I have written this book for those who are beginning a study of birds in Pennsylvania; or for those who, after some study in a certain region, wish to know more about the birds in other sections of the Commonwealth.
This book is not intended to be a complete reference work. The descriptions of the birds and statements of their status are as brief as I felt I could make them under the circumstances. Many species of birds which have been recorded in Pennsylvania are not even mentioned. These are omitted so as to simplify the list for the beginner, who is confronted with a sufficiently formidable array of new and strange names as it is. All important species are, however, included.
Colored illustrations throughout this hand manual would, of course, have been desirable, but their cost is great, and the pen drawings are adequate for field-work; perhaps, in fact, even better than fully colored drawings which often lead the beginner to expect too much from the glimpses he may have of birds in the field.
Throughout the manual I have attempted to stress the points which are of importance to the field student, and have tried to eliminate material which might lead to confusion.
Thorough, detailed works on Pennsylvania birds are needed. Such volumes, one on western Pennsylvania, by W. E. Clyde Todd, of the Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, and one on eastern Pennsylvania, by Dr. Witmer Stone, of the Philadelphia Academy of Arts and Sciences, are in the making now. But it may be years before these completed volumes are ready for distribution, and in the meantime our budding ornithologists are carrying on their studies handicapped by a lack of any sort of reference work which is up-to-date, understandable, simple and local in its treatment, and within reach of those of average means. This volume has been prepared to meet this need.
It is hoped that the ornithological notes of those who use this manual may be so conscientiously written and so carefully kept that they will be of value in the final preparation of the larger, more exhaustive works which are to follow.
I have a suggestion to make to those who would like to make this volume more attractive and somewhat personal in character. Why not, as certain birds are identified, color in the pen-and-ink drawings with water-color or crayon so that they will greet the eye in color as the pages are turned? The paper used is such that colors may be applied with safety, if care be exercised. Children, in particular, will greatly enjoy this feature of their bird-study work. Teachers who like to combine elementary art work with nature study will welcome such a suggestion. A book which has, in a sense, been thus personally illustrated, becomes invaluable to the owner.
I should like to extend a word of gratitude to the following people who have helped me in the preparation of this volume: Captain George Finlay Simmons, of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History; Mr. Wharton Huber, of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences; Mr. Robert McFarland, of the Mount Pleasant Press, Harrisburg; Miss Evangel Sutton, my sister; Mr. Leo A. Luttringer, Jr., my assistant; and Miss Effie Riemensnyder, of Harrisburg.
GEORGE MIKSCH SUTTON
Harrisburg, Pa.
July 29, 1928.
As you glance over the pages of this book you may say to yourself, “I can never learn all of these birds.” This is a natural attitude of mind upon the part of one to whom many bird-names are new and who feels that he doesn’t know much about birds.
It may be reassuring to you to learn that most people know more about birds than they realize. Already your mind is full of common bird-names. You wouldn’t be reading this book had you not already learned a good deal about some birds.
Here is a bit of good advice. Instead of taking this book to the field with you in the hope that you may accurately identify every bird you see, suppose you choose eight or ten birds which you do not know, but about which you wish to learn, and concentrate upon these. You already know the Bluebird, the Robin, the Crow. Suppose you try now the Wood Thrush, the Towhee, the Meadowlark. Look these up in the book, find out whether you may expect to see them at the time you are to make your trip of discovery, learn where to look for them, what to look for when they appear, something about what they will say as they call or sing—and fasten these facts in your mind. If you adopt this procedure, you will not be misled into identifying some bird of the deep woods as a Meadowlark, or a bird of the open field as a Wood Thrush. Some birds will puzzle you, of course, but as you continue your study these problems will be solved.
As a serious bird student you will, first of all, want to be able to describe a bird accurately, using some acceptable scientific terms. Some of these will be new to you, but they will all become understandable in a short time. On the next page is a chart showing the names of the bird’s parts. You should become so familiar with these words that they will not confuse you.
Many books give complete color keys which are to help the beginner. I do not believe much in these, because I have always found them tedious and difficult. I believe that good sketches obviate much of the need of such keys.
Topography of a Bird
In making your studies be careful not to expect to find birds during seasons when they do not normally occur. On the other hand, if you identify a bird at a time which is not indicated in this manual, special note should be made, for pioneer records such as these are valuable to the author who wants to gather together all data, and the last word has not yet been said upon all the movements of even our commonest species.
