Vol. 46, No. 1, 2015 Western Specialty: Aleutian Song Sparrow Photo by Lucas H. DeCicco of Anchorage, Alaska: Aleutian Song Sparrow ( Melospiza melodia sanaka ) Dutch Harbor, Unalaska Island, Alaska, 1 October 2011. In this issue of Western Birds (pp. 28-48), Jack J. Withrow outlines the avifauna of Chirikof Island, the most isolated island south of the Alaska Peninsula, whose birds have heretofore been virtually unknown. The discovery of Melospiza melodia sanaka on Chirikof, along with that of two other characteristically Beringian subspecies, Troglodytes pacificus semidiensis of the Pacific Wren and Leucosticte tephrocotis griseonucha of the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, represents an eastward extension of the known ranges of those taxa. Melospiza melodia sanaka ranges west in the Aleutians to Seguam Island, beyond which it is replaced by the even larger M. m. maxima. In this photo, the bird's feeding on a mussel dramatizes the littoral habits of all the subspecies of the Song Sparrow distributed along Alaska's southern coasts. Volume 46, Number 1, 2015 Apparent Hybrid Downy Woodpecker x Hairy Woodpecker in Colorado Steven G. Mlodinow, Tony Leukering, Tayler Brooks, and Nick Moore 2 Nevada Bird Records Committee Report for 2013 Martin Meyers 8 Notes on the Birds of Chirikof Island, Alaska Jack J. Withrow 28 Breeding of the Ashy Storm-Petrel in Central Mendocino County, California Harry R. Carter, Michael W. Parker, Josh S. Koepke, and Darrell L. Whitworth 49 NOTES Haemorhous cassinii vinifer is Valid Robert W. Dickerman 66 Is the Long-eared Owl Dimorphic? Robert W. Dickerman 68 Western North American Records of Eurasian Bar-tailed Godwits Nicholas R. Hajdukovich, Lucas H. DeCicco, and Pavel S. Tomkovich 71 Golden Eagle Mortality at a Wind-Energy Facility near Palm Springs, California Jeffrey E. Lovich 76 Acorn Woodpecker Predation on the Western Fence Lizard in Northern California Jackson D. Shedd 81 Book Reviews David Vander Pluym and Jon Feenstra 83 Thank You to Our Supporters 88 Featured Photo: Possible Tool Use by a Williamson’s Sapsucker Anthony J. Brake and Yvonne E. McHugh 89 Front cover photo by © Rick Fridell of Hurricane, Utah: Nevada’s first Rufous-backed Robin ( Turdus rufopalliatus), Williams Ranch, Lincoln Co., Nevada, 15 November 2012. Back cover: “Featured Photos” by © Anthony J. Brake of Richmond, California: Williamson’s Sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus thyroideus) ap- proaching a flake of wood wedged in a bark crevice (top) and carrying the flake toward a sap well (bottom) — implying making and use of a tool. Inyo National Forest, Mono County, California, 17 June 2013. Western Birds solicits papers that are both useful to and understandable by amateur field ornithologists and also contribute significantly to scientific literature. The journal welcomes contributions from both professionals and amateurs. Appropriate topics include distribution, migration, status, identification, geographic variation, conserva- tion, behavior, ecology, population dynamics, habitat requirements, the effects of pollution, and techniques for censusing, sound recording, and photographing birds in the field. Papers of general interest will be considered regardless of their geographic origin, but particularly desired are reports of studies done in or bearing on North America west of the 100th meridian, including Alaska and Hawaii, northwestern Mexico, and the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Send manuscripts to Daniel D. Gibson, P. O. Box 155, Ester, AK 99725; avesalaska@ gmail.com. For matters of style consult the Suggestions to Contributors to Western Birds (at www. western fieldornithologists.org/docs/journal_guidelines.doc). WESTERN BIRDS Volume 46, Number 1, 2015 APPARENT HYBRID DOWNY WOODPECKER x HAIRY WOODPECKER IN COLORADO STEVEN G. MLODINOW, 2218 Watersong Circle, Longmont, Colorado 80504; SGMlod@aol.com TONY LEUKERING, 1 Pindo Palm St. W, Largo, Florida 33770; GreatGrayOwl@aol .com TAYLER BROOKS; 2453 239th Place SW, Brier, Washington 98036; ornithophile@gmail.com NICK MOORE; 1850 Arroya Street, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80906; sdhjuw@gmail.com ABSTRACT: In external appearance, a confounding Picoides woodpecker encoun- tered in Lamar, Prowers County, Colorado, on 15 May 2014 was closest to the Downy Woodpecker ( P. pubescens), though its bill appeared oversized and its supercilium narrow. But its vocalizations closely resembled those of the Hairy Woodpecker (P. uillosus). Examination of photographs and sound spectrograms of this individual strongly suggest that it was a hybrid between the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, a previously unreported combination. On 15 May 2014, Mlodinow and Moore were birding at Lamar Com- munity College in Lamar, Prowers County, Colorado, where a small stream runs through a narrow riparian corridor dominated by Plains Cottonwood ( Populus deltoides) with a scattering of Green Ash (Fraxinus Pennsylva- nia!) . They heard a woodpecker “rattle” that sounded much like that of a Hairy Woodpecker ( Picoides villosus) and quite different from the “whinny” of a Downy Woodpecker ( P. pubescens). Almost immediately, the bird landed close to the observers, still giving rattle calls. The observers initially assumed it was a Hairy because of its vocalizations, though Moore did comment that the woodpecker seemed rather small for a Hairy, though large for a Downy. Both observers then noted the woodpecker’s limited white spotting on the wing coverts, consistent with a (presumed at the time) vagrant Hairy Woodpecker from the Rocky Mountains ( P. v. monticola) rather than the nominate race of the Hairy expected on the Great Plains of eastern Colorado. Therefore, they considered subspecific identification before visually confirming the species 2 Western Birds 46:2-7, 2015 APPARENT HYBRID DOWNY WOODPECKER x HAIRY WOODPECKER involved. Mlodinow quickly began photographing the bird, and as he did so, both he and Moore became aware of problems with its identification. It then gave a couple “peek” calls, sounding to Mlodinow and Moore much more like a Hairy Woodpecker than a Downy. Moore quickly realized the importance of documenting the vocalizations and obtained audio record- ings of the “peek” notes. For an excellent in-depth introduction to sound spectrograms, see Nathan Pieplow’s website http://earbirding.com/blog/ specs; for simplicity’s sake, we “lump” harmonic and partial harmonic in the discussion below. Although Short (1982), followed by Pyle (1997), lumped the Hairy Woodpeckers of the Colorado Rockies (median coverts unspotted) in sub- species septentrionalis (median coverts spotted; type locality Saskatchewan River, Saskatchewan), in the lack of a quantitative analysis supporting a heterogeneous subspecies that bridges a fundamental division of the Hairy Woodpecker, we use monticola (type locality Boulder County, Colorado) as the name for the birds of the Colorado Rockies (Bailey and Niedrach 1965, Leukering 2011) DISTINGUISHING THE DOWNY AND HAIRY WOODPECKERS In considering the identification of the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, it is important to understand that the interior montane subspecies of both differ substantially from their eastern counterparts (Leukering 201 1). In both species, individuals from the Rocky Mountains have far less spotting on their wing coverts, tend to have a smaller white oval on the back, and have more black on the face (Mlodinow, Leukering pers. obs.) Additionally, montane Downy Woodpeckers ( P p. leucurus) average fewer black bars on the tail than do eastern birds (Pyle 1997), and montane Hairy Woodpeckers have a red nape spot that is not bisected by black as in eastern birds (Sibley 2000). Size Where the two species overlap, the Hairy Woodpecker averages con- siderably larger than the Downy. Male Hairy Woodpeckers from Colorado have a mean wing chord 130 ± a standard error of 1 mm and a mean tail length of 84.1 ± 1 mm (Jackson et al. 2002). Male Downy Woodpeckers from western Colorado and areas to the west in the Rocky Mountains have a mean wing chord of 101.1 ± 1 mm and a mean tail length of 64 ± 1 mm (Jackson and Ouellet 2002). Bill Length and Shape The bill of the Hairy Woodpecker is longer and appears heftier in com- parison to the shorter and more delicate appearing bill of the Downy. The mean bill length of Hairy Woodpeckers from Colorado is 35.8 ± 0.3 mm (Jackson et al. 2002), whereas that of Downy Woodpeckers from western Colorado and areas to the west in the Rocky Mountains averages 16.6 ± 0.4 mm (Jackson and Ouellet 2002). Additionally, the ratio of bill length to nasal-tuft length (front to back) is typically about 1 . 75 in the Downy and nearly always greater than 2.0 in the Hairy (Leukering unpubl. data). 3 APPARENT HYBRID DOWNY WOODPECKER x HAIRY WOODPECKER Plumage Downy Woodpeckers from the Rocky Mountains eastward have zero to two full black bars on the tail beyond the longest undertail covert, whereas Hairy Woodpeckers lack barring on the tail, except in some specimens of subspecies harrisi and picoideus along the coast of the Pacific Northwest (Pyle 1997). Per Sibley (2000), the red nape patch of post-juvenile males is typically undivided in the Downy, divided in the Hairy. However, many (most?) indi- viduals of P. v. monticola show an undivided red nape patch. The nasal tufts are proportionately larger and more bulbous in the Downy than in the Hairy Woodpecker. The shoulder spur, when present, is a black mark extending from the black line on the side of neck onto the side of the chest. Typically this spur is absent or very short in the Downy and moderate to short in the Hairy, though exceptional Hairy Woodpeckers may lack this mark. There appears to be little difference in supercilium width between the eastern subspecies of the Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers. The supercilium of Rocky Mountain Downy Woodpeckers is similar to that of eastern birds, but that of P. u. monticola appears narrower on average than in these Downy Woodpeckers, except in heavily worn plumage. Call In the Downy Woodpecker, the “peek” has three harmonics of roughly equal strength, whereas that of a Hairy Woodpecker has only two harmonics below 1 1 kHz, with the lower pitched being far stronger. The call note of the Hairy Woodpecker also averages longer than that of the Downy. DISCUSSION In our experience, when first seeing a bird that might be a Downy or a Hairy Woodpecker, most observers first key in on body and bill size. However, the observers of the Lamar bird assumed the incoming woodpecker was a Hairy because of its calls, especially the rattle, which was perceived to be that of a Hairy Woodpecker. Thus, the initial assumption was that the bird was a Hairy, whereas most viewers of the photographs would likely first consider it to be a Downy Woodpecker. In the field, the size of the Lamar bird appeared confusingly intermediate. The bill length and thickness also appeared intermediate, contrary to how this bird appears in photographs. More objectively, the ratio of bill length to nasal-tuft length appears similar to that of a Hairy Woodpecker, not a Downy, whereas the size of the nasal tufts themselves is more intermediate. The bird’s shoulder spur is consistent with that of Downy Woodpecker. As all subspecies of the Hairy Woodpecker occurring in or near Colorado lack tail barring, the barred tail is clearly a Downy Woodpecker feature. The Lamar woodpecker has a supercilium that is quite narrow, especially given no sign of substantial feather wear, and is thus consistent with P. v. monticola and would be atypi- cal in either subspecies of the Downy Woodpecker known from Colorado. Therefore, visually, the Lamar woodpecker appears intermediate between 4 APPARENT HYBRID DOWNY WOODPECKER x HAIRY WOODPECKER Figure 1. Apparent Downy x Hairy Woodpecker photographed on 15 May 2014 at Lamar Community College, Prowers County, Colorado. In this image, the intermediacy of the bill size can be seen as well as the relatively small nasal tufts. The rather limited white back patch may be more typical of montane Hairy Woodpeckers than of montane Downy Woopeckers. The undivided red nape patch is normal for the montane races of both species. a Downy and a Hairy Woodpecker, though more like a Downy (see Figures 1 and 2). Notably, Moore and Mlodinow interpreted the bird’s longer call (heard before bird was seen) as the rattle of a Hairy Woodpecker and not the whinny of a Downy. Furthermore, both to the ears of the observers and by analysis of the spectrogram, the bird’s “peek” vocalization was much more similar to the call of a Hairy Woodpecker. The spectrogram of the “peek” vocalization resembles that of a Hairy Woodpecker in having only two harmonics, with a louder lower-pitched harmonic. Additionally, the notes of the Lamar bird were relatively long in duration, about 60 milliseconds, about 10-20 milliseconds longer than typical for a Downy Woodpecker, and within the range of the Hairy Woodpecker (see Figure 3). Therefore we conclude the Lamar woodpecker was a Downy x Hairy Woodpecker. This hybrid has not previously been reported (McCarthy 2006), which is surprising as hybridization between Picoides woodpeckers is not exceptionally rare. For instance, hybrid Nuttall’s {P. nuttallii ) x Downy Woodpeckers are “occasional” in southern California, for which there are specimen records from San Diego County (Unitt 1986, 2004) and photo- 5 APPARENT HYBRID DOWNY WOODPECKER x HAIRY WOODPECKER Figure 2. Apparent Downy x Hairy Woodpecker photographed on 15 May 2014 at Lamar Community College, Prowers County, Colorado. Here one can see the barred outer rectrices, as in the Downy Woodpecker. Again, though the bill looks rather small for a Hairy Woodpecker, it is subtly longer than that of a Downy Woodpecker, especially when compared with the size of the nasal tufts. Note how narrow the supercilium is, likely beyond the range of any Downy Woodpecker not in exceptionally worn plumage. graphs from Santa Barbara County. Additionally, hybrid Ladder-backed (P scalaris) x Nuttall’s Woodpecker are not unusual in the zone of contact in northern Baja California (Short 1982) and reported though rare in southern California. Miller (1955) reported a Ladder-backed x Hairy Woodpecker, and McCarthy (2006) listed records of other hybrid combinations of Picoides. Given the track record of hybridization among species of Picoides, one would expect a Downy x Hairy Woodpecker to have been detected previously. Perhaps the lack of such records is due not only to these species’ similar appearance but also to their broadly overlapping ranges in which neither species is of particular note and a typical observer’s scrutiny may be reduced. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We offer many thanks to Kimball Garrett, Paul Lehman, and Michael O’Brien for reviewing earlier versions of this manuscript and providing much useful commentary. 6 APPARENT HYBRID DOWNY WOODPECKER x HAIRY WOODPECKER Figure 3. Spectrograms representing the “peek” call of the Lamar woodpecker versus “typical” examples of the Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers. (A) Hairy Woodpecker recorded in Routt Co., Colorado; catalog number 14434 at www.xeno-canto.org. (B) “Peek” call of apparent hybrid. (C) Downy Woodpecker recorded in Silver Bow Co., Montana, Xeno-Canto catalog number 142215. The call of the Downy Woodpecker has three distinct bands below 11 kHz versus two in the Hairy Woodpecker. The call of the Downy Woodpecker has two lower-pitched bands that are nearly equal in strength. In contrast, the call of the Hairy features one strong band at 6 kHz and a second higher-frequency band that is 20 db quieter. The Lamar bird’s spectrogram resembles that of the Hairy in that it has two bands below 11 kHz (versus three in the Downy) in which the basal band is louder than the higher-frequency band. Additionally, the duration of the Lamar woodpecker’s call is within the range of the Hairy Woodpecker’s. Also, we thank Ted Floyd for his initial spectrographic analysis of the Lamar bird’s call and encouraging its use in the identification. LITERATURE CITED Jackson, J. A., and Ouellet, H. R. 2002. Downy Woodpecker ( Picoides pubescens), in The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.), no. 613. Birds N. Am., Philadelphia. Jackson, J. A., Ouellet, H. R., and Jackson, B. J. 2002. Hairy Woodpecker ( Picoides villosus), in The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.), no 702. Birds N. Am., Philadelphia. Leukerinq, T. 2011. Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers in Colorado. Colo. Birds 45:317-325. McCarthy, E. M. 2006. Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, England. Miller, A. H. 1955. A hybrid woodpecker and its significance in speciation in the genus Dendrocopos. Evolution 9:317-321. Short, L. L. 1982. Woodpeckers of the World. Del. Mus. Nat. History, Greenville, DE. Sibley, D. A. 2000. The Sibley Guide to Birds. Knopf, New York. Unitt, P. 1986. Another hybrid Downy x Nuttall’s Woodpecker from San Diego County. W. Birds 17:43-44. Unitt, P. 2004. San Diego County Bird Atlas. Proc. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist. 39. Accepted 22 October 2014 7 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 MARTIN MEYERS, Secretary, Nevada Bird Records Committee, c/o Great Basin Bird Observatory, 1755 E. Plumb Lane #256, Reno, Nevada 89502; NevadaBirdRecords@gbbo . org ABSTRACT: This report covers the 115 records reviewed by the Nevada Bird Records Committee in 2013, of which 105 were endorsed. These 115 records cover sightings from 15 August 1954 through 15 September 2013. Four species are added to the Nevada list as a result of endorsed first state records, the Common Crane ( Grus grus ), Slaty-backed Gull (Larus schistisagus), Barred Owl ( Strix uaria), and Rufous-backed Robin ( Turdus rufopalliatus). Also, one species is added as a result of the taxonomic split of the Sage Sparrow. Two species are removed from the Nevada list, the Allen’s Hummingbird ( Selasphorus sasin) and Pine Warbler ( Setophaga pinus). The Nevada state list now stands at 492 species, of which 156 are currently on the review list. The Nevada Bird Records Committee (NBRC) began 2013 with 56 re- cords pending review. During 2013, we added 114 records to the pending queue. The committee completed reviews of 115 records during the year, leaving 55 records in the pending queue at the end of the year. Since the founding of the NBRC in 1994, 1001 records have been reviewed, of which 915 have been endorsed. At its founding in 1994, the committee decided not to review any sightings prior to that year but reversed that decision several years later. Fortunately, founding secretary James Cressman and Marian Cressman continued to accumulate documentation for “pre-committee” records. One of the com- mittee’s long-term goals is to organize and review as many of those records as possible, along with early documentation from other sources. The com- mittee began reviewing pre-committee records in 2007. Since that time, we have reviewed 93 such records, of which 86 have been endorsed. It is impossible to state with any accuracy how many more we might be able to review, because, in many cases, that depends on how much additional information we are able to uncover. Of the 114 records added to the pending queue in 2013, 17 precede the committee’s founding, dating as far back as 15 August 1954. Of the 115 records reviewed by the committee in 2013, 105 were en- dorsed. Twenty-eight of the reviewed records were of birds found during 2013, 55 were of birds found in 2012, and the remaining 32 were of birds found between 15 August 1954 and the end of 2011. Of the 105 records endorsed, 90 were supported by photographs and four were also supported by specimens, two by video recordings, and one by audio recording. Of the ten non-endorsed records, one, purported to be of an Allen’s Hummingbird, was reviewed from photographs of a specimen that had been identified as this species. The NBRC has six voting members and a nonvoting secretary. In 2013, the committee welcomed new member Aaron Ambos and returning member Greg Scyphers, who had rotated off the committee at the end of 2011. Continuing members are Carl Lundblad, Dennis Serdehely, Jeanne 8 Western Birds 46:8-27, 2015 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 Tinsman, and Will Richardson. The position of secretary continues to be held by Martin Meyers. Carl Lundblad and Jeanne Tinsman were reelected to serve second terms. The NBRC’s website at http:/gbbo.org/nbrc contains a statement of purpose, links to a downloadable submission form, the committee’s bylaws, the Nevada state checklist, the state review list, and answers to frequently asked questions. There is a link to a list of all submissions to the NBRC, with each record’s status with respect to endorsement and, if available, a photograph. All previous NBRC reports are available through the website as PDF files. The reports through 2007 (1994-1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005, and 2007) appeared in Great Basin Birds , published by the Great Basin Bird Observatory. Beginning with the 2011 report, an- nual reports appear in Western Birds. Reports for 2008 through 2010 are available only on the website. REVISIONS TO THE NEVADA STATE LIST During the period covered by this report, four new species were added to the Nevada list following endorsement of first state records, the Common Crane ( Grus grus), Slaty-backed Gull ( Larus schistisagus), Barred Owl ( Strix uaria), and Rufous-backed Robin ( Turdus rufopalliatus). The American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU) split of the former Sage Sparrow into Bell’s Sparrow ( Artemisiospiza belli) and Sagebrush Sparrow (A. neuadensis ) added one new species to the list. Both species are confirmed breeders in Nevada, and both winter in the state as well (Floyd et al. 2007, Cicero 2010). The Sagebrush Sparrow is a common breeder through much of the Great Basin, whereas subspecies canescens of Bell’s Sparrow breeds in a limited area of southwestern Nevada. As discussed below, two species were removed from the list, the Allen’s Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin) and Pine Warbler ( Setophaga pinus). These changes brought the count of species recorded in Nevada to 492. REVISIONS TO THE NEVADA REVIEW LIST At its September 2013 biennial meeting, the committee unanimously voted to remove ten species from the review list on the basis of total number of endorsed records, regularity of sightings, status in adjoining states, and the judgment of the members: the Long-tailed Duck ( Clangula hyemalis), White-tailed Kite ( Elanus leucurus) (previously exempt from review only in the Pahranagat Valley), Broad-winged Hawk ( Buteo platypterus ) (previously exempt from review only in the Goshute Mountains), Zone-tailed Hawk (B. albonotatus), Stilt Sandpiper ( Calidris himantopus), Least Tern ( Ster - nula antillarum), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius), Brown Thrasher ( Toxostoma rufum), Clay-colored Sparrow ( Spizella pallida), and Common Grackle ( Quiscalus quiscula). There are currently 156 species on the Nevada review list, of which five are exempt from review in some limited geographic area. In addition, two subspecies are currently on the review list: the Mexican Mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos diazi) and the Eurasian Green-winged Teal (A. 9 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 crecca crecca). The committee has reviewed (and endorsed) four records of A. c. crecca. The committee placed A. p. diazi on the review list in an effort to accumulate data on its occurrence, but we have not, as yet, reviewed any of the reports and have decided to wait to do so until there is more clarity on its taxonomic status and identification criteria. SPECIES ACCOUNTS For each species, the format is English name, scientific name, and (total number of endorsed records of the species, number of records endorsed in this year’s report). The total number of endorsed records includes those endorsed in this report. An asterisk preceding the species’ name signifies that the species is no longer reviewed by the NBRC. Two asterisks after the total of records denote that the number of records refers to a restricted review period, usually signifying that the species is no longer on the review list, was placed on the review list as a result of a perceived drop in population, or is exempt from review in some locations. Note that the total number of records for a species is not necessarily the total number of individual birds reported. After the heading for the species comes each record of that species reviewed in 2013, in the following format: NBRC record number. For endorsed records, the name of each submitter. For non-endorsed records, “NOT ENDORSED.” Continuing for all records: date or range of dates of observations submitted to the NBRC, and location (county in parentheses). If the record involved multiple birds, the number follows the county desig- nation. “(P),” “(V),” or “(A)” following a submitter’s name indicates that he or she provided a photo, video, or audio recording, respectively. A pound sign (#) indicates a specimen record; this is followed by the abbreviation of the institution housing the specimen, followed by the specimen’s catalog number; in the case of a specimen, a “(P)” indicates that the specimen was photographed and that the photograph(s) are included in the documentation; the photographer in such cases, typically a representative of the commit- tee or the housing institution, is not credited in the report. Discussion of a particular record follows that record’s data. If there are multiple records of the species, the records are ordered by date of first sighting. Any discussion of the species in general, not specific to a record, concludes the account. Museum collections housing specimens cited in this report or otherwise cited are the Marjorie Barrick Museum at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (MBM), Burke Museum at the University of Washington, Seattle (UWBM), and Nevada State Museum, Carson City (NSM). The MBM collection has recently been relocated to UWBM — abbreviation and catalog numbers for both institutions are listed for specimens studied at MBM. Certain records are noted as “establishing records,” designating the first NBRC-endorsed record of a species. Early in its history, the NBRC adopted an existing checklist (Titus 1996) based on numerous sources that constituted the most reliable information available at the time. All but 20 of the species on the review list now have at least one endorsed record. (That number was 28 at the conclusion of 2012.) The committee continues to pursue documentation of the remaining 20. After all sources of documentation available to us have been exhausted, we will reevaluate the status of those remaining species. 10 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK Dendrocygna autumnalis (6, 2). 2013- 028, Elizabeth Wells, 17 April 1993, Overton Wildlife Management Area (WMA) (Clark), 2 birds. 2013-029, Marian Cressman (P), Paul Lehman, 11 April-31 May 1994, Hender- son Bird Viewing Preserve (Clark). Previous records 2012-042 (18-31 May 1993), 2013-029 (11 April-7 May 1994), 1995-07 (8 April 1995), and 1999-04 (30 May 1999), all endorsed, are also of single Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks at the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. At the committee’s September 2013 meeting, we considered whether any or all of these records should be marked as repeat visits by the same bird but concluded the evidence for this inference was insufficient. FULVOUS WHISTLING-DUCK Dendrocygna bicolor (2, 2). 2013-032, Bob Poole (P, #MBM 176, UWBM 97483), 2 December 1962, Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) (Lincoln). 2013-033, Vincent Mowbray, 9 April 1991, Corn Creek (Clark). This species was reported on multiple occasions through the 1960s, sporadically into the 1970s (Alcorn 1988), but it has not been reported at all in recent years. Since 2010 it has disappeared entirely from the Salton Sea area in southeastern California, where it nested at least until 1999 (Hamilton 2008). For the establishing record, the committee reviewed the specimen collected in 1962. TRUMPETER SWAN Cygnus buccinator (2**, 1). 2013-010, Martin Meyers (P), Aaron Ambos (P), 19-21 January 2013, Overton WMA (Clark). This swan, with three Tundra Swans, flew past many observers looking for the Common Crane (2013-007) that visited Overton WMA in early 2013. At the time, the observers commented on the bright orange legs and feet of this Trumpeter, and several excellent photographs were obtained (Figure 1). McEneany (2005) discussed this variation. 2013-025, NOT ENDORSED. 16 March 2013, Overton WMA (Clark). Some of the features of this photographed bird suggested a Tundra rather than a Trumpeter Swan. The long-established introduced resident population of the Trumpeter Swan in the Ruby Valley is exempt from review, but the NBRC reviews reports of birds away from that location. AMERICAN BLACK DUCK Anas rubripes (0, 0). 2012-092, NOT ENDORSED. 19 November 2012, Stillwater NWR (Churchill). The NBRC received a single photo- graph that did show a bird with characteristics of the American Black Duck, but the committee was troubled by the lack of any dark feathers on the underwing coverts and the appearance of curved central tail feathers — suggesting possible hybridization with a Mallard, with which the American Black Ducks hybridizes regularly in the East. The photo did not show the upperwing, preventing the committee from analyzing the speculum coloration. On the second round, the members unanimously agreed that this documentation was insufficient for such an extreme rarity in Nevada. This species is on the state list on the basis of Alcorn’s (1988) report of an adult female recovered near Fallon (Churchill) 4 November 1963. According to Alcorn, the bird was banded by the New York Conservation Department at Wilson Hill, New York on 2 September 1962. The American Black Duck remains one of those 20 species on the Nevada list for which there is still no NBRC-endorsed record. HARLEQUIN DUCK Histrionicus histrionicus (3, 1). 2012-083, Rose Strickland, Dennis Ghiglieri (P), Martin Meyers (P, Figure 2), Greg Scyphers (P), 6-15 November 2012, south end of Pyramid Lake (Washoe). Twenty years had passed since the last Harlequin Duck was documented in Nevada (Meyers 2010), making this cooperative bird a welcome find for many of the state’s birders. RED-THROATED LOON Gauia stellata (6, 1). 2013-004, Greg Scyphers (P), 11 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 Figure 1. On 19 January 2013, many birders were assembled at Overton W.M.A., looking for the Common Crane reported two days earlier. Accompanied by three Tundra Swans, this Trumpeter Swan flew over and was instantly identified by the obvious size difference. The orange rather than the typically black legs and feet are a variation documented in the Trumpeter Swan. Photo by Aaron Ambos Martin Meyers, 3-4 January 2013, south end of Pyramid Lake (Washoe). This is the first endorsed record of Red-throated Loon from northern Nevada. NEOTROPIC CORMORANT Phalacrocorax brasilianus (2, 1). 2012-056, Andrew Lee (P), Martin Meyers (P), Randall Micha 1(P), Greg Scyphers (P), B. J. Stacey (P), 26 August 2012-13 February 2013, Floyd Lamb Park (Clark). This second endorsed record for the state was of a bird seen intermittently for almost six months, unlike the first record (1998-02), which involved a bird observed for only three days (Eidel 2000). The range expansion of this species through the southwestern U.S. is illustrated by the rapidly growing number of records endorsed by the California Bird Records Committee (CBRC), which removed the species from its review list in January 2014. California’s first Neotropic Cormorant was found in April 1971 (Jones 1971), and as of February 2014, the CBRC had endorsed more than 50 records, many involving multiple individuals (www.californiabirds.org/cbrcdb.html). Most of those records are from extreme southeastern California. In western Arizona, the Neotropic Cormorant has become “more regular ... with every season, north to Lake Havasu” (Harter and Vander Pluym 2014). Lake Havasu is less than 60 km from the southern tip of Nevada. And the Utah Bird Records Committee removed the Neotropic Cormorant from its review list in 2013 — the species is now somewhat regular in that state’s southwest corner (around St. George) and along the Wasatch 12 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 Figure 2. It had been 20 years since the last documented Harlequin Duck in the state, so many Nevada birders appreciated this bird’s remaining around Pyramid Lake for at least 10 days (6-15 November 2012, photo taken 7 November). Photo by Martin Meyers front, mostly at urban freshwater ponds from Utah Lake north along the Great Salt Lake (R. Fridell pers. comm.) In 2013, the NBRC received two more reports of the Neotropic Cormorant, one of which appears to be a repeat visit involving 2012-056. Those records will be reviewed in 2014. Considering the status in adjacent states, one must assume that sightings in Nevada will increase, perhaps dramatically, over the next few years. BROWN PELICAN Pelecanus occidentalis (7, 2). 2012-036, Andrew Lee (P), Greg Scyphers (P), 19 July-15 December 2012, Las Vegas Bay, Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NRA) (Clark), 2 birds. 2012-082, Bill Henry, Rose Strickland, Dennis Ghiglieri (P), 30-31 October 2012, multiple locations on west shore of Pyramid Lake (Washoe). This is the first endorsed record of the Brown Pelican from northern Nevada. The Brown Pelican’s most recent major incursion into Nevada was in July 2004, when 23 live birds (plus an uncounted number of dead ones) were observed in Las Vegas Bay, Lake Mead NRA (Meyers 2008). Along the lower Colorado River, the species is nearly annual, sometimes in flocks, north to Lake Havasu, primarily in late summer and fall (D. Vander Pluym pers. comm.) YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON Nyctanassa violacea (1, 1). 2013-035, Robert Rucker, 13 September 1992, Pahranagat NWR (Lincoln). This species has been on the Nevada list, but with NBRC endorsement this pre-committee record serves as the establishing record. WHITE IBIS Eudocimus albus (0, 0). 2013-012, NOT ENDORSED. 13 December 2012, 1-15 and Valley of Fire Highway (Clark). The written details by a single observer 13 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 suggested this species, but the brevity of sighting of a bird flying overhead resulted in the failure to endorse. ^WHITE-TAILED KITE Elanus leucurus (17**, 5). 2013-051, Dave DeSante, 8 June 1976, Highway 395 between Reno and Carson City (Washoe). 2013-050, James and Marian Cressman (P), 12 April 1993, Overton WMA (Clark). 2013-008, Norman Parrish (P), Rick Fridell (P), 15-17 January 2013, Overton WMA (Clark). 2013-009, Jim Lane (P), Ken Drozd (P), Rob Lowry, Meg Andrews, Martin Mey- ers (P), Fred Welden (P), 19-23 January 2013, Damonte Ranch Wetlands, Reno (Washoe). 2013-023, Tim Almond (P), Babette d’Amours (P), 9-10 March 2013, Clark County Wetlands Park (Clark). COMMON BLACK-HAWK Buteogallus anthracinus (9, 1). 2012-040, NOT ENDORSED. 31 July 2012, Pahranagat NWR (Lincoln). This record was submitted by an experienced observer surveying for the Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Unfortunately, the sighting was brief and, on the second round of review, the committee decided that similar species, particularly the Zone-tailed Hawk, had not been adequately eliminated. 2013-042, Jennifer Ballard (P), 22 April 2013, the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s Warm Springs Natural Area (not open to the public; Clark). *BROAD-WINGED HAWK Buteo platypterus (8**, 3). 2012-103, Greg Scyphers (P), 26-27 May 2012, Dyer (Esmeralda). 2012-069, Justin Streit (P), Greg Scyphers (P), 23-24 September 2012, Floyd Lamb Park (Clark). 2012- 079, Greg Scyphers (P), Scott Krammer (P), Robert Dobbs (P), 27-28 September 2012, Floyd Lamb Park (Clark). *ZONE-TAILED HAWK Buteo albonotatus (16**, 3). 2013-084, C. S. Lawson, 21 April 1975, Mormon Farm, Las Vegas (Clark). Reported to Lawson as having been first seen 19 April 1975 by John and Kay O’Connell. The NBRC does not have the original documentation of that initial sighting, but it is published (Lawson 1977a). 2013- 046, Samuel Flake (P), 13 May 2013, Gold Butte (Clark), 2 birds. 2013-078, Anne Pellegrini, 2 August 2013, Pahranagat NWR (Lincoln). COMMON CRANE Grus grus (2, 2). 2013-014, Scott Barnes, Linda Mack (P), 29 September 2008, Halleck (Elko). Feeding with Sandhill Cranes (G. canadensis ) in an agricultural field. Comparisons with photos from elsewhere of known hybrids, plus opinions provided by European birders, convinced the committee of the identification. The question of provenance was, of course, raised, but the previous NBRC endorse- ment of 2013-007 (below), as well as the earlier endorsement of a Common Crane in northwestern California by the CBRC (Nelson et al. 2013) as the first for that state and for the west coast south of Alaska, helped to convince all NBRC members that natural occurrence should not automatically be ruled out. Although reviewed (and unanimously endorsed) by the committee after it had endorsed 2013-007, this earlier record becomes Nevada’s first of the Common Crane. 2013-007, Norman Parrish (P), Andrew Lee (P), Donna Crail-Rugotzke (P), Rick Fridell (P), David Vander Pluym (P), Rose Strickland, Dennis Ghiglieri (P), Lauren Harter, Martin Meyers (P), Ryan O’Donnell (P), Greg Scyphers (P), Randall Michal (P), Aaron Ambos (P, Figure 3), Curtis Marantz (P), 15-31 January 2013, Overton WMA (Clark). Although 31 January was the date of the last documentation submit- ted to the NBRC, sightings continued until at least 5 February (Fridell 2013). Like 2013-014 above, this Common Crane was immature. As to provenance, this bird’s traveling with Sandhill Cranes (including Lesser Sandhill Cranes), the skittish behavior described by several observers, the CBRC’s endorsement of California’s first record, and the lack of any visible signs of captivity helped to convince the NBRC to endorse 14 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 Figure 3. First reported 15 January 2013, this Common Crane provided fine viewing opportunities for birders from many states during its stay, during which it was in the company of a small group of Greater and Lesser Sandhill Cranes. This photo was taken 21 January 2013. Photo by Aaron Ambos the record unanimously. Another factor considered, and bolstering the committee’s decision, was the occurrence of a second California Common Crane, this one in Modoc County, in the northeastern corner of that state, 27 December 2012 (Pike et al. 2014). In fact, there was considerable conjecture that the cranes at Modoc and Overton might be the same bird. Photos were not conclusive in this regard, but the birds appeared very similar and seemed to be traveling with a very similar group of Greater and Lesser Sandhill Cranes. AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER Pluvialis dominica (6, 3). 2012-073, Jill Callin (P), Greg Scyphers (P), 14-24 September 2012, private property at Silver Peak (Esmeralda). 2012- 071, Randall Michal (P), 1 October 2012, Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve (Clark). 2013- 021, Greg Scyphers (P), 3 November 2012, the private Ponderosa Dairy, Amargosa Valley (Nye), 2 birds. Fourteen years passed between Nevada’s first endorsed record in 1997 (Baepler et al. 1999) and the next two, in 2011 (Meyers 2014) — followed by three more in 2012. MOUNTAIN PLOVER Charadrius montanus (8, 3). 2012-102, Greg Scyphers (P), 12 August 2012, Amargosa Valley (Nye). 2012-059, Rene Laubach (P), 18 August 2012, Corn Creek (Clark). 2012-077, Richard Saval (P), Tyler Stuart (P), 20-23 October 2012, El Dorado Dry Lake (Clark). SPOTTED REDSHANK Tringa erythropus (1, 1). 2013-052, Vincent Mowbray, C. S. Lawson, 16-19 August 1975, Clark County Wetlands Park (Clark). Establishing record. This species was already on the Nevada list on the basis of this sighting, which had been published by Kingery (1976) but until recently not reviewed by the NBRC. The original documentation was reviewed and the record endorsed. 15 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 HUDSONIAN GODWIT Limosa haemastica (1, 1). 2013-086, Vincent Mowbray, C. S. Lawson (P, #NSM 1616), H. G. Stevenson (P), 15-24 May 1976, Clark County Wetlands Park (Clark), 5 birds. Establishing record. This species was on the Nevada list on the basis of this sighting (Lawson 1977b). Original photos by Stevenson plus photos of the one specimen were reviewed, and the record was unanimously endorsed. *STILT SANDPIPER Calidris himantopus (11**, 4). 2012-108, Greg Scyphers (P), 10 September 2011, Amargosa Valley (Nye). 2012-058, Randall Michal (P), Babette d’Amours (P), 29 August 2012, Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve (Clark). 2012- 063, Aaron Ambos (P), 7 September 2012, El Dorado Dry Lake Bed (Clark). 2013- 073, Timothy Fennell (P), 18-21 July 2013, Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve (Clark), 2 birds present 18 July, one present 21 July. This species had been exempt from review in southern Nevada from the founding of the NBRC (1994) until September 2009, when the exemption was removed. Eight records in the ensuing four years were enough to convince the committee to remove the species from the review list entirely in 2013. PARASITIC JAEGER Stercorarius parasiticus (6, 1). 2012-065, Michael J. San Miguel, Jr., Greg Scyphers, Martin Meyers (P), 13-14 September 2012, south end of Pyramid Lake (Washoe). LONG-TAILED JAEGER Stercorarius longicaudus (10, 2). 2012-072, Amy Seaman (P), Martin Meyers (P), Greg Scyphers (P), 13 September-1 October 2012, private property at Silver Peak (Esmeralda). 2012- 070, Aaron Ambos (P), Deb Vogt (P), Randall Michal (P), Babette d’Amours (P), 27 September-2 October 2012, El Dorado Dry Lake Bed (Clark). Additional reports not submitted to the committee place the bird’s last date at 4 October (Fridell 2013). BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE Rissa tridactyla (6, 1). 2012-089, Andrew Lee (P), 17 November 2012, Las Vegas Bay, Lake Mead NRA (Clark). RED-LEGGED KITTIWAKE Rissa breuirostris (1, 1). 2013-090, C. S. Lawson (P, #NSM B-1671), 3 July 1977, Floyd Lamb Park (Clark). Establishing record. This astounding record was at the time only the third for North America away from the Bering Sea or coastal Alaska (Kingery 1978). The bird was found alive by 13-year- old Sandra Feldman and given to park personnel. It died the same day. More than a year later, it was given to C. S. Lawson, who prepared the specimen (Figure 4). The committee was able to photograph and study the specimen and endorsed the record unanimously *MEW GULL Larus canus (8**, 1). 2012-052, Rita Schlageter, 13 January 1994, Hemenway Harbor, Lake Mead NRA (Clark). In 2007, the NBRC exempted this spe- cies from review in northwest Nevada and removed it from the review list entirely in 2009 but continues to review sightings prior to 2009. Several other pre-committee records await review. SLATY-BACKED GULL Larus schistisagus (1, 1). 2013-011, Martin Meyers (P, Figure 5), Greg Scyphers (P), Meg Andrews, Carolyn Titus, Richard Titus (P), Rose Strickland, Dennis Ghiglieri (P), 18-24 January 2013, Walker Lake (Mineral). This first for the state appeared to be in its third cycle. Nevada’s gull enthusiasts had been predicting this one for a while, but it was nonetheless a nice surprise when found standing on the shoreline of Walker Lake. GLAUCOUS GULL Larus hyperboreus (11, 3). 2012-099, Martin Meyers (P), Rob Lowry (P), 15 December 2012-6 February 2013, Sparks Marina (Washoe). 2013- 018, Chuck Coxe (P), Martin Meyers (P), 30 January-6 February 2013, 16 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 Sparks Marina (Washoe). On at least one occasion, 2013-018 and 2012-099 were together on the same set of marina floats. 2013-019, Dennis Ghiglieri (P), Rose Strickland, 16 February 2013, north of Pelican Beach, Pyramid Lake (Washoe). Photos of 2013-018 and 2013-019 showed the two birds to be very similar in plumage, although those of 2013-019 were not adequate for detailed comparison. The two locations are approximately 30 miles apart. Gulls that frequent Sparks Marina are often seen flying up and down the Truckee River, most presumed to be heading for the Lockwood dump just a few miles downstream. Pyramid Lake is the terminus of the Truckee River, and birds flying downstream from the Reno/Sparks area could easily end up at Pyramid Lake. The committee was divided on the question of whether these records represented a single individual. "LEAST TERN Sternula antillarum (19**, 4). 2013-057, David Parmelee (P), 17 June 1995, Overton WMA (Clark). 2013-045, Andrew Lee (P), 15 May 2013, Floyd Lamb Park (Clark). 2013-075, Randall Michal, Tim Almond (P), 30 June-1 July 2013, Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve (Clark). 2013-077, Randall Michal (P), Tim Almond (P), Greg Scyphers (P), 3-4 August 2013, Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve (Clark). Eighteen of Nevada’s endorsed records of the Least Tern involve birds observed between 29 April and 20 July. The August record above (2013-077) — later than most records for the interior Southwest — raised the question as to whether 2013-075 had remained continuously in the area since 30 June. The Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, however, is one of the most heavily birded in Nevada, so it seemed unlikely that the bird had remained at that location for a month without having been reported. There is other suitable, but more remote, habitat within a few miles, so it is possible that the bird remained in the vicinity during that time. Only one member, however, voted to consider it a “continuing” bird. BARRED OWL Strix uaria (1, 1). 2012-098, Janice Vitale (P), Jacque Lowery (P, Figure 6), Greg Scyphers (P), 11-21 December 2012, Spanish Springs (Washoe). First state record, although perhaps not the most welcome one. The Barred Owl, confined to eastern North America until the mid-1900s, has now expanded its range throughout the entire range of the Northern Spotted Owl (S. occidentalis caurina) and into the northern part of the range of California Spotted Owl (S. o. occidentalis) (Gutierrez et al. 2007). As a result, this first documented occurrence of the Barred Owl in Nevada was not unexpected, but the location, a residential neighborhood in the northeastern part of the Reno/Sparks area, was a bit surprising. There is a very small population of California Spotted Owls in the Carson Range on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe (Floyd et al. 2007). So far, there have been no reports of Barred Owls in that area. ALLEN’S HUMMINGBIRD Selasphorus sasin (0, 0). 2013-072 (#MBM 3991), NOT ENDORSED. 15 August 1954, Boulder City (Clark). NBRC member Greg Scyphers took 26 photos of a museum specimen purported to be an immature male Allen’s Hummingbird (Figure 7), which the committee then reviewed. All members commented that the shapes of the rectrices did not support the identification as Allen’s, and, in fact, indicated the Rufous Hummingbird (S. ru/us). The record received no votes for endorsement. Attempts to find other specimens of Allen’s Hummingbird from Nevada have been unsuccessful. 1996-19, NOT ENDORSED. 11 September 1996, Carpenter Canyon (Clark). This record was reviewed by the NBRC in 1996/1997 and received four votes for endorsement (Cressman et al. 1998). Under the bylaws in place at that time, a vote of 4-2 was sufficient for acceptance. In 2012, the committee decided to reevaluate this record under the bylaws clause that permits recirculating a completed record “if and only if there becomes available new and substantial documentary evidence that might affect the decision” (http:/gbbo.org/nbrc). The membership believed that a 17 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 better understanding of the variability in the back color of the Rufous Hummingbird, and specifically that even a small percentage of adult male Rufous Hummingbirds have completely green backs, qualified as “new and substantial.” The identification of 1996-19 was based primarily on the completely green back of an adult male. The description also added some other comments about observed behavior, which the committee did not consider relevant to the identification. Overturning a previously endorsed record requires that there be no more than one vote against overturning the decision. In the case of 1996-19, the vote to overturn was unanimous. Because acceptance of record 1996-19 was reversed and the identification of MBM 3991 as an Allen’s Hummingbird was in error, the NBRC removed the species from the Nevada list. GILA WOODPECKER Melanerpes uropygialis (1, 1). 