Historic, archived document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. CIRCULAR No. 96 NOVEMBER, 1929 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON, D. C. GAME BIRDS SUITABLE FOR NATURALIZING IN __ THE UNITED STATES* "SY f* f r | By W. L. McATEE, Senior Biologist, in Charge, Division of Food Hapits E) Research, Bureau of Biological Survey Fi ¢ JEC 171929 *% CONTENTS ‘ : | U. 8, Department ef Agriculture Page i Page Ln tROGUChHONEXS a2 ee weet tose eas 1 | Species recommended—C ontinued. Possible dangers from importations__-------- 2 Hungarian partridge... Success in naturalizing exotic game birds_--_-_ 3 Red-legged eT Sources of additional importations___-------- 5 Girinea fowls! =a 2 a ee 18 Speciessrecommended = 82228 2222282 eee 12 MVEexd CAN QUA ue 1 a eee ee 18 Reeves Syphesanie2= = lee ee es 2 er ee 13 IMEI CAD SPECICS tenes sees Eee aie 18 Golden and Lady Amherst pheasants --_- 14 IBUStARG See Ae ae Se Se ap ke ee 18 Hapanese pheasant sss === ee eee 14 San deerouse 44 Su ees ey eee ee 19 Imaianep Calo wala esas ee Se ee ee 14 | Species considered undesirable_____________-_- 19 Brown eared pheasant-____-------------- 15 | Habitats for the species recommended -_____- 20 ogo neasaitter sss 220 ee Se ee 15 | Suggestions as to methods of naturalizing Whicerspheasamtecsn Saree ace eons ly ie 16 PamerindSs = hee ee se see ee 23 Otherpheasantskes less Smee SENT eee 16 INTRODUCTION Sportsmen share the admiration of nature students for native game ‘birds and will cooperate to the fullest extent in preventing their extermination, but they see the necessity for using exotic species also if the game supply is to be maintained or increased. Such increase is widely demanded and will continue to be demanded, and to effect it necessitates the fostering of birds that respond most profitably to game-propagation methods. Where native game birds are abundant there is little or no need to plant exotic species; but where native species do not supply the demand, foreign game birds are being intro- duced. Let the native game birds enjoy the protection of game sanc- tuaries as numerous and extensive as can be afforded, but on those parts of our domain where public shooting is practiced and its con- tinuance is desired, the practical necessities of the situation require the use of species of game birds that will produce the best results, regardless of their origin. In considering possible sources of game birds for acclimatization in the United States, it is natural for one to turn first to Europe and Asia, not only because of similarity of climate, but also because — Eurasian stock has so frequently proved its hardiness and adapta- bility. Reflect upon the origin of the domesticated animals and cul- tivated plants. Almost all are of Old-World stock—the horse, the cow, the pig, all poultry except the turkey; wheat, oats, barley, rye, 1The history of the introduction of game birds into the United States is given in the following publication: PHILLIPS, J. C., WILD BIRDS INTRODUCED OR TRANSPLANTED IN Nostu America. U.S. Dept. Agr. Tech. Bul. 61, 64 p. 1928. 67127°—29——1 i 2, CIRCULAR 96, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE every grain of importance except maize; apples, pears, peaches, - cherries, all citrus fruits; in fact, most of the high-ranking cultivated fruits. Consider the chamois of the Alps, the ibex of the Pyrenees, the bustards.of southern Europe, and the pheasants of densely popu- lated China. They have maintained their existence in close contact with man for centuries, while similar representatives of our fauna, with untold millions of acres to range over, have faded away before the hunters like mist before the morning sun. It is true that these native American animals have been pursued by more numerous and better-armed hunters than were the wild Eurasian stock, and the contrast between methods of the chase in the Old World and in the New may well be further analyzed. In this country, a fully armed population imbued with the theory of free shooting hunted to the verge of extinction a fauna wholly unused to the presence of a large population, almost before becoming aware of the impending result. In the Old World the number of hunters and firearms has always been restricted, so the game perhaps has not had to face so withering a barrage. However, the fewer hunters have customarily taken larger bags, and snaring, trapping, and other methods of securing game have been practiced for ages. The Eurasian game birds and animals doubtless had time through the centuries to develop defenses against man’s slowly improving armament and a tolerance for the changes in natural conditions resulting from increased population. American species, on the other hand, adapted to conditions in a country sparsely populated and primitively armed, were suddenly called upon to face