Glossary of Bird Names

This glossary lists in alphabetical order the bird names used by Lewis and Clark in expedition records. To aid the reader in locating a complete passage in any edition of the journals, or paraphrase based on the original journals, each bird name is followed by the date of usage—usually the first, or a later significant, entry.

*Denotes a date and a passage not in the original journals proper (Thwaites, Vols. 1-5), but in supplementary sections kept by the Captains and labeled “Zoology” and “Meteorology (Thwaites, Vol. 6). This information has also been retained in the section titled “Remarks and Reflections” in the original 1814 Nicholas Biddle/Paul Allen narrative or paraphrase, in the 1893 Coues annotated edition of the Biddle/Allen, in the 1902 Hosmer edition of the Biddle/Allen, and in the 1961 Lippincott (paper.back) edition of the Biddle/Allen. Other reprint editions of the Biddle/ Allen are numerous (in two and three volume renditions), and in many of these the “Remarks and Reflections” section has been omitted or severely abridged. It should also be noted that there are references in the original journals proper that have been omitted or are incomplete in the Biddle/Allen text.^[2]Bibliographic information related to the sources cited: Reuben G. Thwaites (Editor), Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806, Dodd, Mead & Co., N.Y., 1904. Reprint … Continue reading

To aid in locating descriptions and pictures of these birds in modern bird books, modern names of these species, though not used in the journals, are listed alphabetically with cross-reference to journal usage. Also, in each entry the present official common name is followed by the Latin binomial required for scientific record, plus the surname of the original classifier and year of his publication. These dates are of interest because they show whether a species was already on public record prior to the expedition. All dates and nomenclature follow The American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list, 6th edition 1983. Data from the 5th edition, if different is also given to aid those using books of pre-1983 publication.

AQUATIC BIRD (13 April 1804, 5 August 1804) least tern, Sterna antillarum, Lesson 1847. Well described.

AVOCET, see PLOVER, party-coloured

BAT (5 June 1805*, 30 June 1805) When BAT is linked with the phrase “or nighthawk” or “or goatsucker” the species meant is the common nighthawk, Chordeiles minor, Forster 1771. When the term is LEATHER-WINGED BAT (16 April 1805)* the species is a mammal, but listed by Lewis and Clark as a bird, as is done in the Bible, Leviticus 11:19.

BEE-MARTIN (25 May 1805*, 10 June 1805) eastern kingbird, Tyrannus tyrannus, Linnaeus 1758.^[3]Hereafter Linnaeus is entered as L.

BITTERN, see HERON, brown

BLACKBIRDS (25 August 1804)

Blackbird Creek (9 June 1804)

large (8 August 1805) common grackle, Quiscalus quiscula, L. 1758

small (8 June 1805) rusty blackbird, Euphagus carolinus, Muller 1776, and/or Brewer’s blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephla, Wagner 1829

BLUE BIRDS (no added name)

no crest (5-26–05) Briefly seen. Could not shoot for close study. Probably mountain bluebird, Sialia currucoides, Bechstein 1778. Lewis and Clark could not have known this western species.

size of robin (1 August 1805) and actions of jay. See JAY, pinyon

size of turtledove (18 September 1805) See JAY, scrub, and MAGPIE, blue

BRANT (7 March 1806)*

brown (9 April 1805) Branta bernicla bernicla, L. 1758. Some of the darker ones were probably black brant, Branta bernicla nigricans, Lawrence 1846, now a subspecies.

common, common pided (pied), speckled. Other names for brant.

grey (2 November 1805) blue goose, Chen caerulescens caerulescens, L. 1758. Formerly a full species, now a subspecies with snow goose (white brant).

pided (pied) (15 March 1806)* greater white fronted goose, Anser albifrons, Scopoli 1769. Larger, well described and pictured.

white with black wing tips (17 October 1804) snow goose, Chen caerulescens hyberborea, Pallas 1769. See grey brant.

BUFFALO-PECKER (11 July 1806) brown-headed cowbird, Molothrus ater, Boddaert 1783

BUTTERBOX (9 March 1806)* bufflehead, Bucephala albeola, L. 1758. See DUCK, black-and-white

BUZZARD

common (5 June 1805)* or turkey (9 April 1806) turkey vulture, Cathartes aura, L. 1758

of the Columbia (30 October 1805, 2 January 1806) California condor, Gymnogyps californianus, Shaw 1798

CALUMET BIRD, CALUMET EAGLE (19 October 1804, 8 April 1805)* golden eagle, Aquila chrysaetos, L. 1 758. Full-grown (3-4 yrs.) not yet in adult plumage, with tail feathers still white tipped in dark brown-not all brown as in adult-the feathers Indians chose to adorn their calumets (ceremonial pipes) (11 March 1806 and 12 March 1806)*

CANVASBACK (8 November 1805) Aythya ualisineria, Wilson 1814

CARDINAL, see NIGHTINGALE, Virginia

CATBIRD (10 June 1805) gray catbird, Dumetella carolinensis, L. 1758. Used only for size comparison for unfamiliar species, loggerhead shrike, Lanius ludovicianus, L. 1766.