“When apple trees are white
With their burden of delight.”
Baltimore Orioles (lower, male; upper, female) in an Adams County Orchard
It is my belief that but few people altogether lack a sense of tune. Some of my students at the University of Pittsburgh had difficulty, I remember, in diagramming bird-songs; but with a little practice you will be able to jot down syllables which will help you to recall bird-songs. The well-known names Chickadee, Phœbe, and Killdeer are all permanent records of this very sort of syllabization of bird-songs—an attempt to write down what the bird is saying. Sometimes a bird will be heard again and again before it is seen. If my notes concerning songs are at all accurate, some of these will help you to find birds which you might have difficulty in identifying from appearance alone.
Write down all sorts of notes, be they ever so incomplete. Make sketches of birds as you see them; diagram the songs and call-notes. Keep all that you write as accurate and free from imagination as possible. Do not accredit a bird with certain colors until you see them.
A note-book may take the form of a diary wherein is stated the temperature of the day, the weather conditions, the length and route of your field-trip, and the birds which you saw, together with notes upon them. Or, your system may be more elaborate, with a separate sheet for each species whereon you put all the data which you accumulate, more or less, perforce, in chronological order. The principal point to remember is that notes should be written while they are fresh in the mind, on the spot, if possible, to avoid inaccuracies.
A good binocular, preferably one which magnifies about six times, is a great aid to the amateur. The field of the glass, its illumination, ease of adjustment, and such points should be investigated before the purchase is made. A well-made glass with good lenses is probably the best in the long run, even though it be more expensive. Glasses should be handled carefully. They should have a good carrying-case, and should not be left lying in the sun nor exposed to the rain.
Only a few ornithologists can have a complete collection of birds for reference. Everyone can save feathers of birds, or old nests, however, and when birds are found dead, they may be saved as specimens, if a permit for holding them is requested from the State Game Commission. When I was a lad I saved feathers which I found in the woods and had a large collection of these. Some of them, I later found, were all that were needed in authenticating a good record.
You will find it helpful to visit a good museum occasionally, so as to have a close view of the birds you have been reading about, or studying under difficulty, in the field. Here you will see clearly the color patterns, the anatomical characteristics, and the actual size of the birds that have puzzled you.
The proceedings of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Society, published under the title Cassinia, contain a wealth of material interesting to the Pennsylvania student. The Cardinal, journal of the Audubon Society of the Sewickley Valley, and a well-edited periodical, contains articles of interest chiefly to workers in western Pennsylvania; The Auk, The Wilson Bulletin, Bird-Lore, The Oologist, The Condor (western), and Nature Magazine, all are likely to contain articles of interest to Pennsylvania bird students.
Early-morning hikes are good, but activity among birds is high, as a rule, until 10 o’clock A.M., or later, so you need not be in haste to get out at 4 o’clock, unless you have to go far. The trained bird student so comes to depend upon songs that he stays out as long as the birds are singing. Windy days are poor, because the birds are shy. In gentle rains, birds will often be very active and tame. Toward evening, birds often become active and vociferous again. Only a few of our birds sing during the heat of the midsummer noon.
Winter is an ideal time to begin bird-study, because there are no leaves and because the birds are few and not difficult to identify. If you learn the winter birds thoroughly, you will be ready for the rush of the spring as old favorites return and new friends appear.
Midsummer is often a disappointing season because birds are silent and in poor feather. At this time you will be able to study the plumages of the young birds, however, and you will find much of interest in watching the affairs of family life. Migrant shore-birds should be watched during late summer.
Fall is the season of trials. Now come the restless, sombre-colored hordes, most of them silent save for a few brief call-notes. When you can easily identify all the fall birds, you are a pretty good ornithologist.
In approaching a bird, common sense will warn you that you should be as quiet as possible. You should be obscurely dressed, and if you can go under, around, or between bushes, rather than through them, you will cause less disturbance. Often the best way to study birds is to find a pleasant, somewhat hidden spot and remain there for an hour, watching all that comes by. A good bird student, in the course of his walk, will try to visit as many different kinds of country as he can; he will visit the ponds and marshes, the grape-vine thickets, the open fields, and the hemlock woods of his neighborhood. He knows that in these different regions he is likely to find different birds. In fact, unless he does carefully study all of these regions, he is not thoroughly studying the bird-life of his locality.
