Color Key to North American Birds Part 69

Range.--Breeds in Alaska, Aleutian and Pribilof Islands east to Fort Simpson; winters south to eastern Oregon, Colorado, and western Kansas. (Ridgw.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: 553.]

=553. Harris Sparrow= (_Zonotrichia querula_). L. 7.5. _Ads. summer._ Throat and crown black; nape chestnut, cheeks brownish; two white wing-bars. _Ads. winter._ Throat mottled with white, crown tipped with grayish. _Notes._ A queer, chuckling note; song of pleasing, plaintive whistling notes in musical tone like those of No. 558, but delivered in a different song. (Cooke.)

Range.--Interior of North America; from Illinois west to the Dakotas; in summer, the region west of Hudson Bay (exact breeding range unknown); south in winter to Texas (and Mexico?); accidental in British Columbia, Oregon and California.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 565.]

=565. Black-chinned Sparrow= (_Spizella atrogularis_). L. 5.7. Below slaty gray. _Ad._ [Male]. Throat and front of face _black_; rest of head and underparts slaty gray, the belly whitish; back reddish brown narrowly streaked with black. _Ad._ [Female], Throat with little or no black; crown washed with brownish. _Yng._ Similar to Ad. [Female], but never with black on throat; crown more heavily washed with brownish.

_Notes._ Song said to resemble that of No. 563. (Bailey.)

Range.--Mexico and southwestern United States; breeds from southern New Mexico and southern California southward; winters south into Mexico and southern Lower California.

[Ill.u.s.tration: English Sparrow.]

=--English Sparrow= (_Pa.s.ser domesticus_). L. 6.3. _Ad._ [Male].

Throat and upper breast black; crown _slate_; band behind eye and on nape chestnut. _Ad._ [Female]. Below dirty white; crown and rump dingy grayish brown; back streaked with black and rusty brown; a buffy stripe behind eye. _Yng._ [Male]. Similar to Ad. but throat and head tipped with brownish gray. _Notes._ Harsh and discordant.

Range.--Introduced into America from Europe in 1851 and later dates; now distributed throughout the greater part of the United States.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 537.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: 537 Winter.]

=537. Smith Longspur= (_Calcarius pictus_). L. 6.6. Hind toe-nail as long as toe; _two_ outer tail-feathers mostly white. _Ad._ [Male].

_Throat_, _breast_ and belly buff; nape buff; crown and cheeks black; ear-coverts and line over eye white; lesser wing-coverts black margined with white. _Ad._ [Female]. Above brownish black margined with buff and rusty brown; below pale buff, sides of breast and flanks streaked with brown. [Male] _in winter_. Like [Female] but lesser wing-coverts black and white. _Notes._ Call constantly _chirrup_ as they fly. (Goss.)

Range.--Middle western United States; breeds in northern British.

America; winters south over the plains and prairies to Texas; east to Illinois.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 579.]

=579. Rufous-winged Sparrow= (_Aimophila carpalis_). L. 5.7. Outer tail-feathers shortest. _Ads._ Lesser wing-coverts bright reddish brown; crown reddish brown or chestnut margined with gray; back streaked with black and margined with _grayish brown_; below whitish; _two_ black streaks from either side of the base of the lower mandible. _Notes._ Call, _zib_, _zib_, _zib_. (Bendire.)

Range.--Southern Arizona, north to Tucson and Camp Lowell and south through Sonora to northern Sinaloa. (Ridgw.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: 580.]

=580. Rufous-crowned Sparrow= (_Aimophila ruficeps_). L. 4; T. 2.6. No yellow at bend of wing; outer tail-feathers shortest. _Ads._ Above reddish brown margined with buffy gray (no black streaks); below, including middle of belly, brownish; sides of throat with black lines.

_Notes._ Song, very sweet, resembling that of Lazuli Bunting, but distinguishable. (C. A. Allen.)

Range.--Northern Lower California north to Marin County and Sacramento Valley, California; local.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 580a.]

