June 5.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 3 or 4 eggs.

Nests are of wood chips in cavities excavated about 25 feet high in willow, cottonwood, and elm.

=Hairy Woodpecker=: _Dendrocopos villosus villosus_ (Linnaeus).--This resident is common in woodlands throughout the State.

_Breeding schedule._--Twenty-eight records of breeding span the period March 21 to May 30 (Fig. 5); the modal date of egg-laying is May 5.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.

Nests are of wood chips in cavities excavated about 13 feet high in elm, honey locust, and ash.

=Downy Woodpecker=: _Dendrocopos pubescens_ (Linnaeus).--This resident is common in woodland throughout the State. _D. p. pubescens_ (Linnaeus) occurs in southeastern Kansas, and _D. p. medianus_ (Swainson) in the remainder.

_Breeding schedule._--Forty-one records of breeding span the period April 11 to June 10 (Fig. 5); the modal date of egg-laying is May 5.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.

Nests are of wood chips in cavities excavated about 20 feet high in willow, honey locust, ash, apple, and pear.

=Eastern Kingbird=: _Tyrannus tyrannus_ (Linnaeus).--This summer resident is common throughout the east; it is local in the west but there maintains conspicuous numbers in favorable places, such as riparian woodland; preferred habitat in eastern sectors is typically in woodland edge. Temporal occurrence is indicated in Table 13.

_Breeding season._--Sixty-three dates of egg-laying span the period May 11 to July 20 (Fig. 5); the modal date for completion of clutches is June 15. Nearly 70 per cent of all eggs are laid in June.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 3 eggs (3.3, 2-3; 10). Clutches are probably larger than the average in May and smaller in June and July.

Nests are placed in crotches, terminal forks, and some on tops of limbs, about 16 feet high, in elm, sycamore, honey locust, willow, oak, apple, and red cedar.

=Western Kingbird=: _Tyrannus verticalis_ Say.--This summer resident is common in the west, but is local and less abundant in the east. Preferred habitat is in woodland edge, open country with scattered trees, and in towns. Temporal occurrence is indicated in Table 13. _Breeding schedule._--The 124 dates of egg-laying span the period May 11 to July 31 (Fig. 5); the modal date for egg-laying is June 15. More than 70 per cent of all clutches are laid in June.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 4 eggs (3.6, 3-4; 8).

Nests are placed in crotches, lateral forks, or on horizontal limbs, about 26 feet high, in cottonwood, elm, osage orange, hackberry, honey locust, mulberry, oak, and on power poles.

=Scissor-tailed Flycatcher=: _Muscivora forficata_ (Gmelin).--This summer resident is common in central and southern Kansas; it is rare to absent in the northwestern sector, and is local in the northeast. Preferred habitat is in open country with scattered trees. Temporal occurrence is indicated in Table 13.

_Breeding schedule._--Twenty-eight records of breeding occur from May 21 to July 10 (Fig. 5); the modal date of egg-laying is June 25. The present sample of records is small, and there is otherwise no evidence suggesting that the breeding schedule of this species differs from those of the other two kingbirds in Kansas.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 3 eggs (3.2, 2-5; 17). Mean clutch-size for the first peak of laying shown in Figure 5 is 4.0 eggs; that for the second peak is 2.7 eggs.

Nests are placed in forks or on horizontal limbs of osage orange, red haw, elm, and on crosspieces of power poles, about 15 feet high (ranging from five to 35 feet).

=Great Crested Flycatcher=: _Myiarchus crinitus boreus_ Bangs.--This summer resident is common in eastern Kansas, but is less numerous in the west. Preferred habitat is in woodland and woodland edge. Temporal occurrence is indicated in Table 13.

_Breeding schedule._--The twenty-two records of egg-laying are in the period May 11 to July 10 (Fig. 5); the modal date for egg-laying is June 5. The shape of the histogram (Fig. 5) indicates that some breeding for which records are lacking occurs earlier in May.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 5 eggs (4.8, 4-6; 6).

Nests are placed in hollows and crevices in elm, maple, cottonwood, willow, pear, apple, oak, drain spouts, and, occasionally, "bird houses" made by man, about 17 feet high (four to 45 feet high).