CEDAR BIRDS, CRESTED CHERRY BIRDS (10 November 1804)* cedar waxwing, Bombycilla cedrorum, Vieillot 1807

COCK and/or HEN, see GROUSE, LOGCOCK, PHEASANT

heath (5 June 1805) Tympanuchus cupido cupido, L. 1758. Sub.specific with greater prairie-chicken, Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus, Brewster 1885. A bird of Atlantic seaboard range, extinct since 1932, used here for size comparison.

Indian (20 June 1804)* greater prairie-chicken, as above.

mountain (5 June 1805)* alternate name for sage grouse, Centrocercus urophasianus, Bonaparte 1827, usually known in the journals as cock-of-the-plains, but also as large heath cock (12 August 1805).

plains (20 August 1805) sage grouse

prairie cock (2 October 1804) greater prairie-chicken; large prairie cock (17 October 1805) sage grouse

prairie hen with pointed tail (22 May 1805) sharp-tailed grouse, Tympanuchus phasianellus, L. 1758. Formerly Pedioecetes phasianellus.

CONDOR, see BUZZARD

COOT, see DUCK, black

CORMORANT (20 October 1805) double-crested cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus, Lesson 1831

CORVUS, Latin for crow; used in journals to label any of crow genus or family.

black-winged (28 May 1805 and 29 May 1806) Clark’s nutcracker, Nucifraga columbiana, Wilson 1811. Good description of species earlier (22 August 1805) misnamed woodpecker.

blue-crested (26 May 1805) Steller’s jay, Cyanocitta stelleri, Gmelin 1788

Corvus Creek (16 September 1804) probably named for magpies first seen in this area

party-coloured (20 June 1804) means “black and white”; usually used as “party-coloured corvus or magpie”. See MAGPIE.

size of kingbird (18 February 1805) feeds on meat scraps. Gray jay, Perisoreus canadensis, L. 1758 Formerly Canada jay.

white-breasted (2 January 1806) gray jay, as above

COWBIRD, see BUFFALO-PECKER

CRAIN, CRANE, any large crane, egret or heron.

blue (13 February 1804)* great blue heron, Ardea herodias, L. 1758

brown (21 July 1805) immature or smaller subspecies of sandhill crane

sandhill crane (21 July 1805) Grus canadensis, L. 1 758

white (25 March 1804)* great egret, Casmerodius albus, L. 1758. Formerly American egret, common egret.

white with black wing tips (11 April 1805) whooping crane, Grus americana, L. 1 758

CROW, see CORVUS

common (9 April 1805)* American crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos, Brehm 1822

eating crow (22 September 1805)

rain-crow (16 July 1806) folk name for Old World cuckoos, transferred to American species: yellow-billed cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus, L. 1758; black-billed cuckoo, Coccyzus erythropthalmus, Wilson 1811

smaller (2 January 1806, 3 March 1806)* northwestern crow, Corvus caurinus, Baird 1858

CUCKOO, see RAIN-CROW

CURLOO, CURLEW (17 April 1805) any shorebird with long bill.

brown (4 June 1805) long-billed curlew, Numenius americanus, Bechstein 1812

small (4 June 1805) of snipe size with curved beak, probably Eskimo curlew, Numenius borealis, Forster 1772

DIVERS, an old term for loons or grebes

large (10 March 1806)* red-necked grebe, Podiceps grisegena, Boddaert 1783, or horned grebe, Podiceps auritus, L. 1758.

small (10 March 1806)* pied-billed grebe, Podilymbus podiceps, L. 1758

DOVE (see TURTLEDOVE, PIGEON)

cooing (27 May 1806)* Indians believed that cooing doves in springtime courtship predicted return of salmon.

DUCK

black (30 November 1805) American coot, Fulica americana, Gmelin 1789. Not species now known as black duck.

black-and-white (10 March 1806)* bufflehead, see BUTTERBOX

Delicious (20 October 1805) Lewis wrote (9 March 1806)* of the delicious flavor of canvasbacks, but here there was no clue for identification.

fishing (red-headed) (21 June 1805) common merganser, Mergus merganser, L. 1758

less than duckinmallard (28 March 1806) a size clue that indicates ring-necked duck, Aythya collaris, Donovan 1809.

little brown (10 March 1806)* size-and-color clues suggest blue-winged teal female, Anas discors, L. 1766 or green-winged teal female, Anas crecca, L. 1758

ring-necked, see less than duckinmallard

summer-duck, folk name for wood duck, as below

swan-duck or swan-goose (5 November 1805, 7 March 1806) Folk names for western grebe, Aechmophorus occidentalis, Lawrence 1858.

uncommon (8 May 1805) with wide beak. northern shoveler, Anas clypeata, L. 1758

wood-duck (16 June 1804)* Aix sponsa, L. 1758

yellow-legged (25 April 1806) cinnamon teal, Anas cyanoptera, Vieillot 1816, or possibly gadwall, Anas strepera, L. 1758, or northern shoveler, as above.