the destructive infiuences of an effectively armed and ever-growing population. It is no reflection on the stamina of our fauna that it could not cope with a change in conditions that came on so rapidly that there’ was not time for the slow processes of adaptation. Whatever the reasons, there is little doubt that the wild life of the Old World, in general, has shown far greater ability than that of the New to survive despite human occupation of the land. Nothing is more logical, therefore, when seeking game birds for transplanting to a country that is now well populated, than to utilize species that have been tested and tempered by ages of close association with man. POSSIBLE DANGERS FROM IMPORTATIONS Many pests among the insects and weeds, and smaller numbers among other groups of organisms, tell the same story of’ greater adaptability of the Old-World fauna and flora to modern conditions. Very few American plants have become established in other lands, while the principal weeds not only of this country but of others widely spaced over the globe are of Eurasian origin. Similarly the English sparrow and the European starling have become thoroughly established in the avifauna of the United States, and various other - birds from the same countries have become common in Australia and New Zealand. The Asiatic mynas have flourished wherever introduced, and one of them is now spreading in British Columbia. No American bird has exhibited such aggressive tendencies. GAME BIRDS SUITABLE FOR NATURALIZING = A lesson has been drawn from such instances, and now the intro- duction of practically all kinds of exotic animals and plants that may become pests is forbidden—an injunction enforced by adequate inspection service. There is little fear, however, that any of the large and highly edible species classed as game birds will continue for any period as pests. Should they exhibit destructive tendencies their numbers can easily be cut down by extension of the open season and increase in the bag limits. No bird that is widely prized for ce is ever likely to become destructively abundant in the United tates. Fear has been expresesd also that the introduction of foreign game birds might carry with it the introduction of diseases that would disastrously affect our native or domestic species. This is possible, of course, but it does not seem an argument to which much weight should be given, in view of the fact that domestic poultry is con- stantly being introduced, abounds in all parts of the country, and constitutes a source and reservoir of most of the diseases to which our game birds are susceptible. In other words, the disease hazard is scarcely likely to be notably increased by further introductions of game birds. There should, of course, be proper inspection of im- ported birds and exclusion or quarantine when found necessary. Depletion of the food supply for native birds also has been cited as one possible bad effect of introducing additional species. The food supply for game birds can be increased almost indefinitely, however, if the effort be made. No introductions should be con- sidered without prior attention to the food supply, and effectively increasing it if necessary. SUCCESS IN NATURALIZING EXOTIC GAME BIRDS Almost innumerable unsuccessful attempts have been made to introduce various exotic game birds, but these results condemn not the whole project of game-bird introduction, but only those il- conceived and haphazard methods that have prevailed. Under these methods many unsuccessful introductions have been made of the same species that later or elsewhere have become established and have thrived beyond expectaticn. Thus the birds with which great- est success has been achieved may have appeared unsuitable on numerous earlier trials, and there is no way in which the success of a new introduction can be foretold. Methods can be improved, how- ever, and it can be made certain that a desirable species has fair trial before it is dropped from further consideration. Among the foreign game birds that have been naturalized in the United States, the ring-necked pheasant (including Phasianus colchicus torquatus and other subspecies and their hybrids) (fig. 1) now has an almost continuous distribution over the Northern States from coast to coast. (Fig. 2.) It has proved hardy as to climatic conditions, wary as to enemies, and without doubt is more numerous than any native game bird in the area occupied. The success of the introduction of pheasants in the Northwestern States is well known, but how amazingly the birds have thrived in certain other sections is not generally appreciated. In South Dakota, according to the direc- tor of the State Department of Game and Fish, pheasants increased 4. CIRCULAR 96, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE steadily from the first, a fact justifying