Color Key to North American Birds Part 11

The young are colored to harmonize with their usual surroundings.

Young Skimmers are pale, sandy brown, of the same color as the sand in which they are hatched. Young Terns are darker, and young Laughing Gulls born in nests of reeds or meadow gra.s.ses, are the darkest of the three.

All young Gulls and Terns have the habit of squatting low near the ground in the presence of danger and remaining motionless until actually touched when they seem to realize that they have been seen and trust to their legs for safety.

Skua and Jaegers

[Ill.u.s.tration: 35.]

=35. Skua= (_Megalestris skua_). L. 22. _Ads._ Above dark, dirty brown; below paler. _Yng._ Similar, but more distinctly streaked with yellowish, especially on head and neck.

Range.--North Atlantic, chiefly eastern; breeds from Shetland Islands northward; winters south to Gibraltar, and rarely Long Island. One specimen from California coast.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 36.]

=36. Pomarine Jaeger= (_Stercorarius pomarinus_). L. 20; B. 1.5.

Middle tail feathers rounded. _Ads. light phase._ Cap black; throat, breast, and neck, all around, white tinged with straw; back, lower belly, upper and under tail coverts brownish slate. _Ads. dark phase._ Dark brown, paler below. _Yng._ Above blackish brown margined with rusty; below white margined with dusky and buffy. _Notes._ "A low, hoa.r.s.e, chattering cry." (Nelson.)

Range.--Northern hemisphere; breeds north of Lat. 70; winters, mainly at sea, south to South America, southern Africa and Australia.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 37.]

=37. Parasitic Jaeger= (_Stercorarius parasiticus_). L. 17; B. 1.1; its scaly s.h.i.+eld _longer_ than distance from end of s.h.i.+eld to tip of bill. _Ads._ Both phases similar in color to No. 36, but central tail feathers _pointed_, 8.6 long. _Yng._ Similar in color to No. 36 but smaller, bill shorter, middle tail feathers more pointed. _Notes._ "Loud wailing cries, interspersed with harsh shrieks." (Nelson.)

Range.--Northern hemisphere; breeds in Arctic regions; winters mainly at sea, from California, Great Lakes, and Ma.s.sachusetts south to South America.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 38.]

=38. Long-tailed Jaeger= (_Stercorarius longicaudus_). L. 21; B. 1, its scaly s.h.i.+eld _shorter_ than the distance from its end to the tip of bill. _Ads._ In both phases resembling No. 36 but central tail feathers pointed and 12 in. long. _Yng._ Like No. 36 and No. 37, but to be distinguished by differences in bill measurements. _Notes._ "A hoa.r.s.e _qua_, a shrill _ph?-ph?-ph?-pheo_, when flying; or a rattling _kr-r-r-r-_, _kr-r-r-r_, _kr-r-r_, _kr?-kr?-_, _kr?-kr?_, the latter syllables shrill and querulous." (Nelson.)

Range.--Northern hemisphere; breeds in Arctic regions; winters mainly at sea, south to Gibraltar and Gulf of Mexico; one California record.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Bills of 38 and 37 Nat. Size]

Gulls

[Ill.u.s.tration: 39.]

=39. Ivory Gull= (_Pagophila alba_). L. 17. _Ads._ Pure white; bill yellow; feet black. _Yng._ Similar, but wings and tail tipped with blackish; throat dusky.

Range.--Breeds in Arctic regions; winters south to Great Lakes and British Columbia; rarely to Ma.s.sachusetts.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 40.]

=40. Kittiwake= (_Rissa tridactyla_). L. 16. Hind toe a k.n.o.b. _Ads._ Head, neck all around, underparts, and tail white; 3 in. or less, of tips of primaries black. _Yng._ Tip of tail, ear-coverts, nape, and wing-coverts with black; bill black; inner web of primaries with white. _Notes._ A rapidly uttered _'kit-a-wake_, _'kit-a-wake_.

Range.--North Atlantic and eastern Arctic regions; breeds in America, from Gulf of St. Lawrence to Greenland; winters south to Great Lakes, Long Island and, rarely, Virginia.

