The Breeding Birds of Kansas Part 18

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 3 or 4 eggs.

Nests are placed in deciduous trees, in forks and crotches six to 30 feet high.

=Black-headed Grosbeak=: _Pheucticus mehnocephalus melanocephalus_ (Swainson).--This summer resident is common in western Kansas, chiefly along streams. Individuals referable to this species by sight records alone breed in fair numbers as far east as Cloud and Sedgwick counties, but to the east of these stations numbers are reduced, partly as a result of presumed compet.i.tion with the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Hybrids between these two grosbeaks are regularly produced.

The easternmost record of breeding by this species is at St. Mary's, Pottawatomie County, where a male was seen as probably mated with a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Temporal occurrence is indicated in Table 19.

_Breeding schedule._--Sixteen records of breeding span the period May 11 to July 10; the modal date for egg-laying is June 5.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 4 eggs (3.7, 3-4; 4). Nests are placed about 12 feet high in a variety of deciduous trees.

=Blue Grosbeak=: _Guiraca caerulea_ (Linnaeus).--This is a common to uncommon summer resident in most of Kansas, in brushland and streamside thickets. _G. c. caerulea_ (Linnaeus) breeds in the east, east of stations in Douglas, Greenwood, and Cowley counties, and _G. c.

interfusa_ Dwight and Griscom breeds in the west, west of stations in Cloud, Stafford, and Clark counties; a broad zone of intergradation exists between the two named populations. Temporal occurrence is indicated in Table 19.

_Breeding schedule._--Seven records of breeding span the period May 21 to June 30; the modal date of laying seems to be in late May or early June.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.

Nests are placed from three to 30 feet high in a variety of deciduous plants.

TABLE 19.--OCCURRENCE IN TIME OF SUMMER RESIDENT CARDINAL GROSBEAKS IN KANSAS

=================+=========================+============================= Arrival Departure SPECIES +----------------+--------+------------------+---------- Range Median Range Median -----------------+----------------+--------+------------------+---------- Rose-breasted Grosbeak Apr. 25-May 5 May 2 Sept. 4-Oct. 1 Sept. 13 Black-headed Grosbeak Apr. 26-May 11 May 5 Aug. 17-Sept. 18 Sept. 2 Blue Grosbeak Apr. 25-May 26 May 13 Aug. 15-Sept. 3 Aug. 27 Indigo Bunting Apr. 20-May 15 May 6 Aug. 23-Oct. 31 Oct. 1 Lazuli Bunting May 5-May 24 May 10 Painted Bunting Apr. 30-May 25 May 9 d.i.c.kcissel Apr. 21-May 10 May 4 Sept. 7-Oct. 11 Sept. 18 -----------------+----------------+--------+------------------+----------

=Indigo Bunting=: _Pa.s.serina cyanea_ (Linnaeus).--This summer resident is common in mixed-field and heavy brushland habitats. The species extends westerly, in riparian situations, in reduced numbers, ultimately meeting and hybridizing with the Lazuli Bunting. Specimens referrable to the Indigo Bunting have been taken as far west as Finney County, but most specimens from that far west show evidence of interbreeding with Lazuli Buntings. Temporal occurrence is indicated in Table 19.

_Breeding schedule._--Twenty-four records of breeding span the period May 11 to August 20 (Fig. 8); the modal date for egg-laying is June 15.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 3 eggs (3.1, 2-4; 17).

Nests are placed about three feet high (ranging from one to nine feet) in coralberry, sumac, thistle, sycamore sprouts, hickory sprouts, grape, elderberry, cottonwood, dogwood, ragweed, and gra.s.ses.

=Lazuli Bunting=: _Pa.s.serina amoena_ (Say).--This uncommon summer resident of western Kansas occurs in edge habitats and streamside thickets. The one breeding record is from Morton County, and there is a breeding specimen taken at Sharon Springs, Wallace County. The species hybridizes with the Indigo Bunting in the western half of the State. Temporal occurrence in spring is indicated in Table 19.

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs are laid in June and July.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 4 eggs (Davie, 1898).

Nests are placed a few feet from the ground, probably much as are nests of the Indigo Bunting.