almost steady lengthening of the open season and increase in the daily bag hmit. The total bag in 1926 was estimated at a million birds, and in 1927 at from one and a half to two millions, a record that has scarcely been approached in all our history by a single species of game bird in a single State. The Hungarian, also known as the European, or gray, partridge (Perdix perdix) (fig. 3), a later introduction, is showing the same ability as the pheasant to occupy and hold territory and to increase in numbers. These partridges are well established in various locali- ties in the East and abound in the Northwest (fig. 4); 10 years after their introduction in Okanogan County, Wash., they had fully occupied the country for a radius of 150 miles, and on feeding B715M FIGURE 1.—Ring-necked pheasants erounds established after the shooting season, they gathered liter- ally in thousands. The game warden of Okanogan County estab- lished a feeding ground about 30 miles west of Tonasket, where on 160 acres he counted and estimated proportionally 8,000 Hungarian partridges. In Alberta, where the partridge was first introduced in 1908, an open season of 30 days with a daily bag limit of 5 birds was permitted in 1912; limits later were extended until in 1927 the open season was 3 months and the bag limit 15 birds a day. The State game warden of Oregon asserts that the Chinese pheasant and the Hungarian partridge produce probably 90 per cent of the upland bird shooting in Oregon and bear promise of doing likewise in many other States. The case of Eurasian v. American game birds is fully made out in the experience with the pheasant and partridge in the Northwest. The native birds had equal opportunity with the foreign ones to respond to feeding and legal protection, yet with their advantage of close adaptation to country and climate, and priority of occupa- tion, they failed to make good: In fact, only a single native upland GAME BIRDS SUITABLE FOR NATURALIZING 5 game bird — the bobwhite (Colinus virginianus)— has responded at all encouragingly to efforts to increase its numbers. If upland shoot- ing is to be preserved in the face of an increasing number of hunters, birds must be utilized that can easily be distributed and increased ; in other words, birds that can be handled and depended upon as a crop. Shall the efforts stop with present successes, or shall the activities of the agricultural explorers be emulated in ransacking the earth for forms that can be used to increase production? Success of the method in agriculture, and already in game-bird propagation itself, indicates further introductions as the most promising means of really increasing game-bird production. B3980M FicgurE 2.—American range of ring-necked pheasants, 1929. Solid black indicates localities where established ; crosshatching, areas where systematic distribution has been carried on, the exact results not reported SOURCES OF ADDITIONAL IMPORTATIONS The common domesticated animals and plants and the game birds that have already been successfully naturalized have been derived chiefly from the Temperate Zone of Europe and Asia. Agricultural explorers of the Office of Foreign Plant Introduction of the Bureau of Plant Industry also have resorted most frequently to that region. Japan, China, Mongolia, and southern Siberia seem to be the most likely sources of novelties that will thrive under conditions prevalent over large areas in the United States. Suitable local surroundings also can easily be found for desirable game birds that live in almost any part of Europe. Along the Gulf of Mexico are small areas that » may be inhabited by game birds of the subtropics of other countries, ? but, in general, stock for introduction must come chiefly from tem- CIRCULAR 96, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF, AGRICULTURE Bs980M artridge avian p FIGURE 3.—Hung GAME BIRDS SUITABLE FOR NATURALIZING vi perate regions. The Temperate Zone south of the Equator may be found as satisfactory as that north of it as a source of acclimatable species, but the available birds are not so well known, nor have they so often been tried. In some cases also the difficulty of transporting them through the Torrid Zone may prove a formidable obstacle to introduction. In canvassing species to be recommended for introduction, the writer has taken into consideration the latitude, temperature, and precipitation of the regions inhabited, as given in standard works x a | Wic: oat | we Nisam bd PicurRE 4.