Color Key to North American Birds Part 72

[Ill.u.s.tration: 583.]

=583. Lincoln Sparrow= (_Melospiza lincolnii_). L. 5.7. _Ads._ _A broad buff band across the breast_; center of crown with a _gray_ stripe, its sides striped chestnut and black; back grayish brown streaked with black and chestnut, below streaked with black except on middle of white belly. _Notes._ Call, a sharp _chirp_; song, suggests bubbling, guttural notes of House Wren combined with rippling music of the Purple Finch. (Dwight.) (See, also, Brewster, Bird-Lore II, P.

111.)

Range.--North America; breeds from northern New York, northern Illinois and higher parts of Rockies and Sierra north to Alaska; winters from southern Illinois and southern California into Mexico; rare east of Alleghanies.

=583a. Forbush Sparrow= (_M. l. striata_). Similar to No. 583, but browner above, crown-stripe and line over eye more brown than gray.

Range.--Pacific coast from British Columbia to California; breeding range unknown.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 554.]

=554. White-crowned Sparrow= (_Zonotrichia leucophrys_). L. 6.9. No yellow before eye. _Ads._ White stripe over eye _not_ reaching to bill; lores black; breast gray, throat but little paler; back _gray_ streaked with brown, rump browner, _Yng._ Black crown-stripes replaced by chestnut, the white ones by buff; back much browner, no gray.

_Notes._ Call, a sharp _chip_; song, a plaintive, musical whistle usually of five or six notes, the first two longest.

Range.--North America; breeds from northern New England and (in the higher Rockies and Sierra) New Mexico, Arizona, and California north to Labrador and Hudson Bay region; winters from southern United States into Mexico.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 554a.]

=554a. Intermediate Sparrow= (_Z. l. gambeli_). Similar to No. 544, but the lores wholly gray or whitish, the white line over the eye reaching the bill.

Range.--Western North America; breeds from Montana and eastern Oregon northeast of Coast Mountains, to lower Mackenzie and northern Alaska: winters from southern United States into Mexico; casual in migrations east to Mississippi River States.

=554b. Nuttall Sparrow= (_Z. l. nuttalli_). Similar to No. 554a, but smaller, L. 6.5, margins to feathers of back browner, underparts browner, bend of wing yellow.

Range.--"Pacific coast district, breeding from Monterey, California, to Mt. Simpson, British Columbia, south in winter to San Pedro Martir Mountains, Lower California." (Ridgw.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: 557.]

=557. Golden-crowned Sparrow= (_Zonotrichia coronata_). L. 7.2. _Ad._ [Male]. Center of crown yellow, its sides black; below grayish white, sides brownish; back brown streaked with black; two white wing-bars; bend of wing yellow. _Ad._ [Female]. Crown like back; its front tinged with yellow; breast washed with brownish.

Range.--Pacific coast; breeds in Alaska; winters from Oregon south to northern Lower California.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 558.]

=558. White-throated Sparrow= (_Zonotrichia albicollis_). L. 6.7.

A yellow mark before the eye and on bend of wing. _Ads._ Crown black, a narrow white stripe through its center and bounded by white _behind_ the eye; throat white sharply defined from _gray_ breast; back _reddish brown_ streaked with black. _Yng._ Less yellow before eye, crown browner, its stripe gray; throat grayer, sometimes like breast.

_Notes._ Call, a low _tseep_, and sharp _c.h.i.n.k_; song, a musical, clearly whistled _sow-wheat peverly_, _peverly_, _peverly_; or _peabody_, _peabody_, _peabody_.

Range.--Eastern North America, west to the Plains, casually to the Pacific; breeds from Ma.s.sachusetts (locally); northern New York, northern Michigan, and eastern Montana, north to Labrador and West Hudson Bay region; winters from Ma.s.sachusetts (rarely) and Illinois south to the Gulf.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 561.]