You may have trouble in seeing some birds, though you pursue them ever so tirelessly. Try kissing the back of your hand in such a manner as to imitate the cries of a young or wounded bird. This sound will often arouse the curiosity of the wariest bird and he will come close. I thus made a squeaking sound once and a Robin hit me with full force on the neck; she was so convinced that I had one of her young in my dreaded clutches that she gave stern battle! These squeaking cries sometimes draw even the birds of prey.
Birds are of great value from the economic standpoint. The insects, destructive mammals and reptiles, and weed-seeds which they destroy are all enemies of man. It is amazing that in the scheme of nature certain birds should patrol the air, others the fields, others the trees, others the forest-floor, and so on, so that all outdoors is, in a sense, cared for by our feathered friends. It has been said that our very existence depends upon these birds who make it possible for the trees, the flowers, and the grain-fields to grow. And all the while these same creatures are delighting us with their beautiful colors and their cheerful songs.
Game-birds are important in Pennsylvania, with 700,000 hunters faring forth each fall. In addition to our popular game-birds, the Bob-White, Wild Turkey, and Ruffed Grouse, the Game Commission has introduced the Ring-necked Pheasant and Hungarian Partridge. These foreigners relieve the burden of shooting from our native game.
From the economic standpoint only a few birds in Pennsylvania may be said to be thoroughly undesirable. The Goshawk is a savage destroyer of small game and poultry. His smaller cousins, the Sharp-shinned Hawk and Cooper’s Hawk, are killers. The Great Horned Owl is destructive at times. Other hawks and owls, the Crow, Kingfisher, Starling, and other species have some destructive or undesirable traits, but they are not altogether bad.
Our valuable song and insectivorous birds have been protected since 1858. Certain migratory birds, such as the loons, grebes, herons, and gulls, have been protected since 1900 by the International Bird Treaty with Canada. Today we protect one admittedly destructive bird—the Raven, because it is so rare and because of its fame in literary circles.
We may encourage birds to live about us, if we bear in mind their needs. In winter we may feed the Chickadees, Cardinals, Downy Woodpeckers, and other birds which live in our neighborhood. We may tack pieces of suet on a sheltered branch and scatter grain and grit on “feeding counters.” When snow is on the ground the birds have considerable difficulty in getting enough food, and our assistance will sometimes keep them from starvation. Feeding-shelters may be very simple, or they may be elaborate, but they should be placed and built so as to serve the needs of the birds best. A feeding-shelf built at a window furnishes a very attractive and useful device.
Before spring is upon us we should erect nesting-boxes for the Purple Martins, Bluebirds, and House Wrens we wish to attract. Those who are interested in securing specifications for these boxes should write to the Game Commission at Harrisburg for their bulletin, “A Year’s Program for Bird Protection.”
In spring we should think of the trees or shrubs which will attract birds. A fruit-laden mulberry tree always attracts birds in midsummer. Thick bushes placed in clumps will almost surely lure nesting Catbirds or Chipping Sparrows; a trumpet vine will mean Hummingbirds!
In midsummer the birds’ bath must be arranged. Such a bath may be very simple. But it must not be deep, and the edges should slope into the deeper water gradually. Remember that the water should be changed frequently unless a running stream is provided.
House cats and birds do not thrive together as a rule. If you wish to make conditions as nearly ideal as possible for your bird friends, you had better not keep a cat, for these animals are, by nature, crafty and bloodthirsty, and they will catch birds for “sport,” even though they are well fed.
If you carefully watch the birds, you will become aware of their needs. You may find it necessary to shoot Starlings occasionally if they persist in ousting Flickers from their nests. You may have to plant sunflowers to attract Goldfinches; you may find it desirable to allow part of your property to grow up into weeds and bushes so that it may furnish a home for some unusual bird neighbor. At my home at Bethany, West Virginia, we have permitted raspberry vines to grow on a hillside back of the house, and here Indigo Buntings nest, within a few rods of the open windows!