—American range of the Hungarian partridge, 1929. Solid black indicates localities where established: crosshatching areas Where systematic distribution has been carried on, the exact results not reported B2120M on meteorology, and has attempted to point out comparable areas in the United States. Maps such as those reproduced by courtesy of the Weather Bureau and the Bureau of Plant Industry in Figures 5 to 8 inclusive are of great aid in making general comparisons of climatic factors of parts of this country with those in other conti- nents. In the case of a desirable bird, if the rainfall and tempera- ture of its native home can be fairly well matched, it is safe to assume that other conditions can be so altered and controlled as to make them favorable to its naturalization. Suggestions along this line are contained in a subsequent section (p. 23). CIRCULAR 96, U. 8. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (coF “d ‘FZ6T ‘WOoqrvsax sinj[NoAsy Wo) ‘“SeyUl OZ pue OT WsaeAoq SI JI o1Oy A sSpuvissvis ATlavulad puev ‘soqoul OT UL} SS] SI WONVIId1D9I1d 94} eoeyYM S}losop v1IV oo} ‘[eIoues UL ‘9 BINS] UL UMOYS UOI}eJeS0A [eaNeU 9g} GYM Alpeoiq SoJVfet4od YoryM ‘UOT e}IdIeid [enUUB JO UOTNQM}SIP P[IOM oy AVM pozT[Rtaues AOA B UI SMOYS dew siyy—'s andy ae av ot SaYIU/ OG 49AO SAGIUYS OD O¢ OF? CRS seyou/ oF %0O2ZGF sayou/ O02 O¢ O/ FY sayous 0/22U9 Fr] Vpn NATURALIZING FOR SUITABLE GAME BIRDS OINI[NIISY WOT) ‘TWAOTS OATILIOSIA Joy MOT 00} DIN erodu19} 94} 10 JYSIT AIDA ST [[eJUIeI 919TM SyIISep pue ‘ SMOISAI UL spur[sseas oy} ‘peiduieije us0q 9 (19 Fd ‘FZ6T ‘ yooq.reax UOlZeIId1Ie1d AURIS Jo SUIPNIUT V9 mindy ‘suore pddojeM-T]OM OY} UT puNnojy o1v syso10zy [ed1oulad IY, ‘“s}Iosep puv ‘spuv[ssvas ‘spuly [[@ JO s}so10f AVY UOT}RIIS9A JO SUOISTATp IOfvM 9014} ATUQ “PpTIOM 9 JO UOT}ILIISIA [vIn}eU 2G} Jo dem pozi[visues ATIA. puyjssoi9 GFZ 4498aQ Fra] Gui26-— 29-9 CIRCULAR 96, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ulture Yearbook, different parts of the world. (From Agric 1924, p. 470) degrees Fahrenheit, for the month of January in 7.—Mean temperature in FIGURE a bet GAME BIRDS SUITABLE FOR NATURALIZING different parts of the world. (Krom Agriculture Yearbook, LI 6 Toe - Lee BLY wal A CH | PSTD Fahrenheit, for the mo1 in degrees eta] AHI 12 CIRCULAR 96, U. 8S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SPECIES RECOMMENDED | . The birds that man has most successfully exploited have chiefly ee wide-ranging forms of evident hardiness, having adaptability oa great diver sity of environment and to extremes of climate. The wate fowl, ancestor of all domesticated fowls, ranges from the equatorial jungles of Sumatra to the southern slopes of the Hima- layas. ‘The common pheasant in a complex group of closely related te occurs from Asia Minor to Japan and Java. The so-called Hungarian partridge, the same species as the gray or common part- ridge of Great Britain, extends in a chain of subspecies from the British Isles to Siberia and India. As possibilities for introduction there are not many species so promising as these from the standpoint of known adaptability, but there are some fairly comparable, as well as others suited to special Bi52M FIGure 9.—Reeves’s pheasant environments where now there are either no game birds or only species of an unsatisfactory type. The greatest group of game birds available for introductive ex-_ ploitation is the family of pheasants. There are about 80 species of pheasants 1 in Asia, all large birds, most of them beautifully plum- aged, and, as a group, characterized by keen senses, great wariness, and ability to look out for themselves both in relation to man and to natural enemies. Reeves’s pheasant, the golden pheasant, the Lady Amherst pheasant, and the Japanese pheasant all have been natur- alized in the British Isles, and the Indian peafowl has been estab- lished in various places outside its native range. Thus the possibili- ties of successful introduction of birds of the pheasant tribe are not limited to a very few species. GAME BIRDS SUITABLE FOR NATURALIZING 8 REEVES’S PHEASANT Reeves’s pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) (fig. 9) is one of the handsomest of its family and the largest of the true pheasants, the long white-and-black barred tail alone of the male sometimes attain- ing a length of 6 feet. Marco Polo, the famous Venetian traveler of the thirteenth century, evidently saw Reeves’s pheasant. In the language and orthography of his original translator he is made to state: “There be plenty of Feysants, and very greate, for 1 of them is as big as 2 of ours, with tayles of eyght, 9 and tenne spannes long, from the Kingdom of Erguyl or Arguill, the W. side of Tartary.” This description is applicable only to the magnificent Reeves’s pheas- ant, or “arrow fowl” of the Chinese, so-called from the appearance BI55M FIGURE 10.