DUCKANMALLARD or DUCKINMALLARD or DUCKAUINMALLARD (2 January 1806, 12 April 1806)* Old name for mallard, used to distinguish wild birds from tame or female from male.

EAGLE

bald (10 April 1805) Haliaeetus leucocephalus, L.1766

calumet, see CALUMET BIRD

grey (11 July 1805) immature bald eagle. Birds under 4 or 5 years do not have the distinctive white head and tail of the adult, but are full-grown in size and may even mate. Through the 19th century, most writers classified them as a separate species. Easily confused with immature golden eagle.

great eagle (26 August 1805) golden eagle, Aquila chrysaetos, L. 1758. See CALUMET BIRD

EGRET, see CRANE, HERON

FINCH, see LINNET

FISHER, BLUE-CRESTED, see KINGFISHER

FLICKER, see WOODPECKER, lark

FLYCATCH, Flycatcher is modern name for various small insect-eating birds; former folk name for thrushes, wrens, kinglets, phoebes, pewees.

reddish-brown (4 March 1806*, 8 February 1806)* winter wren, Troglodytes troglodytes, L. 1758. Often named as smallest European bird, and smallest American bird except for hummingbirds. See WREN.

yellowish-brown (4 March 1806)* convex beak. Probably Hamond’s flycatcher, Empidonax hamondii, Xantus de Vesey 1858. Most other species of genus Empidonax are grayer.

FOWL, see COCK and/or HEN

prairie (20 June 1804)

wild (16 January 1806)

FULMAR, see white gull

GOATSUCKER (16 September 1804, 30 June 1805) Old European folk name for birds of the nightjar family (Caprimulgidae) based on the mistaken idea that the birds followed the goats to drink milk. Actually the birds are after insects stirred up by moving flocks.

GOLDFINCH (8 June 1805) American goldfinch, Carduelis tristis, L. 1758. Formerly Spinus tristus.

GOOSE (4 February 1804)*

blue, see BRANT, grey

common, (5 May 1805) Canada goose, Branta canadensis, L. 1758

nest in trees (3 May 1805) Canada goose, as above

smaller (5 May 1805) cackling goose, Branta canadensis minima, Ridgway 1885, or other small subspecies of Canada goose

snow, see BRANT, white with black wing tips, Chen caerulescens hyperborea, Pallas 1769

swan-goose, see DUCK, swan-duck or swan-goose

white-fronted, see BRANT, pied

GRACKLE, see BLACKBIRD, large

GREBE, see DIVER, DUCK, swan-duck

GROUSE (26 July 1804) used as a name for any chicken-like bird of medium size. Grouse described are:

blue (21 July 1805) see PHEASANT, small brown

ruffed (20 September 1805, etc.) see PHEASANT, large black and white, common

sage (5 June 1805) see COCK and/or HEN, mountain, prairie, plains; also TURKEY, white

sharp-tailed (20 June 1804) see COCK and/or HEN, prairie hen with pointed tail

spruce (20 September 1805) see PHEASANT, small speckled

Grouse Island (6 October 1804) named for abundant sharp-tailed grouse

GULLS

brown (6 March 1806)* most immature gulls wear a brown mottled plumage through their second winter. These may be any of the “grey” adults below.

grey (6 March 1806)* herring gull, Larus argentatus, Pontoppidan, 1763; ring-billed gull, Larus delawarensis, Ord 1815; western gull, Larus occidentalis, John James Audubon 1839; glaucous-winged, Larus glaucescens, Naumann 1840; California gull, Larus californicus, Lawrence 1854.

small (6 March 1806)* size of a pigeon, black on head. Probably Bonaparte’s gull, Larus philadelphia, Ord 1815, but could be Forster’s tern, Sterna Forsteri, Nuttall 1834.

speckled (20 October 1805) any immature gull, as above under “brown”

white (6 March 1806)* with odd beak. Clark’s sketch and description of prominent nasal tubes identify this species as the northern fulmar, Fulmarus glacialis, L. 1761, in its white phase. Not a gull, though gull-like in actions and appearance.

wings tipped in black (27 September 1804)* Probably herring gull or ring-billed, as under “grey”.

