Birds from Coahuila, Mexico

by Emil K. Urban

Typical P. a. atricristatus occurs in Coahuila in the southeastern sector (Dixon, 1955:184). Black-crested Titmice intermediate between atricristatus and dysleptus were listed from Cuidad Múzquiz and Sabinas by Dixon (loc. cit.:189), as dysleptus but were shown on his map (loc. cit.:184) as atricristatus. Our Nos. 32084 and 32085 (wing, 71, 71, tail, 63, 64 mm.) are small and fall in the upper range of size for atricristatus to which the specimens are here referred.

*Auriparus flaviceps ornatus (Lawrence).—Specimen examined: one, ♂ 31056, from Sierra de la Encantada (=38 mi. S, 23 mi. E Boquillas), 4400 ft., March 15, 1952.

The Verdin occurs up to about 5000 feet in Coahuila. Miller (1955a:168) reported that "this desert species followed the catclaw scrub up the washes to about 4800 feet, the limit of such habitat" in the Sierra del Carmen and also gave evidence of breeding by the Verdin in Coahuila. Amadon and Phillips (1947:578) reported a nest of Auriparus flaviceps at Las Delicias. Burleigh and Lowery (1942:197) obtained a single specimen "in an arroyo a few miles east of Saltillo" and a single specimen "about twenty miles west" of Saltillo. Ridgway (1904:421) reported A. f. ornatus [he referred to it as A. f. flaviceps] at Monclova. Hellmayr (1934:88) listed A. f. ornatus from Jaral. Findley saw a Verdin 2 mi. S and 3 mi. E San Juan de Sabinas on June 22, 1952.

The size (wing, 50 mm.; tail, 43 mm.) of No. 31056 is small for typical representatives of A. f. ornatus. The yellow of the head of No. 31056 is darker than that of the other subspecies of the Verdin, and I have accordingly allocated the specimen to A. f. ornatus.

*Psaltriparus melanotis lloydi Sennett.—Specimens examined: total 5: ♂ 31058 and ♀ 31057 from 37 mi. S, 21 mi. E Boquillas, 4100 ft., March 13, 1952; ♂ 31060 and ♀ 31059 from Sierra de la Encantada (=38 mi. S, 23 mi. E Boquillas), 4400 ft., March 15, 1952; and ♂ 35407 (skeleton only) from Sierra del Pino (=5 mi. W, 3 mi. S Acebuches), 6200 ft., May 14, 1954.

The Black-eared Bushtit is common in Coahuila. Typical representatives of P. m. lloydi in the northern part of the State range from 4100 feet to 8000 feet. Miller (1955a:168-169) reported P. m. lloydi breeding in the Sierra del Carmen. Marsh and Stevenson (1938:287) obtained a male in the Sierra del Carmen at El Jardín. The size of the testes (3.5 mm.) of No. 31058 suggests breeding by the Black-eared Bushtit 37 mi. S and 21 mi. E Boquillas.

**Psaltriparus melanotis iulus Jouy.—Specimens examined: total 2: ♂ 31659 from the north slope of Sierra Guadalupe (=10 mi. S, 7 mi. W General Cepeda), 7000 ft., April 20, 1953; and ♀ 31658 from the north slope of Sierra Guadalupe (=10 mi. S, 5 mi. W General Cepeda), 6700 ft., April 15, 1953.

Typical representatives of this Black-eared Bushtit are present in the southeastern sector of Coahuila. The backs of Nos. 31658-31659 differ slightly in color from the backs of typical representatives of lloydi. I suspect that the specimens from the Sierra Guadalupe are intergrades between lloydi and iulus.

Burleigh and Lowery (1942:197) took two males and two females of Psaltriparus melanotis iulus (they called their specimens Psaltriparus minimus iulus) at Saltillo and stated that their specimens tended to approach lloydi rather than being typical iulus. Sutton and Burleigh (1939a:36) recorded P. m. iulus only at Diamante Pass where they took two specimens.

*Sitta carolinensis nelsoni Mearns.—Miller (1955a:169) reported that this subspecies of the White-breasted Nuthatch breeds and was common in the oaks and open conifers from 6500 to 8000 feet in the Sierra del Carmen and stated also that the populations of the White-breasted Nuthatch in "the Chisos Mountains [of Texas] and the Sierra del Carmen seem best regarded as a stage in the cline of which nelsoni and mexicana are end points, although falling closer to nelsoni."