—Lady Amherst pheasant of these long-tailed birds in flight. This species usually occurs in small coveys, and for pace and strength of flight has no equal among pheasants. The males are great fighters, but their habit of drifting toward high points in their range keeps them separate for the most part from the common pheasant, which tends toward low ground. Reeves’s pheasant is hardy and inhabits rugged mountainous country of from 2,000 to 5,000 feet altitude in central China. The southern Alleghenies and the northern California coast ranges seem to offer conditions similar to its native home, but it is probable that the species will thrive in rough and wild areas anywhere in the humid sections of moderate temperatures in the United States. 14 CIRCULAR 96, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GOLDEN AND LADY AMHERST PHEASANTS The golden pheasant (CArysolophus pictus) and the Lady Amherst pheasant (C. amherstiae) (fig. 10), also from the mountains of China, have plumage that is as wonderful in form as it is glorious in color. Their brillant feathers have won for them in their native land the names of “ fowl of gold,” and “ flower fowl.” Both species are readily obtained and easily reared, both are hardy, and both have been acclimatized in Ireland and Great Britain. They are runners rather than fliers, however, and hence do not rank high as objects of sport. Probably they will do best in this country in districts having plenty of rainfall and a rather higher mean annual temperature than in the Northern States. JAPANESE PHEASANT The Japanese pheasant (Phasianus versicolor), an inhabitant of the mountains of Japan up to 5,000 feet elevation, is the most. gorgeously colored of the common, or ring-necked, group of pheas- ants. Although good flyers, the birds show little disposition to stray. They cross freely with other pheasants of their group, and as is usual in such cases the hybrids seem to be even more desirable from the sporting point of view than the parent races. This bird will succeed anywhere that the ring-necked pheasant does. INDIAN PEAFOWL The Indian, or common, peafowl (Pavo cristatus), the remain- ing species of the pheasant family that is known to have been established in countries far from its native home, is so frequent in domestication as to be familiar to all. The peafowl was brought by the early Phoenician voyagers from India to the Pharaohs of Kegypt; the bird is mentioned in the Bible, figured in Greek myth- ology, and later was symbolized in heraldry. The display of its elaborately and gorgeously colored upper tail coverts, which it spreads as it struts, has won the admiration of all observers. Its feathers are reputed to bring ill luck to their possessors, a bit of superstition that no doubt has often aided the bird in keeping them for its own purposes. The Indian peafowl, originally an inhabitant of low hot countries, even of deserts, is said to be extensively ac- climatized in Hungary, has become naturalized in the Andaman Islands and St. Helena, and in this country has generally proved able to care for itself with the sole assistance of some grain-feeding. The birds thrive in large city parks and zoological gardens in all parts of the land and in various localities have maintained them- selves practically in a wild state. At times they exhibit their strong powers of flight by getting up in the air and flying for miles. The peafowl are not likely to prove satisfactory object of sport, but — they are unsurpassed as living ornaments for large estates, GAME BIRDS SUITABLE FOR NATURALIZING 15 BROWN EARED PHEASANT One of the pheasants most available for introduction is the brown eared pheasant (Crossoptilon mantchuricum). (Fig. 11.) It is not a good sporting bird, however, for when pursued it habitually runs to some high point and then scales off downhill. If regardless of this fault the introduction of the bird is sought, it will be found amenable to captivity, soon becoming tame and having evident pre- dilections toward domestication. The eared pheasant is more of a digger in its search for food than the ringneck, and feeds upon tubers and rootlets in addition to insects, buds, and acorns. Its digging propensities might make it objectionable on farms, a point to be kept in mind when considering its introduction. Brown eared pheasants ordinarily associate in flocks of 10 to 30. They inhabit the bleak and barren plains and hills of northern China (apparently not of Manchuria), which are swept by damp cold winds and fre- quent bitter storms. Eared pheasants should succeed everywhere Bi53M FIGURE 11.—Brown eared pkeasant that the ringneck has succeeded, and even in areas where more severe winter weather prevails, and in those of a more barren type. Locali- ties suggested for experimentation are western Nebraska and Kansas and other parts of the northern Great Plains, the eastern foothills of the Rocky and Cascade Mountains, and the eastern slopes of the mountains of central California. ELLIOT’S PHEASANT Adapted to still more barren country than the eared pheasant is the Chinese “ fowl of the dry places,” or Elliot’s pheasant (Syrma- ticus ellioti), a long-tailed bird with chiefly rich golden-bay plum- age. Its natural home is the mountains of southeastern China, and it should be possible to acclimatize it in the mountains of western ‘Texas and southern Arizona and New Mexico. 