2013-031, George Austin (P, #MBM 1504, #UWBM 97993), 10 July 1966, near Davis Dam (Clark). Con- sideration of this record is another example of the committee’s continuing efforts to pursue reviewable documentation of species on the state list but for which there are no NBRC-endorsed records. Searches of museum collections revealed this specimen and a few others covered in this report. As late as 1976, C. S. Lawson stated that the Gila Woodpecker “occurs only in the extreme southern tip of southern Nevada in the Fort Mohave area. In its very limited habitat it is a common resident and you can find it any time of the year” (Alcorn 1988). During surveys for Nevada’s breeding bird atlas from 1997 to 2000, however, no Gila Woodpeckers were found in that area, and the species is presumed extirpated in the state (Floyd et al. 2007) because of loss of habitat. It still occurs as far north as Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, just 15 miles south of the Nevada border (D. Vander Pluym pers. comm.) "YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER Sphyrctpicus varius (12"*, 5). 2013-037, Greg Scyphers (P), 18 January 2011, Floyd Lamb Park (Clark). 2012- 085, RickFridell (P), Tom Graham (P), 5 October 2012, Corn Creek (Clark). 2013- 038, Andrew Lee (P), Greg Scyphers (P), 11-12 November 2012, Floyd Lamb Park (Clark). 2013-013, Sundee Meyer (P), 3 January 2013, Floyd Lamb Park (Clark). 2013-020, Meg Andrews, 14 February 2013, Cottonwood Park, Reno (Washoe). On the basis of the number of endorsed records and the status of the species in adjacent states, the NBRC decided at its 2013 meeting to remove this species from the review list. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is not reviewed by committees covering Arizona, Oregon, or California, although it remains on the Utah review list. CRESTED CARACARA Caracara cheriway (3, 2). 2012-096, Wade Rose (P), Rose Strickland, Dennis Ghiglieri (P), Greg Scyphers (P), 15-16 December 2012, Pahranagat NWR (Lincoln). 2013-017, Carl Bullock (P), 3 February 2013, Moapa (Clark). The two records are separated in space by ~50 miles and in time by 49 days. The committee wrestled with the question of whether they represented a single bird. In California some caracaras have been documented moving up to a few hundred miles (Nelson and Pyle 2013). In the case of the Nevada records, the photographic evidence was not conclusive, and differences in molt suggested they were of different individuals. GYRFALCON Falco rusticolus (2, 1). 2013-005R, Bill Henry (P), 5 January 2013, Stillwater NWR (Churchill). This bird was found and photographed at the same site as Nevada's first NBRC-endorsed record of the Gyrfalcon, 13-16 January 2012 (Meyers 2014). The committee was unanimous in considering the 2013 sighting as representing a return visit of the 2012 bird. In such cases, the letter “R” appended to the record’s number specifies a return. LEAST FLYCATCHER Empidonax minimus (9, 3). 2012-105, Greg Scyphers (P), 8 October 2011, Dyer (Esmeralda). 18 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 Figure 4. Certainly one of the most astounding species recorded for Nevada, this Red-legged Kittiwake (top) was found alive but injured on 3 July 1977 at Floyd Lamb State Park in Las Vegas. It died the next day. The carcass remained on ice for over a year, during which time the bill was broken, but eventually the specimen got to C. S. Lawson, who was able to prepare it successfully. Ultimately it was deposited in the Nevada State Museum, Carson City. Black-legged Kittiwake (bottom) included in photo for comparison. Photo by Greg Scyphers Figure 5. This third-cycle Slaty-backed Gull was discovered by Scyphers and Meyers as they were driving past Walker Lake on 18 January 2013, on their way to Overton W.M.A. to look for the Common Crane (2013-007). The first of this species for Nevada, it remained until at least 24 January. Photo by Martin Meyers 19 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 Figure 6. This Barred Owl was first reported from a back yard in Spanish Springs in the northeast portion of the Reno/Sparks area on 11 December 2012. Two Reno birders were given access to the private residence to photograph the bird, the first to be documented in Nevada. It is not likely to be the last. Photo by Jacque Lowery 2012- 106, Greg Scyphers(P), 23 September 2012, Miller’s Rest Stop (Esmeralda). 2013- 097, Greg Scyphers (P), Meg Andrews, 15 September 2013, Dyer (Esmeralda). DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER Myiarchus tuberculifer (1, 1). 2012-095, Justin Streit (P, V), Greg Scyphers (P, A), Deb Vogt (P, Figure 8), Rose Strickland, Dennis Ghiglieri (P), 11-15 December 2012, Floyd Lamb Park (Clark). Establishing record. This bird was initially reported to www.eBird.org as “ Myiarchus sp.” on 5 December. Streit observed the bird and confirmed the identification as a Dusky-capped Flycatcher on 11 December. Besides multiple photographs, the documentation for this record included audio and video recordings of the bird calling. The late fall or early winter date fits well with the many records of the Dusky-capped Flycatcher from western Arizona (D. Vander Pluym pers. comm.) and California (Hamilton et al. 2007). GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER Myiarchus crinitus (2, 1). 2012-074, Robert Dobbs (P), Rick Fridell (P), Martin Meyers (P), Greg Scyphers (P), 4-5 October 2012, Dyer (Esmeralda). Excellent photographs accompanied the documentation for Nevada’s second Great Crested Flycatcher. SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER Tyrannus forficatus (7, 1). 2012-093, Randall Michal (P), 4 December 2012, Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve (Clark). BLUE JAY Cyanocitta cristata (2, 1). 2012-080, Sara Wittenberg (P), 22 October 2012, Ruby Lake NWR (Elko). RUFOUS-BACKED ROBIN Turdus rufopalliatus (1, 1). 2012-104, Greg Scy- phers (P), Rick Fridell (P, this issue's cover photo), 14-15 November 2012, Williams Ranch (Lincoln). This first for Nevada was found at a well-watered private ranch — a green patch in the middle of many, many miles of dry desert in the southeastern part of the state. 20 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 CURVE-BILLED THRASHER Toxostoma curvirostre (2, 1). 2012-078, Tyler Stuart, Jim Boone (P), G. Scott Clemson, 15 September-13 October 2012, Walking Box Road (Clark). The first report of this bird, from Stuart, was of a bird heard calling “woot wheet,” but not seen, on 15 September. On 13 October, Stuart and Clemson had extended views of presumably the same bird, and both provided detailed written descriptions. Meanwhile, on 30 September, Boone, unaware of the 15 September occurrence, photographed an apparent Curve-billed Thrasher at essentially the same location. Although the photographs alone were not conclusive, the combination of written descriptions of the bird’s appearance, written descriptions of the characteristic call, and suggestive photos were enough to convince the NBRC to support the iden- tification. The habitat in this area is dominated by Joshua Trees ( Yucca breuifolia), and care must be taken in differentiating the Curve-billed from Bendire’s Thrasher, which also frequents Joshua Tree habitat. Considering the rarity of the Curve-billed Thrasher in Nevada and the proximity of all three observations, the committee also unanimously voted to consider all documentation as referring to the same bird. The only other NBRC-endorsed record of this species is from a private yard in Las Vegas, 11 August 1997 (Baepler et al. 1999). *BROWN THRASHER Toxostoma rufum (18**, 6). 2013-055, C. S. Lawson, Vincent Mowbray, 4 April 1970-31 March 1971, Corn Creek (Clark). This Brown Thrasher, the earliest recorded in Nevada, appears to have remained at Corn Creek, a frequently birded desert oasis near Las Vegas, for an entire year. For example, in his fall 1970 report to American Birds, Lawson wrote, “This bird is apparently the one we initially observed last spring and summer. It is apparently resident. We have not observed more than one, and the residents at CC [Corn Creek] tell us they see the bird from time to time.” 2013-062, C. S. Lawson (P), Vincent Mowbray, 1 November-30 December 1972, Corn Creek (Clark). Two members voted to consider this Brown Thrasher to repre- sent a repeat visit of the bird present at this same location through 31 March 1971 (2013-055 above), but four members were convinced that it was a new individual. As Corn Creek is birded so heavily, it is unlikely that the bird was present during the Figure 7. This hummingbird was collected by Lynn Peterson on 15 August 1954 at Boulder City. It was identified as an immature male Allen’s Hummingbird and is currently housed at the Lake Mead N.R.A. storage and office complex. The committee concluded unanimously that the nipple-shaped tips of rectrix 2 and the relatively wide rectrix 5 do not support the identification as Allen’s but are typical of the expected Rufous Hummingbird. Photo by Greg Scyphers 21 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 Figure 8. This Dusky-capped Flycatcher at Floyd Lamb State Park, Las Vegas, was apparently present as early as 5 December 2012, when a report to eBird listed a “ Myiarchus sp.” This photo was taken 14 December, and the bird was last seen 15 December. The rufous edges to the secondaries and nearly complete lack of rufous in the tail were sufficient for committee endorsement, but the audio recordings by Justin Streit and Greg Scyphers made it a “slam dunk.” Photo by Deb Vogt year and a half between the sightings, and the Brown Thrasher occurs regularly in Nevada and elsewhere in the Southwest. 2013-053, Richard Castetter (P), 28 September 1975, Mercury (Nye). 2013-054, Marian Cressman (P), 20 September 1995, Miller’s Rest Stop (Esmer- alda). 2012- 068, Maureen J. Kammerer (P), 26 September 2012, Floyd Lamb Park (Clark). 2013- 066, Greg Scyphers, 18 May 2013, Tonopah (Nye). SPRAGUE’S PIPIT Anthus spragueii (1, 1). 2012-054, Paul Lehman, 26 Novem- ber 1999, agricultural field of Bermuda grass near Avi Resort, extreme southern Nevada (Clark). Establishing record. Besides describing the bird’s structure, plumage, flight style, and call, Lehman mentioned that “the site is only two or three miles north of a series of large alfalfa fields just inside California (north of Needles) that supported multiple Sprague’s multiple years back in the 1980s” (corroborated by McCaskie 1987 in reference to fall 1986). LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH Parkesia motacilla (2, 1). 2012-067, Greg Scy- phers (P, Figure 9), Martin Meyers (P, V), Jon Dunn, Rose Strickland, Dennis Ghiglieri (P), 16-21 September 2012, Lida (Esmeralda). This exciting find was at one of the regularly birded migrant/vagrant traps in southwestern Nevada. CONNECTICUT WARBLER Oporornis agilis (3, 0). 2012-097, NOT ENDORSED. 3 September 2012, Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve (Clark). The writ- 22 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 Figure 9. This second Louisiana Waterthrush for Nevada was found and photo- graphed at Lida on 16 September 2012 by Scyphers and Meyers and remained until at least 2 1 September. Photo by Greg Scyphers Figure 10. Found by Kathy Kuyper at Ash Meadows N.W.R. 10 November 2012 and photographed by Scyphers 11 November, this third Bay-breasted Warbler the NBRC has endorsed for Nevada was the first to be reported in the state since 1995. Photo by Greg Scyphers 23 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 ten documentation described behavior not characteristic of the species and physical features that did not eliminate other similar, and more likely, species. BAY-BREASTED WARBLER Setophaga castanea (3, 1). 2012-084, Kathy Kuyper, Greg Scyphers (P, Figure 10), 10-11 November 2012, Ash Meadows NWR (Nye). This is the first record of the Bay-breasted Warbler the NBRC has endorsed since 1995 (Cressman et al. 1998). PINE WARBLER Setophaga pinus (0, 0). 2013-027, NOT ENDORSED. 15 September 1987, Corn Creek (Clark). 2013-026, NOT ENDORSED. 7 October 1994, Blue Diamond (Clark). This species was on the Nevada list on the basis of three early records. One of two mentioned by Alcorn (1988) is 2013-027, and the committee was able to obtain original documentation of it plus the 1994 record from Blue Diamond. We have been unable to find documentation for Alcorn’s other record, from September 1973. The September dates are earlier than virtually all of the many records for California and Arizona, where the species does not typically arrive until October or later (Hamilton et al. 2007, Rosenberg et.al. 2011). The September dates suggest possible confusion with similar species such as the Blackpoll or Bay-breasted warblers. As a result of these decisions, the committee, the NBRC removed the Pine Warbler from the state list. PRAIRIE WARBLER Setophaga discolor (8, 1). 2012-101, Greg Scyphers (P), 8 September 2012, Bonham Ranch (Washoe). *CLAY-COLORED SPARROW Spizella pallida (14**, 3). 2013-064, NOT ENDORSED. 23 September 1977, Pahranagat NWR (Lincoln). 2012- 088, Robert Dobbs, 3 October 2012, Pahranagat NWR (Lincoln). 2013- 043, Andrew Lee (P), 1 May 2013, Floyd Lamb Park (Clark). 2013-044, Andrew Lee (P), 12 May 2013, Sunset Park, Las Vegas (Clark). *SWAMP SPARROW Melospiza georgiana (19**, 5). 2013-040, Greg Scyphers (P), 28 September 2012, Miller’s Rest Stop (Esmeralda). 2013-039, Greg Scyphers (P), 5 October 2012, Dyer (Esmeralda). 2012-075, Andrew Lee (P), 13 October 2012, Floyd Lamb Park (Clark). 2012-081, Alan de Queiroz, Dennis Ghiglieri (P), Rose Strickland, Martin Meyers, 24 October-7 November 2012, Rancho San Rafael Park, Reno (Washoe). 2012- 087, Robert Dobbs (P), Greg Scyphers (P), 12 November-16 December 2012, Pahranagat NWR (Lincoln), 2 birds. PAINTED BUNTING Passerina ciris (9, 1). 2012-107, Greg Scyphers (P), 26 September 2012, Corn Creek (Clark). Nevada has four endorsed records for May and five for September. Two of the May records (2002-05 and 2008-037) involved adult males. All other Nevada records have been of birds in female or immature plumage. In California, the overwhelming majority of CBRC-endorsed records are from the fall. The few spring records are from May, and the only three adult males endorsed by the CBRC occurred in May (Hamilton et al. 2007). Escapes from captivity are also known from many states, and they often involve adult males, sometimes showing abnormal pigmentation. DICKCISSEL Spiza americana (6, 1). 2012-064, Andrew Lee (P), 9 September 2012, Floyd Lamb Park (Clark). *COMMON GRACKLE Quiscalus quiscula (19**, 5). 2013-063, Ed Harper (P), 31 May 1987, Dyer (Esmeralda), 2 birds. One of the photos accompanying this submission shows a Common Grackle carrying nesting material, although the success or failure of the attempt was never documented. Nesting has never been confirmed in Nevada, although other attempts have been suspected (Floyd et al. 2007). 2013- 056, Graham Etherington, 27 October 1994, Nellis Air Force Base (Nye). 2012-091, Rick Fridell (P), 24 May 2012, Corn Creek (Clark). 24 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 2012- 090, Robert Dobbs (P), Rick Fridell (P), Martin Meyers (P), Greg Scyphers (P), 15 November- 16 December 2012, the private Williams Ranch (Lincoln). 2013- 068, Frank Hall, 7 June 2013, West Wendover (Elko). PURPLE FINCH Haemorhous purpureus (4, 2). 2012-076, Martin Meyers (P), Meg Andrews, Greg Scyphers (P, V, Figure 11), 15-21 October 2012, The Willows, northwest side of Pyramid Lake (Washoe), 2 birds. 2012- 086, Chuck Coxe (P), 3 November 2012, Rancho San Rafael Park, Reno (Washoe). The Purple Finch has, over the years, been one of the most over-reported species in Nevada. Many reports appear to be erroneous identifications of Cassin’s Finch (H. cassinii ), which breeds commonly in the mountains through much of the state (Floyd et al. 2007) and also sometimes visits lowland oases, particularly in spring. Although the Purple Finch nests as close as the west slope of the Sierra Nevada in California, it is known to breed on the east slope at only two locations, around Susanville (Lassen Co.) and Markleeville (Alpine Co.), both in California (Beedy and Pandolfino 2013). With only four NBRC-endorsed records, the two occurrences in the fall of 2012 were a welcome surprise. Rutt et al. (2014) summarized the status of the two subspecies of the Purple Finch in the interior West, including Nevada. COMMON REDPOLL Acanthis flammea (12, 8). 2013-034, Ken Voget (P, #MBM 7923), 21 May 2000, the Nature Conservancy’s Torrance Ranch (Nye), found recently dead near a banding station. 2001-35, John Anderson, 17 December 2001, Reno/Sparks (Washoe). The first- round review of this record, completed in 2004, resulted in it being accepted as an unidentified redpoll. Two members were not convinced that the Hoary Redpoll (A. hornemanni) could be eliminated from the written description (Cochran 2004). At the September 2013 biennial meeting, the committee decided the record should have received a second review, as the bylaws specify that a record with two or three votes against endorsement (out of six) requires a second round . On the second round (in 2013), the committee voted 5-1 to endorse the identification as a Common Redpoll. 2013- 001, Carol and Mike Amos (P), 27 November 2012, Fallon (Churchill). 2012-094, John Rogers (P), 5 December 2012, Caliente (Lincoln). 2012-100, Pete Bradley (P), Greg Scyphers (P), 24 December 2012-12 January 2013, Spring Creek (Elko), 3 birds. 2012- 109, Kristen Frantzen Orr(P), 28 December 2012-8 February 2013, Spring Creek (Elko), 26 birds. 2013- 003, Dennis Serdehely (P), 2-28 January 2013, Fernley (Lyon). 2013-002, Dennis Serdehely, Martin Meyers (P), Greg Scyphers (P), 3-5 January 2013, Sutcliff area, Pyramid Lake (Washoe). Brinkley (2013) described the winter 2012-2013 irruption of the Common Redpoll as a “ superflight." That was certainly true in Nevada. Half of all NBRC-endorsed records are from that winter alone, and the total number of individual Common Redpolls documented that winter was 33. The six NBRC-endorsed records preceding the 2012-2013 invasion represent only nine individuals. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The NBRC thanks everyone who contributed to the accounts contained in this report. All submissions, photos, advice, comments, and opinions are greatly appreci- ated. We apologize to anyone who may have been overlooked. Some of the contribu- tors on this list are no longer with us, but their contributions are no less appreciated. Tim Almond, Aaron Ambos, Carol and Mike Amos, John Anderson, Meg Andrews, George Austin, Jennifer Ballard, Scott Barnes, Jim Boone, Pete Bradley, Carl Bullock, Jill Callin, Richard Castetter, G. Scott Clemson, Chuck Coxe, Donna Crail-Rugotzke, 25 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 Figure 11. There are now four NBRC-endorsed records for the Purple Finch, one from southern Nevada and three from northwest Nevada. On 15 October 2012, Meyers found and photographed a single Purple Finch at “The Willows” at Pyramid Lake. When Scyphers refound the bird on 21 October, two were present. Most reports of the Purple Finch from Nevada fail to eliminate Cassin’s Finch, which is found throughout the state. Photo by Greg Scyphers James Cressman, Marian Cressman, Babette d’Amours, Alan de Queiroz, Dave DeSante, Robert Dobbs, Ken Drozd, Jon Dunn, Graham Etherington, Timothy (Tim) Fennell, Samuel Flake, Rick Fridell, Dennis Ghiglieri, Tom Graham, Frank Hall, Ed Harper, Lauren Harter, Bill Henry, Ryan Hill, Maureen J. Kammerer, John Klicka, Scott Krammer, Kathy Kuyper, Jim Lane, Rene Laubach, C. S. Lawson, Andrew Lee, Paul Lehman, Jacque Lowery, Rob Lowry, Linda Mack, Sundee Meyer, Martin Meyers, Randall Michal, Vincent Mowbray, Michael Nicosia, Ryan O’Donnell, Kristen Frantzen Orr, David Parmelee, Norman Parrish, Anne Pellegrini, Lynn Peterson, Bob Poole, John Rogers, Wade Rose, Robert Rucker, Michael J. San Miguel, Jr., Richard Saval, Rita Schlageter, Greg Scyphers, Amy Seaman, Dennis Serdehely, Mark Sopko, B. J. Stacy, H. G. Stevenson, Justin Streit, Rose Strickland, Tyler Stuart, Carolyn Titus, Richard Titus, David Vander Pluym, Janice Vitale, Ken Voget, Deb Vogt, Fred Welden, Elizabeth Wells, Sara Wittenberg. Committee members Dennis Serdehely, Jeanne Tinsman, Carl Lundblad, and Greg Scyphers reviewed the report and provided helpful suggestions. Outside review was provided by Paul Lehman, Lauren Harter, David Vander Pluym, and Kurt Radamaker. Special thanks to Western Field Ornithologists and Great Basin Bird Observatory for their support and encouragement. LITERATURE CITED Alcorn, J. R. 1988. The Birds of Nevada. Fairview West Publishing, Fallon, NV. Baepler, D., Crowe, D., Elphick, C., Hoskins, L., Neel, L., Ryser, R., and Eidel, J. 1999. Report of the Nevada Bird Records Committee for 1997. Great Basin Birds 2:72-74. Beedy, E. C., and Pandolfino, E. R. 2013. Birds of the Sierra Nevada, Their Natural History, Status, and Distribution, Univ. of Calif. Press, Berkeley. 26 NEVADA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2013 Brinkley, E. S. 2013. The chanqinq seasons: Stranqers in a stranqe land. N. Am. Birds 67:216-228. Cicero, C. 2010. The significance of subspecies: A case study of Sage Sparrows (Emberizidae), Amphispiza belli. Ornithol. Monogr. 67:103-113. Cressman, J., Baepler, D., Biale, A., Crow, D., Hoskins, L., Neel, L., Ryser, F. Jr., and Eidel, J. 1998. Initial report of the Nevada Bird Records Committee: 1994-1996 records. Great Basin Birds 1:63-67. Cochran, J. 2004. Report of the Nevada Bird Records Committee for 2004. Great Basin Birds 7:53-62. Eidel, J. 2000. Report of the Nevada Bird Records Committee: 1998. Great Basin Birds 3:73-76. Floyd, T., Elphick, C. S., Chisholm, G., Mack, K., Elston, R. G., Ammon, E. M., and Boone, J. D. 2007. Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Nevada. Univ. of Nev. Press, Reno. Fridell, R. 2013. Great Basin. N. Am. Birds 67:320-322. Gutierrez, R. J., Cody, M., Courtney, S., and Franklin, A. B. 2007. The invasion of Barred Owls and its potential effect on the Spotted Owl: A conservation conun- drum. Biol. Invasions 9:181-196 Hamilton, R. A. 2008. Fulvous Whistling-Duck {Dendrocygna bicolor), in California Bird Species of Special Concern (W. D. Shuford and T. Gardali, eds.), pp. 68-73. Studies of Western Birds 1. W. Field Ornithol., Camarillo, CA, and Calif. Dept, of Fish and Game, Sacramento. Hamilton, R. A., Patten, M. A., and Erickson, R. A. 2007. Rare Birds of California. W. Field Ornithol., Camarillo, CA. Harter, L., and Vander Pluym, D. 2014. AZFO seasonal reports: Winter 2013-2014. Southwest ; http : //www. azf o . org/reports . html . Jones, H. L. 1971. Olivaceous Cormorant record for California. Calif. Birds 2:134. Kingery, H. E. 1976. Mountain West region. Am. Birds 30:101-105. Kingery, H. E. 1978. Mountain West region. Am. Birds 32:380-383. Lawson, C. S. 1977a. Nonpasserine species new or unusual to Nevada. W. Birds 8:73-90. Lawson, C. S. 1977b. Stilt Sandpiper and Hudsonian Godwit in Nevada. Great Basin Nat. 37:532. McCaskie, G. 1987. Southern Pacific Coast region. Am. Birds 41:142-147 McEneany, T. 2005. Rare color variants of the Trumpeter Swan. Birding 37 : 148-154. Meyers, M. 2008. 2007 Nevada Bird Records Committee report. Great Basin Birds 10:36-62. Meyers, M. 2010. 2008/2009 Nevada Bird Records Committee report; http:// gbbo. org/ nbrc/GBB_2 008_2 0 09_Report . pdf . Meyers, M. 2014. 2012 Nevada Bird Records Committee report. W. Birds 45:2-17. Nelson, K. N., and Pyle, P. 2013. Distribution and movement patterns of individual Crested Caracaras in California. W. Birds 44:45-55. Nelson, K. N., Rottenborn, S. C., and Terrill, S. B. 2013. The 37 th annual report of the CBRC: 2011 records. W. Birds 44:206-236. Pike, J. E., Garrett, K. L., and Searcy, A. J. 2014. The 38 th annual report of the California Bird Records Committee: 2012 records. W. Birds 45:246-275. Rosenberg, G. H., Radamaker, K., and Stevenson, M. M., 2011. Arizona Bird Com- mittee report, 2005-2009 records. W. Birds 42:198-232. Rutt, C. L., Pyle, P., Collins, P. W., Brady, M. L., Tietz, J. R., and Dunn, J. L. 2014. The nominate subspecies of the Purple Finch in California and western North America. W. Birds 45:284-295. Titus, C. K. 1996. Field List of the Birds of Nevada. Red Rock Audubon Soc., Las Vegas, NV. Accepted 11 August 2014 27 NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF CHIRIKOF ISLAND, ALASKA JACK J. WITHROW, University of Alaska Museum, 907 Yukon Drive, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775; jjwithrow@alaska.edu ABSTRACT: Isolated in the western Gulf of Alaska 61 km from nearest land and 74 km southwest of the Kodiak archipelago, Chirikof Island has never seen a focused investigation of its avifauna. Annotated status and abundance for 89 species recorded during eight visits 2008-2014 presented here include eastern range extensions for three Beringian subspecies of the Pacific Wren ( Troglodytes pad ficus semidiensis), Song Sparrow ( Melospiza melodia sanaka ), and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Leucost- icte tephrocotis griseonucha). A paucity of breeding bird species is thought to be a result of the long history of the presence of introduced cattle and introduced foxes (' Vulpes lagopus ), both of which persist to this day. Unique among sizable islands in southwestern Alaska, Chirikof Island (55° 50' N 155° 37' W) has escaped focused investigations of its avifauna, owing to its geographic isolation, lack of an all-weather anchorage, and absence of major seabird colonies. In contrast, nearly every other sizable island or group of islands in this region has been visited by biologists, and they or their data have added to the published literature on birds: the Aleutian Is- lands (Gibson and Byrd 2007), the Kodiak archipelago (Friedmann 1935), the Shumagin Islands (Bailey 1978), the Semidi Islands (Hatch and Hatch 1983a), the Sandman Reefs (Bailey and Faust 1980), and other, smaller islands off the Alaska Peninsula (Murie 1959, Bailey and Faust 1981, 1984). With the exception of most of the Kodiak archipelago these islands form part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (AMNWR), and many of these publications are focused largely on seabirds. Additional, unpublished information is archived at various institutions, principally the University of Alaska Museum (UAM) in Fairbanks and the AMNWR in Homer. Historic and recent sources, without exception focused at a larger geographic scale or directed primarily at other aspects of the island, have provided only glimpses of Chirikof’s avifauna (see Dali 1874, Workman 1966, 1969, Sowls et al. 1978, Gideon 1989, Khlebnikov 1994; see also Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959, Murie 1959). Indeed, Vitus Bering’s having denied Georg Wilhelm Steller permission to go ashore at Chirikof while they lay at anchor nearby on 2 August 1741 (Golder 1925) seems to have foreshadowed the next 270 years of missed opportunities there. Chirikof’s proximity to some of the most productive islands and marine waters in this region suggests that a focused inventory would provide a valuable addition to our knowledge of the avifauna of southwestern Alaska. STUDY AREA The geologic terminus of the Kenai Peninsula’s Chugach Mountains (Nilsen and Moore 1979), Chirikof Island lies 135 km southeast of the near- est projections of the Alaska Peninsula (capes Kumlik, Kunmik, Kuyuyukak, and Providence). The Semidi Islands, hosting the largest concentration of breeding seabirds in the western Gulf of Alaska (Hatch and Hatch 1983a), 28 Western Birds 46:28-48, 2015 NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF CHIRIKOF ISLAND, ALASKA lie 61 km to the west-northwest and are the nearest neighboring island group. Tugidak Island, designated a “critical habitat area” by the state of Alaska (ADFG 1995) and part of the Kodiak archipelago, lies 74 km to the northeast (Figure 1). Chirikof, 17 km long and 12 km wide, encompasses nearly 132 km 2 with 51.5 km of coastline, 32 km of which is sandy beach, the rest rocky coast backed by cliffs (Figures 2, 3). Vegetation (see Hulten 1968) is predomi- nantly grasses and shrubs, with heath at some higher elevations. Lupine {Lupinus nootkatensis ) and cow parsnip (Heracleum lanatum) dominate the lowlands in summer, probably because of the reluctance of feral domestic cattle (see MacDonald and Cook 2009) to eat these species. Salmonberry (. Rubus spectabilis ) and willows ( Salix spp.) grow on a few protected slopes and valleys. Nearly everywhere the vegetation is heavily grazed by cattle, including the steep slopes along the southern and eastern coasts, which are heavily terraced from many years of cattle traffic and hold only a few areas inaccessible to cattle (Figure 3). Many areas of sandy, denuded soil pocket the perimeter of the island, where vegetation has been unable to take hold or persist. Three lakes, of 51, 34, and 21 hectares, and about a dozen smaller ponds are present. There are several marshy areas, one of which (Southwest Marsh), was a lake as recently as 1874 (Lindenkohl 1875). Over time Chirikof has supported and continues to support several species of introduced mammals. Human presence on the island goes back at least 4000 years (Workman 1966, Saltonstall and Steffian 2005). Feral domestic cattle, the most conspicuous aspect of the island’s fauna, are common and Figure 1. Chirikof Island and vicinity in the western Gulf of Alaska. 29 NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF CHIRIKOF ISLAND, ALASKA North End Figure 2. Map of Chirikof Island with place names used in text. Bold names are those appearing on USGS topographical maps, the others are mostly my own uninventive neologisms. Complete contour lines are 200 feet apart, open-ended lines are an approximate 75-foot contour representing coastal bluffs. widespread. Sources vary on when exactly cattle were introduced, but it was likely in the late 1880s or early 1890s (see Fields 2000). Estimates of recent and historic cattle numbers vary considerably but it is likely that there have been hundreds of cattle for over a century, degrading the local vegetation significantly. Arctic foxes ( Vulpes lagopus) are common around the island, also having been introduced in the late 1880s or early 1890s (see Keithahn 1962, Bailey 1993, Fields 2000). Likely because of historical introduction by humans, Chirikof supports a thriving population of arctic ground squir- rels ( Spermophilus parryii), which are common and widespread (Clark 2010; see also MacDonald and Cook 2009, Cook et al. 2010, Galbreath et al. 2011) and have been present for thousands of years (Saltonstall and 30 NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF CHIRIKOF ISLAND, ALASKA Figure 3. Landscape photographs of Chirikof Island. A, view south down east side over denuded North End, 8 May 2009. B, 600-foot cliffs of western Southeast Cove. Notice terracing by cattle, one of which is barely visible in center of photo, 3 June 2012. C, view east over Southeast Cove toward Southeast Lake and South Cape, cattle trails again in evidence, 13 May 2008. D, view northeast along west side, Sand Shack Bluffs in background right, 7 July 2013. All photos by Jack J. Withrow, except D, by Patrick G. Saltonstall Steffian 2005; Samantha Dunning, Univ. Alaska, in lift. 2014). Besides the introduced ground squirrels, I observed no small mammals (e.g., shrews or voles), nor have they been recorded from the island (MacDonald and Cook 2009). Various other domestic animals (e.g., dogs and feral horses) have been present in association with humans, often persisting after their departure, although neither is currently extant. These introductions have had important effects on the island’s avifauna. Pink salmon ( Oncorhgnchus gorbuscha), silver salmon (O. kisutch), and char (Saluelinus sp., probably Dolly Varden [S. malma]) occur in the Southwest River, and probably in the Chirikof River as well. Several smaller streams may also support runs of anadromous fish at times (Johnson and Blanche 2011; pers. obs.). METHODS My observations were made during the course of eight trips to Chirikof: 12- 17 May 2008, 3-8 May 2009, 1-6 May 2010, 24-25 August 2010, 13- 18 May 2011, 30 May-4 June 2012, 4-12 July 2013, and 10-15 May 2014. On most trips I covered 30-50 km by walking, generally along beaches, although I transited various upland areas at least once each trip and checked most large lakes each year. I noted relative abundance and distribu- 31 NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF CHIRIKOF ISLAND, ALASKA tion but did not conduct censuses. These observations were supplemented by collection of birds deposited at UAM. I directed little attention to waters more than 100 m from shore. Round Rock and Nagai Rocks lie ~2.5 km from West Point (Figure 2), and although I scanned these rocks with a 40 x spotting scope in 2013 and 2014, the numbers and diversity of birds breed- ing there was difficult to assess, although they held the greatest abundance and diversity of seabirds on the island, while Chirikof Island proper generally lacked such activity. Unpublished reports I cite are on file at UAM, at ARLIS (Alaska Resources and Information Services Library) in Anchorage, and/or the responsible institution. Conventions Used in Species Accounts Subspecies of polytypic species, following Gibson and Withrow (in press), are given parenthetically when a specimen is lacking or when despite a speci- men the subspecies is only inferred. The brevity of most trips, and their limited seasonal scope, made determining the status and relative abundance of many taxa problematic; hence I generally assess only status. For a few regularly encountered species I qualify abundance and give examples of normal and/ or high counts. Species are denoted as breeders only when I found definite evidence (e.g., nest, shelled egg in oviduct, passerines in juvenal plumage). Species with less than conclusive evidence are qualified with “probable” or “possible.” “Probable” means I observed circumstantial evidence of breeding such as seabirds approaching or perched on cliffs, defensive behavior, copula- tion, strong site fidelity, etc. “Possible” means that the species was present during the breeding season and part of the known breeding assemblage of the surrounding region, but I saw no other evidence of breeding. A few taxa are given this qualifier on the basis of historical reports. Comments on a species’ status in the broader area of southwestern Alaska, where useful, are given in NOTES. Unattributed statements about status in the Kodiak archipelago are from my own observations, unpublished data at UAM, and discussions and correspondence with Richard A. Macintosh; information on Tugidak Island (Macintosh, in litt. , 1995; see also ADFG 1995) was particularly useful. Observations are generally arranged by cal- endar date. A “pair” denotes a male and a female. Capitalized place names appear in Figure 2. SPECIES ACCOUNTS Anser albifrons ( sponsa ). Greater White-fronted Goose. Spring migrant. Repre- sentative counts: eight on 1 May 2010 with Brant and Cackling Geese; six on 3-4 May 2009 with Brant; four on 11-13 May 2014; and 20 on 15-16 May 2008. Specimens (2): UAM 35427, second-year 300 on 10 May 2014 and >100 on 7 July 2013, of which most were Pelagics. Sowls et al. (1978) indicated similar numbers there in June 1977. NOTES: Both the Pelagic and Red-faced cormorants breed in the Semidis (e.g., Hatch and Hatch 1983a), and it is possible that all three cormorant species may breed on Round and Nagai rocks at times. Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Bald Eagle. Common breeder. At least 14 nest loca- tions; hatching usually occurred from early to mid-May. Largest concentration was of eight, mostly immature birds, on a dead whale on 11 May 2014. NOTES: Historically Dali (1874), Workman (1969), and Sowls et al. (1978) all mentioned the presence of eagles. Circus cyaneus ( hudsonius ). Northern Harrier. One male on 8 May 2009 and 1 May 2010. NOTES: Harriers are sporadic mostly as migrants and occasionally winter- ing birds in southwest Alaska, where they probably do not nest (Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gill et al. 1981, Gibson and Byrd 2007). Buteo lagopus ( sanctijohannis ). Rough-legged Hawk. One light-morph bird on 9 July 2013 over the upper Chirikof River valley. NOTES: This species nests regularly on the Alaska Peninsula (Murie 1959), eastern Aleutians (Gibson and Byrd 2007), and the southern and mountainous portions of Kodiak Island and Tugidak; it has nested at Chowiet Island in the Semidis (Andersen et al. 2013). Grus canadensis canadensis. Sandhill Crane. Spring migrant. Three on 5 May 2009 and 30 May 2012; one on 14 May 2014. SPECIMEN (1): UAM 30001, adult cf, 30 May 2012. NOTES: Cranes are rare migrants in the Kodiak archipelago and Semidis (Andersen et al. 2013), and they nest as close as the Alaska Peninsula (Gill et al. 1981). Haematopus bachmani. Black Oystercatcher. Possible breeder. Nine on 16 May 2011 near the Old Ranch and six on Round Rock and at Southwest Anchorage on 10 and 15 May 2014, respectively, are the only records. SPECIMEN (1): UAM 35395, adult 9, ovary 20 x 11 mm, 15 May 2014. NOTES: Oystercatchers breed commonly in the Kodiak archipelago (including the north end of Tugidak), the Semidis (Andersen et al. 2013), and on islands off the nearby Alaska Peninsula (Bailey and Faust 1981), and it is conceivable that they nest on Nagai and Round rocks. Pluuialis fulva. Pacific Golden Plover. Spring migrant. Maximum at least 30 on 8 May 2009; four on 2 May 2010. SPECIMENS (5): UAM 26907-26910, 3 c?d\ 1 9, 8 May 2009; and UAM 30011, 9, 3 June 2012. Charadrius semipalmatus. Semipalmated Plover. Common breeder. High counts in early May, when many birds were presumably migrants, were 15 on 10 May 2014 and at least 30 on 14 May 2014. Breeding evidence included nests (nest with 1 egg 36 NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF CHIRIKOF ISLAND, ALASKA and 2 young on 4 July 2013; two nests with 3 and 4 eggs on 9 July 2013) and family groups with downy young on 5, 6, and 10 July 2013. SPECIMENS (3): UAM 26975, c?, 15 May 2011; UAM 26974, d, 17 May 2008; and UAM 31806, chick, 4 July 2013. NOTES: The Semipalmated Plover breeds regularly in southwestern Alaska (Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959). Tringa incana. Wandering Tattler. Spring and fall migrant. Maximum counts: four on 4 May 2010 and 30 May 2012; five on 10 May 2014. Two on 10 July 2013 and at least one on 24 August 2010 represent the only fall records. SPECIMENS (2): UAM 30009, d\ and UAM 30010, [9], both 30 May 2012. Tringa melanoleuca. Greater Yellowlegs. Spring and fall migrant. Two on 8 May 2009 and one on 5 May 2010 are the only spring records. Seven birds were in Southwest Marsh 7-11 July 2013, and a few were present on 24 August 2010. NOTES: Greater Yellowlegs nest southwest to at least the base of the Alaska Peninsula (Murie 1959) and probably the northern parts of Kodiak Island. Casual farther west in the Aleutians (Gibson and Byrd 2007). Numenius phaeopus ( hudsonicus ). Whimbrel. Spring and fall migrant. Single curlews on 4 and 8 May 2009, 15 May 2011, 18 May 2011, and 4 and 8 July 2013 were probably this species. Arenaria interpres interpres. Ruddy Turnstone. Spring and fall migrant. Four on 15 May 2008, one on 14 May 2011, and >3 on 24 August 2010 were the only records. SPECIMENS (2): UAM 26977, ; and UAM 24829, tf, both 16 May 2008. NOTES: Aleutian Terns breed intermittently rather than annually at many nest sites in southwest Alaska (Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959, Kessel and Gibson 1978, North 1997). See notes under Arctic Tern. Sterna paradisaea. Arctic Tern. Only records are of two on 16 May 2011, one on 4 July 2013, and three on 5 July 2013. NOTES: The report by Sowls et al. (1978) of two colonies of 100 and 200 birds on the island’s east side 18 June 1977 were based on rough estimates of unidentified terns (colony documentation on file at UAM and AMNWR). Asio flammeus (flammeus). Short-eared Owl. One on 7 May 2009 near West Point. NOTES: Short-eared Owls nest throughout southwest Alaska (Murie 1959, Gill et al. 1981, Gibson and Byrd 2007) including Tugidak. Falco columbarius (columbarius). Merlin. I observed single individuals on 1 May 2010 and 11 May 2014. NOTES: Merlins are known to nest on Kodiak Island and the base of the Alaska Peninsula. Falco rusticolus. Gyrfalcon. Breeder. Seen generally in two separate areas on the east and west sides of the island. On the east side two were on cliff faces south of the Chirikof River mouth on both 6 May 2009 and 10 July 2013, and one was there on 2 May 2010. On the west side all observations were at the Sand Shack Bluffs, where I noted one on 31 May 2012, a family group of four on 6 July 2013, and a nest with adults, two chicks, and an egg on 12 May 2014. Two individuals were near Southwest Lake on 24 August 2010. All birds appeared to be of the gray morph. Specimen (1): UAM 31804, juvenile 9, 6 July 2013. NOTES: It is possible that Gyr falcons nested at the Sand Shack Bluffs and went unnoticed prior to 2013. They have nested as close as Terrace Island in Wide Bay on the southeast side of the Alaska Peninsula (Bailey and Faust 1984) and Tugidak. An immature Gyrfalcon fitted with a satellite transmitter in the summer of 1992 on the Seward Peninsula moved to the Chukotsk Peninsula, Russia, in September of that year before moving to the Bristol Bay region and spending the last two weeks of November on or near Chirikof, where its transmitter stopped working (McIntyre et al. 2009). The assertion by Potapov and Sale (2005) that Gyrfalcons nest on Chirikof referred instead to Tugidak (Eugene Potapov and Ted Swem in litt. , 2013). Falco peregrinus (pealei). Peregrine Falcon. Rare, possible breeder. Single individu- als observed on 5 May 2010, 8 May 2009, 14 and 17 May 2011, and 14 May 2014. At least two of these were immatures. NOTES: Cade (I960: Figure 2) suggested Peregrines nested on Chirikof, but there is no recent evidence of this (White et al. 1976). They nest in the Semidis (Cade 1960, Andersen et al. 2013), the Shumagins (R. H. Day in litt., 2014), and other islands off the Alaska Peninsula (Wehle 1978, Bailey and Faust 1981, 1984), but nesting has been documented only once in the Kodiak archipelago. 40 NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF CHIRIKOF ISLAND, ALASKA Pica hudsonia. Black-billed Magpie. One on 4 May 2010 near Southwest Lake. SPECIMEN (1): UAM 27024, 9. NOTES: Magpies are resident breeders on the Alaska Peninsula (Murie 1959, Gill et al. 1981), the Shumagins (Dali 1873, Kenyon 1964), and Kodiak (Friedmann 1935), and although they are not known to nest on Tugidak they have been reported from the southern part of that island (May 2013; fide Jay Wattum). Magpies nested on Chowiet in 2010 (Andersen et al. 2013). Workman’s (1966:188) assertion that “The large birds on the island were generally scavengers (magpies, crows and ravens)’’ probably refers simply to the family Corvidae. The Northwestern Crow ( Corvus caurinus ) is essentially unknown west of the Kodiak archipelago and adjacent mainland (see Gibson 1970, Tobish and Isleib 1991). Corvus corax (kamtschaticus). Common Raven. Common breeder. Seen nearly daily in small numbers (one or two) on most trips. Typical high counts: five on 4 May 2009 and 14 May 2011, seven on 15 May 2011; exceptionally, a flock of 34+ frequented the west-side beach 10-15 May 2014. Nest sites included the West Point area (active all years), east side of Southwest Anchorage (active 2012 and 2014), south of the Old Ranch (active 2013), and Sand Shack Bluffs (active 2014). Nest areas often included multiple nests, which were used in different years. Dali (1874) mentioned ravens as present at Southwest Anchorage on 10 June 1874. SPECIMENS (2): UAM 30045, adult cf, wing chord 473 mm, 3 June 2012; and UAM 34188, juvenile 9?, 8 July 2013. NOTES: Alaska subspecies of C. corax are poorly defined (Rea, in Phillips 1986), and Chirikof lies at the hypothesized boundary of kamtschaticus and principalis. The only adult Chirikof specimen is large, suggesting kamtschaticus. Tachycineta thalassina (thalassina). Violet-green Swallow. One on 5 May 2009 between South Cove and Southeast Lake. NOTES: Violet-green Swallows nest at the base of the Alaska Peninsula (Williamson and Peyton 1962) and probably Kodiak Island but are only casual in the Aleutians (Gibson and Byrd 2007). Riparia riparia riparia. Bank Swallow. Common, probable breeder. Seen regularly around the island in 2012 and 2013. I frequently encountered nest holes in sandy banks and observed a bird entering one of them on 10 July 2013. SPECIMEN (1): UAM 30192, 9, 30 May 2012. NOTES: Bank Swallows nest regularly in southwest Alaska (Murie 1959), including the eastern Aleutians (Gibson and Byrd 2007), the Shumagins (Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959), and the Kodiak archipelago, including Tugidak, and have nested at least once on Chowiet (Andersen et al. 2013). A lack of observations in early May is consistent with late-May arrival dates in the eastern Aleutians (Gibson and Byrd 2007) and Kodiak. Petrochelidon pyrrhonota pyrrhonota. Cliff Swallow. One on 3 June 2012 at Southeast Lake. SPECIMEN (1): UAM 30193, 9. NOTES: The Cliff Swallow nests at the base of the Alaska Peninsula (Williamson and Peyton 1962) but is a rare spring migrant at Kodiak and only casual farther west in the Aleutians (Gibson and Byrd 2007). Troglodytes pacificus semidiensis. Pacific Wren. Common breeder. Wrens were encountered on all trips wherever cliffs or bluffs reached the shoreline, including occasionally West Point and the Sand Shack Bluffs, and could be quite numerous along the base of higher cliffs. Juveniles were common in July 2013. SPECIMENS (31): UAM 27106-121, 30131-136, 31856-861, 35401-402; all 5 May-12 July. NOTES: Chirikof birds are larger and paler than helleri from northern Kodiak Island. Topotypes of kiskensis from Kiska in the central Aleutians appear more massive, averaging longer billed and slightly darker than semidiensis from Chirikof, but inter- vening material available to me was scant and unhelpful in revealing a possible dine in phenotypes between Kiska and Chirikof. With only one record, the wren appears to be accidental on Tugidak; the single specimen (UAM 34542; 17 Dec 2013) is an 41 NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF CHIRIKOF ISLAND, ALASKA example of helleri. A significant die-off of wrens in at least the northern portion of Kodiak Island in winter 2011-2012 (Tobish 2013) did not appear to affect Chirikof. Catharus guttatus guttatus. Hermit Thrush. Spring migrant. Only records are of single birds on 1 June 2012 and 12-13 May 2014. SPECIMEN (1): UAM 30188, 9, 1 June 2012. NOTES: A common breeder in southwest Alaska (Friedmann 1935, Murie 1959, Gibson and Byrd 2007), the Hermit Thrush has nested in the Semidis (Andersen et al. 2013) although apparently not on Tugidak. Ixoreus naevius ( meruloides ). Varied Thrush. One on 14 May 2014 in the vicinity of the Modern Ranch. NOTES: The Varied Thrush occurs west at least to the base of the Alaska Peninsula (Williamson and Peyton 1962) and is a common nester on Kodiak Island but is virtually unknown west of there (Murie 1959, Gill et al. 1981, Gibson and Byrd 2007). Anthus rubescens pacificus. American Pipit. Uncommon, probable breeder. Less common in early May (e.g., single individuals only on 6 May 2009 and 2010) but regularly encountered later (maximum at least seven singing birds 31 May 2012). SPECIMEN (1): UAM 27350, c? , 6 May 2010. NOTES: American Pipits breed regularly in the eastern Aleutians (Gibson and Byrd 2007), the Alaska Peninsula (Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959), and probably the Kodiak archipelago (Howell 1948), including Tugidak. Calcarius lapponicus alascensis. Lapland Longspur. Common breeder. Seen daily on all trips, in the first half of May occasionally in flocks (e.g., 15 on 13 May 2014). Three nests each with five eggs on 5 May 2009, and 11 and 12 May 2014. 1 observed a bobtailed juvenile on 2 June 2012 and encountered juveniles regularly 4-12 July 2013. Specimens (5): UAM 28302, 9, 15 May 2008; UAM 26348, cf, 15 May 2008; UAM 24710, cf, 16 May 2008; UAM 30347, cf , 2 June 2012; and UAM 30190, juvenile c? , 2 June 2012. NOTES: The Lapland Longspur breeds commonly throughout the Aleutians (Gibson and Byrd 2007) and Alaska Peninsula (Gill et al. 1981) and in parts of the Kodiak archipelago, including Tugidak. Setophaga petechia ( rubiginosa ). Yellow Warbler. One or two on 24 August 2010 around the Modern Ranch. NOTES: A common breeder in southwest Alaska (Kessel and Gibson 1978) as far as the easternmost Aleutians (Gibson and Byrd 2007), the Yellow Warbler has been observed on the Semidis during the breeding season (Gabri- elson and Lincoln 1959) and is an uncommon breeder on Chowiet (Andersen et al. 2013). It also breeds on Tugidak, but the lack of a brush zone on Chirikof probably precludes breeding there. Setophaga coronata hooveri. Yellow-rumped Warbler. Spring migrant. Two on 1 June 2012 on the east side of island and one on 3 June 2012 at Southeast Lake. Specimen (1): UAM 30189, cf , 1 June 2012. Notes: Yellow-rumped Warblers breed west at least to the base of the Alaska Peninsula (Williamson and Peyton 1962) and probably the northern parts of the Kodiak archipelago, where they are common in summer. Unknown in spring farther west in the Aleutians (Gibson and Byrd 2007; see also Gill et al. 1981). Cardelhna pusilla pileolata. Wilson’s Warbler. Spring and fall migrant. Only records are of three on 1 June 2012 near the North End, two on 2 June 2012 near Southwest Lake, one on 13 May 2014 in a brushy steep-sided canyon tributary to Southwest River, and one on 24 August 2010 at the Modern Ranch. SPECIMEN (1): UAM 30191, cf , 1 June 2012. NOTES: A common breeder in southwest Alaska (Murie 1959) as far west as the easternmost Aleutians (Gibson and Byrd 2007), Wilson’s Warbler has been observed in the Semidis during the breeding season (Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959) and breeds uncommonly on Chowiet (Andersen et al. 2013). It also probably breeds on Tugidak. Passerculus sandwichensis sandwichensis . Savannah Sparrow. Common breeder. 