The term Life-Zone is used by scientists in referring to a region where environmental conditions so react upon each other as to form a suitable home for certain plant and animal forms. A Life-Zone naturally has no hard and fast boundaries as does a geographical zone; its boundaries are determined by temperature, rainfall, soil, altitude, drainage, and innumerable other factors, which so create a certain average whole as to attract certain species of plants, birds, mammals, and so forth, which in turn themselves become part of the environment, and are responsible for the presence of certain forms. These Life-Zones are, then, associations which naturally develop in sections where similar conditions exist. In Pennsylvania there are three or four of these associations. One, noticeable in the southern and southwestern counties, has been called the Carolinian Life-Zone. Here such birds as the Carolina Wren, Cardinal, Tufted Tit, and Red-bellied Woodpecker live. In much of Pennsylvania the Alleghenian Life-Zone occurs, where the Least Flycatcher, Wilson’s Thrush, Swamp Sparrow, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak are to be found in summer. Higher in the mountains is the Canadian Life-Zone; here the Junco, Hermit Thrush, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Wilson’s Snipe, and Northern Water Thrush nest. As you read this book, you will notice that many birds are to be found in northern or mountainous counties; others in southern or less mountainous counties, and so forth. This is an indication of Life-Zone distribution.
Some of our winter birds spend the year round in one region. Certain of them, like the Song Sparrow and Crow, migrate to an extent, the nesting individuals moving southward during winter, their place being taken by other individuals of the same species from farther north. Some winter birds, such as the Junco, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, and Tree Sparrow, visit us from the north and return to their Canadian nesting-ground with the arrival of spring. Most of our familiar summer birds spend the winter to the southward, many of them in South America. They come to us for a few months each year for the sole purpose of bringing forth their young. Many species of birds pass through Pennsylvania en route from their home in the south to their nesting-grounds in the north, and back again in the fall.
By far the greater number of species migrate to an extent. The phenomenon of bird-migration has caused many a student to wonder. How did such a tremendous annual movement originate? How do the birds endure their great flights across bodies of water?
The probability is that the migration of birds developed in past centuries as the food-supply in the tropics became insufficient for all the nesting birds which tried to bring forth their young there. Urged by the need for solitude and a good food-supply, certain birds pushed out from the ancestral range and established a new summer home. After the young were reared, instinct drew them back to the region which was familiar to them, and so great migration routes have developed. Today the tiny Ruby-throated Hummingbird rears his young in our woodlands, then returns to South America with the young birds. Our Yellow Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, Purple Martin, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, and many others, all go to South America.
Food-conditions, no doubt, have something to do with migration movements. Birds are well clothed with feathers, to be sure, but many of them depend on an insect diet, such as would be difficult to secure during cold winters. Some of our birds actually do not migrate if a food-supply is available.
Most of the smaller birds migrate at night, following streams or mountain ranges. Swallows and hawks usually migrate by day, ducks and geese by both day and night. The Ohio, Delaware, and Susquehanna river valleys are important routes of migration. The shore of Lake Erie is a resting-ground for birds which have flown over this large body of water. In fall, at Presque Isle, the trees may be alive with birds which have just made the flight. The Atlantic Coast is an important route of migration for many waterbirds. Since Pennsylvania has no salt-water shore-line, we do not find some species which are to be found along the coast of New Jersey and Delaware.
Many birds which occur in abundance at Erie, in fall, rest there until they are able to take another flight; then they start southward for a feeding or resting-ground south of Pennsylvania, and therefore skip over most of the Commonwealth.
The distribution of birds and the constancy of their migration routes is a source of much wonder to all of us. Why should the two Palm Warblers, for instance, so invariably be found each year, one to the eastward, one to the westward of the mountains? Why should some birds be here in fall and not in spring? Why should others be so variable in numbers? If you keep careful notes upon the migratory birds, you may eventually help to solve some of these problems.
Other Names.—Dipper; Hell-Diver.
Description.—Neck long; no tail-feathers; toes flat and broad, feet at rear of body; sexes similar. Adult in spring: Large, puffy head, black, with stripe and silken plumes behind eye buffy; plumage of back blackish edged with gray; secondaries white; neck, breast, and sides chestnut; belly silvery white; eyes bright pink, the pupil encircled with a white ring. Immature birds and adults in winter: Grayish black above, silvery white beneath, grayish on the throat, with white cheek-patches which nearly meet on nape. Length: 13½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant throughout the Commonwealth from March 20 to May 10 and from October 1 to November 30; occasional in winter when water is free of ice.