16 CIRCULAR 96, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHEER PHEASANT The cheer pheasant (Catreus wallichii), an alert, crested bird of the west-central Himalayas, seems adapted to fill a niche for which there is no native bird of real sporting class. This pheasant lives in coveys among precipices covered with heathlike vegetation on the edges of rainy forested areas of from 4,000 to 10, 000. feet elevation and would seem a valuable species for introduction to similar situations from northern California to Washington. OTHER PHEASANTS The pheasant race includes species suited to a greater variety of habitats than this country has to offer. It can not ‘be hoped to accli- matize the species of tropical jungles, though if it could be given sufti- B2833M FIGURE 12.—Silver pheasants. (Photo by Samuel Evans) cient protection, the Siamese crested fireback (Lophura diardz?), of Siam and Cochin China, might be established in humid jungle country of Florida. If game birds are desired for country of from 9,000 to 16,000 feet elevation, the introduction of some of the blood pheasants ( thagenés sp.) could be attempted, although the difficulties in the case of these birds of the mountains would be tremendous. They keep close to the snow line at all seasons and probably would have to be transported in artifically cooled vivariums. As they are runners rather than flyers, they are not in the first rank of game species. The Cascades and southern Allegheny Mountains should prove hospitable to some of the other pheasants, such as the tragopans, (Tragopan sp.), kaleeges (Gennaeus sp.) (including the common silver pheasant, G. nycthemerus, fig. 12), and the copper pheasants, (Syrmaticus soemmerring?). GAME BIRDS SUITABLE FOR NATURALIZING Ty. Much more can be done with the ring-necked group of pheasants also than has been done to date. Covering so vast a range, these birds are adapted in numerous local races or subspecies to a number of different types of environment. For instance, Prince of Wales’s pheasant (Phastanus colchicus principalis) inhabits grass jungles along rivers; the Chinese ringneck (P. ¢. torquatus) takes cover in reed beds and forages in open woods and cultivated fields; Strauch’s pheasant (P. ¢. strauchi) ranges up to an altitude of 10,000 feet in the mountains of western China, and it could be nsed to extend the vertical distribution of pheasants in the United States, which now scarcely exceeds 2,500 feet; the Persian pheasant (P. ¢. persicus) lives on plains and feeds on juniper berries, which it could do on the Oregon and Washington deserts; and the Mongolian pheasant (P. ce. mongolicus) lives among tamarisk-covered sand dunes, similar to some stretches of American seashores. The Japanese pheasant (p. 14) has been established in Hawaii; hence it seems better adapted to warm climes than most of its relatives. If such specialized birds were introduced into parts of the country having local conditions similar to those of their native homes, probably a large part of the whole country might be occupied by a population of intergrading local races of ring-necked pheasants, much as in their present great Asiatic range. HUNGARIAN PARTRIDGE? The Hungarian partridge (Perdix perdix) already widely intro- duced, is a game bird of the same type as that favorite of the Ameri- can sportsman, the bobwhite. It hes as well to dogs as does the bob- white and has the same great burst of speed when flushed. It is a larger and hardier species, however, and should solve the long- standing problem of maintaining a game bird of its type in the Northern States, where the bobwhite is killed out every few years by a severe winter. It has already proved a great success in south- western Canada and should be perfectly hardy in all the Northern States. Partridges prefer rolling and partly cultivated land. They frequent grainfields before cutting, and the stubble afterward and have shown their fondness for cornfields where the shocks have been left standing. ‘Their suitability for this country has been demon- strated, and their range here can be almost indefinitely extended. RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGES Red-legged partridges (Alectoris spp.), relatives of the Hungarian partridges, but trusting as much to their legs as to their wings and on that account not so popular with sportsmen, inhabit southern Europe and northern Africa and penetrate into Asia as far as India. They might be used to supplement a waning game supply in any part of the Southern States where the bobwhite can not be maintained in abundance, and include some species suited even to desert condi- tions. The red-legged partridges have the advantage of frequenting more barren tracts than the Hungarian partridge. 