42 NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF CHIRIKOF ISLAND, ALASKA Uncommon in the first week of May when occasionally not observed on my arrival (e.g., 1 May 2010), but usually quickly became numerous. Juvenile birds seen regularly 4-12 July 2013. Dali (1874) mentioned Savannah Sparrows as present on 10 June 1874. Specimens (4): UAM 26350, tf, 15 May 2008; UAM 28048, c?, 16 May 2008; UAM 28049, cf , 16 May 2008; and UAM 35399, cf, 13 May 2014. NOTES: Savannah Sparrows breed commonly in the eastern Aleutians (Gibson and Byrd 2007), Alaska Peninsula (Gill et al. 1981), Chowiet (Andersen et al. 2013), and the Kodiak archipelago including Tugidak. Passerella iliaca unalaschcensis and P i. insularis. Fox Sparrow. Spring migrant. I noted one each on 5 May 2010, 14 May 2008, 14 May 2014, and 3 June 2012, two on 12 May 2014 and 17 May 2011. SPECIMENS (3): UAM 27544, singing cf, 5 May 2010, insularis ; UAM 30332, singing cf, 3 June 2012, unalaschcensis ; and UAM 35400, 9, 12 May 2014, unalaschcensis. NOTES: P. i. insularis is a common breeder in the Kodiak archipelago, including Tugidak (UAM specimens), unalaschcensis from the Semidis (UAM specimens) west to Unimak Island (Murie 1959, Gibson and Byrd 2007). Melospiza melodia sanaka. Song Sparrow. Common breeder. Seen regularly on all trips, usually along the coast, more commonly at the base of sea cliffs. Two females collected on 3 June 2012 had shelled eggs in the oviduct. Juveniles were seen regularly 4-12 July 2013. Specimens (34): UAM 27876-878, 28553-555, 30138-145, 35415-426, adults, 16 May-12 July; UAM 31882-886, juveniles, 12 July 2013. NOTES: Dali (1874) mentioned “Me/. Insignis’ ’ as present on 10 June 1874 at Southwest Anchorage. Dali’s identification of insignis was made almost 30 years before the description of sanaka and a mere five years after Baird’s description of insignis, with which Dali (1870) was familiar. Chirikof probably represents the eastern extent of the range of subspecies sanaka. In addition to the eastern Aleutians this subspecies also occurs in the Shumagins (Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959), Semidis (Gabrielson and Lincoln 1951), and probably other islands off the Alaska Peninsula (e.g., Ugaiushak; Wehle 1978) for an unknown distance to the north and east. There are apparently no specimens of this species from anywhere between Stepovak Bay and Kuliak Bay other than from the Semidis and Chirikof, a distance of over 450 km. Subspecies insignis occurs in the Kodiak archipelago (Gabrielson and Lincoln 1951, Gibson and Withrow in press). As in 1951, it remains true today that “specimens are needed from this area before the ranges of the two races can be defined with accuracy” (Gabrielson and Lincoln 1951:253). Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii. White-crowned Sparrow. One on 12 May 2014 at East Lake. SPECIMEN (1): UAM 35398, cf. NOTES: White-crowned Sparrows nest along the Alaska Peninsula, mostly on the Bering Sea side, west at least to the Port Moller area (Gill et al. 1981), but do not nest on Kodiak and are virtually unknown in the Aleutians (Gibson and Byrd 2007). Zonotrichia atricapilla. Golden-crowned Sparrow. Spring migrant. One on 14 May 2008 at East Lake. Of two on 2 June 2012 in a brushy tributary canyon of the Southwest River, one sang repeatedly and another was heard briefly. SPECIMEN (1): UAM 30187, cf, 2 June 2012. NOTES: Golden-crowned Sparrows nest commonly the length of the Alaska Peninsula (Murie 1959), breed on the Semidis (Andersen et al. 2013) and in the Kodiak archipelago (Friedmann 1935), and are suspected of breeding on Tugidak. Leucosticte tephrocotis griseonucha. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch. Common breeder. Most numerous along sea cliffs, but encountered regularly along the west side and at the North End as well. I observed courtship behavior on 5 May 2009 above Southeast Lake and found a nest with recently hatched young on 1 June 2012 inside a broken insulator of a tower at the North End. From 4 to 12 July 20131 saw adults and juveniles regularly, sometimes in numbers (e.g., 15 juveniles, 7 July 2013, in old 43 NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF CHIRIKOF ISLAND, ALASKA corral at Modern Ranch). SPECIMENS (28): UAM 26358, 27279-280, 28573-576, 30125-130, 31867-875, 35403-408; all 14 May-12 July. NOTES: The distributional limits of subspecies griseonucha and littoralis in southwest- ern and south-central Alaska have yet to be completely resolved. Gabrielson and Lincoln (1959) considered birds from the Semidis, where the species still breeds commonly (Andersen et al. 2013), to be griseonucha. A clinal decrease in size from west to east in the Aleutian Islands and coastal southwest Alaska, pointed out by Johnson (1972), is readily apparent in UAM specimens. Chirikof birds are at the small end of the range of griseonucha but clearly larger than examples of littoralis from the Talkeetna Mountains and Cook Inlet area. Few useful specimens exist from the Kodiak archipelago, where as a nesting bird the rosy-finch is not well understood, and birds from there may be intermediate (Grinnell 1901, Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959, Johnson 1972). Acanthis flammea [flammed). Common Redpoll. A redpoll on 15 May 2014 in driftwood on west side was probably this species. DISCUSSION Eighty-nine species of birds have been recorded from Chirikof Island. Approximately 22 of these are confirmed or probable breeders, and close examination of Round and Nagai rocks would likely add three to four more breeding species. This is fewer breeding species than are recorded from Tugi- dak Island (39 breeding species) or the Semidi Islands (>36 breeding species; Hatch and Hatch 1983a, b; Andersen et al. 2013), the nearest neighboring islands. The composition of breeding birds of Tugidak, a relatively flat island with sandy beaches and many lakes, ponds, and marshes, and of the Semidis, composed of many smaller, rocky, steep-sided islands rimmed by sea cliffs, differs dramatically. Tugidak has many breeding waterfowl and the only breeding seabirds are gulls and terns; the Semidis host about a quarter of the breeding seabirds ( Fulmarus , Phalacrocoracidae, Alcidae, Laridae, etc.) in the Gulf of Alaska (Hatch and Hatch 1983a) but fewer nesting waterfowl. Chirikof has examples of the gross habitat types found in both neighboring areas, but the number of breeding species is lower. Particularly conspicuous, by their low numbers or absence as breeders, are waterfowl, seabirds, oystercatchers, and passerines that nest in tall grass or shrubs. Several grassland species (Lapland Longspur, Savannah Sparrow) appear to benefit from the intense grazing of cattle, and a burrow nester (Bank Swallow) is a common bird, probably due in part to loss of vegetation and subsequent erosion from heavy grazing and trampling by cattle. The historic introduction of ground squirrels may be a factor in the presence of breeding Gyr falcons, and the lack of breeding seabirds may contribute to the absence of breeding Peregrine Falcons. The lack of suitable habitat prob- ably inhibits breeding by several species (Hermit Thrush, Yellow Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, Fox Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow) that are other- wise common breeders in neighboring areas of southwest Alaska. Chirikof also represents the known eastern limit of several subspecies ( Troglodytes pacificus semidiensis, Melospiza melodia sanaka, Leucosticte tephrocotis griseonucha , Calidris ptilocnemis couesi [with the southern part of the Kodiak archipelago], and possibly Coruus corax kamtschaticus). Although I did not specifically study the effects of introduced predators (foxes) and herbivores (cattle and ground squirrels) on birds at Chirikof, 44 NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF CHIRIKOF ISLAND, ALASKA comparisons with adjacent areas suggest these effects are significant (see above). Foxes have no doubt reduced or eliminated breeding populations of many birds through predation, as is well documented elsewhere in southwest Alaska (Bailey 1993, Ebbert and Byrd 2002). The dense grass or shrub cover many nesting birds require has been dramatically reduced by grazing. Cattle may also adversely affect bird life by trampling (Paine et al. 1996), soil com- paction, and possibly predation (Nack and Ribic 2005) and in conjunction with foxes have almost certainly influenced birds’ relative abundance and species richness, as documented for feral herbivores in other areas (e.g., Fleischner 1994, Belanger and Picard 1999, Sullivan and Kershner 2005, Van Vuren 2013). Thus Chirikof, while situated between some of the most avifaunistically vibrant islands in the western Gulf of Alaska, appears to be less productive than it would otherwise be. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Tad Bennicoff of the Smithsonian Institution Archives provided copies of W. H. Dali’s diary and observations from 1874. Jay Johnson and Michelle L. Moore pro- vided information contained in the records of ADFG on salmon surveys. The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge granted a permit for the collection of birds. An unpublished manuscript on Chirikof Island by Donald W. Clark and the late Lydia T. Black drew my attention to several historical references and includes detailed accounts of much of the island’s history. Catherine F. West and Patrick G. Saltonstall facilitated the 2013 trip to the island. Mark E. Withrow and Carol L. Juergens made this work possible through a mutual desire for excursions to seldom visited destinations and the understanding of the need for such peregrinations. Daniel D. Gibson provided invaluable comments, encouragement, and editorial advice. G. Vernon Byrd and Steve C. Heinl provided constructive reviews of the manuscript. LITERATURE CITED Alaska Department of Fish and Game. 1995. Tugidak Island critical habitat area management plan. Alaska Dept. 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Avian response to removal of feral sheep on Santa Cruz Island, California. Wilson J. Ornithol. 125:134-139. Vaurie, C. 1965. The Birds of the Palearctic Fauna. Non-Passeriformes. H. F. & G. Witherby, London. Wehle, D. H. S. 1978. Studies of marine birds at Ugaiushak Island, Alaska, in Envi- ronmental Assessment of Alaska Continental Shelf, Annual Report of Principal Investigators, vol. 3, pp. 208-312. Natl. Oceanogr. and Atmospheric Admin., Env. Res. Lab., Boulder, CO. White, C. M., Roseneau, D. G., and Hehnke, M. 1976. Gulf of Alaska coast and southeastern Alaska, in The 1975 North American Peregrine Falcon Survey (R. W. Fyfe, S. A. Temple, and T. J. Cade, eds.). Can. Field-Nat. 90:259-261. Williamson, F. S. L., and Peyton, L. J. 1962. Faunal relationships of birds in the Illiamna Lake area, Alaska. Biol. Papers Univ. Alaska 5. Williamson, F. S. L., and Peyton, L. 1963. Interbreeding of Glaucous-winged and Herring Gulls in the Cook Inlet region, Alaska. Condor 65:24-28. Workman, W. B. 1966. Archaeological reconnaissance on Chirikof Island, Kodiak group: A preliminary report. Arctic Anthropol. 3:185-192. Workman, W. B. 1969. Contributions to the prehistory of Chirikof Island, southwest- ern Alaska. M.A. thesis, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison. Accepted 19 September 2014 48 BREEDING OF THE ASHY STORM-PETREL IN CENTRAL MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA HARRY R. CARTER, MICHAEL W. PARKER, JOSH S. KOEPKE, and DARRELL L. WHITWORTH, California Institute of Environmental Studies, 3408 Whaler Avenue, Davis, California 95616; carterhr@shaw.ca (HRC contact address: Carter Biological Consulting, 1015 Hampshire Road, Victoria, British Columbia V8S 4S8, Canada) ABSTRACT: In August 2012, we confirmed breeding by an estimated 50 pairs of Ashy Storm-Petrels (Oceanodroma homochroa ) at four nearshore rocks (Franklin Smith Rock, Wharf Rocks, Casket Rock, and Stillwell Point Rock) along the central coast of Mendocino County, California. Nesting in this region at the northern end of the species’ range was first discovered in 1926, when four eggs were collected by Franklin J. Smith on nearshore rocks and preserved in private collections but not published. Ashy Storm-Petrel colonies were not detected north of Marin County during major surveys of seabird colonies in 1969, 1979-1980, or 1989, but specific efforts to detect storm-petrels were made at only a few rocks. In 2012, we did not find Ashy Storm-Petrels breeding north of Stillwell Point Rock (39.3° N), which appears to be the current northern limit of the species’ breeding range. Bird Rock, Marin County, California, has been reported by most recent sources to be the northernmost (38.2° N) breeding colony of the Ashy Storm- Petrel ( Oceanodroma homochroa) (Ainley and Osborne 1972, Sowls et al. 1980, Ainley et al. 1990, Carter et al. 1992, Ainley 1995; see Figure 1 and Table 1 for locations of storm-petrel colonies in northern California). Ashy Storm-Petrels were not found breeding farther north in California dur- ing major seabird surveys in 1969 (Osborne 1969, Osborne and Reynolds 1971), 1979, 1980 (Sowls et al. 1980), and 1989 (Carter et al. 1992). However, Carter et al. (2008) reported two clutches of the Ashy Storm- Petrel from central Mendocino County, California, obtained on 26 June 1926 by egg collector Franklin Jonas Smith (WFVZ 17096 and 163093; Table 2). Smith was a well-known collector, especially of storm-petrels, in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. Carter et al. (2008) considered these egg records to be valid for establishing the northern end of the known breeding range at about Caspar, Mendocino County (39.4° N). During the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (2013) review of the Ashy Storm-Petrel’s status and consideration for its listing as an endangered species, one key feature of the breeding range remained unclear: does the Ashy Storm-Petrel still nest in Mendocino County or had loss of colonies at the northern end of the range resulted in nesting only as far north as Bird Rock, Marin County? To resolve this question, we searched for storm-petrel nests on nearshore rocks in Mendocino County in 2012. In addition, we re-examined the records from 1926 and related literature to verify the specimens’ authenticity and reas- sessed data from surveys of seabird colonies from 1969 to 1989 to better describe search efforts and associated literature. METHODS In August and September 2012, we searched for nests of the Ashy Storm- Petrel and other crevice-nesting seabirds on 23 nearshore rocks, located Western Birds 46:49-65, 2015 49 BREEDING OF THE ASHY STORM-PETREL IN CENTRAL MENDOCINO COUNTY 125 ° 124 ° 123 ° Figure 1 . Known and suspected storm-petrel colonies in northern California. Numbers correspond with colonies summarized in Table 1. Dashed line, southern limit of breeding by the Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel; dotted line, northern limit of breeding by the Ashy Storm-Petrel. Leach’s Storm-Petrel breeds throughout this region. 50 BREEDING OF THE ASHY STORM-PETREL IN CENTRAL MENDOCINO COUNTY Table 1 Known and Suspected Colonies of the Ashy, Leach’s, and Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels in northern California 0 Map no. b Colony name County 6 Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel Leach’s Storm-Petrel Ashy Storm-Petrel 1 Prince Island DN — P — 2 Castle Rock DN X X — 3 Tolowa Rocks DN X P — 4 Whaler Island 61 DN HX HX — 5 False Klamath Rock DN ? ? — 6 Green Rock HU X X — 7 Flatiron Rock HU X X — 8 Blank Rock HU X X — 9 Prisoner’s Rock HU X X — 10 Trinidad Bay Rocks 6 HU HX X — 11 Little River Rock HU X X — 12 False Cape Rocks HU ? ? ? 13 Sugarloaf Island HU ? ? ? 14 Steamboat Rock HU ? ? ? 15 Westport Rocks' ME ? X — 16 Caspar Anchorage to Point Cabrillo (Subcolony 03 or “Caspar-Point Cabrillo Rock”'’ 3 ME HX 17 Schoolhouse Creek to Albion River (Subcolony 07 or “Stillwell Point Rock”) ME X 18 Casket Rock ME — — X 19 Wharf Rocks (Subcolony B or west rock) ME — — X 20 Bonee Cliffs (Subcolony 12A or “Franklin Smith Rock”) ME — — X 21 Fish Rocks' 1 ME — HX — 22 Gull Rock SO — X — 23 Bird Rock MA — — X 24 Point Reyes Headlands MA — — p 25 Chimney Rock MA — — p 26 Double Point Rocks MA — — X 27 South Farallon Islands SF P X X “Sources: Osborne (1972), Sowls et al. (1980); Carter et al. (1992, 2008), this study. Codes: X, breeding; HX, historical breeding; P, present; ?, major islands not surveyed; — , no evidence of breeding. fa See Figure 1 for general locations; see Carter et al. (1992) for detailed locations of colonies and subcolonies. C DN, Del Norte; HU, Humboldt; ME, Mendocino; SO, Sonoma; MA, Marin; SF, San Francisco. d Colony lost after 1939 when island connected to mainland with a breakwater (see Osborne 1972). “Leach’s Storm-Petrels bred on at least 3 rocks within this colony in 1989, including Split Rock, Button Rock, and Tepona Rock. Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels were not detected in 1980 (Sowls et al. 1980) or 1989 (Carter et al. 1992) but one nest was found on Tepona Rock in 1965 (Osborne 1972). ^Storm-petrel burrows present in 1989; species not determined but assumed to be Leach’s Storm-Petrel. -This colony and subcolony best fit the 1926 egg record location described as “Caspar, Calif. Pt. Cabrillo” (see Table 2 and text). f 'Breeding in 1980 but no birds present in 1989 (see text). 51 BREEDING OF THE ASHY STORM-PETREL IN CENTRAL MENDOCINO COUNTY Table 2 Ashy Storm-Petrel Eggs Collected by Franklin J. Smith in Mendocino County, California, on 20 June 1926 Record no. Locality Nest description Current rock name 0 Incubation Specimen no. 1 “Mendocino, “Nest placed in a plant root in a burrow lined California’’ at its end with fine dry grass. On Bird rock on the Pacific ocean near Greenwood.’’ Casket Rock Fresh WFVZ 17096 2 “Mendocino, “Nest in a crevice of a rock one foot in, built California” of a few bits of grass and feathers from the bird. On bird rock on the Pacific Ocean near Little River. ” Stillwell Point Rock Fresh MVZ 4559 3 “Caspar, “Nest between boulders, built of weed stalks Calif. Pt. and feathers from the bird. On rocky sea Cabrillo” coast by the Pacific Ocean. A gray type species small.” Caspar- Point Cabrillo Rock Fresh WFVZ 163093 4 “Mendocino, “Nest placed in a crevice of rock in about a California” foot, egg laid on bare rock supported by a few chips. On bird rock on the Pacific ocean off the Mendocino coast. ” Unknown Slight OMNH E2646 “Most likely rock given vague description, based on various considerations (see text). within the boundaries of 14 recognized seabird colonies, along 54 km of the central Mendocino County coast (Appendix 1). Thirteen rocks within nine colonies lie between White Rock and Mendocino, and 10 rocks within five colonies lie between Mendocino and Kibesillah Rock. See Carter et al. (1992) for detailed maps of all colonies and subcolonies examined. We had originally intended to examine Westport Rocks, but high winds and large swells prevented travel north of Kibesillah Rock on 23 September. Surveys were limited to boat-based visual assessments at four relatively large rocks in three of the same 14 colonies where potential nesting habitat was inac- cessible by climbing. All other rocks we examined briefly from the boat and do not consider them suitable for Ashy Storm-Petrel nesting. All rocks with nest searches or visually examined are located within the California Coastal National Monument, managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). We focused our searches in the general vicinities of vague past records and on the largest nearshore rocks with the greatest amounts of apparently suitable nesting habitat (i.e. , containing crevices with the potential for storm- petrel nests) that were accessible to researchers without technical climbing equipment. To avoid disturbance, our searches took place in August and September when surface-nesting seabirds had completed breeding. At this time, wind and swells often are lower, allowing easier and safer access to rocks. Experienced personnel were dropped off from a small inflatable boat and examined crevices suitable for nests with small hand-held flashlights. In most cases, crevices were shallow and could be inspected entirely with the flashlight. In a few cases, however, crevices were too deep to be inspected completely. In the future, use of a long burrow scope may improve searches 52 BREEDING OF THE ASHY STORM-PETREL IN CENTRAL MENDOCINO COUNTY in some deeper crevices, although some crevices are too deep or too awk- ward to be examined with most if not all scopes. On 27 and 28 August, we surveyed nearshore rocks between White Rock and the town of Mendocino. In late August at the South Farallon Islands and Bird Rock, chicks are being reared at most nests (although a few adults can still be incubating) and no chicks have fledged yet (Ainley and Osborne 1972, Ainley et al. 1990, Carter et al. 1992, unpubl. data). At this time of the season, the egg laying has ended and the maximum number of nests is occupied, barring extensive failures, which increases the probability of find- ing active nests. In 1926, Smith had collected two egg sets near Elk and Little River (Table 2). On 22 and 23 September, we surveyed nearshore rocks between the town of Mendocino and Kibesillah Rock. In this latter area, nearshore rocks with potential habitat are located in two discrete areas south of the Noyo River and north of Ten Mile River. Between MacKer- ricker State Park and Fort Bragg, these areas are separated by 15 km of coastline without suitable crevices. At this later time, some or many chicks have fledged at the South Farallon Islands and Bird Rock. Fewer nests are occupied, but eggshells, dead chicks, or late chicks should still be visible in nest crevices. We considered the probability of detecting nests to be slightly lower than in late August but still relatively high. Smith had collected one egg set south of the Noyo River near Caspar (Point Cabrillo; Table 2). In 1989 Carter et al. (1992) had also noted burrow-nesting storm-petrels (likely Leach’s Storm-Petrel, O. leucorhoa) at Westport Rocks, about 7 km north of Kibesillah Rock (Figure 1). We did not examine rocks within the “Goat Island Area’’ colony, including Goat Island in Mendocino Headlands State Park and nearby rocks within the California Coastal National Monument, but these rocks had been surveyed in 1979, 1980, and 1989 (see below). Prior to nest searches in 2012, we examined museum databases avail- able through www.ornisnet.org to identify all specimens of the Ashy Storm-Petrel, both eggs and skins, taken in Mendocino County. After our 2012 survey, we also collated information from 1969-1989 surveys and summarized information on storm-petrels in northern California available through a literature search. RESULTS 2012 Surveys in Central Mendocino County We found evidence of nesting storm-petrels on four rocks (locations 17-20) between White Rock and the town of Mendocino (Table 1; Figure 1; Appendix 1), including the following colonies and subcolonies: Bonee Cliffs (subcolony 12A; “Franklin Smith Rock”; 39.1021° N, 123.7122° W), Wharf Rocks (subcolony B; west rock; 39.1308° N, 123.7244° W), Casket Rock (39.1306° N, 123.7270° W), and Schoolhouse Creek to Albion Cove (sub- colony 05; “Stillwell Point Rock”; 39.2546° N, 123.7870° W). On none of the 23 rocks searched did we find evidence of breeding by nocturnal alcids. At Franklin Smith Rock (Figure 2), we observed a large downy storm-petrel chick (not identifiable to species; Figure 3) in a crevice and 12 dead storm- petrels in a deep fissure. Three mummified adult Ashy Storm-Petrels could 53 BREEDING OF THE ASHY STORM-PETREL IN CENTRAL MENDOCINO COUNTY Figure 2. Overview of Franklin Smith Rock (southwest-facing side), 27 August 2012. Photo by M. W. Parker be removed; they were completely dried and dead for more than one year and likely for several years. One was missing its head, another part of the breast, suggesting predation. All three lacked the white rump of Leach’s Storm-Petrel, and the head and neck of two had the ashy gray feathers of the Ashy Storm-Petrel (Figure 4). We named this rock “Franklin Smith Rock” because the eggs Smith collected led to our searches in 2012 and discovery of breeding on this rock, which lacked a distinct name. At Wharf Rocks (west rock), we retrieved one recently dead unidentified storm-petrel chick (partly downy and partly feathered) from a crevice. It was photographed but too decomposed to be preserved as a specimen. At Casket Rock, we observed an unidentified downy storm-petrel chick and eggshell in a large crevice, but could not retrieve them. Likewise, at Stillwell Point Rock, we also found an unidentified, probably downy, storm-petrel chick in a crevice but could Figure 3. Large downy unidentified storm-petrel chick found in a crevice on Franklin Smith Rock, 27 August 2012. Photo by M. W. Parker 54 BREEDING OF THE ASHY STORM-PETREL IN CENTRAL MENDOCINO COUNTY Figure 4. Head of a mummified adult Ashy Storm-Petrel obtained at Franklin Smith Rock, 12 November 2014. Photo by M. W. Parker not reach it. We believe all four of these chicks to be Ashy Storm-Petrels because of the adults found on Franklin Smith Rock, all four nests were located in crevices, Ashy Storm-Petrels nest almost exclusively in crevices, and the Ashy Storm-Petrel eggs collected in June 1926 in the same area, at least two of them likely from the same rocks (see later). When the eggs were collected, the adults likely were incubating, and some or all adults were probably examined in the hand. On the basis of the apparent number of suitable nest crevices (visible and not visible) on these rocks, and assuming that eggs may be laid in 25-50% of them (see Carter et al. 1992), we roughly estimated 20, 10, 10, and 10 pairs of Ashy Storm-Petrels at Franklin Smith Rock, Wharf Rocks, Casket Rock, and Stillwell Point Rock, respectively. We suspect storm-petrels nested undetected on several other rocks with abundant suitable crevices that we searched in September 2012, after most chicks should have fledged, espe- cially Arch of the Navarro, Newport Rocks, and Kibesillah Rock (Appendix 1). We detected the odor of storm-petrels in suitable crevices at Kibesillah Rock. In addition, Ashy Storm-Petrels may have nested on certain inaccessi- ble large rocks that we visually examined from the boat. For the entire region of the central Mendocino coast between White Rock and Kibesillah Rock, we estimated between 50 and 100 breeding pairs of Ashy Storm-Petrels. 1926 Specimen Records of Ashy Storm-Petrel Eggs in Mendocino In addition to the two collected eggs (WFVZ 17096 and 163093; Table 2) of the Ashy Storm-Petrel from Mendocino County reported earlier (Carter et al. 2008), we located two more from Mendocino County collected by Franklin J. Smith on the same date (20 June) in 1926 (MVZ 4559, OMNH E2646; Table 2). No other storm-petrel egg specimens for Mendocino County were found. We considered all four eggs to be Ashy Storm-Petrel eggs because (1) the identification was indicated as positive for all four, implying that an incubating adult was present at the time of collection, (2) the collection date matches the Ashy Storm-Petrel’s normal season of 55 BREEDING OF THE ASHY STORM-PETREL IN CENTRAL MENDOCINO COUNTY incubation at the South Farallon Islands (Ainley et al. 1990, Ainley 1995), and (3) all four nests were found in natural cavities typically used by Ashy Storm-Petrels (two nests in rock crevices, one between boulders, and one in a “burrow” located in a plant root that we suspect had not been excavated). With the rediscovery of breeding Ashy Storm-Petrels in central Mendocino County in 2012, little doubt remains about these four historical specimens’ identification. As noted by Carter et al. (2008), Smith was quite experienced with Leach’s and Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels and most likely could also identify incubating Ashy Storm-Petrels. Smith and other naturalists (G. D. Atwell, C. I. Clay, J. M. Davis, W. L. Dawson, J. S. Dixon, J. T. Fraser, A. B. Howell, R. R. Talmadge, and L. Zerlang) explored and collected at nearshore rocks in Humboldt and Del Norte counties for nesting storm-petrels and alcids between 1910 and 1947 (Clay 1916, 1925, Loomis 1918, Howell 1920, Dawson 1923, Osborne 1972). Franklin Smith, Wharf, and Casket rocks all fit the general locality descrip- tion for record 1 in Table 2 (WFVZ 17,096), although Casket Rock seems most likely to be the collection location. All three rocks are climbable, have suitable nesting habitats, and are near the town of Elk (formerly known as Greenwood). Gunderson Rock also lies 0.2 km from the creek mouth but is likely not the site of this egg’s collection because it cannot be climbed without technical equipment. Wharf Rocks and Casket Rock are closest (0.6-0. 9 km) to the mouth of Greenwood Creek at the town of Elk. Franklin Smith Rock is located 2.7 km south of Greenwood Creek, but it is much closer (0.3 km) to the mouth of the Elk River, making it less likely. In 1890, Wharf Rocks were connected to the mainland by a log-loading wharf, which burned down in 1938. We suspect past access by mammalian predators and disturbance caused by human activities on the wharf may have resulted in little or no breeding by Ashy Storm-Petrels during this period, making it less likely. In 2012, suitable crevices were absent on the north sides of these rocks (Appendix 1), which may have been altered to some degree during wharf construction. As measured from the beach at Van Damme State Park, Van Damme Rock and Stillwell Point Rock lie 0.5 km southwest and 2.1 km south of Little River, respectively. Both rocks are climbable and fit the general local- ity description for record 2 in Table 2 (MVZ 4559). Even though an Ashy Storm-Petrel with a brood patch was captured in a mist net at Van Damme Rock in 1989, suitable crevices were not found there 1979-1980, 1989 and 2012 (Sowls et al. 1980, Carter et al. 1992, this study). Stillwell Point Rock is most likely the collection location. The Ashy Storm-Petrel captured at Van Damme Rock in 1989 may have bred at nearby Stillwell Point Rock (1.4 km south) but may have been attracted to headlamps or vocalizations broadcast during mist netting at Van Damme Rock. We did not find other rocks in this area with suitable habitats. We did not find any evidence of Ashy Storm-Petrels breeding near Caspar or Point Cabrillo in 2012. One rock about 0.7 km south of the beach at Cas- par Anchorage near Point Cabrillo (subcolony 03; “Caspar-Point Cabrillo Rock”; 39.3573° N, 123.8246° W) may best fit the vague description of the locality of record 3 in Table 2 (WFVZ 163093). Several other rocks in this area have suitable nesting habitat, but some appear to be connected to shore 56 BREEDING OF THE ASHY STORM-PETREL IN CENTRAL MENDOCINO COUNTY at low tides, allowing access by mammalian predators. Natural changes to nearshore rocks in this area also may have occurred since 1926, especially as a result of earthquakes, which could have removed or created limited suitable nesting habitats. The locality of record 4 in Table 2 (OMNH E2646) was very poorly described, but we presume it was from the same general area of the central Mendocino County coast as the other three specimens. Smith’s 1926 Search for Breeding Storm-Petrels in Mendocino County With only four egg specimens and lacking Smith’s field notes from Mendocino County in 1926, we collated pieces of information to clarify circumstances related to his collecting trip that helped authenticate his records. By 1910, Smith was aware that storm-petrels had been reported breeding in Mendocino County. As noted on the data card for a Leach's Storm-Petrel egg, collected on 3 June 1910 at Prisoner's Rock, Humboldt County (WFVZ 138680), Smith had consulted Emerson (1906), who had described the range of his proposed Belding’s Storm-Petrel as “North Pacific Coast, from Vancouver Island to northern California. Breeds on the coast of Oregon (Wm. Finley), and Mendocino County, California (W. H. Dali).” However, it is not clear whether Smith knew of Dali’s (1874:278) original description of storm-petrels breeding in Mendocino County, contained within an account of Leach’s Storm-Petrel in the western Aleutian Islands, Alaska: “This [Leach’s Storm-Petrel], and the next species [Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel], have the habit, when handled, of disgorging a reddish, oily fluid, of strong and disagreeable musky smell; and one can tell, by the odor of the burrow alone, whether it is tenanted by a petrel, or one of the Alcidae. From this habit, the petrels (of which species I am not certain, but think it to be this one [Leach’s Storm-Petrel]) which breed off the coast of Mendocino County, California, have received there the name of ‘Musk Birds.’” This vague reference was the first report of any storm-petrel species breeding in California, but Dali’s source for this statement is not known. Visits by ornithologists to the Mendocino coast are not known prior to 1874, but many settlers arrived in the 1850s (Palmer 1880). Ashy and Leach’s Storm-Petrels were first recorded breeding at the South Farallon Islands in 1886 and 1896, respectively (Ingersoll 1886, Loomis 1896), though adult Ashy Storm-Petrels had been obtained there between 1859 and 1862 (Coues 1864, Gruber 1884; USNM 13725, 21444, and 24279). Baird et al. (1884) also cited Dali’s Mendocino County information under Leach’s Storm-Petrel, but Smith may not have read this source. Harris (1974) later suggested that Emerson (1906) had mistakenly reported storm-petrels breed- ing in Humboldt or Del Norte counties as from Mendocino County, but he clearly was not aware of Ashy Storm-Petrel eggs collected from Mendocino County in 1926 and may not have read Dali (1874). By 1926, Smith was very knowledgeable about crevice-nesting and burrow-nesting Leach’s and Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels breeding on nearshore rocks in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. However, he apparently did not have Ashy Storm-Petrel eggs in his collection prior to 1926, according to an unpublished list (dated “1926”) at the WFVZ in Smith’s handwriting of the 270 species and subspecies of birds then in his collection (R. Corado 57 BREEDING OF THE ASHY STORM-PETREL IN CENTRAL MENDOCINO COUNTY unpubl. data). Smith likely was intrigued to search for storm-petrel nests on nearshore rocks along the Mendocino County coast to document which species bred in this area, as noted by Emerson (1906). He apparently made a special trip from Eureka to Mendocino County in 1926, shortly after highways from Humboldt County had been built. All four Ashy Storm-Petrel eggs were collected on 26 June at three localities on the central Mendocino coast (i.e., Greenwood, Little River, and Caspar) where redwood mill towns were established in the 1850s. He likely reached the nearshore rocks with a row boat or a small boat powered by an outboard engine and may have accessed Wharf Rocks directly from the wharf. Egg Specimen Transfers after 1926 To investigate why Mendocino eggs of the Ashy Storm-Petrel were not mentioned in pre-2008 summaries, we collated information about post- collecting transfers of the 1926 specimens. Smith usually did not publish his specimen records and at first apparently retained the Mendocino eggs in his private collection. One Mendocino egg (MVZ 4559) was sold or traded within seven years after collection, apparently to another Eureka collector, John M. Davis, who also had collected Leach’s and Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels in Humboldt County from 1916 to 1925. This egg was included in a lot of 420 sets of bird eggs donated in 1934 to the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ accession 4313) by William B. Davis. Grinnell and Miller (1944) did not mention this MVZ specimen, even though Grinnell likely had examined it because he was the museum’s director and had personally handled the accession of Davis’s collection. Another Mendocino egg (OMNH E2646) apparently was already in the collection of George W. Morse when he gave the original collection of 11,000 eggs and associated records to the city of Tulsa (Park Department), Oklahoma, in 1933 (T. Yuri pers. comm.). This col- lection, including the Ashy Storm-Petrel egg, was accessioned by the OMNH in 2001. Smith likely sold this egg to Morse between 1926 and 1933. Smith died in 1942, and his bird collection was inherited by his sister Jane L. Smith. Upon her death in 1959, she left the collection to Smith’s field companion, E. L. Ziegler (WFVZ collector biographies; R. Corado unpubl. data). Smith’s collection was eventually accessioned at WFVZ, but R. Corado (pers. comm.) could not determine the method and date of accession. Both Mendocino eggs currently located in the WFVZ (WFVZ 17096 and 163093) apparently never left Smith’s private collection. Seabird Colony Surveys on the Mendocino County Coast from 1969 to 1989 To assist future storm-petrel surveys, we re-examined major surveys of northern California seabird colonies and associated literature to determine whether Ashy Storm-Petrels breeding in Mendocino County may have been missed during those surveys. The first seabird survey of the northern California coast was led by T. Osborne in 1969 (Osborne 1969, 1971, 1972, Osborne and Reynolds 1971, Ainley and Osborne 1972). During this survey, Ashy Storm-Petrels were first found at Bird Rock (Marin County). Little River Rock (Humboldt County) also was noted as the southernmost breeding location for Leach’s and Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels north of Cape 58 BREEDING OF THE ASHY STORM-PETREL IN CENTRAL MENDOCINO COUNTY Mendocino, but rocks along the Mendocino coast were not searched for nocturnal seabirds. During the extensive 1979-1980 survey, only 10 rocks in five colonies in Mendocino County were examined for storm-petrel breeding; these were the only rocks checked between Little River Rock and Bird Rock (Sowls et al. 1980; unpubl. survey archive; Appendix 2). Although nests were not found, breeding by Leach’s Storm-Petrel was strongly suspected at Fish Rocks, on the basis of mist-net captures, recaptures, vocalizing, and abundant deep crevices; 50 pairs were estimated. In August 1979, Wharf Rocks (where breeding was later documented in 2012) were inspected but storm-petrel “burrows” were not found and notes about suitable crevices were not made. Apparently, Sowls et al. were looking primarily for burrow-nesting Leach’s and Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels, not the crevice-nesting Ashy. Ocean condi- tions often did not encourage landing, rocks were small and difficult to access, little evidence was found on those examined, extensive boat surveys were needed for other species because of the corrugated coastline, and disturbance of surface-nesting seabirds was avoided when possible. During the extensive 1989 survey, eight rocks within five colonies in Men- docino County were examined for storm-petrel breeding (Carter et al. 1992; unpubl. survey archive; Appendix 3). Although Leach’s Storm-Petrels were captured in mist nets in 1980, no storm-petrels were found at Fish Rocks in 1989, even though Ashy and Leach’s Storm-Petrel vocalizations were broadcast during mist netting. At Westport Rocks, 25 storm-petrel burrows, assumed to belong to Leach’s Storm-Petrels, were counted. None of the four rocks with breeding in 2012 were landed upon in 1989. Considerations similar to those for the 1979-1980 survey led to landing on few rocks in this region. Burrows of pocket gophers (likely Botta’s Pocket Gopher, Thomo- mys bottae) were noted on Goat Island. Although herbivorous, these gophers could interfere with or prevent burrowing of Leach’s Storm-Petrels in this island’s thick soil. Only two other colonies were examined between Little River Rock and Bird Rock in 1989: Sugarloaf Rock in southern Humboldt County (no nesting found in a sea cave — most of this large island was not easily accessible) and Gull Rock in Sonoma County (one Leach’s Storm- Petrel nest found; five pairs estimated). DISCUSSION Nest searches on nearshore rocks in central Mendocino County in 2012 established the currently known northern limit of Ashy Storm-Petrel breed- ing at Stillwell Point Rock (39.3° N). This location is 12 km south of the northernmost historical record, likely at Caspar-Point Cabrillo Rock (39.4° N). We confirmed breeding on at least two rocks that roughly matched the descriptions of historical records. Loss of the central Mendocino County por- tion of the breeding range of the Ashy Storm-Petrel was not evident between 1926 and 2012, but we could not determine if the numbers of nests in this portion of the breeding range had changed. Given careful examination of three dead adult Ashy Storm-Petrels recovered on Franklin Smith Rock, validation of the eggs collected in 1926, and use of crevices at all four nest sites, we are confident that the four unidentified storm-petrel chicks were 59 BREEDING OF THE ASHY STORM-PETREL IN CENTRAL MENDOCINO COUNTY Ashy Storm-Petrels. Future surveys, however, should confirm the species identification at all of these colonies either through brief removal of incubat- ing adult storm-petrels from nests for careful inspection and photographs or through gathering blood or tissue samples of chicks for DNA testing, with sufficient funding and permits from BLM and other agencies. Without earlier knowledge of breeding records in 1926, the lack of records between 1926 and 2012 is explained largely by omission during major seabird surveys in 1969, 1979-1980, and 1989. Researchers thought this region was north of the Ashy Storm-Petrel’s breeding range, on the basis of the literature, the dearth of crevices suitable for nests in the small samples of rocks examined in this area in 1979-1980 and 1989, suspected breed- ing by Leach’s Storm-Petrels at Fish Rocks in 1980 and at Westport Rocks in 1989, and little or no breeding in this area by several other burrow and crevice-nesting alcids, except the Pigeon Guillemot ( Cepphus columba). McChesney et al. (2000) also reported breeding in 1996 and 1997 of Ashy Storm-Petrels and Cassin’s Auklets (. Ptychoramphus aleuticus) on rocks along the coast of Monterey County that were not checked during earlier surveys, mainly to avoid disturbance to surface-nesting seabirds. In 2012, we also examined rocks north of Stillwell Point Rock as far as Kibesillah Rock, including the Caspar area, but did not find evidence of breeding. North of Fort Bragg to Ten Mile River, a change in coastal geomor- phology results mainly in smaller nearshore rocks with few if any crevices. We suspect that Ashy Storm-Petrels do not breed north of Point Cabrillo because suitable crevices are few. However, small numbers of Ashy Storm- Petrels nesting in suitable crevices on some rocks could have been missed in the area surveyed because surveys in this area in 2012 took place in late September after many chicks would have fledged. In addition, three major sets of nearshore rocks in southern Humboldt County off Cape Mendocino (False Cape Rocks, Sugarloaf Island, and Steamboat Rock; Figure 1) have not yet been examined closely for storm-petrel nesting. These large rocks are very difficult to access without technical rock-climbing equipment, but in 1989 they appeared to have habitats for all three species of storm-petrels (Carter and Parker pers. obs.). With the exception of False Klamath Rock, which still needs to be examined, however, nearshore rocks from Little River Rock north to the Oregon border have been well examined for storm-petrels, and Ashy Storm-Petrels do not breed in this region (Osborne 1972, Harris 1974, Sowls et al. 1980, Carter et al. 1992). South of Franklin Smith Rock to Bird Rock (i.e. , southern Mendocino and Sonoma counties), surveys sufficient to reveal breeding Ashy Storm-Petrels have not been conducted. Nearshore rocks in this area generally are smaller, less abundant, and appear to have fewer crevices suitable for nesting than those along the central Mendocino County coast. Fish Rocks are the largest rocks in this area, but only Leach’s Storm-Petrels were suspected of breeding in soil burrows there in 1980, and none were found in 1989 (see above). On nearshore rocks along the Mendocino County coast, predation on storm-petrels may be common because the distance to the mainland is short. At Franklin Smith Rock in 2012, 12 dead storm-petrels in a deep crevice were difficult to explain. We suspect that a mammalian predator such as the River Otter [Lontra canadensis) killed storm-petrels and stashed them in 60 BREEDING OF THE ASHY STORM-PETREL IN CENTRAL MENDOCINO COUNTY the deep crevice without eating them. River Otters occur widely along the coasts of northern California and are known predators of burrow-nesting storm-petrels (Carter et al. 1992, 2012). More work is needed to investigate predation at these colonies. Nearshore rocks along the central Mendocino coast are difficult to land on, providing some protection from human disturbance. The BLM and the Mendocino Coast Audubon Society currently coordinate outreach to the public to discourage access to rocks in the California Coastal National Monument. Certain crevices are fragile, and care must be taken to avoid damaging them during nest searches. Several people other than researchers visited Fish Rocks during the breeding season of 1979 (Sowls et al. 1980; unpubl. survey archive). Such visitation could have contributed to the loss of breeding Leach’s Storm-Petrels by 1989 through accidental crushing of crevices. Predation by the Peregrine Falcon ( Falco peregrinus ) also may have contributed. No falcons were noted at Fish Rocks in 1979 or 1980, but a falcon nest was present in 1989 (Carter et al. 1992; unpubl. survey archive). Bright lights from the northern portion of the town of Elk illuminate the north sides of Wharf Rocks and Casket Rock (approximately 0.3-0. 7 km away), although no crevices were noted on the north sides of these rocks and Ashy Storm-Petrel nests were found on the south sides. Bright lights may enhance avian predation or affect storm-petrel use of these rocks over time. An education effort to reduce bright lights may be helpful. With knowledge of the Ashy Storm-Petrel’s current nesting at nearshore rocks in central Mendocino County, the BLM can develop various appropriate monitoring and conservation actions. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Funding for 2012 Ashy Storm-Petrel surveys in Mendocino County was provided to the California Institute of Environmental Studies (CIES) by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Pacific Seabirds Program (project 31706; Scott Hall), with assistance by Anna Weinstein (California Audubon), William Mclver (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), and Franklin Gress and Jessica Brenner (CIES). CIES also provided field equipment. An outboard engine was loaned by the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (Kyra Parker). Research permits were provided by the Bureau of Land Management (Jesse Irwin) and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (Esther Burkett). We located specimens through our own searches through certain museum collections or via www.ornisnet.org. Often with valuable assistance from museum staff, we obtained specimen information from the following museums: FMNH (Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago), HSU (Humboldt State University Wildlife Museum, Areata, Califor- nia; Tamar Danufsky), MVZ (Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley; Carla Cicero), OMNH (Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, University of Oklahoma, Norman; Tamaki Yuri), ROM (Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario; Mark Peck), SBMNH (Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, California; Krista Fahey), USNM (U.S. National Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.), and WFVZ (Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, Camarillo, California; Rene Corado, Lloyd Kiff, and Linnea Hall). Christina Fidler (MVZ archivist) provided scans of the accession card for MVZ 4559 and four letters between William Davis and Joseph Grinnell in 1934 for use related to this study, with the permission of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley. Figure 1 was prepared by CloverPoint Cartographies (Victoria, British Columbia), assisted by 61 BREEDING OF THE ASHY STORM-PETREL IN CENTRAL MENDOCINO COUNTY Sarah MacGregor, Emily Hillier, and Tanya Forsyth. Comments were provided by William Mclver and James Weigand. Reviews were provided by Kimball Garrett and an anonymous reviewer. LITERATURE CITED Ainley, D. G., and Osborne, T. 1972. A Marin County, California, breeding site for Ashy Petrels. Calif. Birds 3:71. Ainley, D. G., Henderson, R. P., and Strong, C. S. 1990. Leach’s Storm-Petrel and Ashy Storm-Petrel, in Seabirds of the Farallon Islands: Ecology, Dynamics, and Structure of an Upwelling-System Community (D. G. Ainley and R. J. Boekel- heide, eds.), pp. 128-162. Stanford Univ. Press, Stanford, CA. Ainley, D. G. 1995. Ashy Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma homochroa), in The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.), no. 185. Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia. Baird, S. F., Brewer, T. M., and Ridgway, R. 1884. The Water Birds of North America, vol. II. Little, Brown, Boston. Carter, H. R., McChesney, G. J., Jaques, D. L., Strong, C. S., Parker, M. W., Takekawa, J. E., Jory, D. L., and Whitworth, D. L. 1992. Breeding populations of seabirds in California, 1989-1991, vols. 1 and 2. Report to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Dixon, CA. Carter, H. R., Mclver, W. R., and McChesney, G. J. 2008. Ashy Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma homochroa), in California Bird Species of Special Concern: A ranked assessment of species, subspecies, and distinct populations of birds of immediate conservation concern in California (W. D. Shuford, and T. Gardali, eds.), pp. 117-124. Studies of Western Birds 1. W. Field Ornithol., Camarillo, CA, and Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, Sacramento. Carter, H. R., Burger, A. E., Clarkson, P. V., Zharikov, Y., Rodway, M. S., Sealy, S. G., Campbell, R. W., and Hatler, D. F. 2012. Historical colony status and recent extirpations of burrow-nesting seabirds at Seabird Rocks, British Columbia. Wildlife Afield 9:13-48. Clay, C. I. 1916. A new breeding record for California. Condor 18:205. Clay, C. I. 1925. Early nesting of the Fork-tailed Petrel. Condor 27:175-176. Coues, E. 1864. A critical review of the family Procellaridae: Part I., embracing the Procellarieae, or stormy petrels. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 16:72-91. Dali, W. H. 1874. Notes on the avifauna of the Aleutian Islands, especially those west of Unalaska. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 5:270-281. Dawson, W. L. 1923. The Birds of California. South Moulton Co., San Diego. Emerson, W. O. 1906. Oceanodroma leucorhoa and its relatives on the Pacific coast. Condor 8:53-55. Grinnell, J.. and Miller, A. H. 1944. The distribution of the birds of California. Pac. Coast Avifauna 27. Gruber, F. 1884. Die Seevogel der Farallone-inseln. Zeitschrift fur die Gesammte Ornithologie 1:167-172. Harris, S. W. 1974. Status, chronology, and ecology of nesting storm petrels in northwestern California. Condor 76:249-261. Howell, A. B. 1920. Habits of Oceanodroma leucorhoa beali versus O. socorroensis. Condor 22:41-42. Ingersoll, A. M. 1886. Nesting habits and egg of Ashy Petrel ( Cymochorea homo- chroa). Ornithologist and Oologist 11:21. Loomis, L. M. 1896. California water birds. No. III.* South Farallon Island in July. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., Ser. 2, 6:353-366. Loomis, L. M. 1918. A review of the albatrosses, petrels, and diving petrels. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., Ser. 4, 2:1-187. McChesney, G. J., Carter, H. R., and Parker, M. W. 2000. Nesting of Ashy Storm-Pe- trels and Cassin’s Auklets in Monterey County, California. W. Birds 31:178-183. 62 BREEDING OF THE ASHY STORM-PETREL IN CENTRAL MENDOCINO COUNTY Osborne, T. O. 1969. Seabird breeding ground survey: Progress report. Report to Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, Wildlife Mgmt. Branch, Sacramento; http://www. dfg . ca . gov/wildlife/ nongame/publications/bm_research/bm69 . html . Osborne, T. O. 1971. Survey of seabird use of the coastal rocks from Cape Men- docino to the Oregon line. Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, Wildlife Mgmt. Branch Admin. Rep. 71-4; http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/nongame/publications/ bm_research/bm7 1 .html. Osborne, T. O. 1972. Ecology and avian use of the coastal rocks of northern Cali- fornia. M.A. thesis, Humboldt State College, Areata, CA. Osborne, T. O., and Reynolds, J. G. 1971. California seabird breeding ground survey 1969-1970. Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, Wildlife Mgmt. Branch Admin. Rep. 71-3; http : // www . dfg . ca. gov/wildlife/ nongame/ publications/bm_research/ bm71.html. Palmer, L. L. 1880. History of Mendocino County. Alley, Bowen, San Francisco. Sowls, A. L., DeGange, A. R., Nelson, J. W., and Lester, G. S. 1980. Catalog of California seabird colonies. U. S. Dept. Interior, Fish and Wildlife Serv., Biol. Serv. Prog., FWS/OBS 37/80. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2013. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; 12-month finding on a petition to list Ashy Storm-Petrel as an en- dangered or threatened species. Notice of 12-month petition finding. Federal Register 78:62523-62529. Accepted 25 November 2014 Appendix 1 . Searches for storm-petrel nests on nearshore rocks off the central Mendocino County coast, California, in August and September 2012 (see Carter et al. 1992 for locations of colonies and subcolonies). Colonies are listed from north to south order but surveys were conducted from south to north. Kibesillah Rock, 23 Sep, 10:21-11:24. Many shallow crevices on S face (but some deep crevices in a small cave) but no odor; 1 crevice on the SE ridge-spine; 1 crevice with faint odor on N end. No nests found. Newport Rocks Subcolony 02, 23 Sep, 09:50-10:13. No crevices; no nests found. Gull (sp.) wing and shorebird (sp.) wing found on top. Subcolony 04A (west rock), 23 Sep, 11:39. No crevices; no nests found. Subcolony 06, 23 Sep, 12:04. Possible crevices; not climbable. Subcolony 07, 23 Sep, 12:17. Large crevice on W side; not climbable. Mitchell Creek to Caspar, Subcolony 04, 22 Sep, 13:31-13:50. Rubble pile on rock with several crevices but much mammal scat (possibly River Otter) with crustacean remains present; no nests found. Caspar Anchorage to Point Cabrillo Subcolony 01B (east rock), 22 Sep, 12:35-13:00. A few shallow crevices (5-10); a fissure with deep crevices but no odor on N side; no nests found. Subcolony 02, 22 Sep, 12:12-12:26. A few shallow crevices (<4) present; no nests found. Subcolony 03 (“Caspar-Point Cabrillo Rock”), 22 Sep, 11:20-12:07. Some crevices (<20); a large cave runs through the middle section with some crevices but likely wet during big seas; crevices also in rockfall on inside face of rock. No nests found. Point Cabrillo Lighthouse to John Peters Gulch Subcolony 10A (west rock), 22 Sep, 10:27-10:44. A few crevices (<5). 63 BREEDING OF THE ASHY STORM-PETREL IN CENTRAL MENDOCINO COUNTY Subcolony 10B (east rock), 22 Sep, 09:57-10:26. A few crevices (<10) in fis- sures on S face; no nests found. Subcolony 11C (east rock), 22 Sep, 08:53-09:46. A few crevices but no good poten- tial sites; iceplant, shrubs, and other vegetation on top of rock; no nests found. Van Damme Cove, Subcolony 03 (“Van Damme Rock”), 28 Aug, 09:05-09:59. Small numbers of crevices (<10 good potential sites). Island heavily vegetated. No nests and no odor. Schoolhouse Creek to Albion River Subcolony 05 (“Stillwell Point Rock”), 28 Aug, 10:20-11:15. 1 storm-petrel chick in crevice on SSW side with crumbly rock. Not safe to climb entire area but about 20-50 crevices seen. On the rest of the western portion of the rock searched, another 10-20 good potential sites. Many crevices on the WNW part of rock. Subcolony 08, 28 Aug, 11:23-11:25. No crevices; no nests found. Albion Cove to Navarro River, Subcolony 06 (“Arch of the Navarro”), 27 Aug, 15:56-16:11. Some crevices (<20); no nests found and no odor. Devil’s Basin Subcolony 08, 27 Aug, 15:00. No crevices; no nests found. Subcolony 09, 27 Aug, 15:15-15:28. No crevices; no nests found. Casket Rock, 27 Aug, 12:28-13:10. 1 downy storm-petrel chick and eggshell fragment in crevice near top on S end. Many potential crevices on S top and W side. No crevices on N side. Wharf Rocks Subcolony A (east rock), 27 Aug, 11:20-11:30. No crevices; not climbable. Subcolony B (west rock), 27 Aug, 11:31-12:24. 1 dead large gawky-downy storm-petrel chick in a crack/crevice on S side of rock with 5-10 potential sites. No crevices on N side. Cavanaugh Cove to Gunderson Rock Subcolony 07 (largest rock), 27 Aug, 14:10-14:30. Few crevices; no nests found and no odor. Subcolony 08 (largest rock), 27 Aug, 13:54-14:00. Few crevices; no nests found and no odor. Subcolony 11 (“Gunderson Rock”), 27 Aug, 11:00-11:13. Possible crevices; not climbable. Bonee Cliffs Subcolony 06, 27 Aug, 10:33-10:56. No crevices; no nests found. Subcolony 12A (west rock; “Franklin Smith Rock”), 27 Aug, 09:04-10:13. 1 large downy storm-petrel chick in crevice on S side; 12 dead adult storm- petrels, Ashy Storm-Petrels, including 3 found in deep fissure. White Rock, 27 Aug, 08:16-08:50. Few crevices; no nests found. Appendix 2. Surveys for storm-petrel colonies in Mendocino County in 1979 and 1980 (Sowls et al. 1980; unpubl. survey archive). See Carter et al. (1992) for colony and subcolony locations. Colonies are listed from north to south. Goat Island Area Subcolony 01, 16 Aug 1979 and 4 Jun 1980. No sign of burrow nesters. Subcolony 02, 16 Aug 1979. No sign of burrow nesting. 4-5 Jun 1980. No sign of burrow nesting. No storm-petrels heard (dusk-02:00). Subcolony 03, 6/4/1980, No sign of burrow nesting. Mendocino, 5 Jun 1980. All 3 rocks landed on. On the middle rock, 9 burrows found (3 “too deep”, 4 “inaccessible”; apparently 2 were empty) Van Damme Cove, Subcolony 03 (“Van Damme Rock”), 18 May 1979. No evi- 64 BREEDING OF THE ASHY STORM-PETREL IN CENTRAL MENDOCINO COUNTY dence of storm-petrel nesting. 5-6 Jun 1980. No storm-petrels heard or seen (19:00-24:00). None caught in mist net. Wharf Rocks, Subcolony B (west rock), 16 Aug 1979. Suitable habitat but no sign of burrows. Fish Rocks Subcolony 01 (west rock), 6-7 Jun 1980. 9 Leach’s, all with well-developed brood patches, captured in a mist net (01:30-03:00). Much vocalizing but no burrows, although petrel odor noted in some crevices and 1 bird observed on the ground (possibly leaving a crevice). 13-14 Jul 1980, 15 Leach’s captured in a mist net (23:15-04:00), 3 without a brood patch, and 1 recapture (banded at Subcolony 01 on 7 June). Subcolony 02 (east rock), 10-11 Jul 1980. 4 Leach’s captured in a mist net (01:45-03:10), all with a well-developed brood patch, including 2 recap- tures (banded at Subcolony 01 on 7 June). 13-14 Jul 1980. 5 Leach’s, 2 without a brood patch, captured in a mist net (11:30-03:30). Appendix 3. Surveys for storm-petrel colonies in southern Humboldt, Mendocino, and Sonoma counties in 1989 (Carter et al. 1992; unpubl. survey archive). See Carter et al. (1992) for colony and subcolony locations. Colonies are listed from north to south. Sugarloaf Island, 27 May. A cave on the SSW side investigated. No burrows in the cave but soil present. Most of the island not climbed. Westport Rocks Subcolony 02, 31 Aug. 25 burrows counted but none excavated. 1 old storm- petrel egg and odor on SC02 or SC03. Subcolony 03, 31 Aug. 10 burrows but none excavated. Goat Island area Subcolony 02, 5 Aug. No storm-petrel burrows or odor. Subcolony 08, 5-6 Aug. No storm-petrels captured in a mist net (23:40-02:10). Recorded vocalizations of Leach’s (23:43-01:10) and Fork-tailed (01:10- 02:10) broadcast. No storm-petrel burrows or odor. Van Damme Cove, Subcolony 03 (“Van Damme Rock,” 31 May. A few possible burrows. 5-6 Aug. 1 Ashy with a well-developed brood patch captured at 00:33 in a mist net (22:30-02:30). Recorded vocalizations of the Ashy (22:30-23:15; 00:50-02:30) and Leach’s (23:15-00:50) broadcast. Only a few shallow crevices. Schoolhouse Creek to Albion River, Subcolony 08, 31 May. No burrows or crevices. Fish Rocks Subcolony 01 (west rock), 3 Jun. No burrows but many deep crevices. Much suit- able soil and grass tussocks. 7-8 Aug. No storm-petrels heard or captured in a mist net (21:40-02:00). Recorded vocalizations of the Ashy (21:40- 22:22) and Leach’s (22:22-02:00) broadcast. Subcolony 02 (east rock), 3 Jun. No burrows found. 17 Aug. No storm-petrels heard or captured in a mist net (21:50-01:00). Recorded vocalizations of the Ashy (21:50-23:56) and Leach’s (23:56-01:00) broadcast. Gull Rock, 5 Jun. 1 Leach’s nest with adult incubating an egg in a burrow on top of the rock, along with lor 2 other probable burrows. Little habitat available. 65 NOTES HAEMORHOUS CASSINII VINIFER IS VALID ROBERT W. DICKERMAN, Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 97131; bobdickm@unm.edu The winter of 1996-1997 saw a major invasion of New Mexico by “winter” finches, particularly the Evening Grosbeak ( Coccothraustes uespertinus) and Cassin’s Finch (. Haemorhous cassinii, until 2012 known as Carpodacus cassinii). This event was well documented at Albuquerque (Bernalillo Co.) and Espanola (Rio Arriba and Santa Fe counties). Concomitant with this invasion, perhaps because of it, there was an epizootic of salmonellosis and mortality of finches that included as well the House Finch (H. mexicanus) and, to a lesser extent, the Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) . The subspecies H. c. vinifer of Cassin’s Finch was described almost 70 years ago (Duvall 1945), but the name has been recognized only sporadically, and the species has been widely maintained as monotypic. It was clear to me that the 1996-1997 incursion in New Mexico, however, involved two distinct phenotypes. Duvall described vinifer (holotype: United States National Museum of Natural History [USNM] 367522; adult cf; 17 June 1942; Swan Fake, Ferry Co., Washington; coll. S. G. Jewett) as being darker than nominate cassinii (type locality Walnut Creek, Yavapai Co., Arizona), the crown patch of males being more purplish, less pink. Actually, the male’s plumage is more saturated with red throughout (Figure 1). Duvall did not mention the female’s plumage, although he gave measurements for both sexes, hike the male, the female of vinifer is darker than that of nominate cas- sinii, with heavier streaking both dorsally and ventrally, though there is much overlap. Twice I brought series of both phenotypes from New Mexico to USNM for comparison with Duvall’s type and with a series of topotypes taken in mid-winter and confirmed my tentative identification. Subspecies vinifer is represented by definitive-plumaged males collected in New Mexico (specimens at the Museum of Southwestern Biology, Albuquerque [MSB]) from January to March during 1960, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1993, 1997, 1998, and almost yearly from 2003 to 2011. It has occurred from October to March (sporadically in April and May) in Hidalgo, Catron, Rio Arriba, and San Juan counties, but mostly in the highland counties of Taos, Santa Fe, and Eos Alamos, and also along the Rio Grande in Bernalillo County. Duvall’s (1945) paper was overlooked by the AOU, as neither vinifer nor rubidus, a subspecies of the Purple Finch (H. purpureus) described in that paper as well, was ever evaluated in their annual supplements (AOU 1945 to AOU 1956) leading up to the fifth Check-list of North American Birds (AOU 1957), in which Cassin’s Finch was listed without comment as monotypic. Jewett et al. (1953) were apparently the first to accept Duvall’s vinifer (and rubidus). Phillips et al. (1964) tentatively recognized both taxa for Arizona, and Monson and Phillips (1981) and Rea (1983) used the name vinifer explicitly or implicitly. Elsewhere, Bailey and Niedrach (1965) did not use the name vinifer for Colorado populations, and Behle (1985) did not list Cassin’s Finch among the species he considered geographically variable in Utah. Pyle (1997) recognized vinifer, but Marshall et al. (2003) did not mention it for Oregon, nor did Wahl et al. (2005) for Washington, although the taxon was described from that state. The nesting range of vinifer is as hazy today as in 1945. It nests in the Cascade Range of Washington (Wahl et al. 2005) and presumably Oregon (Marshall et al. 2005), but California specimens remain unstudied. It winters widely in Arizona (Mon- son and Phillips 1981) and New Mexico, but much work needs to be done to define both its summer and winter ranges. Someone in the central or northern Rocky Moun- tains must determine the northern limit of the nesting range of nominate cassinii ! I acknowledge the contributions of the bird rehabilitators of New Mexico, without 66 Western Birds 46:66-68, 2015 NOTES whom this note would not have been written, especially Marian Hamburg, who was par- ticularly helpful in securing specimens. I thank the curators of the U. S. National Museum of Natural History for their hospitality, and Peter Pyle for his helpful suggestions. LITERATURE CITED American Ornithologists’ Union. 1945. Twentieth supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds. Auk 62:436-449. American Ornithologists’ Union. 1956. Thirty-first supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds. Auk 73:447-449. American Ornithologists’ Union. 1957. Check-list of North American Birds, 5th ed. Am. Ornithol. Union, Baltimore. Bailey, A. M., and Niedrach, R.J. 1965. Birds of Colorado. Denver Mus. Nat. Hist., Denver. Behle. W. H. 1985. Utah Birds: Geographic Distribution and Systematics. Occas. Publ. Utah Mus. Nat. Hist. 5:1-147. Duvall, A. J. 1945. Variation in Carpodacus purpureus and Carpodacus cassinii. Condor 47: 202-205. Jewett, S. G., Taylor, W. P., Shaw, W. T., and Aldrich, J. W. 1953. Birds of Wash- ington. Univ. Wash. Press, Seattle. Figure 1. Six specimens from New Mexico of adult males of Haemorhous cassinii in the Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico. From left to right: three examples of H. c. cassinii (MSB 19899, January; MSB 25522, March, and MSB 26959, March), followed by three of H. c. vinifer (MSB 20630, February; MSB 24512, March; and MSB 25523, April). 67 NOTES Marshall, D. B., Hunter, M. G., and Contreras, A. J. (eds.). 2003. Birds of Oregon: A General Reference. Ore. State Univ. Press, Corvallis. Monson, G., and Phillips, A. R. 1981. Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Arizona, 2nd ed. Univ. Arizona Press, Tucson. Phillips, A. [R.], Marshall, J. [T.], and Monson, G. 1964. The Birds of Arizona. Univ. Ariz. Press, Tucson. Pyle, P. 1997. Identification Guide to North American Birds, part I: Columbidae to Ploceidae. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas. Rea, A. M. 1983. Once a River: Bird Life and Habitat Changes on the Middle Gila. Univ. Ariz. Press, Tucson. Wahl, T. R., Tweit, B., and Mlodinow, S. G. 2005. Birds of Washington. Ore. State Univ. Press, Corvallis. Accepted 1 7 September 2014 IS THE LONG-EARED OWL DIMORPHIC? ROBERT W. DICKERMAN, Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87371; bobdickm@unm.edu The Long-eared Owl ( Asio otus) is almost cosmopolitan in the North Temperate Zone. In Eurasia (see Peters 1940, Vaurie 1965), A. o. otus (Linnaeus, 1758) is found throughout the range of the species, except for the Canary Islands, where isolated A. o. canariensis Madarasz, 1901, occurs. In North America two wide-ranging subspecies have been named, distinguished by size and color. “Eastern” A. o. wilsonianus (Les- son, 1830; type locality Pennsylvania) is reportedly larger and darker; “western” A. o. tuftsi Godfrey, 1948 (type locality South Arm, Last Mountain Lake, Saskatchewan) is reportedly smaller and paler (Godfrey 1948). The latter form was recognized by the AOU (1957), Monson and Phillips (1981), Marks et al. (1994), and Pyle (1997). Browning and Cross (1999) suggested the existence of even a third, as yet unnamed subspecies (see Marshall et al. 2006). But tuftsi was maintained as a junior synonym of wilsonianus by Rea (1983) and Unitt (1984). Rea (1983:171) wrote that “males are considerably darker than females” (n = 30) and questioned the validity of a paler western race. Kenneth C. Parkes “compared western birds of various museum ages . . . with topotypical Pennsylvania material and was unable to substantiate a western race” (loc. cit.). Parkes “doubted the validity of ... ‘ tuftsi ’ ... and suggested the sup- posed differences were artifacts of individual variation and museum age of specimens” (Unitt 1984:110). Knowing this history, I studied the 51 Long-eared Owl specimens from New Mexico in the Museum of Southwestern Biology. I plotted their distribution by color and found that dark and light specimens were distributed evenly throughout the year, with dark birds being slightly more prevalent in the fledging season (June and July). With respect to sex, males outnumbered females 19:7 in the pale series, and females outnumbered males 21:6 in the dark series. 68 Western Birds 46:68-70, 2015 NOTES I repeated this study with the 48 Long-eared Owl specimens from Colorado in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS) and with the 79 specimens from California in the collection of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley (MVZ), with essentially the same results. Pale and dark birds were evenly distributed throughout the year, and sex ratios were essentially the same. For males, the ratios of pale to dark were MSB 19:7, DMNS 19:7, and MVZ 34:5; for females the ratios of pale to dark were MSB 6:21, DMNS 6:18, and MVZ 1:39. Of 184 owls examined, the overall ratios of pale to dark were 72:19 for males and 13:78 for females. Lesson (1830) did not specify the sex of the type of wilsonianus in his original description; the type of tuftsi is a male. I point out the difference in age of the specimens in two of the institutions for the average age of 17 specimens (including the oldest examined) in MSB was 26.6 years, while in the Denver collection it was 93.9 years. MVZ specimens fell in the middle. Whether or not this age difference affected foxing of plumage color I do not know, but the ratios are so alike I do not think there was any such effect to a significant degree. In the Denver and Berkeley collections the majority of the birds were deliberately collected, whereas the majority in MSB were salvaged, and this difference also did not seem to affect the results. At the MVZ I used one specimen as a standard and compared the others to it. Doing so might have influenced ratios somewhat, but not enough to significantly alter my conclusion — that A. o. tuftsi is invalid, because it is explained by dimorphism, and must be maintained as a junior synonym of wilsonianus. Among specimens at the DMNS is a family group, a pair of adults and six downy young. The male parent is dark, the female light — opposite the prevailing frequencies of the morphs in each sex. I studied only three western collections in pursuit of the answer to the question posed in the title, but similar studies might profitably be made in collections of the Long-eared Owl from eastern North America. I thank John Demboski, Andrew Dell, and Jeff Stephenson, and Carla Cicero, for permission to work in the collections at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, respectively. Philip Unitt advised me on the project, and Andrew B. Johnson helped me with comparisons at the DMNS and MVZ. LITERATURE CITED American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU). 1957. Check-list of North American Birds, 5th ed. Am. Ornithol. Union, Baltimore. Browning, M. R., and Cross, S. P. 1999. Third specimen of Nuttall’s Woodpecker from Jackson County, Oregon: Distribution and taxonomy of selected species. Ore. Birds 25:62-71. Dickinson, E. C., and Remsen, J. V. (eds.). 2013. The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World, 4th ed., vol. 1: Non-passerines. Aves Press, Eastbourne, England. Godfrey, W. E. 1948. A new Long-eared Owl. Can. Field-Nat. 61:196-197. Lesson, R. P. 1830. Traite d’Ornithologie. F. G. Levrault, Paris. Marks, J. S., Evans, D. L., and Holt, D. W. 1994. Long-eared Owl ( Asio otus), in The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.), no. 133. Acad Nat. Sci., Philadelphia. Marshall, D. B., Hunter, M. G., and Contreras, A. L. (eds.). 2006. Birds of Oregon: A General Reference. Ore. State Univ Press, Corvallis. Monson, G., and Phillips, A. R. 1981. Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Arizona, 2nd ed. Univ. of Arizona Press, Tucson. Peters, J. L. 1940. Checklist of Birds of the World, vol. IV. Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge, MA. 69 NOTES Figure 1. Specimens of Long-eared Owls from New Mexico in the Museum of Southwestern Biology, Left to right; two males, MSB 9727 and 29910, representing the pale morph; two females, MSB 18767 and 8669, representing the dark morph. Pyle, P. 1997. Identification Guide to North American Birds, part I: Columbidae to Ploceidae. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, CA. Rea, A. M. 1983. Once a River: Bird Life and Habitat Changes on the Middle Gila. Univ. of Ariz. Press, Tucson. Unitt, P. 1984. The Birds of San Diego County. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist. Memoir 13. Vaurie, C. 1965. The Birds of the Palearctic Fauna. Non-Passeriformes. H. F. & G. Witherby, London. Accepted 1 7 October 2014 70 NOTES WESTERN NORTH AMERICAN RECORDS OF EURASIAN BAR-TAILED GODWITS NICHOLAS R. HAJDUKOVICH and LUCAS H. DeCICCO, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management, 1011 E. Tudor Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99503; nhajdukovich@icloud.com PAVELS. TOMKOVICH, Zoological Museum, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street, 6, Moscow, Russia 125009 The Bar-tailed Godwit ( Limosa lapponica) breeds discontinuously across a vast expanse of tundra from Alaska west to Scandinavia and spends the nonbreeding season in coastal areas of the Eastern Hemisphere from New Zealand to western Africa (Cramp and Simmons 1983, Higgins and Davies 1996). Recent authorities recognize three to five subspecies of the Bar-tailed Godwit (Higgins and Davies 1996, Piersma et al. 1996, Engelmoer and Roselaar 1998, Dickinson 2003, Clements et al. 2013, Dickinson and Remsen 2013). Here we follow Dickinson and Remsen (2013) in recognizing five subspecies (listed from west to east by breeding distribution): L. 1. lapponica (Linnaeus, 1758; type locality Swedish Lapland), L. 1. taymyrensis Engelmoer and Roselaar, 1998 (near Lake Taymyr, central Siberia), L. 1. menzbieri Portenko, 1936 (Indigirka River delta, eastern Siberia), L. 1. anadyrensis Engelmoer and Roselaar, 1998 (Markovo, Russian Far East), and L. 1. baueri Naumann, 1836 (Norfolk Island, Tasman Sea). These differ in size (e.g., bill and wing length; Portenko 1936, Higgins and Davies 1996, Engelmoer and Roselaar 1998, Tomkovich 2010) and plumage (e.g., extent of ventral red feathering in breeding plumage and extent of red breeding feathers on the mantle and scapulars; Rynn 1982). However, given the difficulties in distinguishing subtle differences among these characteristics in the field, we focus on the more discernible variation of the rump, lower back, and axillar- ies (Cramp and Simmons 1983, Engelmoer and Roselaar 1998, McCaffery and Gill 2001, Tomkovich 2010). At the western end of the species’ breeding distribution — from Fennoscandia to the Kanin Peninsula in Russia — nominate lapponica shows an unpatterned white rump and lower back with a few dark thin streaks (the rump contrasting greatly with the dark of the rest of the dorsal surface) and axillaries with minimal dark barring (Nieboer et al. 1985, Higgins and Davies 1996, Engelmoer and Roselaar 1998). At the other extreme, the Alaska-breeding subspecies baueri has a uniformly dark dorsum, including the rump and lower back, and axillaries extensively barred dark (Higgins and Davies 1996, Engelmoer and Roselaar 1998, Tomkovich 2010). Subspecies menzbieri, taymyrensis, and anadyrensis represent steps of clinal variation in plumage between lapponica and baueri, most notably in the rump and lower back (Figure 1; Engelmoer and Roselaar 1998, Tomkovich 2010). Subspecific limits of the populations of Siberia and the Russian Far East are in need of further study and clarification (McCaffery and Gill 2001, Mlodinow and Aanerud 2006, Tomkovich 2008, 2010). On 5 June 2010, at Tasaychek Lagoon (67.2725° N, 163.7606° W) near Cape Krusenstern in northwestern Alaska, while observing a foraging flock of about 60 Bar-tailed Godwits, Hajdukovich and DeCicco photographed a male that had a light lower back and rump contrasting greatly with the rest of the dark dorsum, differing noticeably from the other birds in the flock (Figure 2). After reviewing additional photos in various stages of flight, we noted finer details of its plumage; it was obvious that it had significantly less dark barring in the rump and lower back than baueri (Figures 2 and 3). This amount of barring in the rump and lower back — equivalent to a score of 3 (Tomkovich 2010: Figure 2) — is outside the known variation of baueri but falls within the variation of both menzbieri and taymyrensis (Engelmoer and Roselaar Western Birds 46:71-75, 2015 71 NOTES L. I. lapponica L I. tavmvrensis L I. menzbieri LI. anadyrensis L I. baueri Figure 1 . Geographic variation in the back and lower rump of the five subspecies of the Bar-tailed Godwit, Limosa lapponica. Figure based on Figure 2 of Tomkovich (2010). 1998, Tomkovich 2010; R. E. Gill, Jr., and B. J. McCaffery, in lift., 2011). Tomkovich noted that the axillary pattern of the bird in question was equivalent to a score of D of Engelmoer and Roselaar (1998: Figure 13). Godwits with an axillary score of D and a back pattern analogous to the individual in question (score 3) have not been found among anadyrensis or baueri but have been found in both menzbieri and taymyrensis (Engelmoer and Roselaar 1998, Tomkovich 2010). Although not conclusive, migration strategy may be useful in estimating the origin of the bird we observed. For example, during northbound migration menzbieri and presumably anadyrensis migrate along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway and likely, on the basis of timing, mix with baueri at the Yellow Sea (Wilson et al. 2007, Bat- tley et al. 2012, Lappo et al. 2012). On the other hand, taymyrensis uses the West Asian-East African and East Atlantic flyways and presumably mixes only occasionally with populations using the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, in particular with baueri (Cramp and Simmons 1983, Tomkovich 2008). Mixing of baueri, menzbieri, and anadyrensis also likely occurs on the nonbreeding grounds in Australia (J. R. Conklin, Univ. of Groningen, in lift., 2014). Although the individual in question cannot be assigned to subspecies definitively, it is clearly not baueri and, on the basis of plum- age characteristics and migratory patterns, most likely originated from the breeding range of menzbieri. Without a specimen, and because of the overlap in plumage of menzbieri, taymyrensis, and anadyrensis, it is not possible for us to be any more confident in the bird’s identity. There are three previous reports from western North America of Bar-tailed Godwits that were not baueri. All were in fall: one in Washington, a juvenile at Blaine, Whatcom Co., 28 August-1 September 2002 (Mlodinow and Aanerud 2006) and two in Califor- 72 NOTES Figure 3. Four Bar-tailed Godwits with the light-backed male that is not baueri in the center flanked by two female baueri and a male baueri to the far right, at Tasaycheck Lagoon near Cape Krusenstern, northwestern Alaska, 5 June 2010. Note the very pale rump and uppertail coverts of the center bird in comparison to the typical example of baueri on the left. Photo by Lucas H. DeCicco Figure 2. Flock of Bar-tailed Godwits with the male light-backed bird, representing a subspecies other than baueri (center left) in comparison to dark-backed baueri at Tasaycheck Lagoon near Cape Krusenstern, northwestern Alaska, 5 June 2010. Photo by Nicholas R. Hajdukovich 73 NOTES nia, an adult at Point Mugu, Ventura Co., 30 August 1990 (Patten and Erickson 1994, Hamilton et al. 2007) and a juvenile at Bolinas Lagoon, Marin Co., 20 September 1988 (Hamilton et al. 2007). These three records do not include photographs but are accompanied by written descriptions. The Washington bird was said to show an extensive white rump and sparsely marked axillaries that “indicate^!] lapponica, though menzbieri could not be eliminated” (Mlodinow and Aanerud 2006:44). Both California birds were described as showing '‘mostly white rumps that exhibited other marks typical of menzbieri or lapponica ’ (Hamilton et al. 2007:172); taymyrensis and anadyrensis were not explicitly considered in the discussion of these three records. The individual that we photographed represents the first photo-documented record of a Bar-tailed Godwit other than baueri in western North America. We thank Jim Johnson and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management, for the opportunity to work in this remote area of western Alaska. Tina Moran, Lee Anne Ayres, and Eric Sieh, Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, were extremely helpful in facilitating our field work. The extensive identification comments provided by Phil Battley, Adrian Boyle, Jesse Conklin, Daniel Gibson, Robert Gill, Jr., Chris Hassell, Steven Heinl, Aaron Lang, Brian McCaffery, Theodore Tobish, Jr., and Jack Withrow were greatly appreciated and integral in the development of this note. We appreciate the editorial comments of Steve Matsuoka, Jim Johnson, Jesse Conklin, Nils Warnock, Daniel D. Gibson, and Robert Gill, Jr.. Funding for the field work from which this observation stemmed was provided by the Survey Monitoring and Assessment program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. LITERATURE CITED Battley, P. F., Warnock, N., Tibbitts, T. L., Gill, R. E. Jr., Piersma, T., Hassell, C. J., Douglas, D. C., Mulcahy, D. M., Gartrell, B. D., Schuckard, R., Melville, D. S., and Riegen, A. C. 2012. Trans-hemispheric migration timing, flight paths and staging in two Bar-tailed Godwit subspecies. Journal Avian Biology 43:21-32. Clements, J. F., Schulenberg, T. S., Iliff, M. J., Sullivan, B. L., Wood, C. L., and Roberson, D. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8; http : //www. birds . Cornell . edu/ clementschecklist/download/. Cramp, S., and Simmons, K. E. L. (eds.). 1983. The Birds of the Western Palearctic, vol. 3: Waders to gulls. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, England. Dickinson, E. C. (ed.). 2003. The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World, 3 rd ed. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, NJ. Dickinson, E. C., and Remsen, J. V. Jr. (eds.). 2013. The Howard and Moore Com- plete Checklist of the Birds of the World, vol. 1, 4 th ed. Aves Press, Eastbourne, England. Engelmoer, M., and Roselaar, C. 1998. Geographical Variation in Waders. Kluwer Academic Publ., Dordrecht, the Netherlands. Hamilton, R. A., Patten, M. A., and Erickson, R. A. (eds.). 2007. Rare Birds of California. W. Field Ornithol., Camarillo, CA. Higgins, P. J., and Davies, S. J. J. F. (eds.). 1996. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds, vol. 3. Oxford Univ. Press, Melbourne. Lappo, E. G., Tomkovich, P. S., and Syroechkovskiy, E. E. Jr. 2012. [Atlas of Breed- ing Waders in the Russian Arctic]. Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (in Russian, with English summaries). McCaffery, B., and Gill, R. E. Jr. 2001. Bar-tailed Godwit ( Limosa lapponica), in The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.), no. 581. Birds N. Am. Inc., Philadelphia. 74 NOTES Mlodinow, S. G., and Aanerud, K. R. 2006. Sixth report of the Washington Bird Records Committee. Wash. Birds 9:39-54. Nieboer, E., Cronau, J., deGoede, R., Letschert, J., and van der Have, T. 1985. Axillary feather colour patterns as indicators of the breeding origin of Bar-tailed Godwits. Wader Study Group Bull. 45:34. Patten, M. A., and Erickson, R. A. 1994. Fifteenth report of the California Bird Records Committee. W. Birds 25:1-34. Piersma, T., van Gils, J., and Wiersma, P. 1996. Family Scolopacidae (sandpipers, snipes, and phalaropes), in Handbook of the Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal, eds.), vol. 3, pp. 444-487. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Portenko, L. 1936. The Bar-tailed Godwit and its races. Auk 53:194-197. Rynn, S. 1982. A revision of the taxonomy of the genus Limosa. Ph.D. dissertation, Liverpool Polytechnic, Liverpool, England. Tomkovich, P. S. 2008. Population structure and migratory links of Bar-tailed Godwits: Current knowledge and unsolved issues, in Achievements in Studies on Wad- ers of Northern Eurasia (A. Yu. Okolelov, P. S. Tomkovich, and A. O. Shubin, eds.), pp. 136-140. Michurinsk State Pedagogical Inst., Michurinsk, Russia (In Russian, with English summary). Tomkovich, P. S. 2010. Assessment of the Anadyr Lowland subspecies of Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica anadyrensis. Bull. Br. Ornithol. Club 130:88-95. Wilson, J. R., Nebel, S., and Minton, C. D. T. 2007. Migration ecology and morpho- metries of two Bar-tailed Godwit populations in Australia. Emu 107: 262-274. Accepted 18 November 2014 75 NOTES GOLDEN EAGLE MORTALITY AT A WIND-ENERGY FACILITY NEAR PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA JEFFREY E. LOVICH, U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, 2255 N. Gemini Drive, MS-9394, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001-1600; jeffrey_lovich@usgs.gov Wind-energy development is proceeding rapidly worldwide, including in the United States. Yet we still know rather little about the direct and indirect (Katzner et al. 2013) environmental effects of renewable-energy development and operation (Hernandez et al. 2014), especially the negative effects on wildlife (Lovich and Ennen 2011, 2013). Birds and bats are particularly sensitive (Kuvlesky et al. 2007) through collisions with turbines and other equipment (Cohn 2008). Loss et al. (2013) suggested that 140,000-328,000 birds are killed annually by monopole turbines in the United States. On the basis of an installed capacity of 51,630 MW of energy in 2012, Smallwood (2013) estimated the annual fatality in the United States at 888,000 bats and 573,000 birds, including 83,000 raptors. The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and Golden Eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos ) are of particular concern as victims of collisions with wind-energy turbines because of legal, societal, and biological factors. Both species are protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of the United States (Iraola 2005), have a charismatic standing in society, are used by Native Americans for religious purposes (Kochert and Steenhof 2002), and are the national birds of the U.S. and Mexico, respectively. This symbolism generates public concern for their well-being in North America and beyond. Furthermore, as long-lived apex predators, eagles are characterized by low natural population densities and reproductive rates and therefore are especially sensitive to additive mortality (Kochert and Steenhof 2002, Whitfield et al. 2004). In spite of these concerns, data on eagle mortality at wind-energy facilities in the contiguous United States are generally scarce, except for the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area in central California. In this area, the average annual mortality of the Golden Eagle from 1998 to 2002 has been estimated at 67 (80% confidence interval 25-109; Smallwood and Thelander 2008; see also Drewitt and Langston 2006), after adjustment for carcasses' detectability and removal by scavengers. In their review of the available data, Pagel et al. (2013) noted that when data from Altamont Pass were excluded, a minimum of 79 Golden and six Bald Eagles were reported killed at 32 wind farms in 10 states from 1997 to 30 June 2012. Pagel et al. (2013) observed “assessments of eagle mortality at commercial-scale and/or private wind energy facilities are either seldom conducted or in some cases not made available for public review.” In light of the dearth of documentation of Golden Eagle mortality at wind farms, I report details of two cases near Palm Springs, California. The study site is one of many utility-scale wind-energy facilities in the San Gorgonio Pass, about 13 km northwest of Palm Springs. It is situated in the southeastern foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains at elevations from about 600 to 900 m. Known as the Mesa Wind Project Site (Diffendorfer et al. 2014), or Mesa, the facility was one of several the Bureau of Land Management permitted on public land in 1983 (Lovich et al. 2011a), in addition to numerous installations on private land in the area (Diffendorfer et al. 2014). Construction at Mesa eventually resulted in completion of 460 turbines, 51 electrical transformers, a substation, a maintenance building, and an extensive network of unpaved roads (Lovich and Daniels 2000). Turbines are 65-kW units mounted on lattice towers either 24.4 or 42.7 m tall, with rotors 8 m in diameter and a swept area of 177 m 2 . The site is located at the western extremity of the Colorado Desert where it blends with other plant communities from the Mojave Desert, chaparral, and coastal sage scrub ecosystems. The vegetation is generally desert scrub and has been burned several times over the last 20 years (Lovich et al. 2011b). The Golden Eagle’s prey, including lagomorphs ( Lepus californicus, 76 Western Birds 46:76-80, 2015 NOTES Sylvilagus audubonii) and rodents, especially the California ground squirrel (Oto- spermophilus beecheyi), are seasonally abundant at the site. I did not survey the site systematically for avian mortality; avian observations were incidental to long-term studies of the ecology and behavior of Agassiz’s desert tortoise [Gopherus agassizii ), primarily 1997-2000 and 2009-2014 (Lovich et al. 2011a). The research generally involved visiting the site once every 7-10 days from April to July for one or two days. Crews of 1-8 people walked long, meandering transects looking for tortoises to equip with transmitters or radio-tracking tortoises already outfitted for telemetry. Some aspects of the study required daily field work with one or two people. When dead birds were observed, field notes and photographs were taken opportunistically. Since research was not focused on birds, and bird carcasses were found incidentally, it is likely that avian mortality and injury were underestimated at the site. The first eagle mortality was observed on 31 August 1995. A maintenance worker told me that he found an immature eagle that was hit and killed by a turbine on one of the 24.4-m towers. When I examined the carcass, it was on the ground, cut in half by the tip of a turbine blade. I reconsolidated the carcass pieces for photographic documenta- tion (Figure 1). The tip of the turbine blade was clearly stained with blood and feathers (Figure 2). Time since death was not known, but the condition of the carcass suggested up to several days. The second eagle, a subadult female, was observed 17 April 1997 when mainte- nance workers alerted me to an injured eagle, struck by a turbine on a 24.4-m tower at 15:30. 1 arrived at the site after 16:05 with a biologist from the California Department of Fish and Game, and we found the immature female eagle alive but unable to fly. We captured it and delivered it to a wildlife-rehabilitation center in the nearby Coachella Valley, where it was found to be injured so severely that it was euthanized. Both fatalities were reported to the Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish and Game, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. During my tortoise research, I noted additional avian mortality near turbines, including at least three Red-tailed Hawks ( Buteo jamaicensis) . Figure 1. Immature Golden Eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos) killed after being struck by a turbine blade at a wind farm near Palm Springs, California. Photo by Jeffrey E. Lovich 77 NOTES Figure 2. The turbine that killed the Golden Eagle shown in Figure 1. Blood and feathers could clearly be observed on the tip of the blade to the right and the stains are visible in this photograph. Photo by Jeffrey E. Louich Mortality of the Bald Eagle has been reported at wind farms in Maryland, Iowa, and Wyoming, but mortality of the Golden Eagle has been reported only west of the Mississippi River (Pagel et al. 2013). The second highest incidence of Golden Eagle mortality from 1997 to 2012 was reported from California (n = 27, excluding Altamont Pass), a total exceeded only slightly by Wyoming (n = 29) during the same time period (Pagel et al. 2013). According to Pagel et al., because of the lack of rigor- ous monitoring and reporting, their totals “likely underestimate, perhaps substantially, the number of eagles killed at wind energy facilities in the United States.” Hunt (2002) studied survivorship of 257 radio-tagged Golden Eagles at Altamont Pass for seven years. Among those, 100 deaths were observed, including a minimum of 42 attributed to wind turbines. According to Hunt (2002), lattice-style turbine towers are more dangerous to Golden Eagles than other towers, including tubular monopoles. All 460 of the towers at Mesa are lattice-style. I was unable to find any peer-reviewed journal articles specifically documenting other Golden Eagle mortalities at my study site. The 1997 mortality I observed appears to be included in the California tally of Pagel et al. (2013). The same eagle was mentioned in a technical report by Anderson et al. (2005) without the details I provide. The 1995 mortality was not included in either source. Anderson et al. (2005) summarized the results of avian monitoring and risk assessment at several sites in the San Gorgonio Pass, including Mesa, from 1997 to 2000. McCrary et al. (1983) estimated that 6800 birds were killed by turbines annually in the San Gorgonio Pass in the early 1980s and that 69 million birds pass through the surrounding Coachella Valley annually during migration. On the basis of this ratio, those reports concluded that the effects of the wind farms on birds in the area were insignificant. During phase I of their studies from 1997 to 1998, Anderson et al. (2005) reported 61 fatalities (due to turbines or unknown causes) of 19 species, including the 1997 eagle mortality I detail here. Most of the dead birds were found near turbines. During phase II from 1999 to 2000 they found 31 unknown or turbine-related fatalities of 12 species. Notably, they observed “10 groups of 13” (without providing more details) live Golden Eagles near turbines during their surveys in 1997 and 1998 but 78 NOTES none in 1999 or 2000. Other raptor carcasses found included Red-tailed Hawks and unidentified owls. Not adjusting their results for scavenging by predators, Anderson et al. estimated raptors’ fatality rate at 0.006/turbine/year throughout the San Gorgonio Pass, or 0.03 raptor fatalities/MW/year. Their rates were lower than the unadjusted rates reported by Smallwood and Thelander (2008) at Altamont Pass. Adjusting for scavenging is important, as Anderson et al. noted that 90% of chicken carcasses placed in the San Gorgonio Pass study area disappeared from scavenging within 10 days. If surveys were repeated at longer intervals, it is likely the majority of carcasses would be missed (see also Smallwood 2007). Eagles observed occasionally at Mesa often flew at altitudes well within the range of heights covered by the turbines and within the area swept by the blades, exposing them to the risk of collision. From 2009 to 2014 the only sighting at Mesa was of one on 10 May 2011 (M. Agha pers. comm.). Other sightings in the San Gorgonio Pass have been reported since 2008, including one in 2014 (P. Unitt pers. comm.). Since no systematic surveys have been conducted or published other than those cited here, the eagle’s frequency of occurrence in the area remains unclear. My casual observations suggest a decline, as also observed by Anderson et al. (2005) from 1997 to 2000. Better studies of the effects on wildlife of renewable-energy development are needed (Lovich and Ennen 2011, 2013). Although two eagle deaths may seem insignificant, my incidental observations represent over 2% of all Golden Eagle mortalities reported nationally (Altamont Pass excluded) by Pagel et al. (2013) from 1997 to June 2012. Pagel et al. reported 79 Golden Eagles killed over 32 facilities over 15.5 years, a rate of 0.16 mortalities per facility per year. Minimizing wildlife mortality at wind farms is a major goal of conservation (USFWS 2013), although research on how best to do that is in short supply (Kuvlesky et al. 2007, Lovich and Ennen 2013). Compiling and publishing accurate data on mortality of Golden Eagles over time is an important first step in efforts to protect these iconic birds. Field support for the project was provided by interns from the Student Conserva- tion Association and numerous volunteers. Special thanks to K. Brennan, R. Daniels, M. Massar, K. Meyer, and G. Wright for their long commitment to the support of the project. Research was supported by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), California Desert District Office; the BLM, Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office; and Joshua Tree National Park. Research was conducted under permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Game, and the BLM. Earlier versions of the manuscript benefited greatly from comments by T. Katzner, J. E. Pagel, and C. van Riper. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. government. LITERATURE CITED Anderson, R., Tom, J., Neumann, N., Erickson, W. P, Strickland, M. B., Bay, K. J., and Sernka, K. J. 2005. Avian monitoring and risk assessment at the San Gor- gonio Wind Resource Area. National Renewable Energy Laboratory Subcontract Report NREL/SR-500-38054. Cohn, J. P. 2008. How ecofriendly are wind farms? BioScience 58:576-578. Diffendorfer, J. E., Compton, R., Kramer, L., Ancona, Z., and Norton, D. 2014. Onshore industrial wind turbine locations for the United States through July 2013. U.S. Geol. Surv. Data Series 817; http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ds817. Drewitt, A. L., and Langston, R. H. W. 2006. Assessing the impacts of wind farms on birds. Ibis 148:29-42. Hernandez, R. R., Easter, S. B., Murphy-Mariscal, M. L., Maestre, F. T., Tavassoli, M., Allen, E. B., Barrows, C. W., Belnap, J., Ochoa-Hueso, R., Ravi, S., and Allen, M. F. 2014. Environmental impacts of utility-scale solar energy. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Rev. 29:766-779. 79 NOTES Hunt, G. 2002. Golden Eagles in a perilous landscape: Predicting the effects of mitiga- tion for wind turbine blade-strike mortality. Report of Predatory Bird Research Group, University of California, Santa Cruz, to Public Interest Energy Research, California Energy Commission, Environmental Area 500-97-4033. Iraola, R. 2005. The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Albany Law Rev. 68:973-996. Katzner, T., Johnson, J. A., Evans, D. M., Garner, T. W. J., Gompper, M. E., Alt- wegg, R., Branch, T. A., Gordon, I. J., and Pettorelli, N. 2013. Challenges and opportunities for animal conservation from renewable energy development. Animal Cons. 16:367-369. Kochert, M. N., and Steenhof, K. 2002. Golden Eagles in the U.S. and Canada: Status, trends, and conservation challenges. J. Raptor Res. 36:32-40. Kuvlesky, W. P., Brennan, L. A., Morrison, M. L., Boydston, K. K., Ballard, B. M., and Bryant, F. C. 2007. Wind energy development and wildlife conservation: Challenges and opportunities. J. Wildlife Mgmt. 71:2487-2498. Loss, S. R., Will, T., and Marra, P. P. 2013. Estimates of bird collision mortality at wind facilities in the contiguous United States. Biol. Cons. 168:201-209. Lovich, J. E., and Daniels, R. 2000. Environmental characteristics of desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) burrow locations in an altered industrial landscape. Chelonian Cons. Biol. 3:714-721. Lovich, J. E., and Ennen, J. R. 2011. Wildlife conservation and solar energy develop- ment in the desert Southwest, United States. BioScience 61:982-992. Lovich, J. E., and Ennen, J. R. 2013. Assessing the state of knowledge of utility-scale wind energy development and operation on non-volant terrestrial and marine wildlife. Applied Energy 103:52-60. Lovich, J. E., Ennen, J. R., Madrak, S., Meyer, K., Loughran, C., Bjurlin, C., Arundel, T., Turner, W., Jones, C., and Groenendaal, G. M. 2011a. Effects of wind energy production on growth, demography, and survivorship of a Desert Tortoise (Go- pherus agassizii) population in southern California with comparisons to natural populations. Herpetol. Cons. Biol. 6:161-174. Lovich, J. E., Ennen, J. R., Madrak, S. V., Loughran, C. L., Meyer, K. P., Arundel, T. R., and Bjurlin, C. D. 2011b. Long-term post-fire effects on spatial ecology and reproductive output of female Agassiz's desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) at a wind energy facility near Palm Springs, California, USA. Fire Ecol. 7:75-87. McCrary, M. D., McKernan, R. L., Landry, R. E., Wagner, W. D., and Schreiber, R. W. 1983. Nocturnal avian migration assessment of the San Gorgonio wind resource study area, spring 1982. Report from Section of Ornithology, Los Angeles County Natural History Museum Foundation, Los Angeles, to Research and Development, Southern California Edison Co., Rosemead, CA. Pagel, J. E., Kritz, K. J., Millsap, B. A., Murphy, R. K., Kershner, E. L., and Coving- ton, S. 2013. Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle mortalities at wind energy facilities in the contiguous United States. J. Raptor Res. 47:311-315. Smallwood, K. S. 2007. Estimating wind turbine-caused bird mortality. J. Wildlife Mgmt. 71:2781-2791. Smallwood, K. S. 2013. Comparing bird and bat fatality-rate estimates among North American wind-energy projects. Wildlife Soc. Bull. 37:19-33. Smallwood, K. S., and Thelander, C. 2008. Bird mortality in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area, California. J. Wildlife Mgmt. 72:215-223. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2013. Eagle conservation plan guidance. Module 1 — land-based wind energy, version 2; http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/ Eagle_Conservation_Plan_Guidance-Module%201.pdf Whitfield, D. P., Fielding, A. H., McLeod, D. R. A., and Haworth, P. F. 2004. Model- ling the effects of persecution on the population dynamics of Golden Eagles in Scotland. Biol. Cons. 119:319-333. Accepted 20 October 2014 80 NOTES ACORN WOODPECKER PREDATION ON THE WESTERN FENCE LIZARD IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA JACKSON D. SHEDD, The Nature Conservancy, Dye Creek Preserve, 11010 Foothill Blvd., Los Molinos, California 96055; jshedd@tnc.org During the summer Acorn Woodpeckers ( Melanerpes formiciuorus) have been observed to subsist on foods other than stored dried acorns (MacRoberts 1970), and reasons for this seasonal dietary shift correlate strongly with the need of the young for high-protein food (Koenig et al. 2008). This species has been documented to consume a variety of foods in addition to acorns, including sap (MacRoberts 1970), oak catkins, fruit, annual grains (MacRoberts and MacRoberts 1976), insects (Bent 1939, MacRoberts 1970, Koenig et al. 2008), and the eggs of both conspecifics (Mumme et al. 1983) and other birds (Bryant 1921, Fajer et al. 1987). In addition to enumerating the aforementioned dietary items, MacRoberts (1970) commented that he did observe one Acorn Woodpecker consume a lizard, “probably Sceloporus occidentalis ” (the Western Fence Lizard), along the central coast of California. Although the Western Fence Lizard may have been the most likely lizard species at that particular study site, the identification was not confirmed. Furthermore, MacRoberts remarked “whether the lizard was alive or dead when it came into the woodpecker’s possession is unknown.” At 11:40 on 26 June 2014, 1 observed a Western Fence Lizard being preyed upon by an Acorn Woodpecker (sex undetermined) at the main headquarters of Dye Creek Preserve, Los Molinos, Tehama County, California (40.1029° N, 122.0466° W, elevation 113 m). I initially observed the lizard traversing an exposed location on open ground away from the rock perches where this species is typically seen around the headquarters, as if it were dispersing from one group of rocks to another. Soon after my initial observation of the lizard, an Acorn Woodpecker flew down to the ground, landing 1 m from the lizard, which had become completely immobile in response to the bird’s approach. The woodpecker searched around on the ground for a few seconds and the lizard then moved slightly, at which time the woodpecker made its final detection and captured it. The woodpecker then immediately flew away with the lizard in its bill and perched on a nearby telephone pole (~20 m from the site of capture), where I had another clear view of the lizard. From there, the woodpecker flew to another, higher telephone pole ~50 m from that pole, with its quarry still in its bill. This report confirms two things regarding the feeding ecology of Melanerpes formiciuorus: that Acorn Woodpeckers do opportunistically consume Western Fence Lizards as prey during the warm summer season, and they will do so by actively hunting live individuals. Furthermore, given that the diet of breeding adult Acorn Woodpeckers has been estimated to consist of 90% acorns (Koenig et al. 2008) and that the predation I observed occurred during the nesting season, the lizard may have been fed to nestlings because of its high protein content. I thank Walter D. Koenig for his helpful feedback and encouragement to publish this observation. LITERATURE CITED Bent, A. C. 1939. Life histories of North American woodpeckers. U.S. Natl. Mus. Bull. 174. Bryant, H.C . 1921. Acorn Woodpecker eats the egg of a Western Wood-Pewee ( Contopus sordidulus). Condor 23:33. Western Birds 46:81-82, 2015 81 NOTES Fajer, E. D., Schmidt, K. J., and Eschler, J. G. 1987. Acorn Woodpecker predation on Cliff Swallow nests. Condor 89:177-178. Koenig, W. D., Schaefer, D. J., Mambelli, S., and Dawson, T. E. 2008. Acorns, insects, and the diet of adult versus nestling Acorn Woodpeckers. J. Field Or- nithol. 79:280-285. MacRoberts, M. H. 1970. Notes on the food habits and food defense of the Acorn Woodpecker. Condor 72:196-204. MacRoberts, M. H., and MacRoberts, B. R. 1976. Social organization and behav- ior of the Acorn Woodpecker in central coastal California. Ornithol. Monogr. 21:1-115. Mumme, R. L., Koenig, W. D., and Pitelka, F .A. 1983. Reproductive competition in the communal Acorn Woodpecker: Sisters destroy each other’s eggs. Nature 306:583-584. Accepted 21 October 2014 Acorn Woodpecker Sketch by Narca Moore-Craig 82 BOOK REVIEWS Field Guide to Birds of the Northern California Coast, by Rich Stallcup and Jules Evens. 2014. University of California Press. 294 +xii pp., 133 color photos, 13 graphites (pencil sketches) by Keith Hansen, 13 maps, and 3 figures. Paperback, $24.95. ISBN 978-0-520-27617-8. The northern California coastline covered by this guide stretches 800 miles from the southern end of Monterey County north to the Oregon border. This region has a wealth of scenic coastlines, large estuaries, towering redwoods, world-renowned birding hotspots such as Monterey Bay and Point Reyes, and a wealth of bird life. It is also a contrast in terms of urban areas with everything from the urban sprawl of the San Francisco Bay area to Humboldt/Mendocino’s Lost Coast, a stretch of coastline over 60 miles long without roads. As is to be expected for such a region, much has been and continues to be written about its birdlife. Most of the recent literature, however, has been focused on specific areas of the region (breeding bird atlases, county guides, etc.). There is a place for a regional guide for those just learning about the area, such as someone on his or her first nature hike at one of the many national wildlife refuges in the area or for a student in an ornithology class taking a walk along the beach, and UC Press com- mendably tries to fill this gap. This book is the third of UC Press’s California Natural History Guides following Introduction to California Birdlife (Evens and Tait 2005) and Introduction to Birds of the Southern California Coast (Lentz 2005) to help introduce beginners to California’s rich bird life. The book’s stated goal is to follow the standards of those who came before, particularly Ralph Hoffman’s Birds of the Pacific States (1927) and Joseph Grinnell and Alden Miller’s The Distribution of the Birds of California (1944) to bring us a book not only scientifically accurate but capturing the beauty and magic of the bird life of the northern California coast for beginning birders or curious naturalists. Though it is called a field guide, the authors state that this is not a standard one, nor is it an introduction to birding (for both the authors helpfully direct the reader to excellent books on those topics). Instead, the book’s other stated goal is to be an introduction to the “essence” of a species, and as well as providing behavioral information and understanding a bird’s niche in its environment, “a field guide to the birds themselves.” Though some sections reach this goal, the application was uneven, leaving a tantalizing idea of what might have been. Arranged very neatly, the book contains three main chapters, as well as a species- occurrence chart, photos, glossary, and index. The 35-page Introduction starts with an excellent summary of what “birding” is, followed by sections on a diverse set of topics such as habitats (including information on tides, complete with figures), tax- onomy, and the ethics of birding. Next is the meat of the book, a 144-page chapter encompassing the Family and Species Accounts covering many of the most common species as well as all families of birds one is likely to see within a few miles of the northern California coast. The last chapter, Birding Opportunities and Roadside Nature Centers, is followed by the occurrence charts, photos, glossary, references, and index. Unfortunately lacking from the book is any information on how the book is arranged or how to use it, or what species were selected and why. The introduction defines the region’s boundaries as the immediate coast and nearshore waters, including large bays and estuaries (San Francisco and Humboldt bays) and some more interior counties such as Solano and Napa (Santa Clara is accidentally omitted though one birding location in that county is mentioned later in the text). Unfortunately these counties are not mentioned again in the book. A map of the region covered does not appear until page 184 (showing the borders of coastal counties only). Those landbirds that occur within the coastal influences are included, Western Birds 46:83-87, 2015 83 BOOK REVIEWS but species of the arid interior such as the Greater Roadrunner and the California Thrasher are stated not to be included, although there is a species account for the latter. Seabirds that nest close to the coast and those that are commonly seen from the coast are also included. Other sections covering such topics as climate and habitat are generally good, if a little short, although some information is repeated in more than one section, as in the “Offshore” habitat section. The section “Outer Coast: Beaches and Rocky Shoreline” is particularly interesting and helpful and should be seen as a model for the rest of the habitat sections. I was generally disappointed to not see more information on the unique ecology of the region, and the ecology of the terrestrial and freshwater habitats that occur along the coast, such as freshwater lagoons, coastal chaparral, and riparian, is not addressed. The section on the seasons and migrations section is exemplary, but the taxonomy section is somewhat disorganized and confusing and does not prepare the reader for later discussions such as that on tribes. An insert on citizen science in the region is also included, though it deserved its own chapter. Unfortunately no means of contacting entities such as San Francisco Bird Observatory or Golden Gate Raptor Observatory are included anywhere in the book (including the reference section). Overall the introduction is useful, but some sections such as those on plumage, molt, and ethics (one of the longer sections) seemed outside the scope of a book trying not to repeat information found in basic birding guides. The introduction’s maps and figures are generally good but could use captions helping to guide the reader. The map showing the lines of the marine sanctuaries offshore would have been better combined with the map showing the underwater features of Monterey Bay. The bulk of the book, and its strongest point, are the Family and Species Accounts. Though the family accounts largely follow the American Ornithologists’ Union Checklist through the 53 rd supplement (2012), the White-faced Ibis is not segregated in the family Threskiornithidae, the pelicans and cormorants remain in one order, and the gallinaceous birds are listed after terns. Most of the accounts are well written, helpful, and informative, but the rationale for what species were selected for their own account is not stated. The introduction states that an emphasis was placed on common species, so rarities such as the Emperor Goose and Arctic Loon being given their own species account seems odd. Little information is given for the rarities and may lead to misidentifi cation, such as the brief note that white flanks distinguish the Arctic Loon from other loons (p. 59). The space could have been better used with an expanded introduction or more information on common species. The accounts typically include some information on a species’ ecology, status, behavior, identification, or interesting facts, including if it has a special status in the region, and sometimes all aspects are covered. Though overall the accounts are good, they suffer from the unevenness found throughout the book. Some accounts are excellent, such as that for the Brant, which gives information on migration timing, behavior, and where it may be found. Compare it with the Canada Goose account, which spends too much space on the various subspecies, with several unhelpful iden- tification points. The account of the Aleutian Cackling Goose would have benefited from more discussion of its recovery and status along the coast. Some accounts are uneven internally; for example, the Horned Grebe account has useful information on status and behavior, but I found the identification section not very helpful. Scattered throughout the accounts are a few citations, primarily from seemingly randomly chosen Birds of North America accounts, giving the impression of being intended to lend the accounts an air of scientific accuracy. The species accounts include some often artistically written quotations that can add a little flair into otherwise dry text. For species of special concern or listed as endangered a “Special Status” section is included. But what the special statuses mean has been omitted, weakening their usefulness. 84 BOOK REVIEWS The chapter on birding opportunities and roadside nature trails covers a few select birding locations along the coast as well as a few in the San Francisco Bay area. These are primarily locations with visitor centers and museums, and the information about visiting them is useful. Maps provide general reference for some of the locations in reference to major cities and highways (missing are maps of the south San Francisco Bay area and Humboldt County) but are of little use for actually getting to a location. Unfortunately this chapter suffers the same unevenness as the others. The entry for Elkhorn Slough, for example, is well written, clarifying what to expect as well as direc- tions to the location. In contrast, that for Virgin Creek in Mendocino County tells only it is about 1.5 miles from town, nothing on amenities. Locations mentioned in the family /species accounts, such as Southeast Farallon Island, the Palo Alto Baylands, or anywhere offshore, may not be included as birding opportunities. Confusingly, in the family/species accounts Goat Rock (Sonoma County) is mentioned many times for its seabird colony, but this likely refers to Goat Island (Mendocino County); neither is in the index, and the family/species accounts do not direct you to either in the Birding Opportunities chapter. The occurrence chart is a useful addition to the book and one that can help fledgling birders understand what birds occur when. Limiting its usefulness, however, is the lack of a key to what the abundance codes mean. Though they might be intuitive to more advanced users, what really is the difference between rare to uncommon, very rare, and extremely rare? What does the difference between the sizes of the irregular bars mean? Also, there is no indication of what species were picked for the chart, which could lead readers astray. A few species mentioned in either the family accounts or the Birding Opportunities section were omitted, such as the Pomarine Jaeger, Gray Jay, and Emperor Goose (yet the equally rare King Eider is present though mentioned nowhere else). Given the long coastline this book covers, I found it helpful that several species were listed as local or occurring primarily in the northern or southern coun- ties. Unfortunately, the designation as local seems random, with the “local” Barred Owl and Horned Lark being more widespread in the region than the Ruffed Grouse or Black Rail, for example. Though the chart seems balanced overall, a few entries are odd and hard to understand without a key. For example, the Cackling Goose is not listed as occurring in April, when the Birding Opportunities chapter states that thousands can occur locally in Del Norte County. The Sooty Shearwater is listed as rare to uncommon in summer when hundreds of thousands often occur on Monterey Bay and can be seen from shore. The 13 sketches scattered throughout the text are excellent, often with very helpful captions. Their topics range from how a loon swims (p. 61) and to how to distinguish a crow from a raven (p. 161). The 133 color photos, some of which include dates, are typically of good quality (though not always useful for identification) with good captions that typically stand alone. Some captions are helpful, such as that advising leaving basic-plumaged dowitchers unidentified to species (plate 84), but others are less so, such as that for plate 14, which states that four subspecies of the Cackling Goose occur in coastal northern California — though only two are listed in the text and only three are known to occur in California regularly. Though the caption for plate 77 makes a good point about the differing colors of the Whimbrel and Marbled Godwit/Long-billed Curlew, the photo used unfortunately was taken in the evening sun, lending all three individuals an orange tinge. Fortunately these mistakes are few, making the photo captions one of the book’s main strengths. My main issue with the photos is the order in which they are presented, in neither taxonomic order nor as discussed in the text. Some comparisons are far apart, such as that of the alternate (breeding) and basic (nonbreeding) plumages of the Black-bellied Plover (plates 66 and 2, respectively). It would have been more helpful if the photos were scattered more throughout the book, accompanying their respective families. Though the authors made an admirable attempt at a regional guide that goes 85 BOOK REVIEWS beyond just field identification, the book misses the target more often than it hits. Though parts of the book give us a glimpse of what the authors were going for, the book needs more thorough editing for content and even tone, a section on how it is to be used, and a better expanded introduction before it is truly useful to beginners. David Vander Pluym Facing Extinction, by Paul F. Donald, Nigel J. Collar, Stuart J. Marsden, and Deborah J. Pain. 2013. Helm. 2 nd edition. 320 pp., 125 photos, 17 tables, 42 maps, drawings and other figures. Paperback, $42.95. ISBN 978-1-4081-8966-5. There is a subliminal draw to things that we believe are scarce and/or difficult to obtain, observe, or experience, and birders are often intoxicated by this chase. This book’s cover photo of a breeding-plumaged Spoon-billed Sandpiper, arguably one of the world’s most recognizable and charismatic critically endangered birds, is nicely chosen to grab the reader’s attention. Within, the text details the great conservation efforts that are keeping some the world’s most endangered bird species from extinc- tion, as well as a few of the ones that didn’t make it. The book is softbound but sturdy. Its square glossy pages and size are reminiscent of an academic textbook-appendix volume. It rode around in my backpack for a month and showed only minimal wear on the covers. I found a few minor typos, but nothing of consequence or confusion. This is a second edition published three years after the first with updates to the species accounts and a new cover photo. The chapters are grouped into four sections, each with a slightly different conser- vation theme. These sections include an introductory chapter and several example species accounts. The species accounts detail the natural history, sometimes the politi- cal history, and the challenges and accomplishments (or not) of conservation efforts. The authors are honest and refreshing in their coverage of the species, focusing not just on species relegated to history or those with the rosy success stories. The rare species included in this book run the gamut from the well-known and well-studied, with massive continuing conservation efforts (e.g., the Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Kakapo) to those that still remain mysterious, with their conservation complicated (Spix’s Macaw), to a few for which optimism has essentially run out (Eskimo Curlew and Po’ouli) and a species that went extinct nearly as soon as it was discovered (Stephens Island Wren). Each species account is engaging and well written, reading more like a biography than an academic text. Since the book is about conservation, it also hits the headline stories, like the die-offs of Asian vultures and the rediscovery of the Forest Owlet. The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is discussed only briefly and with the same even hand, faint glow of optimism, and sober language as the other species for which humanity has almost certainly seen its last. The authors make no effort to be comprehensive with all species considered criti- cally endangered. Twenty-three species are treated in detail, and more are mentioned tangentially. A comprehensive treatment is probably not feasible in any book, partly because of the dynamic status of some species, the lack of information available for many others, and simply not enough space in a single volume. Some well-known and critically endangered species for which large-scale conservation efforts continue (e.g., the California Condor) are not treated in detail, though this may be, in part, thanks to their thorough treatment by other sources. In addition to simply being a great read and a source of birders’ dinner-party discussion, it is also a must for anyone working in the conservation field. The details of past efforts, successes and failures, will be valuable information for those who will be involved in the great conservation projects of the future. Though the latest 86 BOOK REVIEWS news of the rare species (as of the time of publication) is fascinating, a periodical or web medium, rather than a book, probably best suits this dynamic information. Any shortcoming there is compensated for by the excellent natural histories, the summary of conservation techniques, and the extensive bibliography. Furthermore, royalties from sales go to BirdLife International’s Preventing Extinction program. So, even if this book gets flipped through once or twice before it heads to cold storage on the end of a bookshelf, its purchase may be doing something for posterity. Jon Feenstra Wing your way to.... Billings, Montana 10-14 June 2015 The 40th annual conference of Western Field Ornithologists will take us to Montana for the first time. Field trips will visit a variety of habitats from the high mountains (Black Rosy-Finch) to the grasslands (Sprague’s Pipit). We’ll see courting McCown’s and Chestnut-collared Longspurs in their finest plumage, Upland Sandpipers, and Lark Buntings. History buffs will delight in viewing the Little Bighorn Battlefield where Custer saw his last Sharp-tailed Grouse. There will be workshops on the field identification of sparrows (Jon Dunn) and flycatchers (Dan Casey), natural history of owls (Denver Holt), bird-sound identifica- tion (Nathan Pieplow), and more. Friday and Saturday afternoon science sessions will update you on the most current avian research from the region, and the Saturday evening banquet will feature a keynote address by Stephen Dinsmore on the Mountain Plover. Ed Harper and Nathan Pieplow will again offer their ever-popular sessions on bird ID by sight and sound. Registration for the conference is now open. Go to westernfieldornithologists.org/ conference. php to register. If you are NOT currently on our electronic mailing list, please send an e-mail to erpfromca@aol.com, include your full name and city and state of residence, and we’ll put you on. WFO members are able to register for our confer- ences at a reduced rate and have early access to registration. If you are not currently a WFO member, you can join at westernfieldornithologists.org/join.php. 87 THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS The board of Western Field Ornithologists and the editorial team of Western Birds thank the following generous contributors who gave to WFO s publication, scholar- ship, and general funds in 2014. The generosity of our members in sustaining WFO is an inspiration to us all. Larry Allen, Rosemead, CA Michael Allen, Santa Barbara, CA Jeff Anderson, San Francisco, CA Leonie Batkin, Redwood City, CA Bonnie Bompart, San Francisco, CA Andy Brumbaugh, Carlsbad, CA Barbara Carlson, San Diego, CA Sally Cedarblade, San Francisco, CA Alan M. Craig, Portal, AZ Dorothy Crowe, Henderson, NV Art and Janet Cupples, Sherman Oaks, CA Bill Deppe, Apple Valley, CA Robert W. Dickerman, Bernalillo, NM Jon L. Dunn, Bishop, CA Jon Feenstra, Pasadena, CA Sam Fitton, Oxford, OH Kyri Freeman, Barstow, CA Kimball Garrett, Tujunga, CA Angie Geiger, San Francisco, CA Carol and Tom Getz. Irvine, CA Daniel D. Gibson, Ester, AK Frank Gilliland, Pasadena, CA Charlene Glacy, San Diego, CA Alane Gray, Brisbane, CA Carolyn Greene, Newbury Park, CA Dan Guthrie, Claremont, CA Gayle Hackamack, Santa Barbara, CA Jeff Hanson, Santa Barbara, CA Erica Harris, San Diego, CA Kathy Hartley, Glendaile, CA Darlene Hecomovich, Cobb, CA Anne Hoff, Matinez, CA Sue Hoffman, Newport Beach, CA Star Howard, Newport Beach, CA Henry Ingersoll, La Jolla, CA Susan Kaveggia, Newport Beach, CA Paula Kayton, Santa Monica, CA Peggy Kearns, Santa Barbara, CA Thomas Keeney, Whittier, CA Dexter Kelly, Port Hueneme, CA Joan Kent, Santa Barbara, CA Peter Knapp, Long Beach, CA Lucy Lee, Lake Forest, CA Kurt Leuschner, Mountain Center, CA David and Janice Levasheff, Santa Barbara, CA Carl Lundblad, Moscow, ID Mike Lynch, Modesto, CA Ron Mallory, Larkspur, CA Guy McCaskie, Imperial Beach, CA Andrew McCormick, Bellevue, WA Louise McCullough, Citrus Heights, CA John McGarvey, Kent, WA Helen McKinley, Oakland, CA Narca Moore-Craig, Portal, AZ David Nelson, San Rafael, CA Eleanor Osgood, Culver City, CA Ed Pandolfino, Sacramento, CA Pasadena Audubon Society, Pasadena, CA Barbara Peck, Anderson, CA Matthew Pike, Redmond, WA C. E. Probst, Kula, HI Noel Ragsdale, Desert Hot Springs, CA Barbara Reber, Newport Beach, CA Steven M. Ritt, Marshall, NC Jim Rowoth, Stockton, CA Ann Ruffer, Oakland, CA Vicki Sandage, Ashland, KY Larry Sansone, Los Angeles, CA Rusty Scalf, Berkeley, CA Marius Seritan, Davis, CA Carola Sohns, San Rafael, CA Marvin Sohns, San Rafael, CA Jay Sooter, Eureka, CA Don Starks, San Jose, CA Langdon Stevenson, Mill Valley, CA Ronald Thorn, Redwood City, CA Bob Toleno, Hayward, CA Lewis Ulrey, Boise, ID Philip Unitt, San Diego, CA Bruce Wilcox, Palm Desert, CA Robin Wolcott, Bozeman, MT Francisco Wong, Del Mar, CA Tom Wurster, Garden Grove, CA 88 Western Birds 46:88, 2015 FEATURED PHOTO POSSIBLE TOOL USE BY A WILLIAMSON’S SAPSUCKER ANTHONY J. BRAKE and YVONNE E. MCHUGH, 1201 Brickyard Way, Richmond, California 94801; tonybrake@sbcglobal.net Tool use has been demonstrated in a number of avian species (Lefebvre et al. 2002). Perhaps the best-known example is the Woodpecker Finch ( Camarhynchus pallidus) of the Galapagos Islands, which breaks off cactus spines or twigs for use in extracting wood-boring insects (Eibl-Eibesfeldt 1961, Eibl-Eibesfeldt and Sielman 1962, Tebbich et al. 2002). New Caledonian Crows ( Corvus moneduloides ) display exceptional skill in selecting, manufacturing, and utilizing objects to obtain food items that they are otherwise unable to reach (Hunt 1996). In North America, Brown-headed Nuthatches ( Sitta pusilla ) have been observed to use flakes of pine bark to remove other pieces of bark in order to capture insects underneath (Morse 1968, Pranty 1995). All of the above behaviors are considered true tool use in that they involve a tool being held directly by the beak or foot of the bird (Lefebvre et al. 2002). Numerous woodpecker species have been observed to use “anvils” such as tree forks or crevices into which food items are wedged to facilitate consumption (Bondo et al. 2008). Most such cases represent proto-anvils consisting of natural crevices. Great Spotted Woodpeckers (. Dendrocopos major), however, use “true anvils” that they excavate in tree trunks. Here we report observations of a Williamson’s Sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus thyroideus) using a wood flake for foraging. We observed this behavior at the Mono Mills Historic Site in Inyo National Forest, approximately 16 km southeast of Lee Vining in Mono County, California. This site is at an elevation of 2240 meters at the northern edge of an extensive forest dominated by Jeffrey pine ( Pinus jeffreyi). We first visited this site on 14 June 2013 while on a “Birds and Burns” field trip led by Stephen Shunk as part of the 2013 Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua. At that time we observed a pair of Williamson’s Sapsuckers attend- ing nestlings in a cavity in a Jeffrey pine approximately 20 meters from the tree on which the following behavior took place. On 17 June 2013 at approximately 09:30, a male Williamson’s Sapsucker landed on the trunk of a Jeffrey pine approximately 10 meters from our observation point and began to move down the trunk while probing the bark. McHugh first noted that this individual was holding a wood flake in its bill and was inserting this flake into the crevices or holes in the bark as it moved up and around the trunk. After slightly over one minute, it flew off toward a more distant tree and then out of our view. We did not see this individual or the female of the pair return during our visit. During this period, Brake took 55 photographs, nearly one per second, which revealed more details of the observed behavior. In the first few photos taken, the sapsucker was not holding the wood flake. As seen in the upper photo on this issue’s outside back cover, the cream-colored wood flake is just below the sapsucker, wedged into a crevice in the bark, possibly cached there after previous use. A few seconds later the sapsucker moved up the trunk, with the wood flake held in its bill (lower photo on this issue’s outside back cover). Subsequent photographs show the sapsucker alternately perching on the trunk with the flake resting in a hole or holding the flake in its bill and inserting it into holes or crevices (upper photo on this issue’s inside back cover). In the lower photo on this issue’s inside back cover, the sapsucker appears to be taking sap into its bill from the wood flake. In photographs taken shortly before the sapsucker flew out of view, the original wood flake appears to have broken, with two pieces visible. We did not see whether the sapsucker retained a piece of the wood Western Birds 46:89-91, 2015 89 FEATURED PHOTO flake as it flew away. A series of photos showing the entire sequence is at http:// youtu.be/HBejhvUVHKY. These observations and photographs demonstrate that this Williamson’s Sapsucker used a wood flake while foraging, although we are uncertain of its utility. When not breeding, Williamson’s Sapsuckers feed primarily on sap and phloem (Gyug et al. 2012). While caring for nestlings, they forage primarily for ants to feed the young (Gyug et al. 2014) but continue to feed regularly on sap. In the first week after hatching, the young are fed a bolus of sap and/or ants (Wheelock 1905, Crockett and Hansley 1977). In some photographs the sapsucker appeared to be ingesting sap from the wood flake, which raises the possibility that the wood flake might have been used as a scoop. This would be surprising since sapsucker tongues are quite specialized for obtaining sap from wells the bird excavates. The wood flake would not reach any farther than its tongue. Another possible explanation is that it used the wood flake to crush ants in sap for consumption, just as Red-naped Sapsuckers (S. nuchalis) sometimes crush prey items before feeding them to their young (Wible 1960). Additionally, Red-headed Woodpeckers ( Melanerpes erythrocephalus) have been observed to use pieces of bark to cover food stores such as acorns cached in the bark of trees (Kilham 1958). Although the wood flake used by this sapsucker was wedged in a crevice the bird subsequently probed, the flake did not completely block this hole, so it is unlikely that it was used to cover a sap well or food cache. The holes probed by the sapsucker did not appear to resemble the usual pattern of sap wells seen in other types of conifers (Gyug et al. 2009). The forest where these observa- tions were made is composed almost entirely of Jeffrey pine. Differences in the bark structure of these trees might be responsible for the different pattern. Alternatively, the fact that these holes were spaced quite sparsely and irregularly could mean they were not sap wells but the result of probing for invertebrates. A search of the area of these observations yielded numerous wood flakes of a similar size, but none matching the appearance of the flake in the photographs. This raises the question of whether the wood flake occurred naturally, or whether this sapsucker modified a piece of bark or other wood to use in foraging. We found no literature references to reports of tool use by Williamson’s Sapsucker. This may be a rare or localized behavior. Tool use by the Brown-headed Nuthatch was first suggested to be highly localized, but subsequent observations at other locations demonstrated that it was more widespread than initially thought. Further observations of Williamson’s Sapsucker should focus on looking for tool use to determine whether it recurs at the same location and whether it occurs elsewhere. Stephen A. Shunk showed us the location of the Williamson’s Sapsucker nest and encouraged us to publish these photos and observations. Ann Ruffer was present during these observations. Les Gyug critically reviewed the manuscript. LITERATURE CITED Bondo, K. J., Gilson, L. N. and Bowman, R. 2008. Anvil use by the Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Wilson J. Ornithol. 120:217-221. Crockett, A. B., and Hansley, P. L. 1977. Coition, nesting, and postfledging behavior of Williamson’s Sapsucker in Colorado. Living Bird 16:7-19. Eibl-Eibesf eldt , I. 1961. Ober den Werkzeuggebrauch des Spechtfinken Camarhyn- chus pallidus (Sclater und Salvin). Zeitschrift fur Tierpsychol. 18:343-346. Eibl-Eibesf eldt, I., and Sielman, H. 1962. Beobachtungen am Spechtfinken Cacto- spiza pallida (Sclater und Salvin). J. fur Ornithol. 103:92-101. Gyug, L. W., Steeger, C., and Ohanjanian, I. 2009. Williamson’s Sapsucker {Sphy- rapicus thyroideus) sap trees in British Columbia. Br. Columbia Birds 19:6-12. Gyug, L. W., Dobbs, R. C., Martin, T. E., and Conway C. J. 2012. Williamson’s Sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus thyroideus), in The Birds of North America Online (A. 90 FEATURED PHOTO Poole, ed.), no 285. Cornell Lab Ornithol., Ithaca, NY; http ://bna. birds. Cornell, edu/bna/ species/ 285. Gyug, L. W., Higgins, R. J., Todd, M. A., Meggs, J. M., and Lindgren, B. S. 2014. Di- etary dependence of Williamson’s Sapsucker on coarse woody debris-associated ants in British Columbia. Can. J. Forest Res. 44:628-637. Hunt, G. R. 1996. Manufacture and use of hook-tools by New Caledonian Crows. Nature 379:249-251. Kilham, L. 1958. Sealed-in winter stores of Red-headed Woodpeckers. Wilson Bull. 70:107-113. Lefebvre, L., Nicolakakis, N., and Boire, D. 2002. Tools and brains in birds. Behav- iour 139:939-973. Morse, D. H. 1968. The use of tools by Brown-headed Nuthatches. Wilson Bull. 80:220-224. Pranty, B. 1995. Tool use by Brown-headed Nuthatches in two Florida slash pine forests, Fla. Field Nat. 23:33-34. Tebbich, S., Taborsky, M., Fessl, B., and Dvorak, M. 2002. The ecology of tool-use in the Woodpecker Finch (Cactospiza pallida). Ecol. Lett. 5:656-664. Wheelock, I. G. 1905. Regurgitative feeding of the nestlings. Auk 22:54-71. Wible, M. 1960. Notes on feeding and fecal-sac disposal of sapsuckers. Wilson Bull. 72:399. Accepted 21 September 2014 91 World Wide Web site: WESTERN BIRDS www.westernfieldornithologists.org Quarterly Journal of Western Field Ornithologists President: David E. Quady, 39 The Crescent, Berkeley, CA 94708; davequady @att . net Vice-President: Thomas A. Blackman, 4470 Orchard Ave., San Diego, CA 92107; obeach@cox.net Past-President: Edward R. Pandolfino, 1328 49th St., Sacramento, CA 95819; ERPf romC A@aol .com Treasurer/Membership Secretary: Suzanne Carota, 3476 Armourdale Ave., Long Beach, CA 90808; smcarota@charter.net Recording Secretary: Liga Auzins, 12842 Safford East, Garden Grove, CA 92840; llauzins@yahoo . com Directors: Jon L. Dunn, Kimball L. Garrett, Daniel D. Gibson, Robert E. Gill, Jr., Ed Harper, Susan Kelly, Kurt Leuschner, Joyce Meyer, Frances Oliver, Steve Rottenborn, Raymond VanBuskirk, Catherine P. Waters Editor: Philip Unitt, San Diego Natural History Museum, P O. Box 121390, San Diego, CA 92112-1390; birds@sdnhm.org Assistant Editor: Daniel D. Gibson, 3705 Quartz Rd., Ester, AK 99725 Associate Editors: Kenneth P. Able, Louis R. Bevier, Daniel S. Cooper, Doug Faulkner, Thomas Gardali, Daniel D. Gibson, Robert E. Gill, Paul E. Lehman, Ronald R. LeValley, Dan Reinking Graphics Manager: Virginia P. Johnson, 4637 Del Mar Ave., San Diego, CA 92107; gingerj5@juno.com Photo Editor: Peter LaTourrette, 1019 Loma Prieta Ct., Los Altos, CA 94024; petelat 1 @stanford . edu Featured Photo: John Sterling, 26 Palm Ave., Woodland, CA 95695; jsterling@wavecable . com Book Reviews: Lauren Harter, 2841 McCulloch Blvd. N. #1, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403; lbharter@gmail.com WFO Website: Timothy W. Brittain; webmaster@westernfieldornithologists.org Membership dues, for individuals and institutions, including subscription to Western Birds: Pa- tron, $1000; Life, $600 (payable in four equal annual installments); Supporting, $75 annually; Contributing, $50 annually; Family $40; Regular U.S. $35 for one year, $60 for two years, $85 for three years. Dues and contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Send membership dues, changes of address, correspondence regarding missing issues, and or- ders for back issues and special publications to the Treasurer. Make checks payable to Western Field Ornithologists. Back issues of Western Birds within U.S. $40 per volume , $10 for single issues, including shipping and handling. Outside the U.S. $55 per volume, $15 for single issues, including ship- ping and handling. The California Bird Records Committee of Western Field Ornithologists revised its 10-column Field List of California Birds, covering 641 species, plus 6 species on the supplemental list, in July 2009. Please send orders to WFO, c/o Suzanne Carota, Treasurer, 3476 Armourdale Ave., Long Beach, CA 90808. Price $13.50 for a pack of 5 or $25.00 for a pack of 10, which includes tax and shipping. Order online at http://checklist.westernfieldornithologists.org. Published 31 March 2015 ISSN 0045-3897 Williamson's Sapsucker probing sap well with wood flake. Williamson's Sapsucker apparently feeding on sap from the wood flake. Photos by Anthony J. Brake “Featured Photos” by © Anthony J. Brake of Richmond, California: Williamson’s Sapsucker (. Sphyrapicus thyroideus ) approaching a flake of wood wedged in a bark crevice (top) and carrying the flake toward a sap well (bottom) — implying making and use of a tool. Inyo National Forest, Mono County, California, 17 June 2013. Western Specialty: Aleutian Tern Photo by © Aaron J. Lang of Homer, Alaska: Aleutian Tern {Onychoprion aleuticus) Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 4 August 2013. Described from Kodiak Island (named through inexact association of that island with the Aleutian archipelago) and endemic to Beringia, this species is closely related to other white-fronted oceanic terns that come to land only to nest. Its breeding range in the Russian Far East includes coasts from the Gulf of Anadyr, Kamchatka, and the Sea of Okhotsk south to Sakhalin Island; and in Alaska from Kasegaluk Lagoon south on the mainland coast to the Alaska Peninsula and from the western Aleutian Islands east to Kodiak Island, the Copper River delta, Yakutat, and Dry Bay. Volume 46, Number 2, 2015 Inventory of the Species and Subspecies of Alaska Birds, Second Edition Daniel D. Gibson and Jack J. Withrow 94 Book Review Adam Searcy 186 Outside cover photo by © Patrick J. Endres/AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com of Fairbanks, Alaska: Willow Ptarmigan ( Lagopus lagopus), Atigun Canyon, Endicott Mountains, Brooks Range, Alaska, 14 October 2012. This species is resident (and peripatetic from fall to spring) at high latitudes in Eurasia and North America, comprising 16 currently recognized subspecies. Six of these in North America vary from one another in details of the plumage of summer males, overall size, and size and shape of the bill. Three are currently recognized in Alaska, where L. 1. alascensis , described from the Kobuk River Delta, is the widespread form. Western Birds solicits papers that are both useful to and understandable by amateur field ornithologists and also contribute significantly to scientific literature. The journal welcomes contributions from both professionals and amateurs. Appropriate topics include distribution, migration, status, identification, geographic variation, conserva- tion, behavior, ecology, population dynamics, habitat requirements, the effects of pollution, and techniques for censusing, sound recording, and photographing birds in the field. Papers of general interest will be considered regardless of their geographic origin, but particularly desired are reports of studies done in or bearing on North America west of the 100th meridian, including Alaska and Hawaii, northwestern Mexico, and the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Send manuscripts to Daniel D. Gibson, P. O. Box 155, Ester, AK 99725; avesalaska@ gmail.com. For matters of style consult the Suggestions to Contributors to Western Birds (at www. western fieldornithologists.org/docs/journal_guidelines.doc). Good photographs of rare and unusual birds, unaccompanied by an article but with caption including species, date, locality and other pertinent information, are wanted for publication in Western Birds. Submit photos and captions to Photo Editor. Also needed are black and white pen and ink drawings of western birds. Please send these, with captions, to Graphics Manager. WESTERN BIRDS Volume 46, Number 2, 2015 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS, SECOND EDITION DANIEL D. GIBSON and JACK J. WITHROW, University of Alaska Museum, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-6960; avesalaska@gmail.com and jjwithrow@alaska.edu ABSTRACT : The most recent inventory of the birds known from Alaska discussed 448 species and an additional 110 subspecies of birds recorded through 1996 (Gibson and Kessel 1997). In the 18 years since, many additional species and subspecies have been recorded in Alaska, and molecular studies have brought profound taxonomic changes that supplant many previous perceptions of avian relationships based primar- ily on morphology. In addition to species and subspecies new to Alaska, we outline here and provide literature citations for all recent changes in the families, genera, species, and subspecies of Alaska birds since the 1997 inventory. We include 505 naturally occurring species and an additional 114 subspecies known from Alaska through 2014. The northwesternmost political subdivision of North America, Alaska is a vast (586,412 mi 2 /l,518,800 km 2 ), zoogeographically dynamic, and pivotally important interface between the Old World and New World avi- faunas (Figure 1). We have brought this inventory up to date through 2014 to provide a current regional review of the ongoing process of learning and proving the distributions of wild birds — “established by collecting and careful subsequent studies in museums” (Phillips 1986: xxxii). For avian systematists and other ornithologists who will be interested in verifying the bases for ornithological conclusions, as well as for researchers who will seek specimens of avian taxa from northwesternmost North America, we include the numbers and locations of Alaska specimens we deem significant and the bibliographic links between historical perspective (Gibson and Kessel 1997 and citations therein) and contemporary assessments of species and subspecies — including synonymy at either of these taxonomic levels — cur- rently known from Alaska. Preserved specimens constitute the foundation of this paper. Where italicized, specimen references denote that we have examined the individual specimens ourselves; museums are abbreviated as follows: AMNH (American Museum of Natural History, New York), ANSP (Academy of Natural Sciences 94 Western Birds 46:94-185, 2015 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS Figure 1 . Map of Alaska outlining the six geographic regions identified in text. Maritime boundaries founded on the 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. of Philadelphia), BMNH (British Museum of Natural History, Tring), BYU (Brigham Young University, Provo), CAS (California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco), CHAS (Chicago Academy of Sciences), CM (Carnegie Mu- seum of Natural History, Pittsburgh), CMN (Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa), CRCM (Charles R. Conner Museum, Washington State Univer- sity, Pullman), CUMV (Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates, Ithaca), DMNH (Delaware Museum of Natural History, Wilmington), DMNS (Denver Museum of Nature and Science [formerly Denver Museum of Natural His- tory]), FLMNH (Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville), FMNH (Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago), HSU (Humboldt State University, Areata), KU (University of Kansas, Lawrence), LACM (Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County), MCZ (Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University), MMNH (James F. Bell Mu- seum of Natural History, University of Minnesota, St. Paul), MSB (Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque), MVZ (Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley), OUM (Oxford University Museum, UK), PSM (University of Puget Sound, Tacoma), ROM (Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto), SBCM (San Bernardino County Museum, Redlands), SBMNH (Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History), SDNHM (San Diego Natural History Museum), UAM (University of Alaska Museum, Fairbanks), UBC (University of British Columbia, Vancouver), UCD (University of California, Davis), UMMZ (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Ann Arbor), USNM (U.S. National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC), UWBM (University of Wash- 95 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS ington Burke Museum, Seattle), YPM (Peabody Museum, Yale University), ZISP (Zoological Institute, Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg), ZMUH (Zoological Museum, University of Helsinki). For taxa better represented than others in scientific collections by Alaska specimens, we cite institu- tions holding series (>10 specimens). Abbreviations for sources of cited published documentary photos are AB ( American Birds), ADN ( Anchorage Daily News), B ( Birding ), BW ( Birding World), FDNM ( Fairbanks Daily News-Miner), FN ( National Audubon Society Field Notes), NAB ( North American Birds), and WB ( Western Birds). We provide synopses of regional status for all species and subspecies that occur less than annually. Status terms used include intermittent (species that recur nearly annually), casual (species that recur <30% of years), and accidental (species known from just one or two records in Alaska). To avoid narrow categorizations based on limited information, we sometimes use com- binations of these terms, e.g., casual or accidental, casual or intermittent. If more than one subspecies of a single species is known from Alaska, we outline the nesting ranges or the status of each. We cite detailed overviews of Alaska taxa when available. We outline synonyms proposed from Alaska, those previously attributed to Alaska, and those named from nearby areas but not included by Gibson and Kessel (1997). Nomenclature and limits of avian families, phylogenetic sequence, and English names follow the most recent American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds (AOU 1998 and supplements through 2014) . Braces enclose type localities. Multiple subspecies are listed chrono- logically — except those of the Rock Ptarmigan, Pacific Wren, and Fox and Song sparrows, which are arranged generally west to east, by breeding ranges — and are briefly characterized. Subspecies presented in brackets are inferences (e.g., taxa not represented by an extant specimen, taxa for which age/sex of extant specimen/s precludes certain identification to subspecies, or taxa represented only by a partial specimen [remains]). Because Alaska’s avifauna includes examples of more than one facet of recent taxonomic divi- sions (e.g., Antrostomus/ Caprimulgus, Megascops/Otus, Haemorhous/ Carpodacus), we provide citations for all nomenclatural changes at the generic or species level since the 1997 inventory, following the now annual (since 2002) AOU Check-list supplements. Changes at the subspecies level involve the individual works cited or are our own assessments. We define subspecies as “geographic populations diagnosable by one or more [heritable] phenotypic [plumage or morphology] traits” (Remsen 2010:63). Thus the field of molecular genetics is largely beyond the scope of this paper (but see above regarding taxonomy at and above the species level) and irrelevant to assessments of subspecific status (Winker 2009, Patten 2015) . Reference to these works is included where we feel it is particularly germane as part of the broader account. We recognize that some of the subspecies discussed here might not meet stringent contemporary standards of diagnosability (see Patten and Unitt 2002, Winker and Haig 2010), but unless and until such examples are examined in more detail and published, we maintain the historical perspective as a working hypothesis. Thus constituted, this inventory includes 505 naturally occurring species and 114 additional subspecies of birds known from Alaska through 2014. 