The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-04-08
OUR BIRDS AND FISHES.
OVER THREE HUNDRED BIRDS THE STATE AND
A FISHERY PRODUCT a MILLION AND HALF DOLLARS
BY H. imley Cu rator State Museum
SOME NORTH CAROLINA BIRD NOTES

SOME NORTH CAROLINA BIRD NOTES
North Carolina occupies a peculiarly
favorable position in respect to IT'S FAUNA
and fora It's high mountain peaks
abound in the life that seems more prop
erly to belong to such noIthera locah-
ties as some of the New England states
or even Canada, while the southeastern
corner of the State takes in zone Oh
ne that is almost semi-tropical in It's
significance. 1t
II NAV be that we have no more strlk-
ing representative of a specialized form
Of bird life than the great war loon,
rorrecantine the extreme in powers OF
I.,,.ro end swimming. Although fairly
good fiier this BIRDS true home is on the
wota, and there he knows how to take
care of himself to a supreme degree.
With his handsome black and white plum
age he is, when in spring dress, one Oh
the most striking in appearance OF our
notiva birds. Many are killed by the
fishermen and sailed down for future
reference. fbut as his chief diet is nsh
he is not uspally esteemed as 1000
The Numerous species of wild-fowl-
the dhck, goose and swan family-wlnter
all along our sounds in incredible num-
berg but practically none spend the nest
ingfseasoD this far south. With the ex-
ceBtion. POSSIBLY, of a few black DUCKS
in5scertaih localities, the only wild duck
that is & regular resident in this State
is the wood or summer duck, the male
of which is one of the most beautlEul
and gorgeously plumaged birds magma
BILE. This beautiful duck nests in hol-
low tree, often many feet above the
ground and quite a long way from water.
The great whistling swan is the most
imposing of the above group. Its pure
white plumage, great spread OF wing
about eight feet-and sixteen to twenty
pounds of weight put it easily at the
head of the duck family as it occurs in
North Carolina. We get some five spe-
cies of wild geese and twenty-five to
thirty kinds of wild duck on our sounds
in winter. and the numbers of some of
them are beyond intelligent comprehen-
sion
The nesting of the snow-bird in the
North Carolina mountains is point OF
Importance, as showing much more
! Northern phase of life than one might
expect who had not realized how much
high altitude modifies low latitude.
The presence of the so-called pheasant
| (ruffed grouse) in these regions is
another instance along the same lines,
and so also is the nesting of a number OF
smaller birds, such as the American
crossbill, black throated green warbler,
COLDER kinglet, black-throated blue
warbler, yellow bellied sapsucker, &c.
Noticeable among the birds of the
mountains us the golden eagle. This
| great bird of prey is now very rare in
the Eastern United States and is proba-
bly, found more abundantly in our North
Carolina mountains than in any other
| locality in the Eastern part of the con-
| tinent. The bald eagle, too, is not in
| frequently seen in the Western part OF
! the State, although the true home of
| this species is along the shores of the
sounds and estuaries Of the coast line,
where it is very commonly seen for so
| large a bird. This eagle is chiefly a fish
| feeder. in summer, particularly, while
| the other kind feeds more on game, both
| feathered and furred. OF other notice
| able birds of prey (hawks and owls)
| among the twenty-one species recorded
| from the State may be mentioned the
| swallow tailed kite or snake hawk, a
! beautiful. graceful and perfectly harm
less species. The little Acadian owl and
the solemn visaged, cream colored barn
| owl are rarities with us in this group
of birds, and both are useful in their de-
struction of the numerous field mice
| that form so great part of their diet.
! The great horned owl is perhaps the
most destructive bird of prey We have.
/ He is fond of game, rabbits in particu
| lar, and when occasion serves he may
even be tempted to try little chicken
in his. But he is such a big, powerful
fellow, handsome withal, that it seems
| a pity to kill him off just because he ap-
preciates something good to eat.
OF birds of brilliant plumage we are
] favored in the south eastern part of
| the State with having the nonpareil or
| painted bunting as summer resident.
/ This little fellow is as gaudy as some of
the tropical parrots and trogonS. Then
we have three red" birds. These are
| the scarlet tanager, solid scarlet
bodied bird with black wing and tail;
the summer tanager, rose red all over,
| and the cardinal, a rosy red bird with
| a grayish back and some black marks
around the bill. Of blue birds we also
have three different species the one that
spends the whole year with us being
both the best known and the only one
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