HAWKS

black (12 August 1805) and large, possibly the dark phase of rough-legged hawk, Buteo lagopus, Pontoppidan 1763. The ferruginous hawk, Buteo regalis, Gray 1844, also has a “nearly black” phase to match the description.

brown (8 April 1805) a familiar species, probably female northern harrier, Circus cyaneus, L. 1766. Formerly marsh hawk.

common (13 April 1805) and small, American kestrel (formerly sparrow hawk) Falco sparverius, L. 1758, or merlin (formerly pigeon hawk) Falco columbarius, L. 1758.

fishing (7 May 1805) osprey, Pandion haliaetus, L. 1758

hen (3 March 1806)* blue-winged. Common folk name for Cooper’s hawk, Accipiter cooperii, Bonaparte 1828; used less often for northern goshawk, Accipiter gentilis, L. 1758, or sharp-shinned hawk, Accipiter striatus, Vieillot 1808. These three species prey on fowl more than other hawks, which usually prefer rodents or reptiles, but some farmers give all hawks “hen hawk” name.

nighthawk, see BAT, GOATSUCKER

red-tailed (30 November 1805) Buteojamaicensis, Gmelin 1788

sparrow hawk, see “common” above

white-headed, small (19 September 1805) black-shouldered kite, Elanus caeruleus, Desfontaines 1789. Formerly white-tailed kite, Elanus leucurus, Vieillot 1818, now re-classified by earlier listing.

HEATH COCK/HEN, see COCK/HEN

HEN, see COCK/HEN

HERON

blue (6 March 1806)* great blue heron, Ardea herodias, L. 1758. Also called blue crane (crain) (13 February 1804)*

brown (25 August 1804)* probably American bittern, Botaurus lentiginosus, Rackett 1813, or immature black-crowned night-heron, Nycticorax nycticorax, L. 1758.

white (2 August 1804) great egret, Casmerodius albus, L. 1758. Formerly American or common egret. Also called white crane.

HUMMINGBIRDS. Two species are almost certainly involved, since there were two sightings in quite different terrain with intervening mountains, and no single species is abundant in both areas for obvious choice. Lewis killed the first of these two (26 March 1806)* and declared it the same as the ruby-throated hummingbird, Archilochus colubris, L. 1758, which he knew as the only hummingbird seen in Atlantic States. This identification was an undisputed error, because the ruby-throated is not seen in the West. At the time, only one western species had been classified the rufous—and Lewis had probably not heard of it. Nevertheless, he did kill the first specimen seen for further identification, but not the second (15 June 1806) which was a female on the nest. The sex of the first was not recorded, but it was definitely not a male rufous, which has a copper-toned coat quite unlike the emerald green of the ruby-throated male and female. Most of the other western species in either area also have green coats, and so except for ruling out the rufous male, the identity of either hummingbird can be determined only by present range and similarity to the ruby-throated. Two, of four likely species described below, were seen.

First Sighting (26 March 1806)* Fisher Island, north side of the Columbia River downstream from present Longview, Washington. Which of the following three?

rufous hummingbird, Selasphorus rufus, Gmelin 1788. Female only. Most abundant species in: area but has rufous touches on belly and tail which could easily have been seen with dead bird in hand-but Lewis may not have known that the female ruby-throated lacks rufous coloring.

black-chinned hummingbird, Archilochus alexandri, Bourcier & Mulsant, 1846. Male is eliminated by violet-black gorget instead of ruby red. Female is almost identical with female ruby-throated. Seldom nests in area, but is often seen on migration and could easily have been passing through on this date. Tail not notched-a small difference Lewis might have missed.

Calliope hummingbird, Stellula calliope, Gould 1847. Male eliminated by having a red-and-white striped gorget instead of solid ruby red-unless Lewis mistook the difference for imperfection due to moulting. Female is very similar, except for lack of a notched tail—again a difference Lewis could have missed. Both male and female Calliope are smaller than the ruby-throated by ¼ inch or so-another easily-missed difference.

rufous hummingbird, as above. Not abundant here. Possible but not probable. Again, different as noted above.

black-chinned, as above. Nests in area. Almost identical with ruby-throated female except as noted above.

Calliope, as above. Nests in area. More abundant than black-chinned now. Difference by size and tail shape as noted above.

broad-tailed hummingbird, Selasphorus platycercus, Swainson 1827. Almost identical with ruby-throated except for rufous touches on tail and belly (less than rufous female). Male almost identical with ruby-throated male but was not mentioned.

JAYS

blue jay (26 May 1805)* Cyanocitta cristata, L. 1758.

grey, see CORVUS, white-breasted.

jay, jaybird (26 May 1805)* always refers to the blue jay, the only jay that Lewis and Clark were familiar with before going west.

pinyon, see “size of a robin” below

scrub, see “size of turtledove” below, and MAGPIE, blue.

size of robin (1 August 1805) acts like a jay, pinyon jay, Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus, Wied 1841. Voice well described.

size of turtledove (18 September 1805) and of the vulture kind meaning an eater of carrion or flesh. No crest. Scrub jay, Aphelocoma coerulescens, Bose 1795. See MAGPIE, blue.

