Color Key to North American Birds Part 32

Range.--"Northwest Coast Mountains, from California to Sitka, east to Nevada, western Idaho and portions of British Columbia." (A.O.U.)

=297b. Richardson Grouse= (_D. o. richardsonii_). Similar to No. 297a, but _no_ tail band, or, if showing indistinctly from above, not visible from below.

Range.--"Rocky Mountains, especially on the eastern slopes, from central Montana, northern Wyoming and southeastern Idaho, into British America to Liard River." (A.O.U.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: 298.]

=298. Hudsonian Spruce Grouse= (_Canachites canadensis_). L. 15.

_Ad._ [Male]. Tail-feathers tipped with brown; foreback margined with _bluish gray_. _Ad._ [Female]. Above, bases of feathers more or less barred with rusty especially on foreback; throat and breast barred with rusty and black; belly as in male. _Notes._ A drumming sound produced by the beating of the wings. (Bendire.)

Range.--Labrador and Hudson Bay region.

=298b. Alaska Spruce Grouse= (_C. c. osgoodi_). _Ad._ [Male]. Similar to _Ad._ [Male]. of No. 298c, but margins to feathers of foreback _brownish ashy_. _Ad._ [Female]. Similar to _Ad._ [Female] of No.

298c, but paler, barred with buff instead of rusty.

Range.--Alaska.

=298c. Canada Grouse= (_C. c. canace_). _Ad._ [Male]. Similar to _Ad._ [Male]. of No. 298. _Ad._ [Female]. Similar to _Ad._ [Female] of No. 298, but above more rusty, rusty bars deeper and more conspicuous, showing throughout upper surface and on flanks.

Range.--Northern New England, northern New York, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Quebec west to northern Minnesota.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 299.]

=299. Franklin Grouse= (_Canachites franklinii_). Resembles No. 298, but tail without brown tips, sometimes tipped with white.

Range.--"Northern Rocky Mountains, from northwestern Montana to the coast ranges of Oregon and Was.h.i.+ngton, and northward in British America, reaching the Pacific coast of southern Alaska (lat.i.tude 60)." (A.O.U.)

Grouse and Ptarmigan

[Ill.u.s.tration: 300.]

=300. Ruffed Grouse; 'Partridge;' 'Pheasant'= (_Bonasa umbellus_).

L. 17. _Ad._ [Male]. Prevailing color above rusty brown; tail rusty or gray. _Ad._ [Female]. Similar but neck-tufts smaller. _Notes._ The male produces a drumming sound by rapidly beating its wings; the female utters a _cluck_ and when defending her brood, a singular low whining sound.

Range.--Eastern United States from Minnesota, southern Ontario, southern New Hamps.h.i.+re and southern Vermont, south to Virginia and along the Alleghanies to Georgia; west to northwestern Arkansas.

=300a. Canadian Ruffed Grouse= (_B. u. togata_). Similar to No. 300, but slightly grayer above; tail generally gray; bars on breast and belly darker and better defined.

Range.--Spruce forests of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Maine northern New Hamps.h.i.+re, northern Vermont and south to higher mountains of Ma.s.sachusetts and northern New York; west to eastern slope of coast ranges of Oregon, Was.h.i.+ngton and British Columbia; north to James Bay.

=300b. Gray Ruffed Grouse= (_B. u. umbelloides_). Similar to No. 300a, but grayer; prevailing color of upperparts, including crown, gray; tail always gray.

Range.--Rocky Mountains, from Colorado north to lat.i.tude 65 in Alaska, east to Mackenzie and poplar woods of western Manitoba.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 300c.]

=300c. Oregon Ruffed Grouse= (_B. u. sabini_). Similar to No. 300, but much darker, prevailing color of upper parts rusty brown; tail always rusty brown.

Range.--Pacific coast ranges from Cape Mendocino, California, north to British Columbia.

Ptarmigan

[Ill.u.s.tration: 301. Winter]

[Ill.u.s.tration: 301. Summer]

=301. Willow Ptarmigan= (_Lagopus lagopus_). L. 15. Bill large, more than .4 deep at base; tail _black_, narrowly tipped with white. _Ad._ [Male] _Summer._ Throat and upper breast rusty brown. _Ad._ [Male]

_Fall._ Rustier and more finely marked above. _Ad._ [Female].

_Summer._ Above black barred with buff and tipped with white; below buff barred with black; middle of belly whitish. _Ad._ [Female].

_Fall._ Much like fall male. _Ads._, _Winter_. White, tail black tipped with white; _no_ black before eye. _Notes._ Song, _ku-ku-ku-ku_ while ascending five or ten yards in the air; a hard rolling _kr-r-r-r_ when descending. (Nelson.)

Range.--Arctic Regions; in America breeding south to Lat. 55 in winter migrating south to Lat. 50; recorded once from Pen.o.bscot Co., Maine, and once from Manchester, Ma.s.s.

=301a. Allen Ptarmigan= (_L. l. alleni_). Similar to No. 301, but [Female] more finely marked; shafts of primaries, at all seasons, strongly black spreading to the web of the feather.

Range.--Newfoundland.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 302.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: 302. Autumn.]

=302. Rock Ptarmigan= (_Lagopus rupestris_). L. 14. Bill _less_ than .4 deep at base; tail black. Always to be known from No. 301 by its smaller bill. _Ad._ [Male] _Summer._ Above irregularly barred and mottled with gray and rusty buff; below barred black and white and rusty buff. _Ad._ [Male] _Fall._ Above minutely speckled black, gray and buff, the prevailing color being grayish brown. _Ad._ [Male]

_Winter._ White, lores and tail black. _Ad._ [Female] _Summer._ Above black barred with rusty and margined with whitish; below rusty barred with black and tipped with whitish. _Ad._ [Female] =Fall.= Like fall [Male]. _Ad._ [Female] _Winter._ Like winter [Male] but no black before eye.

Range.--North America from Gulf of St. Lawrence and higher mountains of British Columbia north to Arctic Regions (except northern Labrador) west through Alaska to Aleutian Islands.

=302a. Reinhardt Ptarmigan= (_L. r. reinhardti_). _Ad._ [Male]

_Summer._ Similar to No. 302, but "less regularly and coa.r.s.ely barred above" (Ridgw.) _Ad._ [Female] _Summer._ Resembles [Female] of No.

302. _Ads. Fall._ Much grayer than No. 302 in fall. _Ads. Winter._ Like No. 302 in winter. _Notes._ When courting the male utters a growling _kurr-kurr_. (Turner.)

Range.--Northern Labrador north to Greenland.

=302b. Nelson Ptarmigan= (_L. r. nelsoni_). _Ad._ [Male], _Summer._ Ground color of upperparts deep umber-brown, very finely and densely vermiculated; chest barred with bright tawny brown and black. _Ad._ [Female], _Summer._ Similar to [Male] of No. 302. (Ridgw.)

Range.--Unalaska, Aleutian Islands.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Beaks - 301. 302. Nat. Size]

=302c. Turner Ptarmigan= (_L. r. atkhensis_). Lighter in general hue than 302d and without black blotches on upperparts. (Elliot.) _Ad._ [Male], _Summer._ "Ground color of upperparts pale raw-umber brown, mixed with pale grayish; chest and neck barred with pale brownish ochre and black." _Ad._ [Female], _Summer._ Ground color of upperparts rusty, mixed with pale grayish buff, narrowly and irregularly barred with black; chest and neck coa.r.s.ely barred with rusty and black.