The Breeding Birds of Kansas Part 7

_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 gra.s.sy 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 gra.s.ses 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-gra.s.s 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 gra.s.s stems," according to Wolfe (1961).

=American Woodc.o.c.k=: _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 america.n.u.s america.n.u.s_ Bechstein.--This is an uncommon summer resident in western Kansas, in prairie gra.s.sland. 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 gra.s.sy cover.

=Upland Plover=: _Bartramia longicauda_ (Bechstein).--This is a locally common summer resident, most conspicuously in the Flint Hills, in gra.s.sland. 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=: _Act.i.tis 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.