KESTREL, see HAWK, common and small

KILLDEE, KILLDEER (8 April 1805)* killdeer, Charadrius vociferus, L. 1758.

small (20 June 1804) semipalmated plover, Charadrius semipalmatus, Bonaparte 1825.

KINGBIRD, see BEE-MARTIN

KINGFISHER (7 May 1805) belted kingfisher, Ceryle alcyon, L. 1758. Formerly Megaceryle alcyon.

KINGLET, see FLYCATCHER, WREN

KITE, see HAWK, white-headed and small

KOOSKOOSKEE RIVER BIRD (6 June 1806) western tanager, Piranga ludoviciana, Wilson 1811. Well described in journal but not named. Preserved skins brought back to Philadelphia and painted by both Alexander Wilson and Charles Willson Peale. Kooskooskee River is the Clearwater River in Idaho.

LARKS (20 September 1804)

old-field lark (22 June 1805) eastern meadowlark, Sturnella magna, L. 1758. Like old-field lark but different song, western meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta, Audubon 1844.

prairie larks (16 April 1806)* homed lark, Eremophila alpestris, L. 1758.

short-tailed (25 August 1804) size of partridge. Probably the yellow rail, Coturnicops noveboracensis, Gmelin 1789.

singing (5 March 1806)* “little singing lark of the Missouri” not seen here. Probably Sprague’s pipit, Anthus spragueii, Audubon 1844, often called Missouri skylark.

Second sighting (15 June 1806) in present Idaho, west of Hungery Creek on the Lolo Trail. Cited as female on nest. small (4 June 1805) McCown’s longspur, Calcarius mccownii, Which of the following four? Lawrence 1851. Formerly Rhynchophanes mccownii.

LAYCOCK, misread or misprinted for LOGCOCK OWLS

LINNET (8 June 1805) Name for a European species not seen in North America. Used for any small bird with red crown, especially common redpoll, Caruelis flammea, L. 1758; purple finch, Carpodacus pupurea, Gmelin 1789; house finch, Carpodacus mexicanus, Miller 1776.

LOGCOCK (15 June 1806) folk name for pileated woodpecker, Dryocopus pileatus, L. 1758

LONGSPUR, see LARKS, small

LOONS

larger (7 February 1806)* and speckled, seen on all rivers. Common loon, Gavia immer, Brunnich 1764.

smaller, seen only on the Columbia River and Pacific Coast, May be red-throated loon, Gavia stellata, Pontoppidan 1763, or Arctic loon, Gavia arctica, L. 1 758. Both are smaller than common loon by 6–7 inches. Description fits winter plumage of both, but especially Arctic loon.

MAGPIE, MAGPY, MAGPYE (17 September 1804) black-billed magpie, Pica pica, L. 1 758. Since the presence of this European species in the United States was unknown to Lewis, he sent back four living birds to President Jefferson from Fort Mandan (4 April 1805) only one of which arrived alive to be painted by Alexander Wilson for his American Ornithology.

MALLARD (6 October 1804)* Anas platyrhynchos, L. 1758. See DUCKANMALLARD or DUCKINMALLARD

MARTIN (4 April 1806) English name for swallows (except barn swallow) and similar insect-eaters. See BEE-MARTIN. Probably coined from Mars, Roman god of war, because these birds are especially warlike in defending nest and territory and on migration gather in huge flocks, like armies.

bank (27 March 1806)* bank swallow, Riparia riparia, L. 1758

black (4 May 1805) purple martin, Progne subis, L. 1758

brown (25 August 1804) bank swallow, as above

common (4 April 1806) purple martin, as above. Usually species meant if only “martin” is used.

martin that builds globular mud nest (31 May 1805) cliff swallow, Hirundo pyrrhonota, Vieillot 1817. Formerly Petrochelidon pyrrhonota.

MEADOWLARK, see LARKS

MERLIN, see HAWK, common small

MOCKINGBIRD (18 May 1805)* see NIGHTINGALE, THRASHER, THRUSH, brown

NIGHTHAWK (5 June 1805) see BAT, GOATSUCKER

NIGHTINGALE (4 June 1804) Some bird sang by night on this date, but it was not the nightingale, a species not native to North America. The mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, L. 1758, is the American species most often miscalled nightingale, but a hermit thrush, Catharus guttatus, Pallas 1811, formerly in genus Hylocichla, could be the namesake for Nightingale Creek.

Virginia nightingale (6 June 1806) a common folk name for the northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, L. 1758 (formerly richmondena cardinalis)^[4]For another perspective, see Clark’s ‘Nightingale’.

