Color Key to North American Birds / with bibliographical appendix

by Frank M. Chapman

GRAY-HEADED, BROWN-BACKED JUNCOS. 569. Gray-headed Junco (Junco caniceps). L. 6.5; W. 3.2; T. 2.9. Ads. Head, breast and sides gray; back reddish brown; no reddish brown on wings; three outer tail-feathers with white; upper and lower mandibles pinkish. Range.—Breeds in mountains of southern Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and northern New Mexico. (Ridgw.) 570. Arizona Junco (Junco phæonotus palliatus). L. 6.5; W. 3.2; T. 2.9. Ads. Head gray; underparts grayish white; back, and to a greater or less extent, wing-coverts and tertials, reddish brown; three outer tail-feathers with white; iris yellow; upper mandible blackish, lower yellowish. Notes. Calls, resemble those of [No. 567]; song suggests that of Song Sparrow. Range.—Breeds in mountains of southern Arizona and southward. 570a. Red-backed Junco (Junco dorsalis) L. 6.7; W. 3.3; T. 3. Ads. Head gray; underparts grayish white; back reddish brown; no reddish brown on wings; three outer tail-feathers with white; upper mandible blackish, lower flesh-color; iris "brown." Range.—Breeds on high mountains of New Mexico and central Arizona; winters south to northern Mexico and western Texas. BLACK-HEADED JUNCOS. 567a. Oregon Junco (Junco oreganus). L. 6.2; W. 3. Ad. ♂, summer. Head, neck, throat and breast black sharply defined from the mahogany brown back, third outer tail-feather with little or no white; sides washed with pinkish brown. Ad. ♀, summer. Head and breast grayer, back paler. Ads. winter. Back deeper, the head and neck more or less tipped with brown, the breast with gray, these areas less sharply defined from the back and belly. Range.—Pacific coast; breeds from northern British Columbia to Alaska; winters south to California. —Shufeldt Junco (J. o. shufeldti). Similar to [No. 567a], but larger, W. 3.1, brown of back less intense. Range.—Pacific coast; breeds from Oregon north to British Columbia (and eastward in humid regions to Montana?); winters south to northern Mexico. 567b. Coues Junco (J. o. connectens). Similar to shufeldti, but back paler, brownish gray, breast grayer, sides with less pinkish brown, head and breast still sharply defined from adjacent areas. Range.—Breeds in the interior of British Columbia and probably in arid districts southward (breeding areas not definitely known); winters southward doubtless to Mexican boundary. 567c. Thurber Junco (J. o. thurberi). Similar to [No. 567], but back much paler, a bright pinkish brown; head and breast black as in [No. 567]. Range.—Breeds in mountains from southern Oregon south to southern California; east to western Nevada. 567d. Point Pinos Junco (J. o. pinosus). Similar to [No. 567c], but throat and breast slate-color. Range.—Santa Cruz district of California; breeds from King Mountain, south at least to Point Sur, County; wanders eastward in winter into Santa Clara and San Benito Valleys. (Grinnell.)

733. Plain Titmouse (Bæolophus inornatus). L. 5.5. Ads. Head crested; above grayish brown; below grayish white, belly white, sides often buffy. Notes. Similar to those of the Tufted Titmouse, but weaker and less varied. (Ridgw.) Range.—California, west of the Sierra; north to Oregon. 733a. Gray Titmouse (B. i. griseus). Similar to [No. 733], but above gray, below whitish gray, no buff on sides. Range.—Southwestern United States: from southeastern California and Nevada to Colorado and New Mexico. 733b. Ashy Titmouse (B. i. cineraceus). Similar to [No. 733a], but underparts grayish white, not whitish gray. Range.—Cape Region of Lower California. 743. Bush-Tit (Psaltriparus minimus). L, 4.2; T. 2.1. Ads. Crown sooty brown; back grayish brown; below brownish white, sides darker. Range.—Pacific coast from northern California to Washington. 743a. California Bush-Tit (P. m. californicus). Similar to [No. 743], but crown much lighter, brighter brown, quite different from the brownish gray back; underparts paler. Notes. When feeding, a faint tsit, tsit, tsit, tsit, when moving about, tsit, tsit, tsit, sre-e-e-e; tsit, sre-e-e-e; when a bird is separated from its companions, same as last but uttered more hurriedly; alarm note, a greatly intensified tsit´´; tsit´´; tsit´´; tsit´: in presence of Hawk or Owl a shrill, quavering trill, sre-e-e-e-e-e. (Grinnell.) Range.—California, except the north coast region. 743b. Grinda Bush-Tit (P. m. grindæ). Similar to [No. 743], but back bluish ash-gray. (Ridgw.) Range.—Cape Region of Lower California. 744. Lead-colored Bush-Tit (Psaltriparus plumbeus). L. 4.5. Ads. Crown and back bluish gray, sides of head brownish; below dingy white with a buffy tint on belly. Range.—Western United States from eastern Oregon and eastern California east to Wyoming, Colorado, and western Texas. 744.1. Santa Rita Bush-Tit (Psaltriparus santaritæ). Similar to [No. 744], but smaller, sides of head paler, male with a more or less distinct blackish line along sides of head as in female of [No. 745]. (Ridgw.) (Now considered the same as [745].) Range.—Santa Rita Mountains, southern Arizona. 745. Lloyd Bush-Tit (Psaltriparus lloydi). L. 4.2. Ad. ♂. Sides of head shining black, crown blue-gray, back browner; chin blackish, underparts whitish, the belly and sides buffy. Ad. ♀. Sides of head brownish, ear-coverts bordered above by a narrow black line; no black on chin. Yng. Similar to ♀, but no black in head. Range.—"Mountains of western Texas, between the Pecos and Rio Grande Rivers" (Sennett), south into Mexico.