Horned Grebe, Winter Plumage
The white on the sides of the head and the white wing-patches distinguish this species in winter plumage from the Pied-billed Grebe; the gay spring plumage of the Horned Grebe is unmistakable. Look for this bright-eyed diver along the larger waterways. Its ability in swimming under water causes it to evade its enemies by disappearing beneath the surface rather than by flying. Grebes have the interesting habit of swallowing their own feathers as they moult, or as they pluck them out.
Holbœll’s Grebe (Colymbus holbœllii), a much larger bird, is very rare in Pennsylvania. In spring plumage it has a red-brown neck. It is about twice as large as either the Horned or Pied-billed Grebe and has a proportionately heavier and larger bill.
Other Names.—Dabchick; Hell-Diver; Dipper; Dipper-Duck (erroneous).
Description.—Sexes similar. Adults in summer: Glossy, dark brown above; throat black; neck, breast, and sides grayish, washed with brownish and indistinctly mottled with blackish; lower breast and belly glossy white; black band across bill. Immature birds and adults in winter: Similar, but without black on throat and bill. Length: 13½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Rare as a summer resident, chiefly because there are so few lakes and marshes suited to its nesting; fairly common as a migrant from April 1 to May 15 and from August 25 to October 30.
Nest.—Flat, composed of decaying vegetation, floating among water-weeds or anchored by plants which are attached to the bottom. Eggs: 4 to 7, dull white, usually so heavily stained as to be brownish in appearance.
Pied-billed Grebe, Breeding Plumage
The Pied-billed Grebe is such an excellent diver and can so artfully escape detection by swimming beneath the surface of the water, with only its bill exposed, that it is often a difficult bird to observe. On land it is virtually helpless. The shortness of the body of the swimming grebe makes it comparatively easy to identify, and the unmarked wings distinguish this species from the Horned Grebe. The Pied-billed Grebe will frequently be seen along smaller streams and in little ponds.
Other Names.—Great Northern Diver; Loom.
Description.—Size large; bill long and sharp; tail very short, with legs sticking out behind. Adults in spring: Upperparts black, with bluish and greenish reflections; patches on throat and sides of neck streaked with white; back and wings marked regularly with rows of white squares; underparts silvery white; sides black, spotted finely with white; eyes red. Immature birds and adults in winter: Upperparts blackish, margined with gray and without white spots; throat and neck grayish; underparts white. Length: about 30 inches.
Loon, Breeding Plumage
Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common migrant along the larger lakes and waterways from March 15 to May 10 and from October 1 to December 15; occasional in winter when the water is free of ice.
The Loon is at perfect ease in the water; on land it shuffles along, using its wings as feet, and it cannot rise in flight from the ground. It lives almost altogether on fish which it captures under water and swallows entire. As a rule, it is to be seen far out from shore, floating quietly. Easily it slips under the water, perhaps to reappear a hundred yards or more from the point at which it went down. The weird, laughing cry, which is famous in literature, is not often heard in Pennsylvania, since the birds do not nest here.
In the hand, the Loon is easily recognized by its striking coloration in spring; or in winter by its long, sharp bill and its large, webbed feet; at a distance, in the water, it may be confused with a cormorant, which has a hooked bill and a rather long tail, or with some of the larger ducks which have shorter, more stubby bills.
The smaller Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata), usually a rare bird in Pennsylvania, is found during winter or early spring. In winter the back is gray, flecked with white; in spring there is a triangular patch of red-brown on the lower throat; it is always white below.
Other Names.—Sea Gull; Gray Gull.
Description.—Sexes similar. Adults in summer: White, with pearl-gray back and wings; tips of wings black with white spots; bill yellow with orange spot near tip of lower mandible; feet pale pink; eyes pale yellow. Adults in winter: Similar, with gray spots on head and neck. Immature birds: Dark gray-brown at a distance, with blackish bill and dark brown eyes; in the hand the upper-parts are found to be dark gray, considerably marked with buffy. The acquiring of fully adult plumage requires several moults. Birds which are not fully adult may have black-tipped, white tails. Young in their first flight plumage are darker than older individuals. Length: 24 inches.
Herring Gull, Breeding Plumage
Range in Pennsylvania.—A somewhat irregular migrant and winter resident throughout, save at Erie, where it is common during summer, though it does not, apparently, nest there. In the interior it appears in spring as soon as the ice breaks up and is usually noted along the larger waterways.