96 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS Order ANSERIFORMES — Family ANATIDAE: DUCKS, GEESE, & SWANS Anser fabalis middendorffii Severtzov, 1873 {e Siberia}. Taiga Bean-Goose. Larger than A. s. serrirostris, with longer, shallower bill. Russian taiga. Casual or accidental in sw Alaska (see Gabrielson 1947, Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959, Gibson and Kessel 1997, Banks et al. 2007, Gibson et al. 2008, Schwitters 2008, 2015). One specimen USNM ; published photos Schwitters 2008:4, 154; 2015:4; NAB 63:530, 2009. Anser serrirostris serrirostris Swinhoe, 1871 {near Amoy, China}. Tundra Bean- Goose. Smaller than A. /. middendorffii, with shorter, high-based bill. Russian tundra. Intermittent or casual in sw and w Alaska (see Bailey 1956, Fay and Cade 1959, Sladen 1966, Sealy et al. 1971, Byrd et al. 1978, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Winker et al. 2002, Lehman 2005, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Gibson et al. 2008, Schwitters 2008, 2015). At least five specimens {USNM, 2; CRCM, 1; DMNS, 1 ; UAM, 1); photos UAM — published NAB 58:418, 2004; 66:539, 2013; Schwitters 2015:5. NOTES: Formerly maintained as a subspecies of Anser fabalis, but now recognized as a separate, polytypic species (Banks et al. 2007). Anser albifrons gambelli Hartlaub, 1852 {= Veracruz, Mexico}. Greater White- fronted Goose. Includes subspecies frontalis S. F. Baird, 1858 {Fort Thorn, New Mexico}, according to Banks (2011). Large and pale. Nests from interior and n Alaska east to Hudson Bay. Series DMNS, MVZ, UAM, USNM. A. a. elgasi Delacour and Ripley, 1975 {Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, California}. Large and dark. Nests w Cook Inlet, s-c Alaska. At least 11 specimens (U.S. Geological Survey-U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, 6; UAM, 5). A. a. sponsa Banks, 2011 {Hooper Bay, Alaska}. “Similar to . . . gambelli of interior and n Alaska, but averages smaller” (Banks 2011:231). Nests in Bristol Bay lowlands and on Yukon-Kuskokwim delta, w Alaska. (Holotype is USNM 380325, ad. S, 11 May 1942, C. E. Gillham.) Anser erythropus (Linnaeus, 1758) {n Sweden}. Lesser White-fronted Goose. Accidental in sw Alaska. Two records (one specimen UAM; photos UAM — published NAB 67[4] : cover, 2014): ad. 5 Jun 1994, Attu I., Aleutians (Gibson and Byrd 2007); ad., 21-26 Jun 2013, St. Paul I., Pribilofs (Tobish 2014b). Chen canagica (Sewastianoff, 1802) {Hie Canaga ou Kyktak = Kodiak I. [Gibson 2002)1. Emperor Goose. Series AMNH, CAS, DMNS, MVZ, UAM, USNM. For overview see Gabrielson and Lincoln (1959), Gibson and Byrd (2007), and Petersen et al. (2011). Chen caerulescens caerulescens (Linnaeus, 1758) {Hudson Bay}. Snow Goose. Series DMNS, UAM, USNM. For overview see Gabrielson and Lincoln (1959), Johnson and Herter (1989), and Hohenberger et al. (1994). Chen rossii (Cassin, 1861) {Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories}. Ross’s Goose. Casual in se, s-c, and n Alaska (see Willett 1921a, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Johnson and Herter 1989, Hohenberger et al. 1994, Tobish 2002d). No specimen; photos UAM. Branta bernicla nigricans (Lawrence, 1846) {Egg Harbor, New Jersey}. Brant. Series CAS, DMNS, FMNH, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, UMMZ, USNM, YPM. NOTES: Alaska reports of light-bellied B. b. hrota (O. F. Muller, 1776) {Iceland} might be of intergrades (Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959). Branta hutchinsii leucopareia (Brandt, 1836) {Aleutian Is.}. Cackling Goose. Small and moderately dark (paler than minima ); adult usually has a broad white collar. Nests locally in the Aleutians, and in the Semidi Is. Series UAM, USNM. NOTES: On the basis of genetic studies of white-cheeked geese as well as on differences in voice, nesting habits, habitat, timing of migration, color, and size, Banks et al. (2004) recognized B. 97 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS canadensis (q.v.) as consisting of two species. Branta hutchinsii comprises the taxa maintained formerly as the smaller subspecies of Canada Geese, including in Alaska leucopareia, minima, and tauerneri ( see Gibson et al. 2008). B. h. minima Ridgway, 1885 {St. Michael, Alaska}. Smallest; rather dark. Nests in coastal w Alaska “from Nushagak Bay to the vicinity of Wainwright, where it intergrades with ... taverneri, while it does not appear to intergrade in the rest of its range; absent from the Seward Peninsula” (Delacour 1951:9). Series FMNH, UAM, UMMZ. See NOTES under B. h. leucopareia (above). B. h. taverneri Delacour, 1951 {Colusa, California}. “Resembles B. [canadensis] parvipes, but smaller; coloration variable, usually light as in parvipes, sometimes deeper [= darker?]; a small, usually incomplete white neck ring often present; bill short and high at the base, but broad near the tip, with a small rounded nail. It differs in the last characteristic from the otherwise closely similar ... leucopareia from the Aleutian Is., which has a tapering bill and a long, pointed nail, and also always shows a complete, usually broad white neck ring. Size and proportions highly variable” (Delacour 1951:7). Larger and paler than minima. Nests in nw and n Alaska, away from the coast (Delacour 1954). Series MVZ, UAM. NOTES: On the basis of work referred to under B. h. leucopareia (above), Banks et al. (2004) detached subspecies taverneri from B. c. parvipes, with which it had been synonymized frequently (AOU 1957, Palmer 1976, Kessel 1989, Gibson andKessel 1997 — and see AOU 1983:70 and 1998:60, Gibson et al. 2008). Branta canadensis parvipes (Cassin, 1852) {Veracruz, Mexico}. Canada Goose. Medium sized; color of underparts variable, but the palest subspecies in Alaska. Nests in interior and n Alaska east to Hudson Bay; not coastal. Extent of overlap of nesting range with B. h. taverneri not known to us. Series UAM. NOTES: See comments under B. h. taverneri (above). B. c. occidentalis (S. F. Baird, 1858) {Port Townsend, Washington}. Fairly large; darker, sootier. Nests n Gulf of Alaska coast. Series CRCM. B. c. fulva Delacour, 1951 {Graham I., Queen Charlotte Is. [Haida Gwaii], British Columbia}. Distinctly larger than occidentalis-, lighter, more fulvous; bill longer and flatter. Largely resident, se Alaska. At least 29 specimens (AMNH, 9; MVZ, 9; UAM, 6; CAS, 5). NOTES: Following unsuccessful transplants of small numbers of birds in 1973 and 1975 from se Alaska to the Kodiak archipelago (where there was no nesting population of Canada Geese), over 200 birds were introduced there successfully in 1986 by Alaska Dept, of Fish and Game and USFWS (Paul 2009). Cyqnus buccinator Richardson, 1831 {Hudson Bay}. Trumpeter Swan. Series UAM, USNM. Cygnus columbianus columbianus (Ord, 1815) {below the great narrows of the Columbia River}. Tundra Swan. Adult has yellow spot at base of black bill. Throughout the Alaska nesting range of the species. Series UAM, UMMZ, USNM. C. c. bewickii Yarrell, 1830 {England}. Adult has entire base of bill yellow. N Palearctic. Casual in w and c Aleutians (see Evans and Sladen 1980, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008). One specimen UAM; published photos NAB 60:567, 2007; Schwitters 2008:11. NOTES: Intergrade phenotypes were numerous among nesting Tundra Swans in vicinity of Cape Schmidt (68° 52' N 179° 22' W), Chukotka, in summer 2011 (Arkhipov et al. 2013). Cygnus cygnus (Linnaeus, 1758) {Sweden}. Whooper Swan. Winters in w and c Aleutians, where has nested; casual or accidental elsewhere in sw Alaska in Pribilofs and on Alaska Peninsula, as well as in w and s-c Alaska (see Wilke 1944, Kenyon 1961, 1963, Byrd et al. 1974, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Sykes and Sonneborn 1998, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008). Series UAM; 98 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS photos UAM — published Kenyon 1963:541; NAB 45:1150, 1991; 60:566, 2007; Schwitters 2008:10. Aix sponsa (Linnaeus, 1758) {South Carolina}. Wood Duck. Casual or intermittent in se Alaska and casual in s-c Alaska (see Kessel and Gibson 1978, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Gibson and Kessel 1997, Heinl and Piston 2009). Four specimens UAM; published photos NAB 53: 315, 1999; 55:213, 2001; 63:484, 2009; 65:326, 2011; and WB 40:67, 2009. Anas strepera Linnaeus, 1758 {Sweden}. Gadwall. Monotypic (AOU 1957). Series UAM, USNM. See Kessel and Gibson (1978) for overview. Anas falcata Georgi, 1775 {Baikal region, Siberia}. Falcated Duck. Casual in sw Alaska in w and c Aleutians and in Pribilofs (see Hanna 1920a, Wilson 1948, Sladen 1966, Byrd et al. 1974, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwit- ters 2008). Six specimens {UAM, 4; SBCM, 1; USNM, 1 ); photos UAM — published Schwitters 2008:12. Anas penelope Linnaeus, 1758 {Sweden}. Eurasian Wigeon. Migrant and winter in the Aleutians; rare or intermittent elsewhere in sw Alaska and in w, n, interior, s-c, and se Alaska. Series UAM; photos UAM. For overview see Kessel and Gibson (1978) and Gibson and Byrd (2007). Anas americana J. F. Gmelin, 1789 {New York}. American Wigeon. Series AMNH, UAM, USNM. Anas rubripes Brewster, 1902 {Lake Umbagog, New Hampshire}. American Black Duck. Casual or accidental in se, s-c, and interior Alaska (see Kessel and Gibson 1978, Isleib and Kessel 1989). No specimen; photos UAM. NOTES: A specimen (UAM) from Cordova (Kessel and Gibson 1978) is a hybrid A. rubripes x A. platyrhynchos (q.v.). Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 {Sweden}. Mallard. Series UAM, USNM. NOTES: Lavretsky et al. (2014) found Anas platyrhynchos and Anas rubripes to be identical in 18 genetic markers. Anas zonorhyncha Swinhoe, 1866 {Ningpo, China}. Eastern Spot-billed Duck. Casual in sw Alaska in w and c Aleutians; accidental in s-c Alaska at Kodiak I. (see Byrd et al. 1974, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Trapp and Macintosh 1978, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Tobish 2008a). One specimen UAM; photos UAM — published AB 25:613, 1971; NAB 61:496, 2007. NOTES: Formerly considered conspecific with A. poecilorhyncha Forster, 1781 {Sri Lanka}, but separated on the basis of sympatric nesting at Hong Kong (Banks et al. 2008). Anas discors Linnaeus, 1766 {South Carolina}. Blue-winged Teal. Series UAM. See Kessel and Gibson (1978) for overview. Anas cyanoptera septentrionalium Snyder and Lumsden, 1951 {south of Jensen, Utah}. Cinnamon Teal. Casual or intermittent in se and s-c Alaska; accidental in the Interior (see Kessel and Gibson 1978, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Heinl and Piston 2009). Two specimens UAM; photos UAM — published NAB 63:530, 2009. Anas clypeata Linnaeus, 1758 {Sweden}. Northern Shoveler. Series UAM, USNM. See Kessel and Gibson (1978) for overview. Anas acuta Linnaeus, 1758 {Sweden}. Northern Pintail. Series AMNH, CMN, DMNS, FMNH, MCZ, MVZ, UAM, USNM. Anas querquedula Linnaeus, 1758 {Sweden}. Garganey. Casual or intermittent in w Aleutians; casual in the Pribilofs; casual or accidental in s-c Alaska (see Williamson and Emison 1969, Byrd et al. 1974, 1978, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Byrd and Day 1986, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008). Six specimens (UAM, 5; HSU, 1); photos UAM — published NAB 62:188, 2008; Schwitters 2008:20. 99 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS Anas formosa Georgi, 1775 {Lake Baikal}. Baikal Teal. Casual in sw, w, n, and s-c Alaska (see Bailey 1924, 1933, 1948, Gabrielson 1941, Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959, Maher 1960, Sladen 1966, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Hohenberger et al. 1994, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008, 2015). At least 18 specimens ( USNM , 6; UAM, 5; DMNS, 4; CHAS, 2; CAS, 1); photos UAM— published AB 47:1165, 1993; NAB 60:119, 2006; Schwitters 2008:21, 2015:22-23. Anas crecca crecca Linnaeus, 1758 {Sweden}. Green-winged Teal. Male in defini- tive alternate plumage has white scapular stripe and narrow white border to green face patch. Old World and the Aleutian Is. Includes nimia Friedmann, 1948 {Kiska I., c Aleutians}. Migrant and resident breeder in the Aleutians. Series UAM, USNM. NOTES: Peters et al. (2012) and Winker et al. (2013) discussed the relationships of A. c. crecca, A. c. nimia, and A. c. carolinensis as an example of incomplete heteropatric speciation (Figures 2, 3). A. c. carolinensis J. F. Gmelin, 1789 {South Carolina). Male has white breast bar, no white scapular stripe or white edge to face patch. Widespread breeder in Alaska, except Aleutians. Intergrades with nominate crecca in the e Aleutians (Gibson and Byrd 2007). Series UAM, USNM. Aythya valisineria (Wilson, 1814) {United States}. Canvasback. Series UAM. See Kessel and Gibson (1978) for overview. Aythya americana (Eyton, 1838) {North America}. Redhead. At least 13 specimens {UAM, 8 ; USNM, 4; CRCM, 1). See Kessel and Gibson (1978) for overview. Aythya ferina (Linnaeus, 1758) {Sweden}. Common Pochard. Casual in sw Alaska; casual or accidental in w and in s-c Alaska (see Evermann 1913, Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959, Williamson and Emison 1969, Byrd et al. 1974, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Byrd and Day 1986, Gibson and Kessel 1997, Winker et al. 2002, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008, 2015). Eleven specimens (UAM, 7; USNM, 3; KU, 1); photos UAM — published AB 25:894, 1971; Roberson 1980:84; B 32:548, 2000; Schwitters 2015:26. Aythya collaris (Donovan, 1809) {England}. Ring-necked Duck. Series UAM. See Kessel and Gibson (1978) for overview. Aythya fuligula (Linnaeus, 1758) {Sweden}. Tufted Duck. Migrant and winter in Aleutians; casual in the Pribilofs and in w and s-c Alaska; accidental in n and interior Alaska (see Evermann 1913, Wilson 1948, Sladen 1966, Williamson and Emison 1969, Byrd et al. 1974, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Byrd and Day 1986, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Johnson and Herter 1989, Winker et al. 2002, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008, 2015). Series UAM; photos UAM — published photos include Schwitters 2008:25. Aythya marila marila (Linnaeus, 1761) {Lapland}. Greater Scaup. Male whiter- backed in definitive alternate plumage. Old World. One record (specimen USNMF): ad. S, 29 Jun 1966, St. George I., Pribilofs (Banks 1986b). A. m. nearctica Stejneger, 1885 {North America}. Male with coarser and more extensive black vermiculation on mantle. The New World subspecies, found through- out the Alaska range of the species. Series FMNH, UAM, USNM. Aythya affinis (Eyton, 1838) {North America}. Lesser Scaup. Series UAM, USNM. Polysticta stelleri (Pallas, 1769) {Kamchatka}. Steller’s Eider. Series AMNH, ANSP, CAS, CM, CMN, DMNS, FMNH, HSU, MCZ, MVZ, ROM, SDNHM, UAM, UBC, UCD, UCLA, UMMZ, USNM, UWBM, YPM. For overview see Johnson and Herter (1989), Fredrickson (2001), and Quakenbush et al. (2002). Somateria fischeri (Brandt, 1847) {St. Michael, Alaska}. Spectacled Eider. Series AMNH, ANSP, CAS, CMN, DMNS, FMNH, MCZ, MVZ, ROM, SDNHM, UAM, UCD, UCLA, UMMZ, USNM, UWBM. For overview see Johnson and Herter (1989) and Petersen et al. (2000). 100 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS Somateria spectabilis (Linnaeus, 1758) {Sweden}. King Eider. Series AMNH, ANSP, CAS, CM, CMN, DMNS, FMNH, MCZ, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, UBC, UCD, UMMZ, USNM, UWBM. See Johnson and Herter (1989) for overview. Somateria mollissima borealis (C. L. Brehm, 1824) {Greenland}. Common Eider. Male in definitive alternate plumage has variably yellowish bill, bill processes rounded, no black V on throat. Greenland and e Canadian arctic archipelago. One record (speci- men UAM): S found dead, 7 Aug 1994, Point Barrow (Gibson and Kessel 1997). S. m. u-nigrum Bonaparte and G. R. Gray, 1855 {Kotzebue Sound, Alaska}. Male has orange bill, sharply pointed bill processes, black throat V. Throughout the Alaska range of the species. Series AMNH, ANSP, CMN, DMNS, FMNH, LACM, MCZ, MVZ, ROM, SDNHM, UAM, UBC, UCD, UMMZ, USNM, UWBM. See Johnson and Herter (1989) for overview. NOTES: Bruce and David (2007) established the name’s compound authorship and fixed the date of publication; neuter gender of the noun phrase u-nigrum follows ICZN (1999: Article 31.2.1). Histrionicus histrionicus (Linnaeus, 1758) {Newfoundland}. Harlequin Duck. Series AMNH, CAS, DMNH, DMNS, FMNH, HSU, KU, LACM, MCZ, MVZ, UAM, UMMZ, USNM, UWBM. Melanitta perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758) {Hudson Bay}. Surf Scoter. Series UAM, USNM. Melanitta fusca deglandi (Bonaparte, 1850) {North America}. White-winged Scoter. Male has rounded bill tip; bill protuberance rounded, with larger and rounder nares; black on ridge of culmen more abbreviated, wider; maxilla largely pink, yellow below naris, black along bill edge; brown flanks in definitive alternate plumage. Includes dixoni (W. S. Brooks, 1915) {= Griffin Point, arctic Alaska}. Throughout the Alaska range of the species. Series DMNS, UAM, USNM, UWBM. M. /. [stejnegeri (Ridgway, 1887) {Bering I., Commander Is.}]. Male has tapered bill tip; bill protuberance square to hooked, with smaller and narrower nares; black on ridge of culmen elongated, narrower; maxilla largely pink, yellow along bill edge; black flanks in definitive alternate plumage (see Pyle 2008). Siberia and Russian Far East. Casual or intermittent recently in w Alaska at St. Lawrence I. and on the Seward Peninsula (see Garner et al. 2004. Gibson et al. 2008, Dunn et al. 2012). No specimen; photos UAM — published BW 17:338-339, 2004; WB 43:222, 2012). Melanitta americana (Swainson, 1832) {Hudson Bay at 57°N}. Black Scoter. Monotypic. “Formerly treated as conspecific with M. nigra (Linnaeus, 1758) of Eur- asia, but separated on the basis of courtship calls ... and color, form, and feathering of the bill in adult males and most adult females” (Chesser et al. 2010:731). Series FMNH, UAM, UCD, UMMZ, USNM, UWBM. Clangula hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) {n Sweden}. Long-tailed Duck. Series AMNH, ANSP, CAS, CMN, DMNS, FMNH, KU, LACM, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, UCD, UMMZ, USNM, UWBM, YPM. Bucephala albeola (Linnaeus, 1758) {Newfoundland}. Bufflehead. Series LACM, UAM, USNM. Bucephala clangula americana (Bonaparte, 1838) {e United States}. Common Goldeneye. Series UAM, USNM. NOTES: A specimen ( USNM) from the Pribilofs identified (Hanna 1916) as nominate clangula (Linnaeus, 1758) {Sweden}, the Old World subspecies, has been reidentified as subspecies americana (Gibson et al. 2013). Bucephala islandica (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {Iceland}. Barrow’s Goldeneye. Series LACM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. Mergellus albellus (Linnaeus, 1758) {near Izmir, Turkey}. Smew. Migrant and winter in w and c Aleutians; casual in the Pribilofs and in s-c Alaska; accidental in n Alaska (see Sladen 1966, Williamson and Emison 1969, Byrd et al. 1974, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Tobish 2002d, Gibson and 101 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008, 2015). Seven specimens {{JAM, 5; USNM, 2); photos UAM— published AB 30:754, 1976; NAB 60:423 and 567, 2007; Schwitters 2008:36-37. Lophodytes cucullatus (Linnaeus, 1758) {South Carolina}. Hooded Merganser. Nests in se Alaska; casual in s-c and sw Alaska; accidental in the Interior and in w Alaska (see Kessel and Gibson 1978, Tobish 1999b, Heinl and Piston 2009). At least seven specimens {UAM, 6; MVZ, 1). Mergus merganser merganser Linnaeus, 1758 {Sweden}. Common Merganser. Male in definitive alternate plumage with black bar on greater upper wing coverts concealed by median coverts; nail deeply hooked. Migrant in w Aleutians (see Byrd et al. 1978, Gibson 1981, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008, 2015). Series UAM; photos UAM — published Schwitters 2008:38. M. m. americanus Cassin, 1852 {North America}. Male has black bar on greater upper wing-coverts exposed, not concealed by median coverts; nail not so deeply hooked. The North American subspecies. Widespread in southern Alaska, reaches w Alaska and the Interior. Series UAM, USNM. Mergus senator Linnaeus, 1758 {Sweden}. Red-breasted Merganser. Series MCZ, MVZ, UAM, USNM. Oxyura jamaicensis rubida (Wilson, 1814) {Delaware River, near Philadelphia}. Ruddy Duck. Casual breeder in e interior and s-c Alaska; casual in se Alaska (see Willett 1921a, Hansen 1960, Kessel and Springer 1966, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Tobish 2007b, Heinl and Piston 2009). At least three specimens {USNM, 2; UAM, 1); photos UAM. Order GALLIFORMES — Family PHASIANIDAE: GROUSE Bonasa umbellus umbelloides (Douglas, 1829) {Henry House, Alberta}. Ruffed Grouse. Darker dorsally and ventrally, tarsi incompletely feathered. Se Alaska at Hyder and on the Stikine and Taku rivers. Five specimens UAM. B. u. yukonensis Grinnell, 1916 {Fortymile, Yukon River, Yukon Territory}. Grayer and paler, tarsi feathered to toes. Interior Alaska. Series UAM, USNM. NOTES: Over 350 birds were transplanted in the 1980s and 1990s from the Interior to s-c Alaska — to the Matanuska River valley and the Kenai Peninsula, areas beyond the natural range of the species — by Alaska Dept, of Fish and Game (Steen 1995, 1997, Paul 2009). Falcipennis canadensis canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) {Hudson Bay}. Spruce Grouse. Male grayer; tail with chestnut terminal band; uppertail coverts not fringed white. Includes osgoodi (Bishop, 1900) {Lake Marsh, Yukon Territory} and atratus (Grinnell, 1910) {Hawkins I., Prince William Sound, Alaska}. Throughout the Alaska taiga in interior and s-c Alaska; reaches sw Alaska and northern se Alaska. Series AMNH, MSB, MVZ, UAM, UWBM. F. c. isleibi Dickerman and Gustafson, 1996 {Prince of Wales I., Alexander Archi- pelago, Alaska}. Male blacker; tail without terminal band; uppertail coverts tipped narrowly with white. Includes Alaska birds previously referred to franklinii (Douglas, 1829) {Okanagan, British Columbia}. Resident on Prince of Wales I. and satellites; Zarembo I. Series UAM. Lagopus lagopus alba (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {Hudson Bay}. Willow Ptarmigan. Smaller than alascensis, with shorter wing and tail and narrower bill. Winters in e Interior (West et al. 1970). Series AMNH, UAM. NOTES: Long regarded as masculine, the generic name Lagopus is feminine (David and Gosselin 2002). L. 1. alexandrae Grinnell, 1909 {Baranof I., Alexander Archipelago}. Large, autumn coloration darker than alascensis, especially dorsally, and bill slightly smaller and narrower. Includes muriei Gabrielson and Lincoln, 1949 {Nagai I., Shumagin 102 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS Is.}- Coastal southern Alaska from easternmost of the Aleutians (Unimak — see Gibson and Byrd 2007), the Shumagin Is., and Alaska Peninsula east, including Kodiak archipelago, to southern se Alaska (Prince of Wales and Revillagigedo islands — see Heinl and Piston 2009). Intergrades with alascensis north of the base of the Alaska Peninsula, and with alba in nw British Columbia (AOU 1957). Series AMNH, CAS, LACM, MVZ, UAM, UWBM. L. I. alascensis Swarth, 1926 {Kobuk River Delta, Alaska). Large; buffier in autumn and with slightly broader bill than alexandrae-, the widespread race. Throughout most of mainland Alaska. Maintained as a synonym of nominate lagopus (Linnaeus, 1758) {Swedish Lapland) by Peters (1934) and Hellmayr and Conover (1942). Series CAS, DMNS, MSB, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM. Lagopus muta evermanni Elliot, 1896 {Attu I., w Aleutians}. Rock Ptarmigan. Summer male is blackish, especially ventrally; usually invaded somewhat by brown dorsally. Attu I. Series UAM, USNM. NOTES: From 2003 to 2006 the USFWS transplanted 75 birds to Agattu I., w Aleutians (Kaler et al. 2010). L. m. toumsendi Elliot, 1896 {Kiska I., c Aleutians}. Summer male is reddish to orangish, with broader, coarser dark vermiculations than in atkhensis. Includes gabrielsoni Murie, 1944 {Amchitka I., c Aleutians}. Rat Is. (Kiska to Amchitka). Series AMNH, BYU, MCZ, UAM, USNM. L. m. atkhensis Turner, 1882 {Atka I., c Aleutians}. Summer male is rufous, dark to pale, with fine black/brown vermiculations. Includes sanfordi Bent, 1912 {Tanaga I., c Aleutians} and chamberlaini Clark, 1907 {Adak I., c Aleutians}. Andreanof Is. (Tanaga to Amlia). Series AMNH, CMN, MCZ, UAM, USNM. L. m. nelsoni Stejneger, 1884 {Unalaska I., e Aleutians}. Summer male is dark brown with fine blackish vermiculations. Includes yunaskensis Gabrielson and Lincoln, 1951 {Yunaska I., e Aleutians} and kelloggae Grinnell, 1910 {Montague I., Prince William Sound}. Ne Asia, n and interior Alaska south to sw and s-c Alaska (to Is. of Four Mountains in e Aleutians, Shumagin Is., Alaska Peninsula, and Kodiak archipelago) and east apparently to northernmost se Alaska. Series AMNH, CAS, DMNS, MCZ, MSB, MVZ, UAM, USNM, UWBM, YPM. L. m. dixoni Grinnell, 1909 {Chichagof I., Alexander Archipelago}. Summer male is dark brown but grayer than nelsoni, with fine vermiculations. Se Alaska (Coast Mountains and Chichagof, Baranof, Admiralty, and Revillagigedo islands). Series MVZ. See Heinl and Piston (2009) for limit of range. Lagopus leucura peninsularis Chapman, 1902 {Kenai Mountains}. White-tailed Ptarmigan. Series AMNH, UAM. NOTES: Species maintained as monotypic by Pyle (2008). Dendragapus fuliginosus sitkensis Swarth, 1921 {Kupreanof I., Alexander Archipelago}. Sooty Grouse. Series UAM, USNM. NOTES: Formerly merged with D. obscurus (Say, 1822) {= about 20 miles north of Colorado Springs, Colorado} as the Blue Grouse, but separated on the basis of genetic evidence and differences in voice (hooting), behavior, and plumage (Banks et al. 2006). Tympanuchus phasianellus caurus (Friedmann, 1943) {Fairbanks}. Sharp-tailed Grouse. Series UAM. NOTES: Pyle (2008) maintained caurus as a synonym of nomi- nate phasianellus (Linnaeus, 1758) {Hudson Bay}. Order GAVIIFORMES — Family GAVIIDAE: LOONS Gavia stellata (Pontoppidan, 1763) {Denmark}. Red-throated Loon. Series AMNH, CAS, CRCM, DMNS, SDNHM, UAM, USNM. Gavia arctica viridigularis Dwight, 1918 {Gizhiga, Sea of Okhotsk}. Arctic Loon. Nests in w Alaska north of Bering Strait; migrant in Bering Sea and Aleutians (see 103 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS Preble and McAtee 1923, Bailey 1925a, 1948, 1956, Douglas and Sowl 1993, Winker et al. 2002, Lehman 2005, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008, 2015). At least 10 specimens (CHAS, 4; USNM, 2 ■ DMNS, 1 ; MCZ, 1 ■ SDNHM, 1; UAM, 1). Gavia pacifica (Lawrence, 1858) {San Diego, California}. Pacific Loon. Series AMNH, ANSP, DMNS, SDNHM, UAM, USNM. Gauia immer (Briinnich, 1764) {Faeroe Is.}. Common Loon. Series UAM, USNM, UWBM. Gavia adamsii (G. R. Gray, 1859) {Alaska}. Yellow-billed Loon. Series DMNS, SDNHM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. Order PODICIPEDIFORMES — Family PODICIPEDIDAE: GREBES Podilymbus podiceps podiceps (Linnaeus, 1758) {South Carolina}. Pied-billed Grebe. Migrant and winter in se Alaska; has nested se and s-c Alaska (see Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Heinl and Piston 2009, Tobish 2012a). Two specimens UAM; published photos NAB 64:632, 2011; 65:140, 2011. Podiceps auritus cornutus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {Hudson Bay}. Horned Grebe. Series LACM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. Podiceps grisegena holboellii Reinhardt, 1854 {s Greenland}. Red-necked Grebe. Series USNM, UWBM. Podiceps nigricollis californicus Heermann, 1854 {California}. Eared Grebe. Casual in se, s-c, and interior Alaska (see Gibson et al. 2003, Tobish 2005c, 2010a, 2011b). One specimen UAM; photos UAM. Aechmophorus occidentalis occidentals (Lawrence, 1858) {Fort Steilacoom, Washington}. Western Grebe. Winters southern se Alaska (see Bishop 1900, Willett 1923, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Gibson and Kessel 1997, Heinl and Piston 2009). Four specimens {UAM, 2; LACM, 1; USNM, 1). Order PROCELLARIIFORMES— Family DlOMEDEIDAE: ALBATROSSES Thalassarche salvini (Rothschild, 1893) {New Zealand}. Salvin’s Albatross. Accidental in sw Alaska. One record (no specimen; photos UAM — published WB 36:136-137, 2005): subadult, 4 Aug 2003, 18 km northwest of Kasatochi I., c Aleutians (Benter et al. 2005). NOTES: On the basis of genetic studies, the AOU (1997) divided the albatrosses known in Alaska (formerly in the genus Diomedea Linnaeus) into the genera Thalassarche Reichenbach and Phoebastria Reichenbach. Until recently maintained as a subspecies of T. cauta (Shy Albatross), salvini is now treated as a separate species on the basis of differences in plumage and genetic data (Chesser et al. 2014). Phoebastria immutabilis (Rothschild, 1893) {Laysan I., Hawaii}. Laysan Albatross. Series UAM. See Kessel and Gibson (1978) for overview. NOTES: See comments under Thalassarche (above). Phoebastria nigripes (Audubon, 1839) {Pacific Ocean at 30° 44' N, 146° W}. Black-footed Albatross. Series UAM. NOTES: See comments under Thalassarche (above). Phoebastria albatrus (Pallas, 1769) {Bering Sea, off Kamchatka}. Short-tailed Albatross. Summer visitant in Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea (see Hasegawa and DeGange 1982, Piatt et al. 2006, Gibson and Byrd 2007). Series USNM; photos UAM — published NAB 61:174-175, 2007. NOTES: See comments under Thal- assarche (above). 104 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS —Family PROCELLARIIDAE: SHEARWATERS AND PETRELS Fulmarus glacialis rodgersii Cassin, 1862 {North Pacific Ocean}. Northern Fulmar. Series AMNH, DMNS, UAM, USNM, UWBM. Pterodroma solandri (Gould, 1844) {Bass Strait}. Providence Petrel. Accidental in sw Alaska. One record (no specimen; published photos NAB 65:704-706, 2012): at least 10 birds, 15 Sep 2011, vicinity of 53° 16' N, 171° 05' E, off Attu I., Aleutians (Cooper and Mackiernan 2012). Pterodroma inexpectata (Forster, 1844) {Antarctic Ocean}. Mottled Petrel. Includes Aestrelata fisheri Ridgway, 1883 {Kodiak I.}, following AOU (1931) and Hellmayr and Conover (1948a). Summer visitant in s Bering Sea and Alaska waters of North Pacific (see Ridgway 1883, Willett 1914, Kuroda 1955, Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959, Murie 1959, Deignan 1961, Kenyon and Phillips 1965, Williamson and Emison 1969, Isleib and Kessel 1973, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Tobish 2013c). At least six specimens {USNM, 4; AMNH, 1; UWBM, 1). Pterodroma cookii (G. R. Gray, 1843) {New Zealand}. Cook’s Petrel. Accidental off the Aleutians. Two records (one specimen FMNH): S, 4 Aug 1933, off Adak I. (Anthony 1934); one, 24 Jul 1983, 240 km south-southwest of Agattu I. (Gibson and Byrd 2007). Puf firms creatopus Coues, 1864 {San Nicolas I., California}. Pink-footed Shear- water. Summer/autumn visitant in Gulf of Alaska (see Gibson et al. 2003, Tobish 2013c, 2014c). Two specimens UAM ; photos UAM — published NAB 64:133, 2010. NOTES: A “rare summer visitant ... in southcoastal and southeastern Alaska” (Kessel and Gibson 1978:12), but not substantiated by specimen or photograph until 2000. Puf firms carneipes Gould, 1844 {small islands off Cape Leeuwin, Western Aus- tralia}. Flesh-footed Shearwater. Intermittent summer/autumn visitant (see Tobish 2013c, 2014c; photos UAM). Only recently substantiated in n Gulf of Alaska, by photos UAM (one bird, 21 Aug 2013, ~43 km west-southwest of Icy Bay, A. J. Lang and others) and specimen UAM (ad. S, 8 Sep 2014, off Middleton I., L. H. DeCicco and N. R. Hajdukovich). NOTES: A “casual summer and fall visitant in southcoastal and southwestern Alaska” (Kessel and Gibson 1978:12; see also Gibson and Byrd 2007), but not substantiated by specimen or photograph until 2013. Puffirms gravis (O’Reilly, 1818) {Latitude of Cape Farewell and Staten Hook, frequenting Newfoundland in summer}. Great Shearwater. Casual in Gulf of Alaska (see Pearce 2002, Gibson et al. 2003, Tobish 2012b). No specimen; photos UAM — published WB 33:121, 2002; NAB 66:147, 2012. Puffirms bulleri Salvin, 1888 {New Zealand}. Buller’s Shearwater. Summer/ autumn visitant in Gulf of Alaska (see Isleib and Kessel 1989, Gibson et al. 2003, 2008, Tobish 2014c). Series UAM; photos UAM — published WB 34:124, 2003. NOTES: A “rare summer visitant ... in southcoastal Alaska in the vicinity of the Alaska Gyre” (Kessel and Gibson 1978:13), but not substantiated by specimen or photograph until 1997 (Gibson et al. 2003, 2008). Puffinus griseus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {New Zealand}. Sooty Shearwater. Series USNM, UWBM. Puffinus tenuirostris (Temminck, 1836) {Japan}. Short-tailed Shearwater. Series DMNS, LACM, MVZ, UAM, UMMZ, USNM, UWBM. Puffinus puffinus (Brunnich, 1764) {Faeroe Is.}. Manx Shearwater. Monotypic, following Dickinson (2003). Summer/autumn visitant in Gulf of Alaska (see Gibson et al. 2008, Tobish 2013c, 2014c). Two specimens UAM; photos UAM — published NAB 60:422, 2006; WB 39:192-193, 2008. NOTES: A “casual summer visitant ...in southcoastal Alaska” (Kessel and Gibson 1978:13), but not substantiated by specimen or photograph until 2005 (Gibson et al. 2008). 105 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS —Family HYDROBATIDAE: STORM-PETRELS Oceanodroma furcata furcata (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {Bering Sea}. Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel. Larger and paler. Includes Procellaria orientalis Pallas, 1811 {Kuril Is. and Unalaska}. Nests in Aleutian Is. Series AMNH, CAS, MVZ, UAM, USNM, UWBM. See Boersma and Silva (2001) for overview. O. /. plumbea (Peale, 1848) {off Cape Flattery, Washington}. Smaller and darker. Nests in se Alaska. Series CAS, LACM, MVZ. Oceanodroma leucorhoa leucorhoa (Vieillot, 1818) {France}. Leach’s Storm- Petrel. Includes beali Emerson, 1906 {Sitka Bay}. Series AMNH, LACM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. Order SULIFORMES— Family FREGATIDAE: FRIGATEBIRDS Fregata magnificens Mathews, 1914 {Galapagos Is.}. Magnificent Frigatebird. Accidental in sw Alaska. One record (no specimen; photos UAM; Figure 4): juvenile, 15 Aug 1985, Belkofski Bay, Alaska Peninsula (Gibson and Kessel 1992). —Family SULIDAE: BOOBIES AND GANNETS Sula leucogaster [brewsteri Goss, 1888 {Isla San Pedro Martir, Gulf of California}]. Brown Booby. Accidental in se and s-c Alaska. Two records (no specimen; photos UAM): one bird, 28 Oct 2014, Gulf of Alaska at 56° 02' N, 148° 04' W, 296 km east-southeast of Kodiak I. (Justin Smith); one bird, captured after landing aboard ship, 29 Oct 2014, off Kruzof I., Alexander Archipelago (M. Goff and J. Cedarleaf). NOTES: These birds occurred in the wake of unusually large numbers in summer and fall 2014 in coastal California (fide R. G. McCaskie and S. Rottenborn, in litt. , 2014) and following or concurrently with records in coastal Oregon (fide S. E. Finnegan, in litt., 2014), Washington (fide B. Waggoner, in litt., 2014), and British Columbia (fide K. Morgan, in litt., 2014). For status in those regions, see Hamilton et al. (2007), Marshall et al. (2003), Mlodinow and Aanerud (2006), and Morgan et al. (2009), respectively. The only Brown Booby previously recorded in Alaska, an ad. S {UAM) collected 15 Jul 2000 after landing aboard ship on 13 and 15 Jul in the c Bering Sea at 58° 44' N, 174° 09' W (K. Swiney) and identified as an example of S. /. plotus (Forster, 1844) {near New Caledonia}, is unlikely, in the absence of a midsummer storm, to have reached the Bering Sea without human assistance. —Family PHALACROCORACIDAE: CORMORANTS Phalacrocorax penicillatus (Brandt, 1837) {Vancouver I.}. Brandt’s Cormorant. Winters southern Alexander Archipelago; has nested Hazy Is. (see Willett 1918, Isleib and Kessel 1973, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Heinl and Piston 2007, 2009). Three specimens (UAM, 2; USNM , 1); photos UAM— published WB 38:143, 2007; NAB 62:288, 2008. Phalacrocorax auritus cincinatus (Brandt, 1837) {Kodiak I.}. Double-crested Cormorant. Series UAM, USNM. Phalacrocorax urile (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {Kamchatka}. Red-faced Cormorant. Series AMNH, KU, SDNHM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. For overview see Kessel and Gibson (1978) and Causey (2002). Phalacrocorax pelagicus Pallas, 1811 {Aleutian Is.}. Pelagic Cormorant. Mono- typic. Includes subspecies robustus Ridgway, 1884 {coast of Alaska}, according to Hellmayr and Conover (1948a), and resplendens Audubon, 1838 {Cape Disap- pointment, Washington}, following Pyle (2008) and Hobson (2013). Series AMNH, CAS, DMNS, KU, MVZ, UAM, USNM, UWBM. See Hobson (2013) for overview. NOTES: Stictocarbo kenyoni Siegel-Causey, 1991 {Amchitka I., c Aleutians} has been 106 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS maintained as a synonym of P pelagicus by AOU (1993, 1998), Kessel and Gibson (1994), Gibson and Kessel (1997), Rohwer et al. (2000), and Gibson and Byrd (2007). Order PELECANIFORMES— Family PELECANIDAE: PELICANS Pelecanus erythrorhynchos J. F. Gmelin, 1789 {Hudson Bay}. American White Pelican. Casual in se Alaska (see Osborne 1982, Gibson and Kessel 1992, Heinl and Piston 2009). No specimen; photos UAM — published AB 35:852, 1981; 47:1140, 1993. Pelecanus occidentalis [californicus Ridgway, 1884 {La Paz, Baja California Sur}]. Brown Pelican. Casual recently in se Alaska (see Gibson et al. 2008, Heinl and Piston 2009). No specimen; published photos ADN, B-3, 5 Jun 2003; NAB 57:390, 2003; WB 40:86, 2009. —Family ARDEIDAE: HERONS, BITTERNS, & ALLIES Botaurus lentiginosus (Rackett, 1813) {England}. American Bittern. Casual in se Alaska (see Willett 1921a, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Tobish 2006). Two specimens UAM. Ixobrychus sinensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {China}. Yellow Bittern. Accidental in w Aleutians. One record (specimen UAM; published photo B 23:190, 1991): ad. $, 17-22 May 1989, Attu I. (Gibson and Kessel 1992). Ardea herodias fannini Chapman, 1901 {Graham I., Haida Gwaii, British Colum- bia}. Great Blue Heron. Series UAM. Ardea cinerea [jouyi Clark, 1907 {Seoul, Korea}]. Gray Heron. Casual or accidental in sw Alaska in the Aleutians and in the Pribilofs (Burton and Smith 2001, Gibson et al. 2008, Tobish 2010c, 2014a, Schwitters 2015). No specimen; photos UAM — published NAB 64:480, 2010; 67:535, 2014; Schwitters 2015:54. Ardea alba egretta J. F. Gmelin, 1789 {French Guiana}. Great Egret. Larger. Casual in se and s-c Alaska; accidental in interior and in n Alaska (see Isleib and Kessel 1989, Gibson and Kessel 1992, Gibson et al. 2008, Tobish 2013a, 2014b). One specimen UAM; photos UAM — published NAB 61:627, 2008; 66: 539, 2013. A. a. modesta J. E. Gray, 1831 {India}. Smaller. Casual in w and c Aleutians (Gibson and Byrd 2007, Gibson et al. 2008, Schwitters 2008). Two specimens UAM; photos UAM — published NAB 56:344, 2002; Schwitters 2008:53. Mesophoyx intermedia intermedia (Wagler, 1829) {= Thailand}. Intermediate Egret. Accidental in w Aleutians. Two records (two specimens UAM): one found dead, 30 May 2006, Buldir I. (Lorenz and Gibson 2007); and ad. 28 Sep 2010, Shemya I. (Schwitters 2015). Egretta eulophotes (Swinhoe, 1860) {Amoy, China}. Chinese Egret. Accidental in w Aleutians. One record (specimen UAM): ad. 16 Jun 1974, Agattu I. (Byrd et al. 1978). Egretta garzetta garzetta (Linnaeus, 1766) {ne Italy}. Little Egret. Accidental in w Aleutians. One record (specimen UAM): ad. $ found dead, 27 May 2000, Buldir I. (Gibson et al. 2003). Egretta tricolor [ruficollis Gosse, 1847 {Jamaica}]. Tricolored Heron. Includes E. t. occidentalis (Huey, 1927) {Scammon Lagoon [Laguna Ojo de Liebre], Baja California Sur}, following Hellmayr and Conover (1948a), Erickson and Howell (2001), and Unitt (2004). Accidental in se Alaska. One record (no specimen; photo UAM): ad., 22-24 May 1985, Chickamin River, mainland se Alaska, P. Bethel (Gibson et al. 2013). Bubulcus ibis ibis (Linnaeus, 1758) {Egypt}. Cattle Egret. Smaller. Casual in late fall in se Alaska (see Gibson and Hogg 1982, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Gibson and Kessel 1992, Heinl and Piston 2009). Three specimens UAM; photos UAM. 107 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS B. i. coromandus (Boddaert, 1783) {Coromandel coast of India}. Larger; in nuptial plumage has cinnamon-colored ornamental feathering over entire head (including cheek, chin, and throat) and on foreneck, breast, and back. S and e Asia. One record (specimen UAM): ad. $ found dead, 19 Jun 1988, Agattu I., w Aleutians (Gibson and Kessel 1992), Ardeola bacchus (Bonaparte, 1855) {Malay Peninsula}. Chinese Pond-Heron. Casual or accidental in sw and w Alaska. Three records (one specimen UAM; published photos FN 51:102 and 953-954, 1997; NAB 65:713, 2012): one bird, 4-9 Aug 1996, St. Paul I., Pribilofs (Hoyer and Smith 1997); ad. S, 20 May 2009, Attu I., w Aleutians (Withrow and Sonneborn 2011); one bird, 14-15 Jul 2011, Gambell, St. Lawrence I. (Tobish 2012a, Gibson et al. 2013). Butorides uirescens [cmthonyi (Mearns, 1895) {Salton River, Baja California}]. Green Heron. Accidental in se Alaska. One record (no specimen; photos UAM): one bird, 29 May 1983, Juneau (Gibson and Kessel 1992). Nycticorax nycticorax nycticorax (Linnaeus, 1758) {s Europe}. Black-crowned Night-Heron. Smaller, superciliary line all white. Casual in sw Alaska in w and c Aleutians and in the Pribilofs (see Gibson and Kessel 1992, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Gibson et al. 2013). Five specimens UAM; photos UAM. N. n. [hoactli (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {Valley of Mexico}}. Larger, superciliary stripe narrower with posterior portion dull blackish brown (Palmer 1962). One record (no specimen; photos UAM): flock of up to eight birds, 17 May-4 Jul 1987, Juneau (Gibson and Kessel 1992). Order ACCIPITRIFORMES— Family CATHARTIDAE: NEW WORLD VULTURES Cathartes aura meridionahs Swann, 1921 {Colombia}. Turkey Vulture. Casual in interior, se, s-c, sw, w, and n Alaska (see Gibson and Kessel 1992, 1997, Heinl and Piston 2009). One specimen UAM; photos UAM — published FN 51:911, 1997; NAB 63:139, 2009; 65:140, 2011. —Family PANDIONIDAE: OSPREYS NOTES: For a time maintained as a subfamily of the Accipitridae but returned to rank of family because of genetic and morphological distinctiveness (Chesser et al. 2010). Pandion haliaetus carolinensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) {South Carolina}. Osprey. Series USNM. —Family ACCIPITRIDAE: HAWKS, EAGLES, & ALLIES Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766) {South Carolina}. Bald Eagle. Mono- typic. Palmer (1988a: 194) wrote, “Since no satisfactory geographical subdivision is known, it is preferable to avoid categorizing the Bald Eagle into subspecies.” Indeed, his observation (loc. cit.) — “[in] recent years many Juv. birds have been translocated long distances for restocking: for example, Canadian birds into n. U.S. and Alaskan birds to N.Y.” — points to likely dilution of any size differences by which subspecies of the Bald Eagle were ever recognized. Series CAS, LACM, USNM, UWBM. Haliaeetus albicilla (Linnaeus, 1758) {Sweden}. White-tailed Eagle. Casual in sw and w Alaska; has nested w Aleutians; accidental in s-c Alaska (see Tobish and Balch 1987, Gibson and Kessel 1997, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008). One (partial) specimen UAM; photos UAM — published AB 36:884, 1982; B 14(3-4): cover, 1982; AB 46:1166, 1992; B 32:546, 2000; Watters 2003:128; NAB 61:628, 2008; 66:540 and 572, 2013. Haliaeetus pelagicus (Pallas, 1811) {Tauisk, Sea of Okhotsk}. Steller’s Sea-Eagle. Casual in sw Alaska; accidental in w, s-c, and se Alaska (see Gilbert 1922, Gabrielson 108 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS and Lincoln 1959, Gibson and Kessel 1997, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008). No (extant) specimen; photos UAM — published Condor 24:66, 1922; Schwitters 2008:55. Circus cyaneus [cyaneus (Linnaeus, 1766) {vicinity of London, England}]. Northern Harrier. Adult male with all-white flanks; juvenile lighter brown. Casual in w Aleutians (Gibson and Byrd 2007). One (partial) specimen UAM. C. c. hudsonius (Linnaeus, 1766) {Hudson Bay}. Longer wing and heavier bill; adult male slightly browner above, with wedge-shaped rufous spots on flanks and thighs; juvenile darker brown (Cramp and Simmons 1980; see Pyle 2008). Widespread breeder in Alaska. Series USNM. See Kessel and Gibson (1978) for overview of this subspecies. Accipiter striatus velox (Wilson, 1812) {Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}. Sharp- shinned Hawk. Paler. Most of Alaska range of the species. Series MVZ, UAM, USNM. A. s. perobscurus Snyder, 1938 {Graham I., Haida