2 See pp. 6 and 7. 18 CIRCULAR 96, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GUINEA FOWLS Game birds suitable also for the South, particularly to supple- ment the bobwhite, with which they would scarcely conflict, are the guinea fowls. The common guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) a native of west Africa, was introduced and has run wild in the Cape Verde Islands, in some of the Greater Antilles, and on Ascension Island. Several other species of guinea fowl occur in Africa, some of which have also been introduced into foreign countries. The guinea fowls evidently are promising material for acclimatization, and it is certain also that they would be popular in the gastronomic sense, for domesticated guineas have long been used by American hotels for “ game” dinners. MEXICAN QUAIL Mexican quail (Colinus virginianus texanus), extensively intro- duced in the United States, have become established in various States, — where as a rule they have hybridized with the native bobwhite. Their introduction, however, is merely a time-saving substitute for propagation measures that should be more generally taken to increase the numbers of the native bird. | AMERICAN SPECIES Possibly in the Western Hemisphere there may be some other spe- cies of game birds that can be used to add to the stock of the United States, but the probability is not so apparent as in the case of the * Old World. The rock ptarmigan (Lagopus rupestris) of our Arctic coasts might be successfully introduced on some of the higher moun- tains of the Western States. The pulletlike but noisy chachalaca (Ortalis vetula) from Central America, although scarcely a game bird from the American point of view, has been introduced and has bred successfully on Sapelo Island, Ga., and the common curassow (Crax globicera), a pugnacious bird rivaling the wild turkey in size, from, the same native home, tried at the same locality, has shown some indications of being adapted for naturalization. The tina- mous (Tinamidz), of southern South America, a group numerous in species and ranging in size from that of quail to that of guinea fowl, inhabit both forested and more open areas. Some are true savanna species, which might succeed in grasslands that are not overgrazed. Whether they would do any better under existing conditions than our native prairie chickens (7ympanuchus americanus) 1s unknown, but experimenting with them could do no harm, BUSTARDS Magnificent game birds that would be distinct acquisitions for our typical ranch country are the bustards, of which there are a num- ber of species in Europe, Asia, and Africa. There is nothing hke them in the United States and they have proved their ability to live in populated districts. The great bustard (Otis tarda), a bird of the open country, attaining a weight of from 20 to 30 or more pounds, survives to-day in southern Europe and northern Africa. The lesser GAME BIRDS SUITABLE FOR NATURALIZING 19 bustard (QO. tetrax) occupies the southern portion of this range. Both species live on ranches in Spain, where they have been objects of sport for centuries. The lesser bustard in particular is described as so keen a game bird as practically to defy every method of hunt- ing. The larger ranches of our Great Plains seem to offer proper conditions for the bustards. SAND GROUSE America has no game birds comparable with the sand grouse (Pteroclidee), and as the common name of the bird indicates, they are adapted to arid regions, areas where game birds are a great desidera- tum. An interesting adaptation of these birds to progress on sand is the fusion of all the front toes in a feathered paw, with only the claws protruding; the hind toe is missing. Sand grouse have long pointed wings and tails, look like plovers when on the wing, and have great powers of flight. They are nomadic rather than migra- tory, and occasionally make a great exodus from their usual home. Sand grouse are native to southern Europe, Asia, and Africa, and once established no doubt would find the deserts of southwestern United States congenial. SPECIES CONSIDERED UNDESIRABLE A list of game birds desirable for introduction is given added value when some attention is called also to those that are undesirable. For instance, it would seem unwise to attempt introduction of that pre- mier game bird of the British Isles, the red grouse (Lagopus scoti- cus), because the bird feeds upon, and its life otherwise is very closely bound up with, heather, and the United States has no exten- sive areas of heather. The same remark applies to the black grouse (Tetrao tetria). The capercailzie (7. wrogallus) and the Himalayan snow cock (Jetraogallus himalayensis), while temptingly large, have the same fault as our spruce grouse (Canachites