Large gulls seen in Pennsylvania are usually of this species. Their long wings and graceful flight mark them at great distance. The smaller Ring-billed Gull, which is not easy to distinguish from this species in the field, has greenish yellow feet and a black band across the bill. Herring Gulls are often abundant about the harbor at Erie.
Description.—Sexes similar. Adults in summer: Like the Herring Gull, but much smaller, with greenish yellow bill crossed near tip by black band, and with greenish yellow feet. In winter the head and neck are spotted with gray. Immature: Gray-brown; tail white, with black band near tip; end of bill black. Length: 18 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—An irregular migrant in February, March, and April, and in October and November, sometimes appearing in flocks; occasional in winter.
The Ring-billed Gull should be identified in the field with a glass. It is much like the Herring Gull in general appearance, and, unless it be compared directly with the larger bird, may pass undetected. Remember the yellowish feet and the black band across the bill.
Description.—Size small; sexes similar. Adults in summer: White, with rosy flush on belly, head black with white spot at eye, pearl-gray mantle, and black-tipped wings. Adults in winter lack the rosy flush of the underparts and have white heads upon the back of which are two dusky spots. Immature birds are similar to adults in winter but have a black band near the tip of the tail. Length: 14 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly regular migrant along the waterways from about April 1 to May 10 (sometimes considerably later) and from September 1 to October 10. Not often seen in winter.
This, the smallest of our gulls, is often seen in flocks. At Conneaut Lake, Crawford County, where they are regular visitors, they circle about rapidly, like terns, resting on the water at intervals or standing on a floating timber. Their black heads distinguish them easily from all other species save the Laughing Gull (Chroicocephalus atricilla megalopterus) a larger species which nests along the Atlantic Coast, and which may occur occasionally along the waterways of the southeastern part of the Commonwealth.
Other Names.—Sea Swallow; Striker; Wilson’s Tern.
Description.—Smaller than a gull, with long, deeply forked tail. Adults in summer: Top of head glossy black; rest of body pearl-gray, save throat, sides of head, and tail, which are white, the outer tail-feathers with outer webs pearl-gray; bill red, with black tip; feet orange-red. Adults in winter: Similar, but with forepart of head and underparts white, and bill blackish. Immature: Similar to adults in winter, but plumage considerably washed with brownish, lesser wing-coverts slaty, and tail short, though forked. Length: 15 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A rather irregular migrant.
The more rapid flight, long forked tail, and habit of pointing the bill downward, rather than forward, while flying, distinguish the terns from the gulls. Common Terns are sometimes seen flying gracefully about a small pond, seeking small fish or aquatic insects, which they capture with great dexterity. During migration they are usually silent, and they do not often remain long in one locality.
Common Tern, Adult
The much larger Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia imperator) is similar in color-pattern to the Common Tern but has a much heavier, red bill, and a short, though forked tail. This species, which is decidedly rare as a migrant in the interior, has established a small nesting colony near Erie. The Caspian Tern is 21 inches long.
Other Name.—Shag.
Description.—Four toes all webbed together; bill long and strongly hooked at tip; tail stiff and moderately long; plumage thick and firm. Adults in breeding plumage: Glossy greenish black, save on back which is dark gray, each feather being margined with lighter gray; two filamentous tufts of black feathers on back of head; neck with thin sprinkling of silken white feathers during period of courtship; bill blackish, marked at base with dull yellow; sack under bill yellow; eyes bright green. Immature and adult in winter (the plumage usually seen in Pennsylvania): Without crests, and whole plumage brownish black, somewhat mottled beneath, and with light area on throat; eyes grayish green, not bright green. Length: About 30 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant found principally along the larger water-ways from about March 20 to May 10 and from September 15 to November 15. It is occasionally seen in winter when the water is free of ice.
Double-crested Cormorant, Breeding Plumage
Cormorants sit low in the water so that, while swimming, their tails do not show as field-marks, but their long necks, large heads, and the strongly hooked bills distinguish them at a considerable distance. In flight their wings beat regularly.
The bulky, wide-winged White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is occasionally noted as a straggler in Pennsylvania. It is white, with black wing-tips, and is so noticeably equipped with long bill and throat-pouch that it can hardly be confused with any other species. Its four toes are all webbed together, as in the Double-crested Cormorant. Additional records of this species are desirable.
American Merganser, Male
Other Names.—Shelldrake; Goosander; Fish Duck; Sawbill; American Merganser.
