Identifier: natureneighborse02bant (find matches)
Title: www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/tags/book...
Year: 1914 (1910s)
Authors: Banta, Nathaniel Moore, 1867- Schneider, Albert, 1863- Higley, William Kerr, 1860-1908 Abbott, Gerard Alan
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: Chicago, American Audobon association
Contributing Library: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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land, and Lab-rador are favorite nesting grounds. The nests are composedof stems, grass, and moss mixed with mud and usuallyplaced in coniferous trees similar to the abode of the purpleand bronzed grackles. The eggs are light blue, distinctlymarked with blotches and spots of dark brown and purple. BRONZED GRACKLE The Bronzed Grackle, or the Crow Blackbird, or oneor more of its sub-species, is a familiar object in all theStates east of the Rocky Mountains. In size, habits, etc.,this bird is so much like the purple grackle that one platedoes for both. Throughout the year it is resident as farnorth as southern Illinois, and in summer extends its rangeinto the British provinces. In the Mississippi Valley it isone of the most abundant birds, preferring to nest in theartificial groves and windbreaks near farms instead of inthe natural timber which it formerly used. It breedsalso in parks and near buildings, often in considerable colo-nies. In New England, it is only locally abundant, though
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BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, ETC. jfto frequently seen in migration. After July it becomes veryrare, or entirely disappears, owing to the fact that it col-lects in large flocks and retires to some quiet place wherefood is abundant and where it can remain undisturbed dur-ing the molting season; but in the latter days of Augustand throughout September it usually reappears in immenseflocks before moving southward. The crow blackbird is accused of many sins, such asstealing grain and fruit and robbing the nests of otherbirds, but the farmers do not undertake a war of extermi-nation against it, and for the most part allow it to nestundisturbed about their premises. An examination of 2,346stomachs shows that nearly one-third of its food consistsof insects, of which the greater part are injurious. Thebird also eats a few snails, crawfishes, salamanders, smallfish, and occasionally a mouse. The stomach contents donot indicate that it robs other birds to any great extent, asremains of birds and birds

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