The Breeding Birds of Kansas Part 8

Nests are placed on the surface of the ground, near water.

=Wilson Phalarope=: _Steganopus tricolor_ Vieillot.--This is a local summer resident in marshes in central and western Kansas, but breeding records are available only from Barton County. The earliest date of occurrence is April 7 and the latest is October 14.

_Breeding schedule._--Ten records indicate eggs are laid in May and June.

_Number of eggs._--Three or 4 eggs are laid.

Nests are of plant stems in slight depressions in the ground.

=Forster Tern=: _Sterna forsteri_ Nuttall.--This is a local summer resident in central Kansas, in marshes. There are breeding records only from Cheyenne Bottoms, Barton County (Zuvanich, 1963:1). First dates of arrival in spring span the period April 9 to 29 (the median is April 22), and apparent departure south in autumn occurs from August 1 to November 1 (the median is September 3).

_Breeding schedule._--Twenty-three records of nesting are from late May to mid-June; all records are for the year 1962.

_Number of eggs._--Usually 4 eggs are laid.

Nests are frequently floating platforms of vegetation (algae, cattail, and the like) in shallow water; old nests of Pied-billed Grebes are sometimes used as bases, and occasionally the birds nest on the ground.

=Least Tern=: _Sterna albifrons athala.s.sos_ Burleigh and Lowery.--This tern is a local summer resident in marshes and along streams in central and western Kansas. There are breeding records from Hamilton, Meade, and Stafford counties. First dates of arrival in spring are from May 14 to 30 (the median is May 28), and last dates of occurrence in autumn are from August 9 to September 7 (the median is August 25).

_Breeding schedule._--Twenty-one records of egg-laying are from May 21 to June 30 (Fig. 4); the modal date for laying is June 5.

_Number of eggs._--Two, 3 or 4 eggs are laid.

Eggs are laid on the bare ground, usually a sandy surface, near water.

=Black Tern=: _Chlidonias niger surinamensis_ (Gmelin).--This is a local summer resident in marshlands in central Kansas. There are breeding records only from Barton County for 1961 and 1962; possibly the species breeds in Douglas County. First dates of arrival in spring are from May 3 to 29 (the median is May 14), and last dates of occurrence in autumn are from September 2 to 30 (the median is September 11).

_Breeding schedule._--Twenty-four sets of eggs (Parmelee, 1961:25; M.

Schwilling) were complete between June 11 and July 12.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 3 eggs.

Nests are of dead plant matter placed on floating parts of emergent green plants in shallow water.

=Rock Dove=: _Columba livia_ Gmelin.--This species was introduced into North America by man from European stocks of semi-domesticated ancestry. "Pigeons" now are feral around towns and farms, and cliffsides in the west, and are locally common permanent residents throughout the State.

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs are laid in every month of the year. The main season of breeding is spring, and this is depicted in Figure 4; the 26 records of breeding by feral birds are from January 11 to June 10, and the modal date of laying is probably April 5.

_Number of eggs._--Pigeons usually lay 2 eggs. Nests are of sticks and other plant matter placed on ledges and recesses of buildings, bridges, and cliffs, 10 to 60 feet high.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 4.--Histograms representing breeding schedules of the Least Tern, two doves, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and two owls in Kansas. See legend to Figure 1 for explanation of histograms.]

=Mourning Dove=: _Zenaidura macroura marginella_ (Woodhouse).--This is a common summer resident throughout the State, in open country and woodland edge. The species is also present in winter in much reduced numbers, and many are transient in periods of migration. The time of greatest abundance is from March to November. Doves of extreme eastern Kansas have by some workers been referred to the subspecies _Z. m.

carolinensis_ (Linnaeus); specimens at the Museum of Natural History indicate that these doves are best regarded as members of populations of intermediate subspecific, or morphologic, affinities, and that they are satisfactorily included within _Z. m. marginella_.

_Breeding schedule._--Numerous (983) records of egg-laying from north-central Kansas are from April 1 to September 10; the modal date for laying is May 15. Forty-three records of breeding from northeastern Kansas span the period March 21 to August 10; the modal date of laying is May 15. These samples are depicted in Figure 4.

Both sets of data are shown here to ill.u.s.trate some of the differences between large and small samples of heterogeneous data. The small sample tends to be incomplete both early and late in the season, and the mode tends to be conspicuous. Yet, the modes for the two samples coincide. Also, the data from the north-central sector indicate that egg-laying in March would be found less than once in 983 records, but the small sample from the northeast includes one record for March.

Such an instance doubtless reflects, at least in part, the fact that the two geographic sectors have different environmental conditions, but it is likely that the instance also partly reflects the unpredictable nature of sampling.

_Number of eggs._--Doves lay two eggs. About one per cent of all nests have 3 eggs, but it is not known for any of these whether one or two females were responsible.

Nests are placed in a wide variety of plants, or on the ground. The commonest plants are those used most frequently; in north-central Kansas one-third of all nests are placed in osage orange trees, but in the northeast elms are most frequently used. Nestsites are from zero to 15 feet high.

=Yellow-billed Cuckoo=: _Coccyzus america.n.u.s america.n.u.s_ (Linnaeus).--This is a common summer resident in riparian and second-growth habitats throughout the State. Twenty-three dates of first arrival in spring fall between April 29 and May 22 (the median is May 12), and nine dates of last observation in autumn run from September 13 to October 12 (the median is September 23).

_Breeding schedule._--Sixty-nine records of egg-laying span the period May 11 to September 10 (Fig. 4); the modal date of laying is June 5.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 3 eggs (3.1, 2-5; 54).

Nests are placed about six feet high (from four to 20 feet) in sumac, rose, pawpaw, mulberry, elm, cottonwood, willow, redbud, oak, osage orange, walnut, boxelder, usually on horizontal surfaces, and in heavy cover.

=Black-billed Cuckoo=: _Coccyzus erythropthalmus_ (Wilson).--This is an uncommon summer resident, occurring in heavy riparian shrubbery and second-growth. Breeding records are chiefly from eastern Kansas, but specimens have been taken in the breeding season in all parts of the State. Eleven dates of first arrival in spring are from May 7 to May 30 (the median is May 19), and four dates of last observed occurrence in autumn are between September 4 and October 7 (the average is September 18).

_Breeding schedule._--Seventeen records of egg-laying are between May 21 and August 10; the mode is at June 5.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 2 to 3 eggs (2.5, 2-3; 13).

Nests are placed about four feet high in heavy cover in plum, elm, locust, and the like.

=Roadrunner=: _Geococcyx california.n.u.s_ (Lesson).--This is a local resident in southern Kansas in xeric scrub or open edge habitats.

Breeding records are from Cowley and Sumner counties.

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs are laid at least from early April to mid-July.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 5 eggs (4.5, 3-6; 4).

Nests are placed on the ground under plant cover, or occasionally low in bushes.

=Barn Owl=: _Tyto alba pratincola_ Bonaparte.--This resident has a low density throughout Kansas in open woodland and near agricultural enterprises of man.

_Breeding schedule._--The few records available indicate egg-laying occurs at least from April to July; elsewhere the species is known to have a more protracted breeding schedule.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 5 eggs (4.7, 2-6; 4).

Nests are informal aggregations of sticks and litter placed in recesses in stumps, hollow trees, rocky and earthen banks, and dwellings and outbuildings of man.