NUTCRACKER, see CORVUS, black-winged

OSPREY, see HAWK, fishing

OWLS

ear-like feathers (20 May 1805) long-eared owl, Asio otus, L. 1758

hooting (14 April 1805) great horned owl, Bubo virginianus, Gmelin 1788

iron grey (29 May 1806) no long ear tufts, great gray owl, Strix nebulosa, Forster 1772

PARROT QUEETS (26 June 1804) Carolina parakeet, Conuropsis carolinensis, L. 1758. Once abundant in east, now extinct-probably since 1913.

PARTRIDGE (7 April 1806) An English name mistakenly applied to American birds, especially the bobwhite (quail). See QUAIL.

PEAWEET, PEAWIT, PEWIT (16 April 1806)* In England an old folk name for the lapwing, a bird of the plover family, imitating its plaintive two-note call. Lapwings are rare visitors to U.S.—especially on the northeast coast—but the name was often given to other American species with similar two-note call, especially small gray birds of the flycatcher family now known as pewees or phoebes. Lewis’s “uncommon” species of this date is probably Say’s phoebe, Sayornis saya, Bonaparte 1825.

PELICAN (20 June 1804) American white pelican, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, Gmelin 1789.

Pelican Island (8 August 1804) Site where pelican beak was measured for capacity and found to hold 5 gallons of water (Thwaites, VI: 125-127)

PHEASANTS (15 April 1805, etc. 26 references) No pheasants nested in North American wilds until ring-necked pheasants were imported to Oregon from China in the 1880s. But early English colonists-especially in Virginia-commonly called the ruffed grouse a pheasant. Consequently Lewis and Clark used “pheasant” for most grouse species, although the sharp-tailed and sage grouse were usually put in cock or hen category. At Fort Clatsop in March 1806 Lewis listed pheasants of three kinds seen west of the Rockies:

large black and white (3 March 1806)* ruffed grouse, Bonasa umbellus, L. 1766. Also called “common” in other entries. Lewis notes that these have a more reddish tint than those seen in the East. See SCARLET BIRD.

small brown (3 March 1806)* with yellow or orange stripe above eye. The blue grouse, Dendragapus obscurus, Say 1823.

small speckled (3 March 1806)* spruce grouse, Dendragapus canadensis, L. 1758. Both sexes of all three species are speckled and males of both ruffed and spruce have vermilion eye stripes, in contrast to the yellow stripe of the blue grouse. This is the smallest of the three species, but the blue grouse (above) is the largest, in spite of “small” label in Lewis’s notes.

PHOEBE, see PEAWEET

PIGEON, WILD (12 February 1804)* passenger pigeon, Ectopistes migratorius, L. 1766. Now extinct but then abundant in East. Lewis shot one (13 July 1805) to verify identification since they had not yet been reported so far west (Montana). Birds still farther west (26 August 1805, Lemhi Valley, east-central Idaho) might have been the band-tailed pigeon, Columba fasciata, Say 1823, not then known to science, though the difference in its fan-tail from passenger’s pointed tail would likely have been noted. The common pigeon, Columba Livia, L. 1758, had not then multiplied as a feral species as it has today and would not have been seen anywhere on expedition trail. The smaller mourning dove was mentioned several times as “turtledove” and would not have been mistaken for the passenger pigeon by such experienced woodsman

PIPIT, see LARKS, singing

PLAINS BIRDS (22 July 1805) Identified only by habitat, these could include horned lark, longspurs, pipits, finches, buntings, various sparrows.

PLOVER (16 August 1804, many other citings) Used for most medium-sized shorebirds, some not identified.

brown (1 July 1806) upland sandpiper, Bartramania longicauda, Bechstein 1812. Formerly upland plover.

green-legged (22 September 1804)* stilt sandpiper, Calidris himantopus, Bonaparte 1826, or pectoral sandpiper, Calidris melanotus, Viellot 1819.

large (9 May 1805) willet, Catoptrophorus semipalmatus, Gmelin 1789

party-coloured (1 May 1805*, 17 July 1806) with head and neck of light brick-dust brown (1 May 1805) brick red (17 July 1806) American avocet, Recuruirostra americana, Gmelin 1789

small brown (4 June 1805) see CURLEW, small

small brown (22 July 1805) mountain plover, Charadrius montanus, Townsend 1837

POORWILL, COMMON, see WHIPPER WILL

PRAIRIE BIRDS (25 August 1804, 19 June 1805) see PLAINS BIRDS, COCKS and/or HENS

QUAIL (7 April 1806) or partridge. Mountain quail, Oreortyx pictus, Douglas 1829. Preserved skin given to Charles Willson Peale to sketch for proposed book on the natural history of the expedition to be published by the American Philosophical Society. The sketch is still extant, but book was never published.