Description.—One of the largest of the ducks; bill long and narrow, with teeth on both mandibles. Adult male: Head and upper neck greenish black; lower neck, patches in wings, and underparts white; belly suffused with salmon-pink, noticeable in some individuals; back, shoulders, and wings black; rump and tail gray; bill and feet red; eyes bright red. Adult female: Head, with two large crests, and neck rich brown, marked with white areas in front of eye and on chin and upper throat; upperparts ashy gray; patch in wings, and breast and belly white. Length: 25 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common and regular migrant along the larger waterways and sometimes on the smaller streams from about March 15 to April 20 and from October 1 to December 1. It frequently occurs in winter when the water is free of ice.
The mergansers are all expert fishermen and like to fish in swift water. They dive easily and their serrate bills help them to hold their slippery prey.
The female Merganser is difficult to distinguish from the female Red-breasted Merganser; in the present species, however, the white area on the chin and upper throat is sharply defined, whereas in the Red-breasted species the chin and throat are not white, but of a brownish color, paler than the rest of the head.
Other Names.—Black Mallard; Dusky Mallard.
Description.—Sexes similar; general appearance dark brown, darkest on top of head and on back, all feathers margined with brownish buff; cheeks buffy, streaked with black; speculum rich violet, bordered with black, and, at tips of feathers, with white; under-wing plumage white; bill greenish; feet dusky in Black Duck; bright red in the Red-legged Black Duck. Length: 22 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common migrant from March 1 to May 10 and from October 1 to December 25; uncommon and local as a summer resident, chiefly near lakes or quiet stretches in streams. Nest and eggs like those of the Mallard.
Black Duck, Male
Two forms of the Black Duck occur in Pennsylvania: The smaller, duller Black Duck as a migrant occurs at about the same time as the Mallard and nests locally. The Red-legged Black Duck (Anas rubripes rubripes), a summer bird of Labrador, comes south later in the fall, and has been known even to occur in the northern part of the State in late December, so there is a probability that this form occasionally winters when the water is free of ice.
Both the Mallard and Black Duck quack loudly, like domestic ducks, particularly when they are surprised. Large, dark-colored ducks which show white under the wings as they fly off are likely to be Black Ducks.
Other Names.—Shelldrake; Fish Duck; Sawbill.
Description.—Male, with long, graceful crest of fine feathers; female with double crest, as in the female Merganser. Male: Head and upper neck glossy greenish black; lower neck, patch on upper chest, patches on wing, and underparts white; back black; rump and tail grayish; breast reddish brown, mottled with black, and on sides marked with a striking double row of black and white feathers; sides finely barred with blackish; legs, feet, and eyes red. Female: Head and neck rufous brown, grayish on crown and crest; throat not white, but of paler brown than rest of head; back grayish, washed with brown; underparts white, sides marked with brown; bill and feet brownish; base of lower mandible reddish; eyes, brown. Length: 22 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common and regular migrant, principally along the larger waterways, appearing somewhat later in spring than the preceding species and disappearing earlier in the fall.
Red-breasted Merganser, Male
It is said that the Red-breasted Merganser is less frequently seen along the smaller streams than is the larger Merganser. Both species eat fish and therefore are not considered as of much value for food.
Other Names.—Shelldrake; Fish Duck.
Description.—Bill long and narrow, with teeth on both mandibles. Male: Head, neck, back, and tail black; a high, fan-shaped crest on head strikingly marked with white; speculum white; sides rufous, finely barred with black; breast and belly white; eyes bright yellow. Female: Dull brown, somewhat brighter on the thin crest, and grayer on head and neck; upper throat, belly, and speculum white; eyes brown. Length: 18 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Fairly common and regular as a migrant from March 25 to April 15 and from October 25 to December 10. It has been noted in summer locally, so there is a possibility that it nests, though there are no definite records at present.
Hooded Merganser, Male
The male Hooded Merganser is one of our most striking birds and cannot easily be confused with any other species. The Hooded Merganser may be found along a quiet stretch of a small stream where the handsome males, at rest, do not display their high crests. In such mood the head has much the appearance of that of the other species of Fish Duck—thin, long, and snake-like. When rising, the birds beat their wings with amazing rapidity, the white speculum in the wings flickering brilliantly. This species is not so often found in swift water as are the Merganser and Red-breasted Merganser.