The Dickinson press., 1902-02-08
Birds 81 North Dakota.

Birds Of North Oakota.
The following article va, prepared BY
Prof. L. F. Crawford Of this city and
printed by authority Of State Superin-
tendent Devine for the use Of the state
schools:
The appended list does moi aim to be
complete. A complete list for one part
Of the state would not be complete for
another district. Birds differ in their
migration both as to time and territory
covered. Some years the long-eared
and the short-eared owls stay all winter
in the western part of the state; other
years they migrate. The object of this
list is to awaken the interest OF teachers
and pupils in public schools in birds and
bird life. When teachers or pupils see
a bird whose name they do not know
some effort should be made, to find its
name.
Children take an interest in strange
birds but that interest must be directed
if the most valuable results are to be OBJ
tanned. With effort a small collection
Of mounted specimens may be put INTO
every graded school.
Following will be found a few notes
OH one or more birds from each table:
The earliest bird to nest in North Da-
kota, | presume, is tn. Western Horned
Owl. Its nest may be found as early as
February. An abandoned Hawks nest,
a pile of drift wood or a broken bank
may be used for its nest. Many confuse
the terms horns and ears. Horns are
tufts of feathers; ears are hearing organs.
The Cowbird is undoubtedly the lazi.
est bird in Table ii. 1t often sits on the
back of a COW and catches fies-those
that are inactive. When it wants grass,
hoppers it sits around in front Of a COW
until she scares up a hopper. The bird
is so gentle that a COW will almost step
on it sometimes. 1t will often accom-
pany cattle driven along the road for
several miles-fying ahead and lighting
and when the cattle have moved forward
it repeats its short flight. 1t stands per.
fectly still until a hopper flies al but
makes no effort to hunt out his own game.
In nesting season the Cowbird lays with
other ~birds--usually the s~parrow-one
egg in a lest. AS a rule eggs laid in the
nests of other birds hatch first, otherwise
the species would soon become extinct.
The Cowbird's egg is no exception. AS
Don as the egg matches the sparrow be
gins to feed the young u to the neglect
of her own eggs which soon spoil. The
hedgeling has the whole nest to himself.
The Cowbird thus has servant TO hunt
her food and servants to rear her young.
In Table Ill there are three birds, all
of which are doubtless known to almost
all pupils in our schools. The Snow
bunting usually comes in December and
leaves about the first of March. The
rear toe and claw of the Longspur is
fully an inch and a quarter in length.
The length Of the toe is an essential
point in Identification. The prairie
Horned Lark, which stays with us the
whole year, also has a long rea toe and
on the whole very much resembles the
Longspur. The Snowy Owl is seldom
pure white-but all are whittier in winter
than in summer. We have also the Ar.
tic Owl. 1t is : little smaller than the
Snowy and a little darker. All these
birds nest in the far north-on the
Mackenzie river. u.
At the beginning of the present school
year one of our townsmen killed a Flor.
ida Cormorant. The activity Of the Cor.
morant in water is wonderful. In China
the native takes a tame Cormorant
buckles a strap around the lower part Of
the neck and turns it loose to fish. The
bird dives into the water, darts hithel
and thither with great swiftness. 1t soor
comes up with a fish and swallows it a.
far down the gular pouch as the strap
will admit; dives for another and so OF
until its pouch is filled, when the owner
of the bird makes it disgorge, Cor
morants have been caught in fish trap!
$50 feet below the surface of the water
how much deeper they go no one knows
The Cormorant is a swimmer, yet has
narrow hooked beak, otherwise it would
not be able to hold a fish.
AS a rule the tables give only n o
two birds from each. family, Some
families have a number of representa-
tives in the state. Ridgwaylists sevent!
species of warblers-probably fifteen o
which are found here. There are alst
a great number of Sparrows
Wood-peckers. Vireos, S~andpipers
Jays and Humming birds. There is NJ
Humming bird in the list because | hay.
not analysed a specimen and conse
quently am not able to put Out any on.
species down with certainty.
TABLE l.
Some birds that are found in NORTH
Dakota throughout the year Scientific
name omitted in this reproduction):
Eagle, Bald. "A
EDgle, Golden.
Grouse, Prairie Shsrp.tailed C.chicken'v.
Hawk, Feraginous Rongh.leg.
Hawk, Marsh.
Lark, Prairie-horned.
Maggie, American.
Owl, Burrowing.
Owl, Western, horned. %
Sparrow, English.
Sparrow Field.
TABLE II.
Some birds that summer in Nortl
Dakota:
Avocet, American.
l Fl pt$forr A =, ~ E|#--.-..