731. Tufted Titmouse (Bæolophus bicolor). L. 6. Ads. Head crested; forehead black; above gray; below whitish, sides rusty. Notes. A clearly whistled péto, péto, and a hoarse de-de-de. Range.—Eastern United States; resident from the Gulf States north to northern New Jersey and southern Iowa; straying somewhat further north in summer after breeding. 731a. Texan Tufted Titmouse (B. b. texensis). Similar to [No. 731], but forehead rusty, upperparts paler. Range.—Southeastern Texas. 732. Black-crested Titmouse (Bæolophus atricristatus). L. 6.1. Ads. Head with a black crest; forehead white or tinged with rusty; back gray; below whitish, sides rusty. Notes. An abbreviation of the call of [No. 731], pete-pete-pete-pete. (Bailey.) Range.—"From southeastern Texas west to El Paso, south to eastern Mexico." (Bailey.) 751. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila cærulea). L. 4.5; T. 2. Outer tail-feathers with white, white tip of next to outer one at least 1.00 long. Ad. ♂. Above bluish gray, forehead narrowly black; below grayish white. Ad. ♀. Similar, but lighter gray; no black on forehead. Notes. Call, a twanging ting; song, sweet and varied but of small volume. Range.—Eastern United States, west to Colorado; breeds from the Gulf States north to southern New Jersey, and Ontario; wanders casually as far north as Maine and Minnesota; winters from the Gulf States southward. 751a. Western Gnatcatcher (P. c. obscura). Similar to No.. 751, but slightly grayer above; white tip to next to outer tail-feather less than 1.00 long. Range.—Western United States from western Texas west to California and Lower California. 752. Plumbeous Gnatcatcher (Polioptila plumbea). L. 4.4. Outer web of outer tail-feather wholly white, inner web black except at tip. Ad. ♂. Crown shining black, back blue-gray; underparts grayish white. Ad. ♀ and Yng. ♂. Similar, but no black on head. Yng. ♀. Back and sides with a brownish wash. Notes. Call, a faint mew; song, "a harsh ditty of five notes, something like a Wren's song with notes like those of a Swallow." (Cooper.) Range.—Mexican boundary region, from western Texas to southeastern California and Lower California. 753. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica). L. 4.5; T. 2.1. Similar to [No. 752], but outer vane of outer tail-feather black margined with white; back darker, underparts much grayer, flanks brownish. Range.—Pacific coast region of southern California and northern Lower California.