RAIL, see LARKS, short-tailed

RAIN-CROW, see CROW, CUCKOO

RAVEN (5 February 1805) common raven, Corvus corax, L. 1758

raven skins (26 September 1804)

REDPOLL, see LINNET

REN, see WREN

ROBIN (23 April 1805,* 8 June 1805) American robin, Turdus migratorius, L. 1766.

Columbian or Rocky Mountain (20 September 1805, 31 January 1806*,4 February 1806)* varied thrush, Ixoreus naeuius, Gmelin 1789. Often called Alaskan robin or Oregon robin because of its resemblance.

SANDPIPER, see PLOVER, SNIPE

SAPSUCKER (8 February 1805, 8 April 1805) yellow-bellied sapsucker, Sphyrapicus uarius, L. 1766. Also known to Lewis and Clark as “small speckled woodpecker”. See WOODPECKER, red-headed, for western species, red-breasted sapsucker, Sphyrapicus ruber, Gmelin 1788, misnamed because of its all-red head.

SCARLET BIRD (7 March 1806)* Seen by York. Probably red-phase ruffed grouse.

SHRIKE, see CATBIRD

SNIPE (5 March 1806)* common snipe, Gallinago gallinago, L. 1 758

sand snipe (5 March 1806)* spotted sandpiper, Actitis macularia L. 1766

size of common snipe (4 June 1805) see CURLEW, Eskimo

SPARROWS (5 June 1806, 5 March 1806). In folk speech, the name sparrow is used for any small brown bird-sparrow finch, longspur, pipit, bunting, wren. Lewis and clark may have seen such species common in the area now except the house sparrow, Passer domesticus, L. 1758, an Afro-Eurasian species not introduced to North America until 1850, even in the East, and not seen in the Pacific Northwest until 1889.

large brown (2 January 1806) probably a western sub-species of the fox sparrow, Passerella iliaca unalascensis, Gmelin 1789. It is a much darker brown than the ruddy eastern fox sparrow and often mistaken even today for a different species. The golden-crowned sparrow, Zonotricia atricapilla, Gmelin 1789, is also a large western sparrow, but no mention is made of crown color.

several species (1 May 1806, 4 June 1805) not described

similar to ours (5 March 1806) of woody country. Probably song sparrow, Melospiza melodia, Wilson 1810. Others would have been identified by white crown, white throat, etc.

STALKS (STORKS) (2 November 1805) wood stork, Mycteria americana, L. 1758. Formerly miscalled wood ibis, this is the only stork species in North America. Its presence along the Columbia is rare, but no other long-legged white bird looks stork-like and white cranes, egrets and herons are cited elsewhere.

SWALLOW (20 September 1804)* barn swallow, Hirundo rustica, L. 1758, is usually the species meant when only “swallow” is used. It is the only swallow species in North America with deeply forked tail. Others in the swallow family were usually referred to as “martins”. See MARTIN.

SWAN (4 February 1804,* 6 July 1804, etc.) The many early references to “swan” with no further descriptions show that Lewis and Clark knew only one species. Like others of their time, they mistook American swans for European wild swan (whooper swan, Cygnus cygnus, L. 1758) until they saw two American species side by side and realized the difference in size and voice. The first official recognition of an American species was based on this discovery.

larger (9 March 1806)* trumpeter swan, Cygnus buccinator, Richardson 1832, Formerly Olor buccinator.

smaller (29 October 1805, 2 January 1806, 9 March 1806) tundra swan, Cygnus columbianus, Ord 1815, in the A.0.U. Check-list, 6th edition 1983, but previously genus Olor and known as whistling swan, the name chosen by Lewis and recorded in his journal 9 March 1806.

SWAN-DUCK, see DUCK, swan-duck

SWAN-GOOSE, see DUCK, swan-duck or swan-goose

TANAGER, western. See KOOSKOOSKEE RIVER BIRD

TEAL (13 September 1804, 6 October 1804) See DUCK, little brown.

blue-winged teal (13 September 1804, 16 April 1805) Anas discors, L. 1766 Teal Creek (4 October 1804)

TERN, see AQUATIC BIRD, GULLS

THRASHER, brown. See THRUSH, brown.

THRUSH. Robins, bluebirds and solitaires all belong to the thrush family and were sometimes called thrushes by early colonists. Thrashers and mockingbirds, which do not belong to that family, were sometimes called thrushes, too, and usage persisted for some years.

blue (10 June 1805) eastern bluebird, Sialia sialis, L. 1758. Used here only for size comparison. See CATBIRD.

brown (18 May 1805,* 8 June 1805) brown thrasher, Toxostoma rufum, L. 1758. Brown thrush and brown mockingbird are both old names for the brown thrasher. Lewis used both 8 May 1805.

hermit, see NIGHTINGALE

varied, see ROBIN, Columbian

TURKEY (1 July 1804, 26 July 1804) wild turkey, Meleagris gallopauo, L. 1758.

white turkey of Black Hills (17 September 1804) Not seen. Described to Lewis and Clark by a young Frenchman who had spent the winter with the Chien Indians of the Black Hills. Wild turkeys could have been in the area and white birds occur naturally in the wild, but this was probably a sage grouse since the boy described it as “booted as low as the toes”—meaning feathered-and turkeys are bare-legged. The white-tailed ptarmigan, Lagopus leucurus, Richardson 1831, also has feathered legs, but is only about a third turkey size. The sage grouse, while not all white, does have a white breast and seems white in comparison to the turkey’s bronze tones.