=580a. Scott Sparrow= (_A. r. scottii_). Similar to No. 580, but above brighter reddish brown, the margins to the feathers grayer, the underparts much paler, the breast grayish, the throat and middle of the belly whitish.

Range.--Northwestern portion of Mexican plateau and adjacent portions of Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas (El Paso Co.) (Ridgw.)

=580b. Rook Sparrow= (_A. r. erem?ca_). L. 6. _Ads._ Crown reddish chestnut, back olive-brown margined with gray. Similar to No. 580a, but back of a different color from crown, the grayish margins wider.

Range.--Limestone Hill districts of middle Texas, from Kinney and Maverick counties on the Rio Grande, northeastward to Cook County and westward at least to Tom Green County; south in winter to Mexico.

(Ridgw.)

=580c. Laguna Sparrow= (_A. r. sororia_). Similar to No. 580a, but bill somewhat stouter, reddish brown above averaging brighter and wider.

Range.--Southern Lower California.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 540.]

=540. Vesper Sparrow= (_Po?cetes gramineus_). L. 6.1. Outer tail-feather mostly white; hind toe-nail not longer than toe; _lesser_ wing-coverts reddish brown. _Ads._ Above grayish brown streaked with black and chestnut; below whitish, breast and sides streaked with black and chestnut. _Notes._ Call, _chip_. Song, loud and musical _Look-look_, _see-see_, _me-me-me-me-me-me-sing_, followed by a confusion of notes.

Range.--Eastern North America; breeds from Virginia, Illinois and Missouri north to New Brunswick and Manitoba; winters from Virginia and southern Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico.

=540a. Western Vesper Sparrow= (_P. g. confinis_). Similar to No. 540, but paler, less black above; bill somewhat more slender.

Range.--Western United States from the Plains to the Sierra; breeds from Arizona and New Mexico north to the Saskatchewan and British Columbia; winters south into Mexico.

=540b. Oregon Vesper Sparrow= (_P. g. affinis_). Similar to No. 540a, but smaller, W. 3; bill still more slender; plumage browner, more buffy; browner even than No. 540, the underparts, including belly, suffused with buff.

Range.--Pacific coast; breeds in western Oregon (and north?); winters southwest of the Sierra to San Diego, California.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 575.]

=575. Pine-woods Sparrow= (_Peucaea aestivalis_). L. 5.8; T. 2.5. Bend of the wing yellow; outer tail-feathers much shorter than the middle pair. _Ads._ Above reddish chestnut, _head_ and back streaked with black and margined with gray; below whitish, breast faintly tinged with buff. _Notes._ Song, exceedingly sweet and plaintive.

Range.--Florida and southern Georgia; winters in southern Florida.

=575a. Bachman Sparrow= (_T. ae. bachmanii_). Similar to No. 575, but above brighter reddish chestnut, black speaks fewer and usually confined to back; breast and sides deeper buff.

Range.--Lower Mississippi Valley, west to southern Indiana and southern Illinois, east to Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia (rarely); west to Concho County, Texas; winters south in Atlantic States, to southern Florida.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 576.]

=576. Botteri Sparrow= (_Peucaea botteri_). L. 6; T. 2.8. Bend of wing yellow; outer tail-feathers shortest. _Ads_. Above bright rusty brown (about the color of a Field Sparrow), head and back streaked with black and margined with gray; below buffy, the center of the belly whitish. _Notes._ Song, begins with a faint trill followed by a succession of disjointed syllables, _cha_, _cheewee_, _wee_, _wee_, _wee_, _wir_. (Henshaw.)

Range.--Entire plateau of Mexico north to Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas and southern Arizona. (Ridgw.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: 578.]

=578. Ca.s.sin Sparrow= (_Peucaea ca.s.sini_). L. 6; T. 2.8. Bend of wing yellow, outer tail-feathers shortest, their ends with distinct _grayish_ patches. _Ads._ Above _gray_ streaked with _dull_ reddish brown and _spotted_ or _barred_ with black; below grayish white.

_Notes._ Song, lengthened and pleasing, usually sung on wing.