Color Key to North American Birds Part 64

[Ill.u.s.tration: 592.1.]

=592.1. Green-tailed Townee= (_Oreospiza chlorura_). L. 7. _Ads._ Center and sides of breast grayish, middle of throat and abdomen white; above olive-green more or less washed with grayish; crown reddish chestnut. _Notes._ Call, a high, thin kitten-like mew; song, musical, suggesting that of the Thick-billed Sparrow.

Range.--Mountains of western United States, from more eastern Rockies to Coast Range in California; north to central Montana, Idaho, and eastern Was.h.i.+ngton; south, at least in winter, into Mexico. (Ridgw.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: 643.]

=643. Lucy Warbler= (_Helminthophila luciae_). L. 4.2. _Ad._ [Male].

Above gray; crown-patch and upper tail-coverts chocolate; below whitish. _Ad._ [Female]. Chocolate areas smaller. _Yng._ No chocolate in crown; upper tail-coverts cinnamon.

Range.--Northwestern Mexico; breeding north to Arizona and southwestern Utah.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 660.]

=660. Bay-breasted Warbler= (_Dendroica castanea_). L. 5.6. _Ad._ [Male]. Throat, sides and crown rich chestnut; cheeks black; sides of neck buff; back black and gray; wing-bars and tail-spots white. _Ad._ [Female]. Less chestnut; cheeks grayish. _Yng. and Ad. in Winter._ Above olive-green streaked with black; below _buffy_ white, the flanks usually with a trace of chestnut. _Notes._ Song, a very soft warble, _tse-chee_, repeated five times, too liquid to admit of exact spelling. (Langille.)

Range.--Eastern North America; breeds from northern New England and northern Michigan north to Labrador and Hudson Bay region; winters in Central and northern South America.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 596.]

=596. Black-headed Grosbeak= (_Zamelodia melanocephala_). L. 8.1.

_Ad._ [Male]. Black; neck-ring, rump, back-streaks and underparts bright cinnamon; center of belly and under wing-coverts yellow; patch in wing, wing-bars and tips of inner vanes of outer tail-feathers white. In winter tipped with brown above and on breast below with black spots. _Ad._ [Female]. Under wing-coverts yellow as in [Male]; above as in No. 595; below less streaked, breast buff. _Yng._ [Male].

Like [Female] but breast deeper buff; few streaks below; sides of crown blacker. _Notes._ Call and song like those of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, but the latter more fluent.

Range.--Western United States, east to the Plains; breeds from Mexico north to Dakota and British Columbia; winters south of United States into Mexico.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 761.]

_761. American Robin_ (_Merula migratoria_). L. 10; W. 4.9; T. 3.8.

Outer tail-feathers with white tips. _Ad._ [Male]. Breast and belly rich rust-brown; above dark slaty, head and spots in back black. _Ad._ [Female]. Similar but paler below, little or no black above. _Winter._ Underparts margined with whitish; black above more or less concealed by ashy. _Notes._ Calls, varied and characteristic; song, a loud, hearty, _cheer-up cheerily_, _cheerily_, _cheerily_, repeated and varied.

Range.--Eastern North America, west to the Rockies, northwest to Alaska; breeding south to Virginia and, in the mountains, Georgia; winters from northern States southward.

=761a. Western Robin= (_M. m. propinqua_). Similar to No. 761, but no white tips to tail-feathers. _Ad._ [Male]. Without black spots in back.

Range.--Western United States, from the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains west to the Pacific; breeds from the southern end of the Mexican tableland north to British Columbia; winters from Oregon and southern Colorado southward.

=761b. Southern Robin= (_M. m. achrustera_). Similar to No. 761, but smaller and in general much lighter and duller; W. 4.7; T. 3.5.

(Batchelder.)

Range.--Carolinas and Georgia, except mountainous districts, lowlands of Virginia.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 762.]

=762. St. Lucas Robin= (_Merula confinis_). Resembling No. 761 in plan of coloration but everywhere much paler; breast and belly buff; no black in head.

Range.--Cape Region of Lower California.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 763.]

=763. Varied Thrush= (_Ixoreus naevius_). L. 10; W. 4.7. _Ad._ [Male].

Below rust-brown, belly whiter, a broad black breast-band; above slaty, line behind eye and bars in wing rusty; outer tail-feathers with white tips. In winter washed with brownish above; breast band with rusty. _Ad._ [Female]. Paler below, breast-band faintly indicated; above washed with brownish. _Notes._ Song, a weird vibrant, long-drawn whistle repeated on different notes.

Range.--Pacific coast from higher mountains of northern California north to Alaska; south in winter along the coast.

=763a. Pale Varied Thrush= (_I. n. meruloides_). Similar to No. 763, but wing longer, 5.1; [Female] paler and grayer. (Grinnell.)

Range.--- Interior of British Columbia north to north Alaska; south in winter, through interior, to southern California.

Perching Birds Chiefly Dull Colored

[Ill.u.s.tration: 456.]

=456. Ph?be= (_Sayornis ph?be_). L. 7. _Ads._ Above grayish olive, crown _blackish_; outer web of outer tail-feather _whitish_; below white tinged with yellow, sides of breast grayish; bill _black_.

_Yng._ Greener above, yellower below. _Notes._ _Pewit-ph?be_, _pewit-ph?be_; call, _pee_, _pee_, rarely a flight song.

Range.--Eastern North America, west to the Rockies; breeds from South Carolina and western Texas north to Newfoundland and Manitoba; winters from North Carolina and northern Texas south to Cuba and Mexico.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 459.]

=459. Olive-sided Flycatcher= (_Nuttalornis borealis_). L. 7.4. _Ads._ Throat and middle of belly white with a yellow tinge; sides and most of breast grayish; above brownish gray with an olive-tinge, crown darker, the feathers lengthened. _Notes._ _Hip-hip_ or _quilp-quilp_, less often a loud, emphatic _whip-pew-hip_. (Head.)

Range.--North America; breeds from Ma.s.sachusetts (rarely), northern New York, and Minnesota, northward to Alaska, south through the Rockies and Coast Range to Mexico; winters in Central and South America.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 460.]

=460. Coues Flycatcher= (_Contopus pertinax pallidiventris_). L. 7.7.

_Ads._ Below nearly uniform gray, belly paler; above gray, crown slightly darker, the feathers lengthened. _Notes._ A plaintive musical four or five noted whistle with regular intervals and a singularly human-like quality.

Range.--Western Mexico, north to central Arizona; winters south of United States.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 461.]

=461. Wood Pewee= (_Contopus virens_). L. 6.5; W. 3.3. _Ads._ Above dark olive, crown blacker; below dusky grayish, throat whitish, belly yellowish; lower mandible yellowish. _Yng._ Greener above, yellower below. _Notes._ _Pee-a-wee_, _peer_ and _pee_; all plaintive and musical.

Range.--Eastern North America, west to about Long. 100; breeds from Florida and Texas north to New Brunswick and Manitoba; winters in Central America.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 462.]

=462. Western Wood Pewee= (_Contopus richardsonii_). Similar to No. 461, but above with usually no greenish tinge; below less yellow; under mandible brownish. _Notes._ A nasal, rather emphatic _p??-a_.

Range.--Western United States, east to about Long. 100; breeds from western Texas and Lower California north to Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia; winters in Mexico and Central America.