canadensis) of feed- ing so largely on the needles of coniferous trees that their flesh at times is heavily impregnated with turpentine and therefore becomes inedible. The migratory quail (Coturnix coturniz) has already been tried extensively in this country, but it does not become established. The migratory instinct of these birds carries them far away to the southward and they do not get back. The European wood pigeon (Columba palumbus) has been unsuccessfully introduced on a small scale, and further efforts have been urged, but this should not be encouraged, as the bird too frequently is a pest in its native land. In fact, the habits of any species that is being considered for intro- duction should be closely scrutinized, and if the bird seems to have markedly injurious tendencies it should be passed over and some less objectionable species selected. No wild birds can be imported into the United States without permit from the Bureau of Biological Survey, and permits will not be issued for the importation of species known to have injurious habits. 20 CIRCULAR 96, U. 8. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HABITATS FOR THE SPECIES RECOMMENDED A legitimate question to ask the proponent of game-bird introduc- tion is whether there is any place to put introduced birds. This is by no means an embarrassing query, for there are voids both small and great that, metaphorically speaking, are crying to be filled. For instance, in the States where the ring-necked pheasant has become well established, the bird has settled just between the ruffed grouse, a denizen of woodland, and the bobwhite, a lover of cultivated fields and their immediate surroundings. The pheasant hardly comes into competition with either of these birds, as shrubby pastures, brushy gullies, and marshy tracts are its preference. The Hungarian par- tridge, while favoring the same local surroundings as the bobwhite, occupies them in a range farther north than the bobwhite can endure the winters. Thus even in areas having a rather high degree of cul- tivation, space can be found for introduced game birds that will materially increase the total supply of game and at the same time interfere to a minimum degree with the native stock. Birds besides those mentioned that seem suitable for establishing in farming regions are the Japanese pheasant, the guinea fowl, the peafowl, and the red-legged partridges. Forests and cut-over lands that should be reforested comprise about a fourth of the total land area of the United States. (Fig. 13.) Included in this are sections like the scrub-oak plains of Long Island and Marthas Vineyard, the blueberry barrens of Maine, the pine barrens of New Jersey and of the South Atlantic States, areas that never have had a dense growth of trees and now have no important native game-bird population except for the bobwhite in the South. On these and other open types of forest land can be placed in the Northern States Reeves’s pheasant, and more southwardly the golden and Lady Amherst pheasants, tragopans, kaleege and copper pheas- ants, and chachalacas; and on high mountains, Strauch’s and the cheer pheasants. Besides the fourth of our areas that is in actual or potential forest, more than another fourth (fig. 14) of the whole is so arid that it will not support agriculture. This land varies from the grazing areas of the Great Plains to the barren deserts of the South- west, and in general it has a scanty game-bird population. Space here is almost unlimited for the species that are adapted to the conditions, and it is here perhaps that the greatest opportunity is afforded to add to the game stock of the country. If sand grouse could be established in the deserts, how much more attractive these areas would become, not to the sportsman alone, but to all observers who are interested in wild life. There are numerous species in this group, some of which might be established under one set of condi- tions and others in different environments. Perfectly adapted to sand and to desert life, sand grouse could be planted near water - supplies to hold them; later they would spread, as they readily fly long distances for water. On moderately arid land, but always within reach of water, Elliot’s pheasant, the brown eared pheasant, and the Persian pheasant can be used, while on ranches where hay- producing crops thrive, tinamous and bustards should prove suitable. ae 21 (cer “4 “Ec6L “MooqrvexX oanjypnosy wody) “A[UoO ySotofZ LOZ aquyms Aypeotskyd pueyT—eT, aua9yT O00'ELE'/L 2 SHO PAIU) Qgo'ss9'6 oIluoajhsuuad | 000'292'24l 49W40 OO00'0SL'O/ OuIDY 000'SS292 SOSUDYAY O00'9LE'2/ DUDLUOW 000'/2L8 PASSIUUAL O000'/94'S/ ou4op/ 000'9589 HNOSsSIPW 000'98%'8/ WopbUIYSOM 000'SL06 YAOA MAN OOO'/6O0'?2 OfUAOI/DD e FOR NATURALIZING GAME BIRDS SUITABLE SayHOV 000°! 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