734. Bridled Titmouse (Bæolophus wollweberi). L. 5.2. Ads. Head crested, black and gray; throat black; hind neck with a white band bounded by black; back olive-gray; below whitish. Notes. Chickadee-like but fainter. (Henshaw.) Range.—Tableland of Mexico north to western Texas and southern Arizona. 738. Mountain Chickadee (Parus gambeli). L. 5.5. Ads. A white line over the eye and a black through it; back gray; belly whitish. Notes. A hoarse, dee-dee-dee, a two or three-noted phe-be whistle exactly like that of the Chickadee and an exceedingly sweet three-noted whistle of regular intervals, d, c, a. Range.—"Mountainous portions of the western United States from the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains to the Sierra Nevada, north to British Columbia, Idaho, etc., and south to northern Lower California." (A. O. U.) 740. Hudsonian Chickadee (Parus hudsonicus). L. 5.2; W. 2.6. Ads. Crown hair-brown, back a more yellow brown; sides of head and neck grayish white; throat black, belly white, sides rusty. Notes. Tscha-dee-dee-dee-dee; the dee-dee notes repeated with almost incessant volubility. (Brewer.) Range.—British America, from the west side of Hudson Bay northwestward to the Lower Yukon. 740a. Kowak Chickadee (P. h. stoneyi). Similar to [No. 740], but larger, W. 2.7. above grayer, crown much paler. Range.—Kowak River region, Alaska. 740b. Columbian Chickadee (P. h. columbianus). Similar to [No. 740], but grayer above, crown slaty-drab. Range.—Rocky Mountains from Montana northward; Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. —Canadian Chickadee (P. h. littoralis). Similar to [No. 740], but smaller, W. 2.5, crown duller brown. Range.—British America east and south of Hudson Bay; northern New York, northern New England, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia. 739. Alaskan Chickadee (Parus cinctus alascensis). L. 5.2. Ads. Crown brown, back brighter; sides of head and neck pure white; throat blackish; belly whitish, sides buffy. Range.—"Northern Alaska and eastern Siberia." (A. O. U.) 741. Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Parus rufescens). L. 4.6. Ads. Back and sides rusty chestnut, crown sooty brown, throat black. Notes. A lisping the-the-the-te-te. (Kobbe.) Range.—Pacific coast from Oregon to southern Alaska. 741a. California Chickadee (P. r. neglectus). Similar to [No. 741], but with only a tinge of rusty on flanks. Range.—"Coast of California from Monterey County northward." (A. O. U.) 741b. Barlow Chickadee (P. r. barlowi). Similar to [No. 741a], but with no rusty on flanks. Range.—Vicinity of Monterey, California.

735. Black-capped Chickadee (Parus atricapillus). L. 5.2; T. 2.5. Ads. Cap and throat black; back gray with a brownish tinge; outer margins of wing-coverts grayish white; flanks, cream buff. Notes. Chickadee-dee, liquid gurgles and chuckling notes and a sweet, clearly whistled, phe-be or phe-be-e. Range.—Eastern North America; breeds from southern Illinois and Pennsylvania north to Labrador, and south along Alleghanies to North Carolina; migrates a short distance below its southern breeding limits. 735a. Long-tailed Chickadee (P. a. septentrionalis). Similar to [No. 735], but tail longer, 2.7, flanks paler, white edgings broader. Range.—Rocky Mountain region north to British Columbia; east to Manitoba and the Plains. 735b. Oregon Chickadee (P. a. occidentalis). Similar to [No. 735], but much darker; flanks grayish. Range.—Pacific coast from northern California to Sitka. 736. Carolina Chickadee (Parus carolinensis). Similar to [No. 735], but smaller, L. 4.6; T. 2., the greater wing-coverts not margined with whitish. Notes. Whistle "tswee-dee, twsee-dee." Range.—Southeastern United States north to middle New Jersey, and southern Illinois; resident from southern New Jersey southward. 736a. Plumbeous Chickadee (P. c. agilis). Similar to [No. 736], but paler above, whiter below. Range.—"Eastern and central Texas (Bee, Victoria, Cook, and Concho Counties, etc.") (A. O. U.) 737. Mexican Chickadee (Parus sclateri). Similar to [No. 735], but sides broadly gray like back, black more extended. Notes. A rapid, vigorous double-noted whistle repeated three times, wholly unlike that of the Chickadee. Range.—Mountainous portions of the Mexican tableland north to southern Arizona. 630. Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapillus). L. 4.5. Ad. ♂. Crown and cheeks shining black; lores and eye-ring white; back olive-green; below white, sides tinged with greenish yellow; two whitish wing-bars. Ad. ♀. Similar, but black of head duller. Yng. "Top and sides of head dull grayish brown; lores, orbital ring and lower parts dull buffy white or pale buffy." (Ridgw.) Notes. "Of the general character of the White-eye or bellii type." (Bailey.) Range.—Breeds in central and western Texas; north to southern Kansas; winters in southern Mexico.