Color Key to North American Birds Part 63

Range.--Breeds from western Mexico north to southern Arizona; winters south to southern Mexico; casual in Colorado.

Perching Birds Marked With Chestnut or Reddish Brown

[Ill.u.s.tration: 587.]

=587. Towhee; Chewink= (_Pipilo erythrophthalmus_). L. 8. Three outer tail-feathers with white; iris red. _Ad._ [Male]. Above and breast black; sides reddish chestnut; belly white. _Ad._ [Female]. Above and breast brown. Call, _chewink_ or _towhee_; song, a loud, not over musical _sweet bird sin-n-ng_, and a tremulous refrain _I'll try_.

Range.--Eastern North America, west to the Plains; breeds from Georgia and Louisiana north to Maine, Ontario, and Manitoba; winters from Virginia and southern Illinois to Florida and eastern Texas.

=587a. White-eyed Towhee= (_P. e. alleni_). Similar to No. 587, but iris whitish; only two outer tail-feathers with white tips, or if on third, a mere spot. _Notes._ Call, _towhee_, much sharper than that of No. 587.

Range.--Florida, north along coast to South Carolina.

=588. Arctic Towhee= (_Pipilo maculatus arcticus_). L. 8.7. _Ad._ [Male]. White tip of outer tail-feather more than 1.3 long; scapulars and back marked with white; back black more or less tipped with brownish. _Ad._ [Female]. Breast and back grayish brown; fewer white markings than in [Male]. _Notes._ Call, a Catbird-like _mew_; song, suggesting that of No. 587, but shorter, more wooden, less musical.

Range.--Great Plains; breeding from southern Montana and western North Dakota, north to Saskatchewan; winters south and west to Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas; east to eastern Kansas.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 588a.]

=588a. Spurred Towhee= (_P. m. megalonyx_). Similar to No. 588, but blacker above, no brownish edgings on front of back; white markings on back less numerous; white tip to outer tail-feather _less_ than 1.3 long.

Range.--Rocky Mountain region and west to the Pacific; breeds from Mexico to British Columbia; migratory in the northern part of range.

=588b. Oregon Towhee= (_P. m. oregonus_). Similar to No. 588a, but darker; practically no brownish edgings on back of male; sides much deeper; white markings much reduced, the white tip to outer tail-feather less than 1. long; sides much deeper.

Range.--Pacific coast from San Francisco to British Columbia; winters south to southern California.

=588c. San Clemente Towhee= (_P. m. clementae_). Similar to No. 588a, but adult male with black duller or grayer; female lighter brown.

(Ridgw.)

Range.--"San Clemente, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and Santa Catalina Islands," southern California. (Grinnell.)

=288d. San Diego Towhee= (_P. m. atratus_). Similar to No. 588a, but decidedly darker, with white markings of wings, tail, etc., more restricted; rump deep black.

Range.--The southern coast district of southern California, south into Lower California. (Ridgw.)

=588e. Mountain Towhee= (_P. m. magnirostris_). Similar to No. 588, but bill much larger, rufous below paler, above browner and tinged with olive. (Brewster.)

Range.--Cape Region of Lower California.

=589. Guadalupe Towhee= (_Pipilo consobrinus_). Similar to No. 588b in restriction of white markings, but wings and tail much shorter, W. 3.1; T. 3.2, hind claw much larger; _Ad._ [Male] sooty rather than black. (Ridgw.)

Range.--Guadalupe Island, Lower California.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 457.]

=457. Say Ph?be= (_Sayornis saya_). L. 7.5. _Ads._ Breast rusty gray changing to rusty on belly; above gray with a brown tinge; tail _black_. _Notes._ A plaintive _phee-eur_; a short, plaintive, twittering warble. (Bendire.)

Range.--Western North America, east to about Long. 100: breeds from southwestern Texas, southern California, north to the Yukon, Alaska; winters in Mexico; accidental in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ma.s.sachusetts.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 591.]

=591. Canon Towhee= (_Pipilo fuscus mesoleucus_). L. 9.; W. 3.7.

_Ads._ Crown cinnamon-brown; back brownish gray; throat buffy bordered by blackish spots; lower belly and under tail-coverts cinnamon.

_Notes._ Calls, a loud, metallic _chip_ repeated four times; in flight a robin-like _screep-eep-eep_.

Range.--Northern Mexico north to western Texas, Arkansas Valley, Colorado, and Arizona; resident.

=591a. St. Lucas Towhee= (_P. f. albigula_). W. 3.3. Similar to No. 591, but smaller; abdomen whiter, without cinnamon.

Range.--Southern Lower California.

=591b. California Towhee= (_P. f. crissalis_) W. 3.9. Similar to No. 591, but much browner above; throat and under tail-coverts rusty brown; breast brownish gray; scarcely lighter on the belly.

Range.--California, west of the Sierra.

=591c. Anthony Towhee= (_P. f. senicula_). W. 3.7. Similar to No. 591b, but smaller and grayer, the abdomen whiter.

Range.--Northern Lower California north to southern California.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 592.]

=592. Abert Towhee= (_Pipilo aberti_). L. 9. _Ads._ No crown-cap; lores and chin blackish; below pinkish cinnamon; above grayish brown.

_Notes._ Call, a loud, clear, sharp _chirp_. Song, resembling that of the Spurred Towhee group. (B. B. and R.)

Range.--Southern California, Arizona, and northwestern New Mexico, north to southern Nevada and southwestern Utah.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 506.]

=506. Orchard Oriole= (_Icterus spurius_) L. 7.3. _Ad._ [Male]. Black: breast, belly, rump, and lesser wing-coverts chestnut. _Ad._ [Female].

Above olive-green, below greenish-yellow; two white wing-bars. _Yng.

Male._ First fall like [Female]; first spring like [Male], but throat black. _Notes._ Song much richer and more finished than that of the orange and black Orioles; the difference is indescribable but easily recognizable.

Range.--Eastern North America, west to the Plains; breeds from Florida and Texas north to Ma.s.sachusetts, Ontario, Michigan, and North Dakota; winters in Central America and northern South America.