=561. Clay-colored Sparrow= (_Spizella pallida_). L. 5.4. No reddish brown. _Ads._ Above grayish _brown_ streaked with black; sides of crown _largely-black_, a grayish line through its center; sides of head _brownish_; below white. _Notes._ Song, three notes, and a slight trill. (Coues.)

Range.--Interior of North America, from Illinois to the Rockies; breeds from eastern Colorado, and northwestern Illinois north to Saskatchewan; winters from southern Texas into Mexico.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 562.]

=562. Brewer Sparrow= (_Spizella breweri_). L. 5.4. _No_ reddish brown. _Ads._ Back and _crown_ brownish _gray_, uniformly and narrowly streaked with black; sides of head _grayish_; below white. Grayer than No. 561, the sides of the crown _not_ largely black. _Notes._ Call, _chip_; song, a reedy warble resembling in tone that of a Long-billed Marsh Wren.

Range.--Western United States, from the Rockies to central California; breeds from Mexican border States north to British Columbia; winters from southern California south into Mexico.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 574.]

=574. Bell Sparrow= (_Amphispiza belli_). L. 6.1; W. 2.7. _Ads._ Sides of throat with black streaks; center of breast with black spots; above grayish _brown_, usually _without_ distinct streaks, no white in tail.

Range.--Pacific coast, from northern Lower California northwest of Sierras, to Warren county, California; resident.

=574a. Sage Sparrow= (_A. b. nevadensis_). Similar to No. 574, but larger, W. 3.1; back brownish gray, usually finely but distinctly streaked with black; less black at sides of throat, usually a white stripe _over_ the eye. _Notes._ Call, a chipping twitter; song, feeble, but sweet and sad. (B. B. & R.)

Range.--Great Basin region; breeds from New Mexico, Arizona, and southeastern California north to Idaho and eastern Oregon; winters south to western Texas and southern California.

=574b. Gray Sage Sparrow= (_A. b. cinerea_). Similar to No. 574, but paler above, throat-stripes narrower, more interrupted, breast-spot smaller, both stripes and spot dull grayish instead of blackish.

(Ridgw.)

Range.--Lower California.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 564.]

=564. Worthen Sparrow= (_Spizella wortheni_). Resembles No. 563a, but sides of head plain gray, no brownish streak behind eye; tail shorter, 2.5.

Range.--Southern New Mexico (Silver City), southward over eastern border of Mexican plateau to southern Puebla; breeding from Tamaulipas northward. (Ridgw.)

EASTERN SONG SPARROW GROUP.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 581.]

=581. Song Sparrow= (_Melospiza cinerea melodia_). L. 6.2. _Ads._ Above reddish brown and gray with black streaks; tail with a decided rufous tinge; black streaks below conspicuously margined with reddish brown, those of center of breast forming a patch. _Notes._ Call, a characteristic _chimp_ or _trink_; song, too variable in form to admit of brief description but unmistakable in tone throughout the whole group.

Range.--Eastern North America west to the Plains; breeds from Virginia and northern Illinois north to Quebec and Manitoba; winters from southern Illinois and Ma.s.sachusetts to Gulf States.

=581b. Mountain Song Sparrow= (_M. c. montana_). Similar to No. 581, but grayer; reddish brown not so bright; bill smaller.

Range.--Rocky Mountain district of United States west to, and including Sierra Nevada in California; north to eastern Oregon, southern Idaho, and southern Montana; south in winter to western Texas and northern Mexico. (Ridgw.)

=581k. Merrill Song Sparrow= (_M. c. merrilli_). Similar to No. 581b, but slightly darker and more uniform above, with grayish edgings to interscapulars and scapulars less strongly contrasted with the darker mesial streaks, the latter usually with more brown than black.

(Ridgw.)

Range.--Breeds from northern California (Shasta County) in mountains and through Oregon and Was.h.i.+ngton east of Cascade Mountains, to northwestern Idaho; winters south into Mexico. (Ridgw.)