. Handbook of birds of the western United States, including the great plains, great basin, Pacific slope, and lower Rio Grande valley . wimming, the avocet is one of themost conspicuous of our waders. Its long legs and neck, and strongblack and white markings distinguish it from all others even whenits turned-up bill is invisible. Its favorite haunts are the shores ofshallow alkaline lakes and ponds on the plains and in the westernvalleys. Small flocks are often seen wading in water nearly up totheir feathers, rapidly picking up the small insects that gather onthe surface. When the water becom
. Handbook of birds of the western United States, including the great plains, great basin, Pacific slope, and lower Rio Grande valley . wimming, the avocet is one of themost conspicuous of our waders. Its long legs and neck, and strongblack and white markings distinguish it from all others even whenits turned-up bill is invisible. Its favorite haunts are the shores ofshallow alkaline lakes and ponds on the plains and in the westernvalleys. Small flocks are often seen wading in water nearly up totheir feathers, rapidly picking up the small insects that gather onthe surface. When the water becomes too deep for wading theyswim freely, but do not usually go far from shore. They are seenoccasionally feeding in a marsh or irrigated meadow, and in JulyI have found downy young hiding in the short grass just back fromthe lake shore. Vernon Bailey. GENUS Himantopus mexicanus {MulL). Black-necked Stilt. Bill black, feet and legs pinkish. Adult male: back of head and neck,shoulders, and wings greenish black ; tail gray ; rest of plumage white,breast tinged with dull pinkish in breeding plumage. Adult female : like. ( KKI) Slll/r SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, ETC. 87 male, but black duller, or slaty. Young: similar to adult female, butfeathers of back bordered with buffy, and blackish of head and neck mot-tled with buffy. Length: , wing- , bill , tarsus 4. Distribution. — The United States, mainly in the western interior, andsouthward to Brazil and Peru ; north casually to Minnesota and NewBrunswick. Breeds from southern Texas to Oregon. Nest. — A slight depression in the sand or on wet ground; or eggs laidin a bunch of dry grass. Eggs: 3 to 4, buff or olive brown, thickly spottedwith dark brown. In spite of its apparently extravagant length of legs the black-necked stilt is a graceful, well-balanced bird, whether steppingdaintily over the grass tops, wading in half a foot of water, swim-ming when beyond its depth, or flying with head d
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