TURTLEDOVE (8 June 1805)* This English name for a similar Eurasian dove species was given by early colonists to an American species, the mourning dove, Zenaida macroura, L. 1758. Formerly classified in genus Zenaidura. See DOVE, PIGEON

VULTURE (28 March 1806) See BUZZARD.

vulture-kind (18 September 1805) The category includes all scavengers, carrion eaters—jays, crows, etc. as well as vultures, hawks, eagles.

WAXWING, see CEDAR BIRD

WHIPPER WILL (11 June 1804*, 5 August 1806) whip-poor-will, Caprimulgus vociferus, Wilson 1812.

small (17 October 1804) and uncommon. Common poorwill, Phalaenoptilus nuttallii, Audubon 1844. The journals not only describe the bird’s appearance, but also its ability to maintain winter dormancy, a factor not recognized in scientific publications until 1946.

WILLET, see PLOVER, large

WOODPECKERS

black (20 July 1805) Lewis’s woodpecker, Melanerpes lewis, Wilson 1811. Formerly Asyndesmus lewis. The feathers of nape, back and tail are blackish, glossed with bottle-green, but appear black in poor light and from a distance. The face is dark red, the upper breast and collar gray and the belly a bright pinkish red which Lewis described as looking “artificially painted or stained” (Thwaites V:70). He also mentioned its crow-like flight.

black-and-white speckled (8 February 1805)* see SAPSUCKER

black-and-white speckled with white back (4 April 1806) downy woodpecker, Picoides pubescens, L. 1766, or hairy woodpecker, Picoides villosus, L. 1766. These two species are almost identical except for size. The downy is slightly smaller and usually more abundant. Formerly each was divided into several subspecies, not easily distinguished, and placed in genus Dendrocopos.

black-winged (22 August 1805) In this entry Clark’s nutcracker was inadvertently reported as a woodpecker instead of a corvus. See CORVUS, black-winged. Wilson in his American Ornithology (1811) labeled it Clark’s Crow, Corvus columbianus, later changed to Nucifraga Columbiana.

large red-headed (9 September 1805) large (4 March 1806) pileated woodpecker, Dryocopus pileatus, L. 1758. Lewis and Clark knew this species in Virginia, where it was called “logcock”. See LOGCOCK.

lark-woodpecker (11 April 1805)* This is a folk name for the flickers, given because both larks and flickers have a crescent-shaped black mark across the breast. Because Lewis’s notes describe the yellow wing linings, it is the yellow-shafted flicker, Colaptes auratus auratus, now combined as a sub-species with the red-shafted, Colaptes auratus cafer, both now listed as northern flicker, Colaptes auratus, L. 1758. Surprisingly, there is no mention of the red wing linings, although this subspecies is much more common in the West.

red-headed woodpecker (28 May 1805)*. The comments (Thwaites, VI;191) “. . . saw a small white and black woodpecker with a red head; the same which is common to the Atlantic states.” identifies the red-headed woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus, L. 1758. The date places the above observation as being near the confluences of present-day Dog Creek and Judith River with the Missouri River in Fergus County, north-central Montana, close to the farthest western limits of its breeding range. The woodpecker with all-red head seen near the Pacific Coast (Fort Clatsop 4 March 1806) would have been the red-breasted sapsucker, Sphyrapicus ruber, Gmelin 1788, often mistaken for the easterner.

WREN (REN) In England wren was long the common name for any very small bird and the custom continued among early settlers in North America. Both Audubon and Wilson gave the name “wren” to the birds now known as kinglets, as well as to birds still listed in the wren family. The “rens” of the journals possibly had similar varied identification unless modifying details were given.

flycatch or ren (4 March 1806)* reddish brown. Color clue and further description identify it as winter wren, Troglodytes troglodytes, L. 1758.

flycatch (8 February 1806)* brown “. . . smallest of all birds except the hummingbird.” Size and color clues identify the winter wren as above.

wren (ren) (25 August 1804, 8 June 1805) Without further description these might also be the winter wren, but could easily be the house wren, Troglodytes aedon, Vieillot 1807; or the golden-crowned kinglet, Regulus satrapa, Lichtenstein 1823, orthe ruby-crowned kinglet, Regulus calendula, L. 1766.

YELLOW BIRD, see KOOKOOSKEE RIVER BIRD