TABLE 13.--OCCURRENCE IN TIME OF SUMMER RESIDENT FLYCATCHERS IN
KANSAS

=================+===========================+============================ | Arrival | Departure SPECIES +-----------------+---------+-----------------+---------- | Range | Median | Range | Median -----------------+-----------------+---------+-----------------+---------- Eastern Kingbird | Apr. 22-Apr. 30 | Apr. 28 | Sept. 1-Sept. 24| Sept. 13 Western Kingbird | Apr. 23-Apr. 30 | Apr. 28 | Sept. 1-Sept. 26| Sept. 8 Scissor-tailed | | | | Flycatcher | Apr. 15-Apr. 28 | Apr. 18 | Sept. 21-Oct. 22| Oct. 12 Great Crested | | | | Flycatcher | Apr. 15-May 4 | Apr. 29 | Sept. 1-Sept. 21| Sept. 9 Eastern Phoebe | Mar. 3-Mar. 31 | Mar. 22 | Oct. 3-Oct. 27 | Oct. 9 Say Phoebe | Apr. 4-Apr. 22 | Apr. 12 | | Acadian | | | | Flycatcher | Apr. 30-May 19 | May 9 | Sept. 3-Sept. 17| Sept. 4 Eastern Wood | | | | Pewee | Apr. 2-May 28 | May 19 | Aug. 30-Sept. 18| Sept. 6 -----------------+-----------------+---------+-----------------+----------

=Eastern Phoebe=: _Sayornis phoebe_ (Latham).--This summer resident is common in eastern Kansas, but is local in the west. Preferred habitat is in woodland edge and riparian groves, where most birds are found near bridges, culverts, or isolated outbuildings of man. Temporal occurrence is indicated in Table 13.

_Breeding schedule._--The 136 records of breeding span the period March 21 to July 20 (Fig. 5); the modal date for egg-laying is April 25 (for first clutches) and June 5 (for second clutches); this species seems to be the only double-brooded flycatcher in Kansas.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 4 to 5 eggs (4.2, 3-5; 58). The seasonal progression in clutch-size can be summarized as follows:

March 21-April 10: 4.0 eggs (2 records)
April 11-May 10: 4.4 eggs (37 records)
May 11-June 10: 3.9 eggs (10 records)
June 11-July 20: 3.6 eggs (9 records)

Nests are placed on horizontal, vertical, or overhanging surfaces of culverts, bridges, houses of man, earthen cliffs, rocky ledges, and entrances to caves, at an average height of 7.8 feet.

=Say Phoebe=: _Sayornis saya saya_ (Bonaparte).--This is a common summer resident in western Kansas, breeding at least east to Cloud County, in open country. Occurrence in time is listed in Table 13.

_Breeding schedule._--Ten records of breeding fall in the period May 1 to July 20; the modal date for egg-laying is in late May.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 5 eggs.

Nests are placed under bridges, in houses, or on cliffsides and earthen banks.

=Acadian Flycatcher=: _Empidonax virescens_ (Vieillot).--This is an uncommon summer resident in eastern Kansas, in woodland and riparian habitats. Temporal occurrence is indicated in Table 13.

_Breeding schedule._--The available records of breeding by this species in Kansas are too few to indicate reliably the span of the breeding season. Information on hand suggests that Acadian Flycatchers lay most eggs in late May or early June, and this places their nesting peak some 10 to 20 days earlier than peaks for Wood Pewees and Traill Flycatchers.

_Number of eggs._--Five records show 3 eggs each.

Nests are placed about six feet high on terminal twigs of oak and alder.

=Traill Flycatcher=: _Empidonax traillii traillii_ (Audubon).--This flycatcher has only recently been found nesting within Kansas; the species is not included in analyses above. Twenty-three nesting records are here reported, for the species in Kansas City, Jackson and Platte counties, Missouri. Most of these records are from within a few hundred yards of the political boundary of Kansas. The Traill Flycatcher is a local summer resident in extreme northeastern Kansas (Doniphan County), in wet woodland and riparian groves. Temporal occurrence is not well-documented; first dates run from May 19 to 25; the last dates of annual occurrence, possibly not all for transients, run from August 14 to September 24.

_Breeding schedule._--Twenty-three records of breeding are from May 21 to July 10 (Fig. 5); the modal date for egg-laying is June 15.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 3 eggs (3.4, 2-5; 22).

Nests are placed in forks, crotches, and occasionally near trunks, chiefly of willow, from 4.5 to 12 feet high (averaging six feet).

=Eastern Wood Pewee=: _Contopus virens_ (Linnaeus).--This summer resident is common in the east, but is rare in the west. Preferred habitat is in edge of forest and woodland. Temporal occurrence is indicated in Table 13.

_Breeding schedule._--Nineteen dates of egg-laying span the period June 1 to July 20 (Fig. 5); the modal date for completion of clutches is June 15, and more than half of all clutches are laid in the period June 11 to 20.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 3 eggs.

Nests are placed on upper surfaces of horizontal limbs of oak, elm, and sycamore, about 22 feet high.