All About The Kingfisher
Comes north in early March--remains until December, often throughout
the year.
Song--harsh, discordant, laughing chuckle or rattle--never musical.
Upper parts blue--wings and tail with white markings--lower parts white
with two blue bands across breast--bluish tinge on sides--a white spot
in front of each eye.--Head large and crested--bill longer than
head--feet small.
Food--principally fish which it obtains by diving and kills by striking
against a tree if large, or swallows alive if small.--This food
supplemented by larger insects, shrimps, etc.
Nest--tunnelled out of bank--six to eight feet deep--at the extreme end
of tunnel is the nest made of fish-bones and scales.
Eggs--pure white--four to six in one brood.
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A Good-night
"Haw-haw! Hoo! hoo!" Phyllis listened again. "Haw-haw! Hoo! hoo! Hoo! Hoo!" "Oh, I see you now!" laughed Phyllis. The owl moved silently as a shadow and perched very near to the little girl. His great round eyes and his yellow bill gl... A Legend Of The Northland
Away, away in the Northland, Where the hours of the day are few, And the nights are so long in winter They cannot sleep them through; Where they harness the swift reindeer To the sledges, when it snows; And the children look... All About The Barn Swallow
Comes north about first or second week in April. Remains until late September or October--builds and travels in flocks or companies--winters in South or Central America. Song--a constant twitter. Head and upper parts except forehead steel blue... All About The Barred Or Hoot Owl
Notes--deep-toned, startling hoot. Heard most frequently at nesting time. Upper parts brown, marked with white--face gray, mottled with black, wings and tail barred with brown, eyes blue black, bill yellow, under parts buff marked with dark... All About The Bobolink Or Ricebird
Male arrives north middle of May.--Female comes some ten or twelve days later--travel generally by night and in flocks.--Flies south from August to October. Song is most musical and sweet, expressing joy and careless happiness--the song of th... All About The Chickadee
Does not go south in winter. Song--two or three clear long whistles and the chirping of his own name, "chickadee." A gay, curious little bird. Black head and throat--sides of head and neck white--breast grayish buff--wings and tail darker sh... All About The Chicken-hawk
Voice--sharp, harsh, discordant cries--queer "whistling" noises. Upper parts brownish black mixed with white--throat and under tail coverts white--other under parts having darker markings. Bill--short, curved, and very sharp. Claws--strong, c... All About The Great Blue Heron Or Blue Crane
Usually resident throughout the year. Lives in marshy, swampy places. Head and throat white, with long black crest.--Very long neck covered with light gray feathers--darker on chest--back, ashy gray--darker wings--a touch of red on bend of wi... All About The Kingfisher
Comes north in early March--remains until December, often throughout the year. Song--harsh, discordant, laughing chuckle or rattle--never musical. Upper parts blue--wings and tail with white markings--lower parts white with two blue bands acros... All About The Meadow Lark
Usually resident--sometimes goes south in late October, returning in April. Song--a very beautiful sweet, clear whistle--heard in the early spring and in the autumn--usually quite silent during brooding season. Female much paler in colour than ... All About The Raven
Three times the size of robin. Does not migrate, but is usually resident in the place where it can best provide for itself and family. Is glossy black in colour, with gleams of purple and green above--duller underneath. Flies in wide circles... All About The Robin
One of the first birds to return in the spring--migrates north early in March--sometimes remains during winter--stays north as late as October or November. Domestic--generally preferring to live near the home of man. Song--though short and alwa... All About The Sea-dove
Goes far north in nesting season. Found in Illinois swamps, and as far north as Greenland. Small bird with entire upper parts almost black--under parts white--wings tipped with white, bill black--feet pale red--toes webbed. Food obtained f... All About The Woodpecker
Comes north in May--often stays all winter--most commonly seen in the fall. Song--shrill, lively call resembling the voice of the tree-frog. Male and female have crimson head and neck--upper parts black with white marking--white band across win... Chilly Little Chickadees
Chilly little chickadees, Sitting in a row, Chilly little chickadees, Buried in the snow, Don't you find it very cold For your little feet? Don't you find it hard to get Anything to eat? Hungry little chickadees, Would yo... How The Birds Got Their Feathers Iroquois Myth
That evening, as the family sat beside the hearth, Phyllis thought of the brave little chickadees out in the fir-trees. "I wonder if they are really warm enough," she said. "Do feathers make a warm dress, mother? Why do birds have feathers inste... Origin Of The Raven And The Macaw Zuni Creation Myth
Long, long ago there were but few Indians on the earth. The world was not as it is now. The earth people did not understand things as they now understand them. It therefore happened that a beautiful Indian prince came to live with the earth peo... Robert Of Lincoln
Merrily swinging on brier and weed, Near to the nest of his little dame, Over the mountainside or mead, Robert of Lincoln is telling his name. "Bobolink, bob-o'-link, Spink, spank, spink; Snug and safe is that nest o... Robin Redbreast Merry Robin Redbreast
"Robin, robin redbreast, Singing on the bough, Come and get your breakfast, We will feed you now. Robin likes the golden grain, Nods his head and sings again: 'Chirping, chirping cheerily, Here I come so merrily, Thank... Sea-pigeons
It was very early in the spring. The sun rose, stayed for only a moment above the horizon, and then sank again from the sight of Eskimo children. But already huge icebergs broke from the shore and floated out to sea. Already the icy winds hurrie... The Bobolink A Summer Song
He sat upon the tallest bending grass stalk. He paid not the slightest attention to Phyllis. He just swung lightly with the June breezes, and sang his little heart out. Such a careless, joyous, jingling song Phyllis had never before heard. It s... The Chickadee Or Snowbird In The Snow
It was a bright, wintry day. The frost jewels sparkled on the snow. The winds blew cutting cold from the north. Phyllis, in her scarlet coat and cap, and long, warm leggings, waded in the deepest drifts she could find. Out by the garden fence ... The Circling Of Cranes
One autumn day ages and ages ago, the cranes were preparing to go south. Cranes always dreaded the cold and flew away to the summer-land at the first glitter of the frost. The crane leader had a loud, hoarse voice, and he called and called to hi... The First Hawk
During the short Greenland summer the Eskimos live along the seacoast. They put up their strange skin huts and hunt and fish and make merry through the season when the sun shines at midnight. Now in places along the Greenland coast there are steep... The Halcyon Birds
That evening Phyllis opened a new book and on almost the first page she saw something about the halcyon birds. "Perhaps it is Jack's story," she said. Then she curled herself up on the soft sofa and this is the story she read. In the beautiful... The Hawk And The Raven From The Barnyard Fence
Had not the old hen been such a watchful mother she would never have been able to care for such a big, fluffy family. Had not Phyllis been such a wide-awake little girl, she would have never heard and seen all that I am about to tell you. Mothe...