Gwaii, British Columbia}. Darker; difference most pronounced in immature plumage. Se Alaska. Series UAM. See Webster (1988) for overview. Accipiter gentilis atricapillus (Wilson, 1812) {near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}. Northern Goshawk. Paler than laingi. Most of Alaska range of the species. Series UAM, USNM. A. g. laingi (Taverner, 1840) {Graham I., Haida Gwaii, British Columbia}. Darker than atricapillus. Se Alaska. Series UAM. See Webster (1988) for overview. A. g. [albidus (Menzbier, 1882) {e Siberia, Amurland, and Kamchatka}]. “About 50 percent of the birds are white” (Vaurie 1965: 160). E Asia. Two records in w Aleutians (no specimen — published photo Schwitters 2008:55): ad,, 25-27 May 2001; one “off-white goshawk,” 17 Sep 2001 — both Shemya I. (Gibson and Byrd 2007:88). Buteo swainsoni Bonaparte, 1838 {Fort Vancouver, Washington}. Swainson’s Hawk. Nests in the Interior and has nested in s-c Alaska (see Dali and Bannister 1869, Dice 1920, Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959, Palmer 1988b, Isleib and Kessel 1989). At least seven specimens (UAM, 3; USNM, 3; MVZ, 1); photos UAM — published NAB 60:423, 2006; 62:601, 2009; 63:638, 2010. Buteo jamaicensis harlani (Audubon, 1830) {St. Francisville, Louisiana}. Red-tailed Hawk. “Typical” adult exhibits extreme melanism and an unbarred mottled whitish tail (Mindell 1985). Nests in interior and s-c Alaska. Series UAM. NOTES: Mindell (1983) recognized harlani as the widespread nesting subspecies of w interior Alaska and noted that intergrades with calurus (q.v.) were numerous in the e Interior. Palmer (1988b) discussed “Harlan’s Hawk” as a color morph of subspecies calurus (q.v.). B. j. calurus Cassin, 1855 {Fort Webster [Rio Mimbres], New Mexico}. Large; adult’s tail red; light-morph adult’s back paler than that of alascensis. Intergrades with harlani are numerous in the e Interior, and most Alaska reports of calurus might be of intergrades (Mindell 1983). At least two specimens (USNM, 2). B. j. alascensis Grinnell, 1909 {Glacier Bay}. Small; resembles calurus, but dark areas blacker and more extended and more richly colored ventrally. Nests in se Alaska. At least six specimens (MVZ, 5; UAM, 1). NOTES: Without a clearer understanding of the limits of geographically partitioned variation in this species, and in the absence of specimen evidence from Alaska, we regard as inconclusive Liguori and Sullivan’s (2010, 2014) Alaska reports of subspecies borealis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) {South Carolina} and of subspecies abieticola Todd, 1950 {Ste. Margaret Falls (above Clarke City), Quebec}. Subspecies borealis is the eastern Red-tailed Hawk, the limit of whose nesting range extends from ne Alberta south on the e Great Plains to e Texas (see AOU 1957, Godfrey 1986, Pyle 2008, Dickinson and Remsen 2013); it is not known in far w Canada (see Campbell et al. 1990, Sinclair et al. 2003). Regarding abieti- cola, the “northern” Red-tailed Hawk, most authorities (e.g., AOU 1957, Godfrey 109 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS 1986, Palmer 1988b, Pyle 2008, Preston and Beane 2009) have not recognized it as separable (e.g., “birds that fit this description occur infrequently and do not sup- port a recognizable separate population” [R. W. Dickerman in Wheeler 2003:318]; identification is “confounded by substantial individual variation” [Pyle 2008:445]). Buteo lagopus sanctijohannis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) {Newfoundland}. Rough-legged Hawk. Slightly smaller, darker. Nests throughout the North American range of the species (Palmer 1988b). Series DMNS, UAM, USNM. NOTES: Cade (1955) identi- fied all Alaska-breeding Rough-legged Hawks as intergrades between sanctijohannis and kamtschatkensis; the AOU (1957) and Gabrielson and Lincoln (1959) included kamtschatkensis as the nesting bird of coastal w and n Alaska. B. I. kamtschatkensis Dementiev, 1931 {Kikhchik River mouth, Kamchatka}. Larger and paler (hoary); no dark morph. E Asia. Intermittent in w Aleutians (see Gibson 1981, Byrd and Day 1986, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Gibson et al. 2008, Schwitters 2008, 2015). One specimen UAM. Aquila chrysaetos canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) {Hudson Bay}. Golden Eagle. Series USNM. Order GRUIFORMES— Family RALLIDAE: RAILS AND COOTS Rallus limicola limicola Vieillot, 1819 {Pennsylvania}. Virginia Rail. Casual in se Alaska (see Gibson and Kessel 1992, Tobish 2002d, Heinl and Piston 2009). Three specimens UAM; photos UAM. Porzana Carolina (Linnaeus, 1758) {Hudson Bay}. Sora. Nests on se Alaska mainland, probably in eastern Interior (see Nelson 1958, Kessel and Springer 1966, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Trapp et al. 1981, Isleib and Kessel 1989). Nine specimens (UAM, 8; USNM, 1). Gallinula chloropus chloropus (Linnaeus, 1758) {Middlesex, England}. Common Moorhen. Includes indica Blyth, 1842 {vicinity of Calcutta}, following Vaurie (1965). Accidental in w Aleutians. One record (specimen UAM): first-year S, 12-14 Oct 2010, Shemya I. (Withrow and Schwitters 2012). Fulica atra atra Linnaeus, 1758 {Sweden}. Eurasian Coot. Accidental in the Pribilofs. One record (specimen USNM): first-year $, 5 Nov 1962, St. Paul I. (Sladen 1966). Fulica americana americana J. F. Gmelin, 1789 {North America}. American Coot. Migrant and winter in se Alaska; migrant in the Interior, where has nested; casual in s-c Alaska; accidental in sw and in n Alaska (see Willett 1923, Murie 1959, Kessel and Springer 1966, Isleib and Kessel 1973, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Trapp et al. 1981, Heinl and Piston 2009). At least seven specimens (UAM, 4; LACM, 2; USNM, 1). —Family GRUIDAE: CRANES Grus canadensis canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) {Hudson Bay}. Sandhill Crane. Smaller, especially in bill and tarsus. Nests throughout the Alaska range of the species, except se Alaska. Series MVZ, UAM, USNM. G. c. tabida (Peters, 1925) {Humboldt River, Nevada}. Larger, especially in wing and bill. Includes the intermediate subspecies rowani Walkinshaw, 1965 {near Fawcett, Alberta}, following Pyle (2008) and Dickinson and Remsen (2013). Nests se Alaska in southern Alexander Archipelago (see Willett 1921a, Heinl and Piston 2009). Two specimens UAM. Grus grus [Iilfordi Sharpe, 1894 {e Siberia, wintering in the Yangtze basin}]. Common Crane. Accidental in the Interior. Two records (no specimen; photos UAM — published Auk 75A65, plate 22, 1958): one bird, 24 Apr-10 May 1958, 110 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS Fairbanks (Kessel and Kelly 1958); one bird with Sandhill Cranes, 15-20 Sep 1998, Delta Junction (Tobish 1999a). Order CHARADRIIFORMES— Family RECURVIROSTRIDAE: Stilts and Avocets Himantopus himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus, 1758) {s Europe}. Black-winged Stilt. Casual or accidental in sw Alaska in w Aleutians and Pribilofs. Three records (one specimen UAM ; published photos AB 39:241, 1985; NAB 57:431, 2003; Schwit- ters 2008:68): one bird, 24 May-3 Jun 1983, Nizki I. (Zeillemaker et al. 1985); ad. $, 16 May 2003, St. George I. (Gibson et al. 2013); two together, 1-9 Jun 2003, Shemya I. (Gibson and Byrd 2007). Recurvirostra americana J. F. Gmelin, 1789 {North America}. American Avocet. Casual or accidental in se and s-c Alaska (see Isleib and Kessel 1989, Gibson and Kessel 1992, Tobish 2001, 2004, 2012a). No specimen; photos UAM. —Family HAEMATOPODIDAE: OYSTERCATCHERS Haematopus ostralegus [osculans Swinhoe, 1871 |s Liaotung Peninsula, Man- churia}!. Eurasian Oystercatcher. Accidental in w Aleutians. One record (no specimen; published photos NAB 66: 570, 2013; WB 44:185, 2013): one bird, 26 May-13 Jun 2012, Buldir I. (Gibson et al. 2013). Haematopus bachmani Audubon, 1838 {Columbia River mouth}. Black Oyster- catcher. Series AMNH, MVZ, UAM, USNM. —Family CHARADRIIDAE: LAPWINGS AND PLOVERS Vanellus vanellus (Linnaeus, 1758) {Sweden}. Northern Lapwing. Accidental in w Aleutians One record (specimen UAM)-. ad. 12 Oct 2006, Shemya I. (Schwitters 2007). Pluvialis squatarola (Linnaeus, 1758) {Sweden}. Black-bellied Plover. We follow Hellmayr and Conover (1948b) in maintaining this species as monotypic (cf. Engel- moer and Roselaar [1998], whose average differences do not fit our operational definition of subspecies). Series DMNS, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM. See Paulson (1995) for overview. Pluvialis apricaria (Linnaeus, 1758) {Oland I., s Sweden}. European Golden-Plover. Accidental in se Alaska. One record (specimen UAM): second-year <$, 13-14 Jan 2001, Ketchikan (Piston and Heinl 2001). Pluvialis dominica (Statius Muller, 1776) {Hispaniola}. American Golden-Plover. Series AMNH, CAS, DMNS, SDNHM, UAM, USNM. See Johnson and Connors (2010a) for overview. Pluvialis fulva (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {Tahiti}. Pacific Golden-Plover. Series AMNH, CAS, DMNS, UAM, USNM. See Johnson and Connors (2010b) for overview. Charadrius mongolus stegmarmi Portenko, 1939 {Bering I., Commander Is.}. Lesser Sand-Plover. Migrant in sw Alaska, where probably has nested; casual in w Alaska, where has nested; casual or accidental in n and s-c Alaska (see Harting 1871, Nelson 1887, Swarth 1928, 1934, Friedmann 1934b, 1936, Bailey 1948, Kenyon and Phillips 1965, Thompson and DeLong 1969, Pitelka 1974, Byrd et al. 1978, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Winker et al. 2002, Lehman 2005, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Tobish 2007a, Schwitters 2008, 2015). Series UAM (and widely represented elsewhere — USNM, 6; CAS, 2; OUM, 2; DMNS, 1 ; SBCM, 1); photos UAM — published photos include AB 45:484, 1991; B 32:546, 2000; NAB 60:594, 2006; Schwitters 2008:65; 2015:68. Ill INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS Deleted from Inventory: Charadrius alexandrinus [nivosus (Cassin, 1858) {San Francisco, California}]. Snowy Plover. When Chesser et al. (2011) divided into two species the Old World Kentish Plover, C. alexandrinus Linnaeus, 1758 {Egypt}, and the New World Snowy Plover, C. nivosus, the supporting evidence for the sole Alaska report (photos UAM: one bird, 23-24 May 1991, Nome River mouth, Seward Penin- sula [Gibson and Kessel 1992]) was re-examined by the Alaska Checklist Committee, who voted that, although of a “Snowy Plover” the photos do not point conclusively to either species (Gibson et al. 2013). Charadrius hiaticula tundrae (Lowe, 1915) {Yenisei Valley}. Common Ringed Plover. Nests in w Alaska at St. Lawrence I.: casual in sw Alaska in w Aleutians (see Sealy et al. 1971, Byrd et al. 1978, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Winker et al. 2002, Lehman 2005, Gibson and Byrd 2007). Seven specimens (UAM, 5; USNM, 2); photos UAM — published photos include AB 45: 513, 1991; 46:464, 1992; WB 36:19, 2005. Charadrius semipalmatus Bonaparte, 1825 {New Jersey coast}. Semipalmated Plover. Series AMNH, MVZ, UAM, USNM, UWBM. Charadrius dubius curonicus J. F. Gmelin, 1789 {= Latvia}. Little Ringed Plover. Casual or accidental in w Aleutians. Three records (one specimen UAM; photos UAM): ad. S, 15-16 Jun 1974, Buldir I. (Byrd et al. 1978); one bird, 18-30 May 1986, Attu I. (Gibson and Byrd 2007); and one bird, 18-19 May 1988, Shemya I. (ibid.). Charadrius vociferus vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 {South Carolina}. Killdeer. Series UAM. For overview see Kessel and Gibson (1978) and Heinl and Piston (2009). Charadrius morinellus Linnaeus, 1758 {Sweden}. Eurasian Dotterel. Casual in w, n, and sw Alaska; has nested w Alaska (see Stone 1900, Bailey 1930, Friedmann 1932, Bailey et al. 1933, Bailey 1948, Cade 1952, Sauer and Urban 1964, Sealy etal. 1971, Andersson 1973, Pitelka 1974, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Hohenberger et al. 1994, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008). At least 16 specimens (UAM, 7; CHAS, 3; FMNH, 2; USNM, 2; ANSP, 1; SBCM, 1); photos UAM — published photos include Schwitters 2008:67. —Family SCOLOPACIDAE: SANDPIPERS, PHALAROPES, & ALLIES Xenus cinereus (Giildenstadt, 1775) {Caspian Sea, near Terek River mouth}. Terek Sandpiper. Casual in sw, w, and s-c Alaska (see Byrd et al. 1978, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Lehman 2005, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008). Nine specimens (UAM, 8; UWBM, 1); photos UAM — published photos include B 32(6):cover, 2000. Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus, 1758) {Sweden}. Common Sandpiper. Migrant in w Aleutians, where has bred; casual elsewhere in sw, and in w Alaska (see Thompson and DeLong 1969, Byrd et al. 1974, 1978, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Winker et al. 2002, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008). Series UAM; photos UAM — published photos include AB 45:513, 1991; NAB 56:344, 2002; 60:565, 2007. Actitis macularius (Linnaeus, 1766) {Pennsylvania}. Spotted Sandpiper. Series MVZ, UAM, USNM. Tringa ochropus Linnaeus, 1758 {Sweden}. Green Sandpiper. Casual in w Aleutians, Pribilofs, and at St. Lawrence I. (see Gibson and Kessel 1992, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Tobish 2009c, 2014a). No specimen; photos UAM — published NAB 67:502, 2014. Tringa solitaria solitaria Wilson, 1813 {Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania}. Solitary Sandpiper. Smaller; more distinctly spotted dorsally in adult nuptial plumage, white tail bars broader (Conover 1944). Se Yukon to Labrador. One record (specimen MCZ): §, 1 Jun 1914, Griffin Point, n Alaska (Brooks 1915). 112 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS T. s. cinnamomea (Brewster, 1890) {San Jose del Cabo, Baja California}. Larger; much less distinctly spotted dorsally with whitish; white tail bars narrower. The Alaska- breeding subspecies. Series MVZ, UAM, USNM. Tringa incana (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {Moorea, Society Is., Polynesia}. Wandering Tattler. Series CAS, MVZ, UAM, USNM. For overview see Kessel and Gibson (1978) and Gill et al. (2002a). NOTES: Formerly maintained in the genus Heteroscelus S. F. Baird, which analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences suggests is embedded within Tringa Linnaeus (Banks et al. 2006). Tringa brevipes (Vieillot, 1816) {Timor, Indonesia}. Gray-tailed Tattler. Migrant in sw and w Alaska; casual in s-c Alaska (see Hanna 1920a, b, Friedmann 1933, Byrd et al. 1978, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Lehman 2005, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008). Series UAM; photos UAM — published photos include B 32:547, 2000; 38(5): 30, 2006. NOTES: See comments under T. incana (above). Tringa erythropus (Pallas, 1764) {Holland}. Spotted Redshank. Casual in w and c Aleutians and in Pribilofs; accidental in s-c Alaska (see Sladen 1966, Byrd et al. 1974, Byrd et al. 1978, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Gibson and Byrd 2007). Six specimens (UAM, 4; USNM, 2); photos UAM — published Schwitters 2015:75. Tringa melanoleuca (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {Labrador}. Greater Yellowlegs. Series AMNH, UAM, USNM. See Elphick and Tibbitts (1998) for overview. Tringa nebularia (Gunnerus, 1767) {Norway}. Common Greenshank. Migrant (spring) in w Aleutians; casual in the Pribilofs and in w Alaska; accidental in s-c Alaska (see Sladen 1966, Byrd et al. 1978, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008, 2015). Series UAM; photos UAM — published Roberson 1980:141; AB 45:485, 1991; FN 49:292, 1995; 52:407, 1998; B 32:551, 2000; Schwitters 2008:72. Tringa semipalmata [inornata (Brewster, 1887) {Larimer Co., Colorado}]. Willet. Accidental in s-c Alaska. One record (no specimen; photos UAM — published NAB 66:717, 2013; WB 44:188, 2013): one bird, 22-30 Jun 2012, Kenai River mouth, Kenai Peninsula (Gibson et al. 2013). Tringa flavipes (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {New York}. Lesser Yellowlegs. Series MVZ, UAM, USNM. See Tibbitts and Moskoff (2014) for overview. Tringa stagnatilis (Bechstein, 1803) {Germany}. Marsh Sandpiper. Casual in w and c Aleutians and Pribilofs (see Byrd et al. 1978, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwit- ters 2015). Three specimens UAM\ photos UAM — published NAB 59:184, 2005; Schwitters 2015:77. Tringa glareola Linnaeus, 1758 {Sweden}. Wood Sandpiper. Migrant in Aleutians and on Bering Sea islands; has nested in w and c Aleutians (see Littlejohn 1904, Hanna 1916, Kenyon 1961, Kenyon and Phillips 1965, Sladen 1966, Williamson and Emison 1969, Byrd et al. 1974, Pitelka 1974, White et al. 1974, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Byrd and Day 1986, Lehman 2005, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008, 2015). Series UAM, USNM; photos UAM — published photos include AB 27(5): cover, 1973. Bartramia longicauda (Bechstein, 1812) {North America}. Upland Sandpiper. Series UAM. See Kessel and Gibson (1978) for overview. Numenius minutus Gould, 1841 {New South Wales, Australia}. Little Curlew. Accidental in w Alaska. Two records, both from Gambell, St. Lawrence I. (one speci- men UAM ; published photos AB 43:395, 1989): ad. $, 8 Jun 1989 (Gibson and Kessel 1992); one bird, 10 Jun 2013 (Tobish 2014b). Numenius borealis (Forster, 1772) {Albany River mouth, James Bay, Ontario}. Eskimo Curlew. Extinct. At least 15 extant Alaska specimens, collected 1841-1886 (Gibson and Kessel 1997). 113 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS Numenius phaeopus variegatus (Scopoli, 1786) {Luzon, Philippines}. Whimbrel. Feathers of back and rump white with dark centers. Migrant in sw and w Alaska — in Aleutians and on Bering Sea islands (see Bailey 1939, Gabrielson 1952, Sladen 1966, Gibson 1981, Winker et al. 2002, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008, 2015). Series UAM. N. p. hudsonicus Latham, 1790 {Hudson Bay}. Concolor gray-brown dorsally, head to tail. The North American subspecies and widespread breeder in Alaska. Series AMNH, MVZ, UAM, USNM. NOTES: Maintained as the North American race of N. phaeopus for many years (from AOU 1944), hudsonicus was tentatively discussed as a full species [“Hudsonian Curlew”] by Engelmoer and Roselaar (1998), who identified its two disjunct nesting populations as separate subspecies, the Alaska birds to be known as N. h. rufiuentris Vigors, 1829 {western shores of North America [Hellmayr and Conover 1948b]}. Numenius tahitiensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {Tahiti}. Bristle-thighed Curlew. Series CUMZ, FMNH, UAM, USNM. See Marks et al. (2003) for overview. Numenius americanus Bechstein, 1812 {New York}. Long-billed Curlew. Mono- typic (Hellmayr and Conover 1948b). Casual in se Alaska (see Tobish and Isleib 1992, Tobish 2008c). No specimen; photos UAM; Figure 5. Numenius madagascariensis (Linnaeus, 1766) {“Madagascar” = error for Philip- pines [Vaurie 1965]}. Far Eastern Curlew. Casual in w and c Aleutians and in the Pribilofs (see Sladen 1966, Thompson and DeLong 1969, Byrd et al. 1974, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008). Three specimens (UAM, 2- USNM, 1); photos UAM— published NAB 59:532, 2005; 60:422, 2006; Schwitters 2008:77. Limosa limosa melanuroides Gould, 1846 {PortEssington, Australia}. Black-tailed Godwit. Casual in the Aleutians, on Bering Sea islands, and on mainland of w and sw Alaska; accidental in n and s-c Alaska (see Jones and Gibson 1975, Byrd et al. 1978, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Hohenberger et al. 1994, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008, 2015). Eleven specimens (UAM, 9; FMNH, 1 ■ MCZ, 1); photos UAM— published B 20:293, 1988; 32:549, 2000; Watters 2003:119; NAB 65:562, 2011; Schwitters 2015:81. Limosa haemastica (Linnaeus, 1758) {Hudson Bay}. Hudsonian Godwit. Series MVZ, UAM. For overview see Gabrielson and Lincoln (1959) and Kessel and Gibson (1978). Limosa lapponica baueri Naumann, 1836 {Australia}. Bar-tailed Godwit. Series AMNH, CAS, DMNS, MVZ, UAM, USNM. See McCaffery and Gill (2001) for overview. Limosa fedoa beringiae Gibson and Kessel, 1989 {Ugashik Bay, Alaska Peninsula}. Marbled Godwit. Nests in sw Alaska on the Alaska Peninsula; migrant (spring) in se and s-c Alaska (see Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson and Kessel 1989, Isleib and Kessel 1989, North et al. 1996, Mehall-Niswander 1997, Heinl and Piston 2009). Series UAM (n = 27). Arenaria interpres interpres (Linnaeus, 1758) {Sweden}. Ruddy Turnstone. Darker dorsally, with more black. Includes oahuensis (Bloxham, 1826) {Oahu, Hawaii], fol- lowing Engelmoer and Roselaar (1998). Nests Chukchi and Bering seacoasts. Series AMNH, CAS, DMNS, MVZ, UAM, USNM. A. i. morinella (Linnaeus, 1766) {coast of Georgia}. Paler dorsally. Nests from Alaska coast of Beaufort Sea east (AOU 1957, Vaurie 1965). Series AMNH, SDNHM, USNM. Arenaria melanocephala (Vigors, 1829) {nw coast of North America}. Black Turnstone. Series AMNH, CAS, MVZ, UAM, USNM. See Handel and Gill (2001) for overview. 114 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS Calidris tenuirostris (Horsfield, 1821) {Java}. Great Knot. Casual in sw and w Alaska (see Bailey 1924, 1925b, Byrd et al. 1974, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Lehman 2005, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2015). Three specimens (UAM, 2; DMNS, 1); photos UAM— published AB 41:380, 1987; 45:512, 1991; NAB 57:431, 2003; 65:562, 2011; Schwitters 2015:164. Calidris canutus roselaari Tomkovich, 1990 {Wrangel I., Chukchi Sea}. Red Knot. Series MVZ, UAM, USNM. See Kessel and Gibson (1978) for overview. Calidris uirgata (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {Prince William Sound}. Surfbird. Series MVZ, UAM, USNM. For overview see Kessel and Gibson (1978) and Senner and McCaffery (1997). NOTES: Long maintained in the monotypic genus Aphriza Audubon (from AOU 1886), which analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences imply is nested within Calidris Merrem (Chesser et al. 2013). Calidris pugnax (Linnaeus, 1758) {Sweden}. Ruff. Migrant in sw and w Alaska; casual in n, s-c, and se Alaska; has nested n Alaska (see Evermann 1913, Friedmann 1934a, Murie 1936, Sealy et al. 1971, Gibson 1977, Byrd et al. 1978, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Hohenberger et al. 1994, Lehman 2005, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008, 2015, Heinl and Piston 2009). Series UAM; photos UAM — published photos include Schwitters 2008:94-95. NOTES: Long maintained in the monotypic genus Philomachus Merrem (from AOU 1923), which analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences imply is nested within Calidris Merrem (Chesser et al. 2013). Calidris falcinellus sibirica (Dresser, 1876) {Siberia and China}. Broad-billed Sandpiper. Casual (in fall) in w and c Aleutians and accidental in the Pribilofs (see Day et al. 1979, Gibson 1981, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008, Tobish 2010b). Four specimens UAM ; photos UAM — published AB 33:205, 1979; Roberson 1980: plate 11; Schwitters 2008:93; NAB 64:133, 2010. NOTES: Formerly maintained in the monotypic genus Limicola Koch, which analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences imply is nested within Calidris Merrem (Chesser et al. 2013). Calidris acuminata (Horsfield, 1821) {Java}. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. Series UAM, USNM. See Kessel and Gibson (1978) for overview. Calidris himantopus (Bonaparte, 1826) {Long Branch, New Jersey}. Stilt Sand- piper. Series UAM, USNM. See Kessel and Gibson (1978) for overview. Calidris ferruginea (Pontoppidan, 1763) {Denmark}. Curlew Sandpiper. Casual in n, w, sw, and s-c Alaska; has nested n Alaska (see Holmes and Pitelka 1964, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Hohenberger et al. 1994, Gibson and Kessel 2006, Gibson and Byrd 2007). At least five specimens {MVZ, 3; UAM, 2). Calidris temminckii (Leisler, 1812) {Germany}. Temminck’s Stint. Casual in sw and w Alaska; accidental in n Alaska (see Thompson and DeLong 1969, Byrd et al. 1978, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Lehman 2005, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008). Eleven specimens {UAM, 9; KU, 1; USNM, 1 ); photos UAM— published AB 45:513, 1991; NAB 59:184, 2005; 61:123, 2007; Schwit- ters 2008:84-85. Calidris subminuta (Horsfield, 1853) {Stanovoi Mountains, Russian Far East}. Long-toed Stint. Migrant in w Aleutians; casual on Bering Sea islands (see Townsend 1887, Byrd et al. 1978, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Lehman 2005, Gib- son and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008, 2015). Series UAM; photos UAM — published Roberson 1980:166; B 32:550, 2000; Watters 2003:118; Schwitters 2008:85-86. Calidris pygmea (Linnaeus, 1758) {“in Surinami” = error for east Asia [AOU 1998]}. Spoon-billed Sandpiper. Casual in sw, w, and n Alaska (see Dixon 1918, Day et al. 1979, Gibson and Byrd 2007). Three specimens {LACM, 1 ■ UAM, 1 ■ UCLA, 1); published photos AB 40:513, 1986; B 18(3): cover, 1986; 32:547, 2000; Watters 115 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS 2003:100. NOTES: Long maintained in the monotypic genus Eurynorhynchus Nils- son (from AOU 1886), which analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences imply is nested within Calidris Merrem (Chesser et al. 2013). Calidris ruficollis (Pallas, 1776) {Kulussutai, Transbaikalia}. Red-necked Stint. Migrant in sw and w Alaska; nests in w Alaska; casual or intermittent in n Alaska, where has bred; casual or accidental in s-c and se Alaska (see Thayer 1909, Bailey 1924, 1926, Swarth 1927a, b, Ford 1934, Hanna 1940, Bailey 1948, Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959, Springer 1966, Wik and Streveler 1968, Byrd et al. 1974, 1978, Pitelka 1974, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Kessel 1989, Hohenberger et al. 1994, Winker et al. 2002, Lehman 2005, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008, 2015, DeCicco et al. 2013). Series UAM; published photos B 20:296, 1988; 38(5):30, 2006; FN 51:936, 1997; Watters 2003:100; WB 36:32, 2005; 44(4): cover and 276, 2013; NAB 60:597, 2007; 61:178, 2007; 66:747, 2013. Calidris alba (Pallas, 1764) {North Sea coast}. Sanderling. Series MVZ, UAM, USNM. See Kessel and Gibson (1978) for overview. NOTES: Engelmoer and Roselaar (1998) recognized a North American subspecies, rubida (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {Hudson Strait, Canada}, breeding in Canada, Alaska, and possibly parts of Russia. Calidris alpina pacifica (Coues, 1861) {Simiahmoo, Washington}. Dunlin. Larger; dorsum brighter; culmen longer. Nests w Alaska. Series ANSP, CAS, UAM, MVZ, USNM. C. a. arcticola (Todd, 1953) {Point Barrow}. Smaller; dorsum darker; culmen shorter. Nests n Alaska (Browning 1977, 1991). Series DMNS, UAM, USNM. NOTES: Some Dunlin specimens from the w Aleutians and Bering Sea islands might well be representatives of e Asia nesting populations (Sauer and Urban 1964, Gibson 1981, Browning 1991, Gibson and Byrd 2007), but we are skeptical of the diagnosability (sensu Patten and Unitt 2002) of individuals of subspecies sakhalina (Vieillot, 1816) {headwaters of Kanchalan River (75 km west of Egvekinot), Chukotka}, kistchinski Tomkovich, 1986 {Maroshechnaya River, Kamchatka}, arcticola, and pacifica. See Browning (1977, 1991) and Engelmoer and Roselaar (1998) for recognition of these taxa. Calidris ptilocnemis ptilocnemis (Coues, 1873) {St. George I., Pribilofs}. Rock Sandpiper. Largest; pale (gray) throughout, with more prominent wing stripe. Nests in the Pribilofs and at St. Matthew and Hall islands. Series AMNH, CAS, UAM, USNM. See Gill et al. (2002b) and Ruthrauff (2014) for overview. C. p. couesi (Ridgway, 1880) {Attu I., w Aleutians}. Smaller; darker gray, with nar- rower reddish or orangish edging on dorsum. Resident in Aleutian Is. Series AMNH, CAS, MVZ, UAM, USNM. C. p. quarta (Hartert, 1920) {Bering I., Commander Is.}. Small; darker gray as in couesi, but edgings on dorsum broader and paler orange. Casual in w Aleutians (see Gibson and Byrd 2007). Two specimens [DMNS, 1; USNM, 1). C. p. tschuktschorum (Portenko, 1937) {Uelen, Chukotski Peninsula}. Small; darkest; blacker dorsally, with reddish edging. Nests on Bering Sea coasts of ne Asia and mainland Alaska, and at St. Lawrence and Nunivak islands. Series CAS, DMNS, LACM, MVZ, UAM, USNM. Calidris maritima (Briinnich, 1764) {Denmark and Norway}. Purple Sandpiper. Accidental in n Alaska. One record (specimen UAM): first-year $, 29 Sep 1990, Point Barrow (Gibson and Kessel 1992). Calidris bairdii (Coues, 1861) {Fort Resolution, Northwest Territories}. Baird’s Sandpiper. Series AMNH, ANSP, DMNS, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM. Calidris minuta (Leisler, 1812) {Germany}. Little Stint. Casual in n, w, and sw Alaska (see Myers and Greenberg 1978, Byrd and Day 1986, Gibson and Kessel 116 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS Figure 2. Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) intergrades, 16 October 2014, Unalaska Island, e Aleutians. Photo by S. Golodoff Figure 3. Anas crecca crecca (left); two intergrades (middle two); A. c. carolinensis (right). Note the intermediacy of the breast bar and the extent of white scapular streak in the middle birds, as well as the coarseness of flank vermiculation and amount of white in facial outline. 117 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS 1992, Hohenberger et al. 1994, Winker et al. 2002, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwit- ters 2008). Seven specimens ( UAM , 6; USNM, !)■ photos UAM — published Roberson 1980: plate 11; WB 17(2): cover, 1986; AB 42: 1224, 1988; B 20:296, 1988; NAB 56:91, 2002; 62:188, 2008; 63:184, 2009; Watters 2003:118. Calidris minutilla (Vieillot, 1819) {Halifax, Nova Scotia}. Least Sandpiper. Series CAS, MVZ, UAM, USNM, UWBM. Calidris fuscicollis (Vieillot, 1819) {Paraguay}. White-rumped Sandpiper. Series MVZ. For overview see Kessel and Gibson (1978) and Johnson and Herter (1989). Calidris subruficollis (Vieillot, 1819) {Paraguay}. Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Series DMNS, MVZ, UAM, USNM. See Kessel and Gibson (1978) for overview. NOTES: Long maintained in the monotypic genus Tryngites Cabanis (from AOU 1886), which analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences imply is nested within Calidris Merrem (Chesser et al. 2013). Calidris melanotos (Vieillot, 1819) {Paraguay}. Pectoral Sandpiper. Series AMNH, CAS, DMNS, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. Calidris pusilla (Linnaeus, 1766) {Hispaniola}. Semipalmated Sandpiper. Series AMNH, DMNS, MVZ, UAM, USNM, UWBM. Calidris mauri (Cabanis, 1857) {South Carolina}. Western Sandpiper. Series AMNH, CAS, DMNS, MVZ, UAM, USNM, UWBM. See Franks et al. (2014) for overview. Limnodromus griseus caurinus Pitelka, 1950 {Yakutat}. Short-billed Dowitcher. Series MVZ, UAM, USNM. Limnodromus scolopaceus (Say, 1822) {Council Bluffs, Iowa}. Long-billed Dow- itcher. Series AMNH, CAS, DMNS, MVZ, UAM, USNM, UWBM. See Takekawa and Warnock (2000) for overview. Lymnocryptes minimus (Briinnich, 1764) {Denmark}. Jack Snipe. Casual in sw and w Alaska; accidental in s-c Alaska (see Hanna 1920b, Gibson and Kessel 1997, Tobish 2013b). One specimen CAS; photos UAM — published NAB 63:184, 2009; 65:141, 2011. Gallinago delicata (Ord, 1825) {Pennsylvania}. Wilson’s Snipe. Nests widely in Alaska. Series MVZ, UAM, USNM. NOTES: Formerly maintained (from AOU 1945) as a subspecies of G. gallinago, but now recognized as a distinct species because of “differences in winnowing display sounds associated with differences in the outer tail feathers . . . that are comparable to differences between other closely related species in the genus” (Banks et al. 2002:899). Gallinago gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus, 1758) {Sweden}. Common Snipe. Migrant in w Aleutians; casual in c Aleutians and on Bering Sea islands (see Kenyon and Phillips 1965, Byrd et al. 1978, Gibson 1981, Gibson and Kessel 1997, Gibson et al. 2003, Lehman 2005, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008, 2015). Series UAM, USNM. Gallinago stenura (Bonaparte, 1830) {Sunda Archipelago}. Pin-tailed Snipe. Casual or accidental in w Aleutians. Three records, all from Attu I. (three specimens UAM): 25 May 1991; <$, 19 May 1998 (Gibson and Kessel 1992, Gibson and Byrd 2007); 17 May 2010 (Withrow and Sonneborn 2011). NOTES: Sight reports have not satisfactorily eliminated Latham’s Snipe, Gallinago hardwickii (J. E. Gray, 1831) {= Tasmania} or Swinhoe’s Snipe, Gallinago megala Swinhoe, 1861 {Hopeh, China}. Gallinago solitaria [japonica (Bonaparte, 1856) {Japan}]. Solitary Snipe. Acciden- tal in sw Alaska. Two records (one specimen UAM- photos UAM — published NAB 64:480, 2010): one bird, 10 Sep 2008, St. Paul I., Pribilofs (Bieber and Schuette 2009); ad. $, 24 May 2010, Attu I., Aleutians (Withrow and Sonneborn 2011). 118 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS Subspecies japonica is not well differentiated (Vaurie 1965), and the Alaska specimen has not been compared with series. Phalaropus tricolor (Vieillot, 1819) {Paraguay}. Wilson’s Phalarope. Casual or intermittent in interior, s-c, sw, and se Alaska; accidental in n Alaska; has nested recently in the Interior (see Kessel and Springer 1966, Pitelka 1974, Kessel and Gibson 1978, 1994, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Erwin et al. 2004). Four specimens (UAM, 3; MVZ, 1); photos UAM— published AB 35:853, 1981; NAB 66:540, 2013. Phalaropus lobatus (Linnaeus, 1758) {Hudson Bay}. Red-necked Phalarope. Series AMNH, CAS, DMNS, MVZ, UAM, USNM, UWBM. Phalaropus fulicarius (Linnaeus, 1758) {Hudson Bay}. Red Phalarope. Series AMNH, ANSP, CAS, DMNS, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. —Family GLAREOLIDAE: PRATINCOLES Glareola maldiuarum Forster, 1795 {open sea, in the latitude of the Maidive Is.}. Oriental Pratincole. Accidental in w Aleutians and at St. Lawrence I. Two records (one specimen UAM ; photos UAM — published AB 39: 339, 1985; published illustration AB 40:512, 1986): S, 20 May 1985, Attu I. (Gibson and Kessel 1992); one bird, 5 Jun 1986, Gambell (ibid.). —Family STERCORARIIDAE: JAEGERS NOTES: Briefly maintained as a subfamily of the Laridae; returned to family status because analyses of DNA sequence data imply the family to be sister to the Alcidae and not part of the Laridae (Banks et al. 2006). Stercorarius maccormicki Saunders, 1893 {Possession I., Victoria Land}. South Polar Skua. Casual in se, s-c, sw, w, and n Alaska (see Watson and Divoky 1972, Isleib and Kessel 1973, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson and Byrd 2007). One specimen UAM; photos UAM — published NAB 63:639, 2010. NOTES: Formerly maintained in the genus Catharacta Briinnich; on the basis of studies of molecular genetics and reconsideration of other data, Catharacta was merged in Stercorarius Brisson (AOU 2000). Stercorarius pomarinus (Temminck, 1815) {arctic Europe}. Pomarine Jaeger. Series AMNH, ANSP, CAS, DMNS, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. Stercorarius parasiticus (Linnaeus, 1758) {Scandinavian coast}. Parasitic Jaeger. Series AMNH, DMNS, MVZ, UAM, USNM, UWBM. Stercorarius longicaudus pallescens Loppenthin, 1932 {ne Greenland}. Long- tailed Jaeger. The paler, nearctic subspecies (Manning 1964, Cramp and Simmons 1983, Webster 1988). Series AMNH, CAS, DMNS, LACM, MVZ, UAM, USNM, UWBM. —Family ALCIDAE: AUKS, MURRES, & PUFFINS Alle alle alle (Linnaeus, 1758) {Greenland}. Dovekie. Nests in w Alaska at Little Diomede and St. Lawrence islands, probably at St. Matthew I.; casual in the Pribilofs and off the Aleutians (see Bailey 1948, Hanna 1961, Bedard 1966, Breckenridge 1966, Holmes 1968, Sealy et al. 1971, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Day et al. 1988, Winker et al. 2002, Lehman 2005, Gibson and Byrd 2007). Eleven specimens (UAM, 5; UBC, 2; CHAS, 1; MMNH, 1; SBCM, 1; USNM, 1). Uria aalge inornata Salomonsen, 1932 {St. Matthew I.}. Common Murre. Series AMNH, DMNS, LACM, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. Uria lomvia arra (Pallas, 1811) {Kamchatka}. Thick-billed Murre. Series AMNH, DMNS, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. 119 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS Figure 4. Magnificent Frigatebird ( Fregata magnificens), 15 August 1985, Belkofski Bay, Alaska Peninsula. Photos by J. E. Lowe Cepphus grylle mandtii (Lichtenstein, 1822) {Spitzbergen}. Black Guillemot. Includes subspecies tajani Portenko, 1944 {Wrangel I.}, following Vaurie (1965). Series AMNH, ANSP, DMNS, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM. For overview see Divoky et al. (1974), Kessel and Gibson (1978, 1994), Johnson and Herter (1989), and Hohenberger et al. (1994). Cepphus columba columba Pallas, 1811 {Kamchatka and Bering Strait}. Pigeon Guillemot. Larger. Includes subspecies adiantus Storer, 1950 {Nanaimo, British Columbia}, following Gibson and Byrd (2007). Most of the Alaska range of the species. Series AMNH, CAS, DMNS, LACM, MVZ, UAM, USNM, UWBM. NOTES: See David and Gosselin (2002) for gender of subspecies adiantus (cf. Storer 1950). C. c. kaiurka Portenko, 1937 {Copper I., Commander Is. (. Smaller. Commander Is., and w Aleutians east at least to Kiska. Series UAM, USNM. Brachyramphus perdix (Pallas, 1811) {Tauisk Bay, Sea of Okhotsk}. Long-billed Murrelet. Casual or accidental in sw and s-c Alaska, possibly se Alaska (see Sealy et al. 1991, Gibson and Kessel 1992, Konyukhov and Kitaysky 1995, Mlodinow 1997, Gibson et al. 2003, Tobish 2012a). Three specimens (FMNH, 1; UAM, 1- ZISP, 1); photos UAM — published NAB 60:421, 2006; 65:709, 2012. NOTES: Formerly maintained as a subspecies of B. marmoratus. Elevated to species status by AOU (1997) on the basis of genetic data. Brachyramphus marmoratus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {Bering Sea}. Marbled Murrelet. Includes B. wrangelii Brandt, 1837 {Aleutian Is.}, according to Hellmayr and Conover (1948b). Series AMNH, DMNS, LACM, MVZ, UAM, USNM, UWBM. See Kessel and Gibson (1978) for overview. Brachyramphus brevirostris (Vigors, 1829) {“San Bias [Mexico]” = error for North Pacific [AOU 1998]}. Kittlitz’s Murrelet. Series AMNH, DMNS, LACM, MVZ, UAM, USNM, UWBM. See Day et al. (1999) for overview. Synthliboramphus antiquus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {Bering Sea}. Ancient Murrelet. Includes Uria senicula Pallas, 1811 {“Kurile and Aleutian Islands, Kamchatka, and Penshina Bay”}, Brachyramphus brachypterus Brandt, 1837 {Unalaska I., e Aleu- tians}, and Uria cana Kittlitz, 1858 {Amaknak I., e Aleutians}, according to Hellmayr and Conover (1948b: 359). Series AMNH, LACM, MVZ, UAM, USNM, UWBM. See Gaston and Shoji (2010) for overview. Ptychoramphus aleuticus aleuticus (Pallas, 1811) {North Pacific Ocean}. Cassin’s Auklet. Series AMNH, UAM, UWBM. See Ainley et al. (2011) for overview. Aethia psittacula (Pallas, 1769) {Kamchatka}. Parakeet Auklet. Series AMNH, DMNS, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. See Jones et al. (2001) for overview. 120 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS Figure 5. Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus), 6 May 2014, Juneau. Photo by R. H. Armstrong NOTES: Formerly maintained in the genus Cyclorrhynchus Kaup, which the AOU (1997) merged in Aethia Merrem on the basis of molecular work (Friesen et al. 1996). Aethia pusilla (Pallas, 1811) {Kamchatka}. Least Auklet. Series AMNH, DMNS, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. See Bond et al. (2013) for overview. Aethia pygmaea pygmaea (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {Unalaska I., e Aleutians [Gibson and Banks 2010]}. Whiskered Auklet. We follow Feinstein (1959) in recognizing nominate pygmaea (smaller and blacker, wing of 16 ad. SS 99.4-108.1 [mean 103]) in the Aleutians and camtschatica (Lepechin, 1801) {Kamchatka} (larger and browner; wing of nine ad. SS 109.2-115.4 [mean 111.9]) in the Kuril Is.; he characterized the birds of the Commander Is. as intergrades between the two. Series AMNH, UAM, UMMZ, USNM. For overview see Kessel and Gibson (1978), Byrd and Williams (1993a), and Gibson and Byrd (2007). Aethia cristatella (Pallas, 1769) {= Kamchatka}. Crested Auklet. Series AMNH, CAS, DMNS, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. See Jones (1993) for overview. Cerorhinca monocerata (Pallas, 1811) [Cape St. Elias, Alaska}. Rhinoceros Auklet. Series AMNH, LACM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. See Gaston and Dechesne (1996) for overview. Fratercula corniculata (Naumann, 1821) {Kamchatka}. Horned Puffin. Series AMNH, CAS, DMNS, KU, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. See Piatt and Kitaysky (2002) for overview. Fratercula cirrhata (Pallas, 1769) {Bering Sea}. Tufted Puffin. Includes Sagmator- rhina lathami Bonaparte, 1853 {“western Arctic regions of America”}, according 121 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS to Hellmayr and Conover (1948b:368). Series AMNH, CAS, DMNS, KU, LACM, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. See Piatt and Kitaysky (2003) for overview. — Family LARIDAE: GULLS AND TERNS Rissa tridactyla pollicaris Ridgway, 1884 {Kotzebue Sound}. Black-legged Kit- tiwake. Series AMNH, ANSP, CAS, DMNS, LACM, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. For overview see Gabrielson and Lincoln (1959) and Kessel and Gibson (1978). Rissa brevirostris (Bruch, 1853) {Northwestern America}. Red-legged Kittiwake. Series AMNH, SDNHM, UAM, USNM. For overview see Kessel and Gibson (1978), Byrd and Williams (1993b), and Gibson and Byrd (2007). Pagophila eburnea (Phipps, 1774) {Spitzbergen}. Ivory Gull. Series AMNH, DMNS, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM. For overview see Kessel and Gibson (1978) and Hohenberger et al. (1994). Xema sabini (Sabine, 1819) {w coast of Greenland}. Sabine’s Gull. Monotypic: includes subspecies woznesenskii Portenko 1939 {Hooper Bay, Alaska}. Series AMNH, ANSP, CAS, DMNS, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM. See Day et al. (2001) for overview. Chroicocephalus Philadelphia (Ord, 1815) {near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}. Bonaparte's Gull. Series MVZ, UAM, USNM. NOTES: Separated from the genus Larus Linnaeus on the basis of analyses of genetic data (Banks et al. 2008). Chroicocephalus ridibundus (Linnaeus, 1766) {England}. Black-headed Gull. Migrant in w and c Aleutians and Pribilofs; intermittent farther north in Bering Sea. Accidental in the Interior (see Murie 1945, Kenyon and Phillips 1965, Williamson and Emison 1969, Bartonek and Gibson 1972, Byrd et al. 1974, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Byrd and Day 1986, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Winker et al. 2002, Lehman 2005, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008, 2015). Series UAM; photos UAM — published Schwitters 2008:99; 2015:104-105. NOTES: See comments under C. Philadelphia (above). Hydrocoloeus minutus (Pallas, 1776) {Berezovo, Tobolsk, Siberia}. Little Gull. Casual in se Alaska; accidental in s-c Alaska (see Heinl 1997, Gibson et al. 2003, Heinl and Piston 2009, Tobish 2010c). No specimen; UAM photos — published NAB 55:340, 2001; 64:481, 2010; Figure 6). NOTES: Separated from the genus Larus on the basis of analyses of genetic data (Banks et al. 2008). Rhodostethia rosea (MacGillivray, 1824) {Melville Peninsula, Nunavut}. Ross’s Gull. Series AMNH, DMNS, LACM, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM. See Kessel and Gibson (1978) for overview. Leucophaeus atricilla (Linnaeus, 1758) {Bahamas}. Laughing Gull. Casual in se and s-c Alaska (see Gibson et al. 2013). No specimen; photos UAM — published NAB 64:309, 2010. NOTES: Separated from the genus Larus on the basis of analyses of genetic data (Banks et al. 2008). Leucophaeus pipixcan (Wagler, 1831) {Mexico}. Franklin’s Gull. Intermittent in southern se Alaska; casual in s-c and sw Alaska (see Kessel and Gibson 1978, Heinl 1997, Heinl and Piston 2009). Three specimens UAM; photos UAM — published AB 47:1140, 1993; WB 28:21, 1997. NOTES: See comments under Leucophaeus atricilla (above). Larus crassirostris Vieillot, 1818 {Nagasaki, Japan}. Black-tailed Gull. Casual in sw, w, s-c, and se Alaska (see Gibson and Kessel 1992, Heinl 1997, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Gibson et al. 2008, Schwitters 2008, 2015, Heinl and Piston 2009). One specimen UAM; photos UAM — published AB 47:166, 1993; FN 50:97, 1996; 122 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS WB 28:22, 1997; NAB 57:102, 2003; 58:126, 2004; 66:330, 2012; Schwitters 2015:105-106. Larus heermanni Cassin, 1852 {San Diego, California}. Heermann’s Gull. Casual in se Alaska; accidental in s-c Alaska (see Gibson and Kessel 1992, Heinl 1997, Tobish 2008b, Heinl and Piston 2009). One specimen UAM; photos UAM — published NAB 62:130, 2008; 64:633, 2011; 65:140, 2011. Larus canus brachyrhynchus Richardson, 1831 {Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories}. Mew Gull. Smaller, with small bill and paler mantle: the Short-billed Gull. Nests throughout the Alaska taiga. Series AMNH, DMNS, MVZ, UAM, USNM, UWBM. See Moskoff and Bevier (2001) for overview. L. c. kamtschatschensis Bonaparte, 1857 {Kamchatka}. Larger, with larger bill and darker mantle (Figure 7). E Asia. Migrant in w Aleutians; casual in w Alaska (see Byrd et al. 1978, Gibson and Kessel 1992, Gibson and Byrd 2007). Eight specimens UAM. Larus delawarensis Ord, 1815 {Delaware River, below Philadelphia}. Ring-billed Gull. Migrant in se Alaska; casual in s-c and in interior Alaska (see Gibson 1972, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Heinl 1997, Heinl and Piston 2009). Four specimens UAM ; photos UAM. Larus occidentalis occidentalis Audubon, 1839 {Cape Disappointment, Wash- ington). Western Gull. Casual in se Alaska; accidental in sw Alaska (see Kessel and Gibson 1978, Heinl 1997, Heinl and Piston 2009). Three specimens UAM; photos UAM— published NAB 58:127, 2004; 62:463, 2008; 63:485, 2009. Larus californicus californicus Lawrence, 1854 {near Stockton, California}. California Gull. Smaller (bill, wing, tarsus); adult darker-mantled. Migrant in southern se Alaska (see Willett 1923, Bailey 1927, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Heinl 1997, Heinl and Piston 2009). Series UAM. NOTES: This species (subspecies unknown) occurs intermittently as far north and west as s-c Alaska. L. c. albertaensis Jehl, 1987 {Frog Lake, Alberta}. Larger, with paler mantle. Migrant in southern se Alaska (see Kessel and Gibson 1978, Heinl 1997, Heinl and Piston 2009). At least four specimens UAM. Larus argentatus smithsonianus Coues, 1862 {Eastern and western coasts of North America [AOU 1957]}. Herring Gull. Paler mantle, with dull black wingtips. The North American subspecies. Series UAM, USNM. For overview see Heinl (1997) and Heinl and Piston (2009). L. a. uegae Palmen, 1887 {Pidlin, near Pitlekai, Chukotski Peninsula}. Slightly darker-mantled than smithsonianus, with glossy black wingtips. Nests at St. Lawrence I.; migrant in w and sw Alaska (see Fay and Cade 1959, Lehman 2005, Gibson and Byrd 2007). At least 22 specimens (UAM, 9- MVZ, 5; USNM, 5; FMNH, 3). Larus glaucoides glaucoides Meyer, 1822 {Iceland}. Iceland Gull. “Adult has pale gray upperparts (Kodak 3-4) with white wingtips” (Howell and Dunn 2007:468). Casual in n, s-c, and se Alaska (see Bailey et al. 1933). Two specimens FMNH; photos UAM— published NAB 62:289, 2008; 63:530, 2009; 64:309, 2010. L. g. kumlieni Brewster, 1883 {Cumberland Sound, Baffin I., Nunavut}. Adult averages “darker upperparts (Kodak 4-5) and heavier dusky head and neck markings in winter; most have gray sub terminal marks on the outer primaries, and many have dusky eyes” (Howell and Dunn 2007:468). Casual in n and se Alaska (see Bailey et al. 1933, Heinl and Piston 2009, Tobish 2013c). Three specimens FMNH; photos UAM— published NAB 61:312, 2007; WB 40:94, 2009. L. g. thayeri W. S. Brooks, 1915 {Buchanan Bay, Ellesmere I., Nunavut}. “Adult has pale gray upperparts (Kodak 5-6) with slaty blackish wingtips (typically with white mirrors or mirror-tongues on P9-P10, distinct white tongue-tips on P6-P8) and, in basic plumage, extensive dusky mottling and streaking on head and neck” (Howell 123 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS Figure 6. Little Gull (. Hydrocoloeus minutus), 23 April 2010, Ketchikan. Photo by L. H. DeCicco Figure 7. Mew Gulls, Larus canus kamtschatschensis (left) and L. c. brachyrhynchus (right). The more massive bill of the Asian subspecies kamtschatschensis is apparent in close comparison, but certain field identification is difficult. 