=Painted Bunting=: _Pa.s.serina ciris pallidior_ Mearns.--This is an uncommon summer resident in the southeastern third of Kansas, in edge habitats and streamside brush. Specimens taken in the breeding season and actual nesting records come from Douglas, Shawnee, Geary, Barber, and Crawford counties. Temporal occurrence in spring is indicated in Table 19.

_Breeding schedule._--Eggs are laid in June and July.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 4 eggs (Davie, 1898).

Nests are placed in deciduous shrubs and trees.

=d.i.c.kcissel=: _Spiza americana_ (Gmelin).--This species is a common summer resident in eastern Kansas and is local and irregular in the west, in gra.s.sland habitats. Temporal occurrence is indicated in Table 19.

_Breeding schedule._--Forty-one records of breeding span the period May 1 to July 10 (Fig. 8); the modal date for egg-laying seems to be May 5, but the curiously abrupt inception of breeding described by this sample suggests that more records are needed to doc.u.ment fully the breeding schedule of this species. Breeding in April almost certainly will be found.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 4 eggs (4.1, 3-5; 14).

Nests are placed about two feet high (ranging from ground level to 12 feet) in gra.s.ses, osage orange, sedge, box elder, honey locust, clover, thistle, and blackberry.

=Pine Siskin=: _Spinus pinus pinus_ (Wilson).--This irregular summer resident occurs locally north of the 38th parallel, chiefly around planted conifers. Known stations of breeding are in Hays, Ellis County, Concordia, Cloud County, and Onaga and St. Marys, Pottawatomie County.

_Breeding schedule._--Twelve records of breeding span the period March 11 to May 20 (Fig. 9); most nests have been established in late April or by early May.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is about 4 eggs. Of ten nests examined for eggs, five had at least one egg of the Brown-headed Cowbird; if it is a.s.sumed that each cowbird egg replaced one of the siskins, mean clutch-size is 3.7 eggs.

Nests are placed about seven feet high (ranging from 3.5 to 13 feet) in red cedar, exotic conifers, and Lombardy poplar.

=American Goldfinch=: _Spinus tristis tristis_ (Linnaeus).--This resident is common in woodland edge, scrubby second-growth, old fields, and riparian thickets. Occurrence tends to be local and at low density in the southwestern sector.

_Breeding schedule._--Twelve records of breeding span the period June 20 to September 10 (Fig. 9); the modal date for laying is August 5.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 4 eggs (4.4, 3-6; 8).

Nests are placed from two to eight feet high in woody or herbaceous vegetation.

=Red Crossbill=: _Loxia curvirostra_ Linnaeus.--This is an uncommon and irregular winter visitant to Kansas, but it nested once in Shawnee County. _L. c. minor_ (Brehm), on geographic grounds, probably nested here, but five other subspecies have been recorded in the State and any one of these might have undertaken the aberrant breeding.

_Breeding record._--Three eggs, set completed March 24, 1917, Shawnee County; successfully fledged (Hyde, 1917:166). The species usually lays 4 eggs and places its nests in conifers.

=Rufous-sided Towhee=: _Pipilo erythrophthalmus erythrophthalmus_ (Linnaeus).--This is an uncommon summer resident in eastern Kansas, in understory of woodland and streamside timber. Specimens taken in the breeding season and actual records of nesting come from east of stations in Cloud, Marion, and Cherokee counties. Temporal occurrence is indicated in Table 20; records of _P. e. arcticus_ (Swainson) have been eliminated from the sample as far as has been possible.

_Breeding schedule._--Nineteen records of breeding span the period April 21 to August 10 (Fig. 9); the modal date for egg-laying is May 5.

_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 4 eggs (4.0, 3-7; 14).

Nests are placed on the ground, in heavy cover.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 9.--Histograms representing breeding schedules of cardueline and emberizine finches in Kansas. See legend to Figure 1 for explanation of histograms.]

=Lark Bunting=: _Calamospiza melanocorys_ Stejneger.--This species is ordinarily a common summer resident in western Kansas, in gra.s.sland and open scrub. Specimens taken in the breeding season and all breeding records except one for western Franklin County come from west of stations in Decatur, Ellis, and Comanche counties. Irregular fluctuations in breeding density have been recorded from Decatur County (Wolfe, 1961). Temporal occurrence is indicated in Table 20.

_Breeding schedule._--Fourteen records of breeding span the period May 21 to June 20; the modal date of egg-laying cannot be determined from the present sample.