=40a. Pacific Kittiwake= (_Rissa tridactyla pollicaris_). Similar to No. 40, but hind toe more developed; black tips to 3 outer primaries, 3 in. or more in length. _Notes._ "A shrill, harsh cry when disturbed and a low whistle when communicating with each other." (Nelson.)

Range.--"North Pacific and Bering Sea; south in winter, casually to southern California." (A.O.U.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: 41.]

=41. Red-legged Kittiwake= (Rissa brevirostris). _Ads._ Similar to Ad.

of No. 40, but legs red, back and inner web of primaries darker; bill shorter, 1.2. _Yng._ Similar to No. 40, but no black on tail or wings.

Range.--"Coasts and Islands of Bering Sea." (A.O.U.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: 54.]

=54. Ring-billed Gull= (_Larus delawarensis_). L. 18. _Ads., summer._ Rill greenish yellow, a black band across tip; ends of primaries black, a white spot near tip of outer one. _Ads. Winter._ Similar, but head and neck streaked with grayish. _Yng._ Tail grayish with a broad black band; primaries black; back brownish gray and whitish; belly white; end half of bill black.

Range.--North America, coast and interior; breeds from Newfoundland, southern Minnesota, and British Columbia northward; winters from Nova Scotia and British Columbia south to Cuba and Lower California.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 55.]

=55. Short-billed Gull= (_Larus brachyrhynchus_). L. 17; B. 1.50 _Ads., summer._ Head, neck, tail, and underparts white. Two outer primaries tipped with black, their white s.p.a.ces followed by black; remaining primaries tipped with white. _Yng._ Grayish brown; basal half of tail pearl. _Notes._ "A sharp querulous _kwew-kwew_,"

(Nelson.)

Range.--North Pacific; breeds in Alaska and interior of northern British Columbia; winters on coast from British Columbia to southern California.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 42.]

=42. Glaucous Gull= (_Larus glaucus_). L. 28; W. 17.1; B. 2.35. No black in plumage. _Ads._ Primaries white tinted with pearl; bill with red spot at end of lower mandible. _Yng._ Dirty white or gray, mottled with dusky and buffy, chiefly above; primaries white; outer webs brownish.

Range.--Northern hemisphere; breeds in America, from Labrador northward; winters south to middle California, Great Lakes and Long Island.

=42.1. Point Barrow Gull= (_Larus barrovia.n.u.s_). Similar to No. 42, but bill through angle not so deep, (.8 as compared with .9 in _glaucus_); primaries more distinctly tipped with white. _Notes._ "_ku-ku-ku_, _ku-ku-ku_, _ku-l??-_, _ku-l??-_, _ku-l??-_, _ku-ku-ku_, _ku-ku-ku_, the _ku-ku_ hoa.r.s.e, the rest a shrill screaming." (Nelson.)

Range.--"Bering Sea and contiguous waters; northeast to Point Barrow, southwest to j.a.pan." (A.O.U.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: 43.]

=43. Iceland Gull= (_Larus leucopterus_). L. 25; W. 16; B. 1.75.

Similar in color to Nos. 42 and 42.1, but smaller.

Range.--Atlantic; breeds in Greenland; winters south in America to Great Lakes, and rarely, Long Island.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 44.]

=44. Glaucous-winged Gull= (_Larus glaucescens_). L. 27. _Ads., summer._ Head, tail, and underparts white; back pearl; primaries _pearl_, tipped with _white_. _Ads., winter._ Head and neck streaked with brownish. _Yng._ Brownish gray, more or less mixed with white, including wings and tail.

Range.--North Pacific; breeds from British Columbia to Bering Straits; winters south to southern California.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 45.]

=45. k.u.mlien Gull= (_Larus k.u.mlieni_). W. 16.2; B. 1.75. Similar to No. 43, but primaries with well defined ashy gray s.p.a.ces; outer primary tipped with white, with ashy gray on outer web and shaft part of inner web; second primary ashy gray on only shaft part of outer web.