124 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS and Dunn 2007:471). We continue to follow Vaurie (1965), Godfrey (1986), Snell (1989), and Sibley and Monroe (1990) in maintaining thayeri as a subspecies of L. glaucoides instead of as a subspecies of L. argentatus (e.g., AOU 1957, Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959) or as a separate species (e.g., AOU 1983, 1998, Cramp and Sim- mons 1983). The three taxa included here as subspecies of L. glaucoides constitute a continuum of phenotypes (see Weber 1981, Godfrey 1986, Snell 1989). Migrant in n, s-c, and se Alaska, in winter in s-c and se Alaska (see Isleib and Kessel 1973, Johnson and Herter 1989, Hohenberger et al. 1994, Heinl 1997, Heinl and Piston 2009). Series FMNH, UAM. Larus fuscus graellsii A. E. Brehm, 1857 {Spain}. Lesser Black-backed Gull. Slightly smaller. “Larger than nominate fuscus [Linnaeus, 1758 {Sweden}] with relatively short wing, short and heavy bill, pale mantle, and most extensively streaked head in winter” (Cramp and Simmons 1983:814). Iceland, Faeroes, w Europe. Casual in se and s-c Alaska (see Gibson and Kessel 1992, Tobish 2013b). One specimen UAM; photos UAM — published AB 45:141, 1991. NOTES: This species (subspecies unknown) is casual or accidental in n Alaska (see Tobish 2014b). L. /. heuglini Bree, 1876 {= Somalia}. Slightly larger. “Wing long and narrow, intermediate between graellsii and nominate fuscus. . . . Mantle color matches graellsii over most of range, showing weak dine from darkest in the west... to lightest in the east” (Cramp and Simmons 1983:814-815). N Russian Northwest and n Siberian Federal District. Includes taimyrensis Buturlin, 1911 {Glubokaya River, e shore of Yenisei Gulf}, following Burger and Gochfeld (1996). One record (specimen UAM)-. ad. $, 15 Sep 2005, Shemya I., Aleutians (Gibson and Byrd 2007). Larus schistisagus Stejneger, 1884 {Bering I., Commander Is.}. Slaty-backed Gull. Series UAM. For overview see Kessel and Gibson (1978), Heinl (1997), Gibson and Byrd (2007), and Heinl and Piston (2009). Larus glaucescens Naumann, 1840 {North America}. Glaucous-winged Gull. Series AMNH, ANSP, CAS, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. Larus hyperboreus barrovianus Ridgway, 1886 {Point Barrow}. Glaucous Gull. Banks (1986a) recognized two subspecies in Alaska. Small and small-billed, with darker mantle, barrovianus is the Alaska-nesting subspecies (except Bering Sea islands). Series ANSP, DMNS, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. NOTES: “Nelson’s Gull” [L. nelsoni Henshaw, 1884 {St. Michael, Alaska}) is a hybrid between L. hyperboreus and L. argentatus (see Dwight 1925, Jehl 1987, and Spear 1987). L. h. pallidissimus Portenko, 1939 {Naukan and Uelen, Chukotski Peninsula}. Larger and paler. Nests arctic Russia east to Chukotski Peninsula (Vaurie 1965, Portenko 1973), and in w Alaska at St. Lawrence I. (Lehman 2005) and St. Matthew I. (Winker et al. 2002). At least nine specimens [USNM, 8; CMN, 1). Larus marinus Linnaeus, 1758 {Sweden}. Great Black-backed Gull. Accidental in s-c and in n Alaska. Three records (no specimen; photos UAM — published FN 49: 182, 1995): imm., 12 Feb-15 Apr 1995, Kodiak I. (Gibson and Kessel 1997); ad., 8-10 Oct 2 0 1 0 , Barrow (Day et al . 2 0 1 3) ; subad . , 5 Jul 2 0 1 3 , Prudhoe Bay (Tobish 201 4b) . Onychoprion fuscatus [nubilosus (Sparrman, 1788) {“Finland, error = ‘India Orientalis”’ [Peters 1934:339]}. Sooty Tern. Accidental in w Aleutians. One record (specimen UAM): remains of an ad., Sep 1997, Attu I. (Dickerman et al. 1998). NOTES: Separated from the genus Sterna Linnaeus on the basis of genetic data that correspond to plumage patterns (Banks et al. 2006). Onychoprion aleuticus (S. F. Baird, 1869) {Kodiak I.}. Aleutian Tern. Series AMNH, CM, MCZ, MVZ, SBMNH, UAM, UMMZ, USNM. For overview see Kessel and Gibson (1978), Winker et al. (2002), Gibson and Byrd (2007), and North (2013). NOTES: See comments under O. fuscatus (above). Hydroprogne caspia (Pallas, 1770) {Caspian Sea}. Caspian Tern. Migrant since 125 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS 1980s; has nested se, s-c, and w Alaska; accidental in the Interior (see Isleib and Kessel 1989, Gibson and Kessel 1992, Kessel and Gibson 1994, McCaffery et al. 1997, Gill 2008, Johnson et al. 2008, Lohse et al. 2008, Heinl and Piston 2009, Tobish 2012a). Three specimens UAM ; published photo NAB 63:140, 2009. NOTES: Separated from the genus Sterna Linnaeus on the basis of genetic data that correspond to plumage patterns (Banks et al. 2006). Chlidonias niger surinamensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) {Surinam}. Black Tern. Casual in se, s-c, and interior Alaska (see Dali and Bannister 1869, Willett 1921a, Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959, Gibson 1985b, Tobish 2002c, 2013b). One specimen USNM; photos UAM — published NAB 66:718, 2013. Chlidonias leucopterus (Temminck, 1815) {Mediterranean coast}. White-winged Tern. Casual in sw and s-c Alaska; accidental in the Interior (see Byrd et al. 1978, Tobish 2003b, 2004, 2009a, 2013a, Gibson and Byrd 2007). One specimen UAM; photos UAM— published AB 47:133, 1993; FDNM, B-l, 16 Jul 2003. Sterna hirundo longipennis Nordmann, 1835 {Kukhtuy River mouth, Sea of Okhotsk}. Common Tern. Casual in sw and w Alaska (see Sladen 1966, Byrd et al. 1974, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gibson 1981, Gibson and Kessel 1997, Winker et al. 2002, Gibson and Byrd 2007). Eight specimens {USNM, 5; UAM, 2; ZISP, 1); photos UAM. Sterna paradisaea Pontoppidan, 1763 {Denmark}. Arctic Tern. Series CAS, DMNS, LACM, MVZ, SDNHM, UAM, USNM, UWBM. Order COLUMBIFORMES — Family COLUMBIDAE: PIGEONS AND DOVES [Columba domestica (3 livia J. F. Gmelin, 1789 {s Europe}. Rock Pigeon. Feral. Introduced into each Alaska community in which it occurs, by pigeon fanciers or by falconers, this nonmigratory, quasi-wild commensal of humans has established no geo- graphic range in Alaska beyond the points of introduction. Because it “persists locally as a commensal of man” (Gibson and Kessel 1997:47), the species has rarely been referred to in the ornithological literature of Alaska (e.g., see Heinl and Piston 2009). We do not recognize it as a wild component of the Alaska avifauna and include it here only because it is conspicuous in various communities in se, s-c, and interior Alaska.} Patagioenas fasciata monilis (Vigors, 1839) {Monterey, California}. Band-tailed Pigeon. Summers in southern se Alaska; accidental in s-c, w, and n Alaska (see Olson 1974, Kessel and Gibson 1978, 1994, Isleib and Kessel 1989, Johnson and Herter 1989, Heinl and Piston 2009). Three specimens UAM. NOTES: New World pigeons formerly included in Columba Linnaeus have been segregated in Patagioenas Reichenbach on the basis of studies of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA and a review of morphological, serological, and behavioral characters (Banks et al. 2003). Streptopelia orientalis [orientalis (Latham, 1790) {China}]. Oriental Turtle-Dove. Casual in the Aleutians and Pribilofs; accidental at St. Lawrence I. (see Gibson and Kessel 1992, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Tobish 2012b). No specimen; photos UAM — published B 23:192, 1991; FN 49:964, 1995; NAB 66:194, 2012). Streptopelia decaocto decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) {Bulgaria}. Eurasian Collared- Dove. Annual in se Alaska since 2006; accidental in s-c and interior Alaska (see Gibson et al. 2008, 2013, Tobish 2008a, 2009c, 2010a, 2011a, 2012a, Heinl and Piston 2009). Two specimens UAM; photos UAM — published NAB 61:628, 2008; 62:602, 2009; 63:555, 2010; 64:553, 2011; 65:141, 2012. Zenaida asiatica mearnsi (Ridgway, 1915) {near Nogales, Arizona}. White-winged Dove. Casual or accidental in se Alaska. Three records (one specimen UAM; photos UAM — published NAB 62:130, 2008): S, Oct 1981, Skagway (Gibson and Kessel 1992); one bird, 12 Sep 2007, Wrangell (Tobish 2008b); one bird, 1-4 Dec 2014, Wrangell (B. Demerjian). 126 INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALASKA BIRDS Zenaida macroura marginella (Woodhouse, 1852) {Canadian River, Oklahoma}. Mourning Dove. Fall migrant in se Alaska; casual in s-c and interior Alaska; accidental in w Alaska (see Willett 1914, 1917, 1921a, Swarth 1922, Friedmann 1931, Webster 1941, Cottam 1948, Nelson 1958, Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959, Williamson et al. 1965, Weeden and Johnson 1973, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Heinl and Piston 2009). At least 10 specimens (DAM, 7; USNM, 2; MVZ, 1). Order CUCULIFORMES — Family CUCULIDAE: CUCKOOS Cuculus canorus canorus Linnaeus, 1758 {Sweden}. Common Cuckoo. Includes telephonus Heine, 1863 {Japan}, following Vaurie (1965) and Dickinson (2003). Intermittent in w Aleutians; casual elsewhere in sw and in w Alaska (see Byrd et al. 1974, 1978, Kessel and Gibson 1978, Gill and Handel 1980, Winker et al. 2002, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2015). Series UAM (n = 20); photos UAM — pub- lished AB 42:373, 1988; 47:469, 1993; B 20(1): back cover, 1988; 20:298, 1988; 32:547, 2000; Watters 2003:117; NAB 63:185, 2009. Cuculus optatus Gould, 1845 {Port Essington, Northern Territory, Australia}. Oriental Cuckoo. Casual in the Aleutians and Pribilofs, at St. Lawrence I., and on the Seward Peninsula (see Palmer 1894, Friedmann and Riley 1931, Murie 1936, 1952, 1959, Hanna 1947, Deignan 1951, Lehman 2005, Gibson and Byrd 2007, Schwitters 2008). Eleven specimens (UAM, 6; USNM, 4; SBCM, 1); published photos NAB 54:119, 2000; 59:185, 2005; WB 36:35, 2005; B 38(5): 31, 2006. NOTES: On the basis of differences in vocalizations and morphological characters, Banks et al. (2006) followed Payne (2005) in separating this species from C. saturatus Blyth, 1843 {Nepal}, with which it was previously considered conspecific. Coccyzus americanus occidentalis Ridgway, 1887 {Old Fort Crittenden, Arizona}. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Casual in se Alaska. Three records, all of salvaged specimens [UAM): ad. 18 Aug 1991, Ketchikan (Gibson and Kessel 1992); ad. 11 Jul 1996, Juneau (Heinl and Piston 2009); ad. $, 30 Aug 1997, Ketchikan (ibid.). The specimens fit the larger, w subspecies, following Franzreb and Laymon (1993). Banks (1988, 1990) regarded this species as monotypic; Pruett et al. (2001) supported recognition of occidentalis. Order STRIGIFORMES — Family STRIGIDAE: TYPICAL OWLS Otussunia japonicusTemminckand Schlegel, 1844 {Japan}. Oriental Scops-Owl. Accidental in w and c Aleutians. Two records, both of specimens [UAM): distal left wing salvaged, Jun 1977, Buldir I. (Day et al. 1979); ad. 1000 color photographs and illustrations, 50 maps. Flexibound, $29.95. ISBN 978-0-691-15482-4. Back in the Peterson days we received the wisdom that warblers are confusing. Especially difficult are first-fall birds, but also fall adults having re-robed themselves for the flight south, leaving many of them looking rather plain (compared to their spring livery, that is). Subsequent warbler guides began to elucidate finer identification points — the standout being Dunn and Garrett’s 1997 A Field Guide to Warblers of North America — a brick of natural history and identification information and lovely painted plates (the most famous [and useful] of which are the plates of tails/undertails on pp. 105-106). Dunn and Garrett’s had few color photographs and sonograms — and, after revolutions in digital recording and photographic technologies, that is where The Warbler Guide steps in. With the help of this new photo- and sonogram-rich guide to these colorful (even in fall) and charismatic nymphs of our nearctic woodlands, much confusion, especially for beginning and intermediate birders, should be dispelled. The Warbler Guide starts with an introduction covering topography and uses color coding to illustrate where various feathers are located on perched versus flying birds. It is followed by over 55 informative pages detailing what to look for on a bird in the field, such as contrast, color, structure, etc. After a very brief section on aging and sexing, we get to over 30 pages describing sonograms, their interpretation, and various details of identifications of songs and calls. This is followed by 10+ “quick finder” charts, the usefulness of which will vary greatly from reader to reader. A typical species account, such as that for the Yellow Warbler, contains a simple silhouette, a cartoon blimp of the bird’s basic color/patterns, an illustration of the undertail, a very simplified range map, a habitat preference “map” showing the parts of trees/ shrubs the species frequents, six pages with ~50 color photos, including similar and/ or comparison species, and four pages of sonograms, including similar-sounding species. The guide ends with a brief quiz section, photos and descriptions of warblers in flight, a family tree showing current taxonomy, a table of measurements, a habitat and behavior table, a glossary, and a short list of additional resources. Photographs make up the bulk of The Warbler Guide, and they will be the main draw for most users — multiple pages are devoted to each species and a variety of plumages, ages, and angles are illustrated with >40 photographs per account. The photographic treatments of each species are quite complete and allow for detailed study of many aspects of identification, including aging and sexing. Field-identifiable subspecies are treated separately at the end of the main species accounts and include maps of subspecies’ general distributions. The most challenging and rewarding component of The Warbler Guide is the sonograms. After exposure to far too many poorly phoneticized bird songs (e.g., “ju- ju-ju or gi-gi-gi”), I find the authors’ embrace of a standard for learning songs from a book refreshing, as the sonograms allow for the visualization of a decidedly nonvisual component of bird identification. Again with the Yellow Warbler as an example, the section on vocalizations begins with a classic mnemonic, here “Bright yellow lemon meringue pie is ‘sweet, sweet, oh so sweet,’” followed by a summary describing com- ponents of the song, phrases, elements, sections, pitch, etc., and different song types and variation. The songs are then divided by type, the Yellow having types A1-A2 and B1-B4 — followed by sonograms of similar species. The sonograms are made significantly more useful if one purchases the companion audio files available from the Macaulay Library (available at http://macaulaylibrary.org/guide/the-warbler-guide for $5.99). The audio file corresponds by page to all of the sonograms in The Warbler Guide (over 1000 files), making for an excellent audiovisual tool for learning warbler 186 Western Birds 46:186-187, 2015 BOOK REVIEW vocalizations. It is the authors’ hope, as it is mine, that readers will devote serious time to the sonograms; they are worth it. The Warbler Guide’s size is an issue — as it is not a field guide (contrary to the publisher’s classification), why isn’t it larger? Many of the photographs are very small — each species has at least a few larger photographs (2x3 inches), and some species have full-page close-ups. These lack identification notes, and in four cases (the Blackpoll, Black-throated Green, and Connecticut Warblers and Common Yel- lowthroat; pp. 185, 207, 273, and 263, respectively) the tail is cut off, and in one case (the Blackburnian Warbler, p. 175), the bill is cut off. But the vast majority of the photographs are reproduced at the size of mere postage stamps with the birds themselves taking up a modest fraction of that space. We shouldn’t be tempted to drop our binoculars at the door and switch to a loupe when we sit down to study. With a larger-format photographic guide, why not make it clear that it’s not a field guide, give it a hard cover, and give us some bigger photos? Undoubtedly, economic factors played a role in this decision, but one can hope that future photo guides will more thoroughly unleash the wonders of digital photography. The Warbler Guide is also a very busy book, filled with pictures, figures, icons, and abbreviations, and it isn’t the easiest to navigate. The “quick finder” concept employed so often seems a bit overdone — which quick finder does one use, and how does one find the finder? In what situations will a birder note that he or she has seen a bird at a 45-degree angle, then flip to that quick-finder to seek out the unnamed quarry? Finally, the lack of natural history information stands out. To be fair, The Warbler Guide does not claim to be a “complete” reference, and clearly this choice was made to limit the size and scope of the work, but natural history notes complement identification data. The token “colored tree” habitat maps are very general, as admitted by the authors (for example, that Yellow Warblers use all of a shrub and eschew the top 90% of trees; p. 466). A chart listing foraging behavior and location, general breeding habitat, and vagrancy is limited in scope and is in no way tied to the text (it's hidden on pp. 546-548). In sum, The Warbler Guide should be a welcome addition to the bookshelves of anyone with an interest in the identification and field observation of wood-warblers, especially those of us who still hear the phrase “confusing fall warblers” ringing in our ears every August. Its treatment of this family is effective and it opens up a new door to learning the vocalizations of this diverse group. Study the photographs and sonograms (especially the latter) and get outside and look at and listen to these birds; they and this book are worth your time. Adam Searcy 187 World Wide Web site: WESTERN BIRDS www. westernfieldornithologists . org Quarterly Journal of Western Field Ornithologists President: David E. Quady, 39 The Crescent, Berkeley, CA 94708; davequady@att.net Vice-President: Thomas A. Blackman, 4470 Orchard Ave., San Diego, CA 92107; obeach@cox.net Past-President: Edward R. Pandolfino, 1328 49th St., Sacramento, CA 95819; ERFfromCA@aol.com Treasurer/Membership Secretary: Suzanne Carota, 3476 Armourdale Ave., Long Beach, CA 90808; smcarota@charter.net Recording Secretary: Liga Auzins, 12842 Safford East, Garden Grove, CA 92840; llauzins@yahoo . com Directors: Jon L. Dunn, Kimball L. Garrett, Daniel D. Gibson, Robert E. Gill, Jr., Ed Harper, Susan Kelly, Kurt Leuschner, Joyce Meyer, Frances Oliver, Steve Rottenborn, Raymond VanBuskirk, Catherine P. Waters Editor: Philip Unitt, San Diego Natural History Museum, P. O. Box 121390, San Diego, CA 92112-1390; birds@sdnhm.org Assistant Editor: Daniel D. Gibson, 3705 Quartz Rd., Ester, AK 99725 Associate Editors: Kenneth P. Able, Louis R. Bevier, Daniel S. Cooper, Doug Faulkner, Thomas Gardali, Daniel D. Gibson, Robert E. Gill, Paul E. Lehman, Ronald R. Le Valley, Dan Reinking Graphics Manager: Virginia P. 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Make checks payable to Western Field Ornithologists. Back issues of Western Birds within U.S. $40 per volume, $10 for single issues, including shipping and handling. Outside the U.S. $55 per volume, $15 for single issues, including ship- ping and handling. Published 1 June 2015 ISSN 0045-3897 Kodiak Pine Grosbeak Photo by © Aaron J. Lang of Homer, Alaska: Kodiak Pine Grosbeak ( Pinicola enucleator flammula) Gray male, Homer, Alaska, 23 January 2015. Described from Kodiak Island, this subspecies is found on the Pacific coast of Alaska from the easternmost of the Aleutians (Unimak), the Shumagin Islands, the Alaska Peninsula, and the Kodiak archipelago east to southeast Alaska. Compared with P. e. Ieucura, the widespread taiga subspecies, P. e. flammula averages shorter tailed and slightly smaller and has a more massive and more strongly hooked beak. WESTERN BIRDS Vol. 46, No. 3, 2015 Western Specialty: White-tailed Ptarmigan Photo by Cole J. Wolf of Albuquerque, New Mexico: Female White-tailed Ptarmigan ( Lagopus leucura ) in mid-summer plumage, Santa Barbara Ridge near Jicarita Peak, Taos County, New Mexico, 4 August 2012. This locale, west of Holman, Mora County, is a consistently reliable area for this species. In 1981, 43 White-tailed Ptarmigan from Colorado were translocated to this area of New Mexico to augment a native population whose status was tenuous. After 33 years, the translocation still appears successful, as detailed in this issue of Western Birds by Clait E. Braun and Sartor O. Williams III (pp. 233-243). Volume 46, Number 3, 2015 Avifauna of Juarez Municipality, Chihuahua, Mexico Israel Moreno-Contreras, Hector Gomez de Silva, Adrian Torres-Vivanco, Nohemi Villalpando-Navarrete, and Alejandro Botello 190 Colorado Bird Records Committee Report: 1986-2013 Douglas W. Faulkner 216 History and Status of the White-tailed Ptarmigan in New Mexico Clait E. Braun and Sartor O. Williams III 233 Loop Migration by a Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo Wintering in the Gran Chaco Shannon E. McNeil, Diane Tracy, and Caroline D. Cappello 244 NOTES Black-capped Vireo Breeding Habitat in North-Central Texas Ashley M. Long, Heather A. Mathewson, Dianne H. Robinson, Joseph A. Grzybowski, and Michael L. Morrison 256 Golden-cheeked Warbler: New Maximum Longevity Record Melanie R. Colon, Ronnisha S. Holden, Michael L. Morrison, Tiffany M. McFarland, and Heather A. Mathewson 261 Hypermelanistic American Pipit Returns to Winter in Central California Ken R. Schneider 263 First Occurrence of the Cave Swallow in British Columbia Paul G. Levesque, Jamie Fenneman , and Jeremiah Kennedy ...264 Direct Removal of Fecal Sacs by Rock Wrens Aran Meyer, Nathanial Warning, and Lauryn Benedict 267 Prolonged Incubation and Two Clutches in a New Mexico Great Horned Owl Nest: 2011-2012 Dale W. Stahlecker 271 Featured Photo: Interspecific Feeding of Mountain Bluebird Nestlings by a Pygmy Nuthatch Steve Zamek and Edward R. Pandolfino 273 Front cover photo by © Rachel Hopper of Fort Collins, Colorado: Colorado’s first Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) at Manitou Lake, Teller Co., 28-30 June 2013, apparently unrelated to any storm. Back cover: “Featured Photos” by © Steve Zamek of Los Altos, Cali- fornia: Nest of a Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides) near Prosser Creek Reservoir, Nevada Co., California — and a Pygmy Nuthatch ( Sitta pygmaea) that fed the nestling bluebirds repeatedly. Western Birds solicits papers that are both useful to and understandable by amateur field ornithologists and also contribute significantly to scientific literature. Particularly desired are reports of studies done in or bearing on North America west of the 100th meridian, including Alaska and Hawaii, northwestern Mexico, and the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Send manuscripts to Daniel D. Gibson, P. O. Box 155, Ester, AK 99725; avesalaska@ gmail.com. For matters of style consult the Suggestions to Contributors to Western Birds (at www. western fieldornithologists.org/docs/journal_guidelines.doc). WESTERN BIRDS Volume 46, Number 3, 2015 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO ISRAEL MORENO-CONTRERAS, Laboratorio de Ecologia y Biodiversidad Animal (LEBA), Departamento de Ciencias Quimico-Biologicas, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedi- cas, Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez, Anillo Envolvente del Pronaf y Estocolmo s/n, C.R 32300, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico; all03860@alumnos.uacj.mx (current address: Museo de Zoologia “Alfonso L. Herrera,” Facultad de Ciencias, Uni- versidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, A.R 70-399, Mexico, DR., 04510, Mexico) HECTOR GOMEZ DE SILVA, Xola 314-E, 03100 Mexico, D.F., Mexico; hector. gomezdesilva@gmail.com ADRIAN TORRES-VIVANCO, Programa de Biologia, Departamento de Ciencias Quimico-Biologicas, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico NOHEMI VILLALPANDO-NAVARRETE, Jose Clemente Orozco, C.P. 32340, Ciu- dad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico; nohemi_villalpando@yahoo.com ALEJANDRO BOTELLO, Departamento de Ciencias Quimico-Biologicas, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico ABSTRACT : We provide the results of avifaunal inventories in Juarez Municipal- ity, a poorly known part of the relatively under-birded Mexican state of Chihuahua. Patterns observed are highly consistent with published literature on the avifauna of westernmost Texas. Our findings modify the status of some species, including the addition of rare migrants (Grace’s Warbler and Zone-tailed Hawk), first records for Chihuahua (Downy Woodpecker, Blue-headed Vireo, Pine Warbler, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak), range expansions (Neotropic Cormorant, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Ameri- can Crow), and changes of seasonal status (Great Blue Heron, Vermilion Flycatcher, and Cassin’s Kingbird). Ornithological surveys in Mexico have been characterized by a lack of continuity, and available avifaunal information is considered incomplete (Escalante et al. 1993). The first detailed maps of the ranges of all bird spe- cies in Mexico were presented by Howell and Webb (1995), but those maps omitted many specimen records in Mexican bird collections (Peterson and Navarro-Siguenza 1996). 190 Western Birds 46:190-215, 2015 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO Table 1 Sites of Bird Surveys in Juarez Municipality, Chihuahua, Mexico Sampling site a Geographic coordinates Elevation (m) Habitat b 1 . El Bocan 31° 20' N, 106° 23.5' W 1250 Ds 2. El Chamizal 31° 45' N, 106° 27' W 1130 Up 3. Parque Central 31° 41' N, 106° 25' W 1130 Up 4. Club Campestre 31° 43' N, 106° 24' W 1130 Up 5. Trepachanga 31° 40' N, 106° 30' W 1290 Ds 6. Zaragoza 31° 40' N, 106° 20' W 1120 Af 7. Puerta Juarez 31° 32' N, 106° 28' W 1230 Ds 8. Loma Blanca 31° 35' N, 106° 18' W 1120 Af 9. Ojo de la Punta 31° 23' N, 106° 36' W 1240 Ds 10. Rancho Alegre 31° 13' N, 106° 40' W 1220 Gr a Numbered as in Figure 1 . b Ds, desert scrub; Gr, grasslands; Af, agricultural fields; Up, urban parks. Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson (2007) produced a second set of detailed range maps for Mexican birds, and much new data published in recent years has expanded our understanding of their distributions (Navarro-Siguenza et al. 2003). The avifauna of Chihuahua remains poorly studied, despite early explorations in the state (Allen 1893, Griscom 1933, Thompson 1962) and more recent surveys (e.g., Manzano-Fischer et al. 2006, Miller and Chambers 2007). Records accumulated from these and other efforts have provided a baseline understanding of regional distributions of species, both geographically and temporally. The purpose of this paper is to provide an avifaunal inventory of the municipio (municipality) of Juarez, a region of northern Chihuahua that has received little attention (Moreno-Contreras et al. 2012). We comment on seasonality, threat categories, habitats, and noteworthy records. METHODS Study Area Juarez Municipality, located in the north of the Mexican state of Chihuahua (31° 48' to 31° 07' N, 106° 58' to 106° 10' W, elevation 1000-1900 m ; Figure 1), encompasses an area of 3561.14 km 2 (http://www3.inegi.org. mx/sistemas/biinegi/default.aspx). It is bordered on the west, south, and northeast by the municipalities of Ascension, Ahumada, and Guadalupe, respectively, and on the north by El Paso County, Texas, and Doha Ana County, New Mexico (INEGI 2010). The climate is dry and temperate with rainy summers (July to September). The mean monthly temperature varies from 5.8 °C in January to 27.5° C in July, and annual precipitation aver- ages 220 mm (INEGI 2010). Four main types of habitats are present: desert scrub, grasslands, agricul- tural fields, and urban parks (INEGI 2010). The desert scrub is dominated by creosote bush ( Larrea tridentata), ocotillo ( Fouquieria splendens), tarbush (Flourensia cernua), viscid acacia ( Acacia neovernicosa), honey mesquite 191 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO United States of America Mexico Legend ■ Sampling site ^ Buffer j International boundaries' I | Counties rzi Municipality border J Juarez Municipality Location map Figure 1. Sites of bird sampling in Juarez Municipality, northern Chihuahua, Mexico. 1, El Bocan; 2, El Chamizal; 3, Parque Central; 4, Club Campestre; 5, Trepachanga; 6, Zaragoza; 7, Puerta Juarez; 8, Loma Blanca; 9, Ojo de la Punta; 10, Rancho Alegre. (Prosopis glandulosa), lechugilla {Agave lechugilla), yucca ( Yucca spp.), and joint-pine ( Ephedra spp.; Rzedowski 2006). Grasslands are characterized by muhly grass ( Muhlenbergia sp.), tobosa (Hilaria mutica), and grama [Bouteloua sp.; INEGI 2010). Agricultural fields generally include alfalfa ( Medicago sativa), Mexican cotton {Gossypium hirsutum), and scattered shrubs and trees. The domi- nant trees in urban parks include Afghan pine ( Pinus eldarica), Arizona cypress ( Cupressus arizonica), willows ( Salix spp.), ash (Fraxinus spp.), white mulberry ( Morus alba), Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta), chinaberry tree (Me/ia azedarach), elms ( Ulmus spp.), and cottonwoods (. Populus spp.), among others. Bird Surveys Gomez de Silva searched a plot of 1 km 2 at El Bocan, Samalayuca, over five days every three months from March 1997 to September 1998, for a total of 30 days of field work. The study area was a relatively homogeneous rolling sandy desert with open mesquite scrub and scattered sagebrush ( Artemisia filifolia). Annuals and grasses were scarce. The study area was bounded to the south and west by unvegetated gypsum dunes. Villalpando conducted a winter bird count at El Chamizal from 27 Decem- ber 2007 to 13 February 2008, making additional observations at Loma Blanca on 28 December 2007. 192 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO Figure 2. Mississippi Kite ( Ictinia mississippiensis ) at El Chamizal on 17 June 2013. Photo by Israel Moreno-Contreras Moreno, Torres, and Botello surveyed birds across Juarez Municipality monthly from June 2012 through May 2015 (except November 2012, and June, September, and October 2014). The surveys covered all habitat types in the municipality and at all seasons. The method consisted of three 20-min counts in which the observers moved around in an area of 3 ha (Ralph et al. 1993). By this approach unfamiliar songs and calls could be tracked down and silent birds could be found. At each sampling site (except El Bocan, Samalayuca), we defined, using ArcGIS 9.3 (ESRI, Redlands, CA), a series of concentric circles with radius of 500 m,. Each of the nine main sampling sites was walked once or twice per season (except the Rancho Alegre grass- lands, which were surveyed only in July, September, and December 2014), resulting in 161 survey days. Most surveys were conducted during periods of peak bird activity from 06:00 to between 09:00 and 11:00, with occasional nocturnal observations from 17:00 to 19:30. We avoided rainy and windy conditions. Birds were surveyed and identified by sight with the aid of lOx binoculars. Photos of Figure 3. Zone-tailed Hawk (Buteo albonotatus) at El Chamizal on 25 March 2013. Photo by Adrian Torres-Vivanco 193 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO noteworthy birds taken during the 2012-2015 surveys are deposited at the Coleccion Cientifica de Vertebrados of the Universidad Autonoma de Ciu- dad Juarez (CCV-UACJ), Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Distributional data have been deposited at the Unidad de Cartografia Digital, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Ciudad Juarez. RESULTS We report a total of 221 species, belonging to 134 genera and 47 fami- lies. The most species-rich families in Juarez Municipality were the Anatidae (21), Emberizidae (20), Parulidae (17), and Tyrannidae (15). Of the total, 57 were permanent residents, 24 summer residents, 87 winter visitors (one of which also breeds locally at Parque Central; see the annotated list), and 53 transients. We found 12 species listed by Mexican law under the “special protection” category, and four species are listed as “threatened.” Avian richness was higher in urban parks (157) than in agricultural fields (117), desert scrub (123), and grasslands (30). Ninety-nine species were restricted to a single habitat type. Systematic and phylogenetic order follow the American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU 1998) and supplements (http://checklist.aou.org/), with two exceptions ( Anas diazi, Setophaga auduboni), which follow Navarro- Siguenza and Peterson (2004). With respect to seasonality, we categorize species as permanent resident (observed year round), summer resident (species breeding or spending the summer), winter visitor, and transient (species present during migration only and not spending the winter in the area). Species’ seasonal status has been cross-referenced with published data for Mexico and adjacent regions of the United States (Howell and Webb 1995, Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson 2007, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). The categories of conservation status defined under Mexican law (SEMARNAT 2010) are “special protection” and “threatened.” Abundance designations are qualitative: common (species encountered frequently or in large numbers), fairly common (species encountered rou- tinely in moderate numbers), uncommon (species encountered infrequently and in small numbers), and rare (species encountered fewer than five times). Abundances were based on the maximum number of individuals recorded on a survey (“low” = <5; “moderate" = 6 to 10, “numerous” = >10). Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens). Uncommon winter visitor to urban parks. Ross’s Goose ( Chen rossii). Uncommon winter visitor to urban parks. Cackling Goose ( Branta hutchinsii). Rare winter visitor, recorded only at Parque Central. This species is considered rare in the El Paso area (Lockwood and Freeman 2014). One or two are seen most years, but it is less numerous than the Canada Goose. One has wintered with feral Canada Goose at Ascarate Park since at least 2011 (B. Zimmer in litt. , 2014). Canada Goose (Branta canadensis ). Uncommon winter visitor to urban parks: seen in low to moderate numbers at Parque Central and Club Campestre. Wood Duck ( Aix sponsa ). Rare winter visitor in urban parks: one male at Parque Central from 9 December 2014 to 16 January 2015 (IMC). The Wood Duck was mapped as a winter visitor in Chihuahua by Howell and Webb (1995) and Navarro-Siguenza and 194 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO Peterson (2007). In western Trans-Pecos Texas, it is a locally uncommon permanent resident along the Rio Grande (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014), so it has probably been overlooked in the Juarez region. Gadwall ( Anas strepera ). Fairly common winter visitor to urban parks and a pond at Ojo de la Punta in desert scrub. American Wigeon ( Anas americana ). Fairly common winter visitor to urban parks. Mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos) . Fairly common winter visitor (late September-early May) to agricultural fields and urban parks. Mexican Duck ( Anas diazi ). Common permanent resident in agricultural fields, urban parks, and a small pond bordered with desert scrub at Ojo de la Punta. This species is designated as “threatened” under Mexican law, but it is a common year-round resident in northern Chihuahua (IMC). Blue-winged Teal ( Anas discors). Fairly common transient in agricultural fields: seen only at the Rio Grande near Loma Blanca (spring and fall; IMC). Uncommon transient in urban parks. Howell and Webb (1995) mapped the species as a win- ter visitor, but our results suggest it is absent from Juarez Municipality during the winter. Although there are two winter records from El Paso County, this species is generally absent at that season (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). Cinnamon Teal ( Anas cyanoptera). Fairly common permanent resident in agricultural fields of Loma Blanca, less common in urban parks. Rarely seen in the Samalayuca area. This species is a very scarce breeder in the area. There is a two-month period from November to early January when there are very few records for the El Paso area (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). Northern Shoveler ( Anas clypeata). Common winter visitor. Recorded only in urban parks and at Loma Blanca. Northern Pintail (Anas acuta). Uncommon winter visitor. At Club Campestre, recorded only in spring. This species can be abundant at times in El Paso (Peterson and Zimmer 1998), but perhaps the habitat is more limited in Juarez. Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca ). Common winter visitor in urban parks (Parque Central and Club Campestre). Canvasback (Aythya valisineria). Uncommon winter visitor to urban parks: a pair (male and female) was at Parque Central in January 2015 (IMC). Redhead (Aythya americana ). Uncommon winter visitor, recorded only at Club Campestre. Ring-necked Duck ( Aythya collaris). Fairly common winter visitor to urban parks. Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis). Fairly common winter visitor to urban parks. Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola). Fairly common winter visitor to urban parks. Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus). Rare winter visitor. Three records of two females during migration at Parque Central, on 16 December 2012, 9 December 2014, and 15 January 2015 (IMC). Only a handful of previous records exist from Chihuahua: one record mapped by Howell and Webb (1995) and three Decem- ber-January records from Laguna Fierro, Nuevo Casas Grandes Municipality, on 2 December 2000 by M. J. Iliff (www.ebird.org; eBird), in early January 2003 (Gomez de Silva 2003a), and in early January 2007 (Gomez de Silva 2007a). Regular winter visitor in west Texas and adjacent regions (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). In the El Paso area, several individuals can be found each winter on Ascarate Lake (B. Zimmer in litt . , 2014). Common Merganser (Mergus merganser ). Rare winter visitor, with only two records from Club Campestre. This species generally prefers large reservoirs. Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis). Fairly common winter visitor in urban parks, but also an uncommon permanent resident at Parque Central. Mapped as a permanent resident by Howell and Webb (1995). Peterson and Zimmer (1998) considered it to be a fairly common migrant and winter visitor but also an uncommon and local breeding species. 195 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO Figure 4. Short-eared Owl ( Asio flammeus) at Zaragoza on 16 April 2014 and seen later that day flying across the Rio Grande into the El Paso area. Photo by Israel Moreno-Contreras Scaled Quail ( Callipepla squamata). Common permanent resident in most desert habitats throughout Juarez Municipality; absent from the study area at El Bocan, though present in the small mountain ranges only 5 km to the north (HGdS). Gambel Quails ( Callipepla gambelii). Common breeding resident in desert scrub and agricultural lands. Less often observed in grasslands. Pied-billed Grebe ( Podilymbus podiceps ). Common permanent resident in urban parks, though encountered in only small numbers in summer. Eared Grebe ( Podiceps nigricollis). Fairly common winter visitor to urban parks. Western Grebe ( Aechmophorus occidentalis). Rare winter visitor to urban parks. Only one record, at Club Campestre 9 December 2014-16 January 2015 (IMC). Howell and Webb (1995) and Navarro-Sigiienza and Peterson (2007) did not map the species from Juarez Municipality. In Trans-Pecos Texas, it is a fairly common migrant and winter visitor and nest irregularly (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lock- wood and Freeman 2014). Neotropic Cormorant ( Phalacrocorax brasilianus ). Common permanent resident found in moderate numbers in urban parks (IMC). Slightly higher numbers recorded in summer and fall (IMC, ATV). There is only one other record from Chihuahua, of a single individual at El Vado, Meoqui Municipality, on 29 January 2012 (Mondaca-Fernandez and Moreno-Contreras 2014). This species was not mapped in Chihuahua or adjacent states by Howell and Webb (1995) or Navarro-Sigiienza and Peterson (2007), but it is a regular breeding resident in west Texas and adjacent Figure 5. Blue-headed Vireo ( Vireo solitarius) at Club Campestre on 1 February 2014. First record for the state of Chihuahua. Photo by Israel Moreno-Contreras 196 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO Figure 6. American Crow ( Corvus brachyrhynchos ) at Loma Blanca on 1 February 2014. First photographic evidence of the species in Chihuahua. Photo by Israel Moreno-Contreras regions (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). The first breeding record for Trans-Pecos Texas was of four nests at Fort Hancock Reservoir, Hudspeth County, on 4 May 1996, which fledged 12 young in June (Lasley et al. 1996). In addition, the Neotropic Cormorant has bred at Cemex pond in El Paso County for probably ten years or more, over which time it has definitely increased in that county, especially in winter (J. Paton in litt . , 2015). Figure 7. Pine Warbler ( Setophaga pinus) at Club Campestre on 6 January 2015; it stayed to 24 January 2015. First record for the state of Chihuahua. Photo by Israel Moreno-Contreras 197 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO Double-crested Cormorant ( Phalacrocorax auritus). Common permanent resident. Recorded in high numbers in urban parks from 2012 to 2014 (IMC, ATV). This species was not mapped for Chihuahua or adjacent states by Howell and Webb (1995) or Navarro-Sigiienza and Peterson (2007), but it is a regular winter visitor in west Texas and adjacent regions (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). It can be found year round in El Paso, breeding in some years (B. Zimmer in lift., 2014). American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) . Two were at Parque Central in winter 2012 and 2014 (IMC). Great Blue Heron ( Ardea herodias). Permanent resident. Seen frequently in agricul- tural lands and urban parks in low numbers (IMC). Recorded rarely in desert scrub at Ojo de la Punta (IMC). Howell and Webb (1995) mapped this species as a winter visitor in Chihuahua, but over the past two decades it has become an irregular breeder in the El Paso area, where it can be found in all months of the year, though rare in midsummer (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014, J. Paton in litt, 2015). The Great Blue Heron does breed regularly in other parts of Trans-Pecos Texas (B. Zimmer in lift., 2014). Great Egret (Ardea alba). Permanent resident. Seen frequently but in low numbers in agricultural fields and urban parks. Howell and Webb (1995) mapped this species as a winter visitor in Chihuahua, but it breeds irregularly in west Texas (three nests at McNary Reservoir, Hudspeth County, on 22 July 1994), where it is found all months of the year as nonbreeding resident (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). This species has become more frequent in winter in El Paso County in the last ten years (J. Paton in litt., 2015). Snowy Egret ( Egretta thula). Fairly common permanent resident. Found in low to moderate numbers in agricultural fields and urban parks (IMC). Howell and Webb (1995) mapped this species as a winter visitor in Chihuahua, but it breeds regularly in west Texas and adjacent regions (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Cattle Egret ( Bubulcus ibis). Locally fairly common permanent resident in agricultural fields of Loma Blanca. Found in high numbers in spring and fall, less commonly in winter. Green Heron ( Butorides virescens). Rare in agricultural fields of Loma Blanca but a fairly common breeding resident in urban parks. Black-crowned Night-Heron ( Nycticorax nycticorax). Permanent resident. Seen frequently in low numbers in urban parks (apparently breeding at Club Campestre) and agricultural fields (IMC). Rare in desert scrub (Ojo de la Punta, IMC). Howell and Webb (1995) mapped this species as a winter visitor in Chihuahua, but it breeds regularly in west Texas and adjacent regions (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). White-faced Ibis ( Plegadis chihi). Recorded only as a common transient in high numbers in agricultural fields of Loma Blanca. Uncommon migrant at Zaragoza. Uncommon migrant in urban parks and a rare migrant at Ojo de la Punta, Sama- layuca (IMC). Howell and Webb (1995) mapped this species as a winter visitor in Chihuahua. It is a regular migrant and casual winter visitor in west Texas and adjacent regions (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura). Common summer resident. Found in high numbers from April to September. Howell and Webb (1995) mapped it as a permanent resi- dent in northern Chihuahua, but in west Texas and adjacent regions it is recorded regularly only as a summer resident (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Since 2011 four or five birds have overwintered at Rio Bosque Park, El Paso County (normally the species is present in the county only from mid-March to late October; Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Osprey ( Pandion haliaetus). Rare transient migrant in urban parks: our only obser- 198 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO vation is of two adults at Club Campestre on 13 April 2013 (IMC). Peterson and Zimmer (1998) considered this species an uncommon migrant in the El Paso area. White-tailed Kite ( Elanus leucurus). Three records, all from Loma Blanca, of one on 27 December 2007 (NVN) and on 5 and 20 February 2015 (IMC). Not mapped in this part of Chihuahua by Howell and Webb (1995) or Navarro-Sigiienza and Peterson (2007), but the White-tailed Kite nests very rarely at El Paso and is a rare visitor at all seasons elsewhere in El Paso County (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Mississippi Kite ( Ictinia mississippiensis). Probably a rare transient, though possibly breeds nearby. Recorded several times in moderate numbers in urban parks from mid- June to late August (IMC, ATV; Figure 2). There are only a handful of previ- ous Chihuahua records: a juvenile near Batosarachi on 12 and 13 August 1997 (Gomez de Silva 2002); a group of five individuals along the Rio Casas Grandes on 21 August 2014 (A. McAndrews and J. Montejo; eBird), which is slightly earlier than typical for fall migration in Mexico; and two to five in late May 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2008, slightly later than typical for spring migration (eBird, Gomez de Silva 2003b, 2005b, 2008). This species was not mapped in Chihuahua or adjacent states by Howell and Webb (1995) or Navarro-Sigiienza and Peterson (2007), but it breeds locally in western El Paso County where there are large trees. The Mississippi Kite is not widespread in west Texas as a breeding species (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014, B. Zimmer in litt, 2014). “Special protection.” Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus). Uncommon winter visitor with records of small numbers in desert scrub at El Bocan and Puerta Juarez and in agricultural fields at Loma Blanca. “Special protection.” Sharp-shinned Hawk ( Accipiter striatus). Uncommon winter visitor to agricultural fields, but a fairly common winter visitor to urban parks (IMC). Recorded in desert scrub (El Bocan, HGdS). “Special protection.” Cooper’s Hawk ( Accipiter cooperii). Fairly common winter visitor to urban parks; uncommon winter visitor in desert scrub and agricultural fields. “Special protec- tion.” Common Black Hawk ( Buteogallus anthracinus) . Rare migrant in urban parks: one record of an adult at Club Campestre on 30 March 2015 (IMC). The species was not mapped in Juarez Municipality by Howell and Webb (1995) or Navarro-Sigiienza and Peterson (2007), but it is a regular summer resident in the Sierra Madre Occi- dental of Chihuahua and a year-round resident farther south. In Trans-Pecos Texas, it is a rare and local summer resident in the Davis Mountains and a regular nester along the Rio Grande. Farther west, it is considered a vagrant to El Paso County (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). “Special protection.” Harris’s Hawk ( Parabuteo unicinctus). Rare visitor to agricultural fields. A single bird seen at Loma Blanca on 13 September 2014 (IMC, ATV). Harris’s Hawk breeds locally in the El Paso area (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). The species was not mapped in Juarez Municipality by Howell and Webb (1995). “Special protection.” Swainson's Hawk ( Buteo swainsoni). Common summer resident throughout the Juarez Municipality. One pair breeds annually at the Club Campestre (IMC). “Special protection.” Zone-tailed Hawk ( Buteo albonotatus). Rare transient in urban parks. On 25 March 2013, we recorded an adult soaring low over El Chamizal (IMC, ATV; Figure 3). Howell and Webb (1995) mapped this species as an uncommon summer resident in northern Chihuahua, but Peterson and Zimmer (1998) and Lockwood and Free- man (2014) considered it accidental at El Paso. In central Trans-Pecos Texas, the Zone-tailed Hawk breeds regularly in low density in the Davis and Chisos mountains (in the Franklin Mountains of El Paso County there are probably not enough trees 199 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO Figure 8. Grace’s Warbler ( Setophaga graciae) at Club Campestre on 18 April 2014. This species is rarely detected in migration in west Texas. Photo by Israel Moreno-Contreras for nesting). It also nests about 193 km north in New Mexico (B. Zimmer in litt. , 2014). “Special protection.” Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). Common breeding resident throughout the Juarez Municipality; numerous in winter. Ferruginous Hawk ( Buteo regalis). Rare winter visitor in desert scrub, agricultural fields, and urban parks: single birds seen near El Bocan on 6 February 1998 Figure 9. Rose-breasted Grosbeak ( Pheucticus ludovicianus) at Ojo de la Punta on 12 May 2015. First record for the state of Chihuahua. Photo by Israel Moreno-Contreras 200 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO (HGdS), El Chamizal on 14 March 2012 and 13 February 2013 (IMC, ATV), and Loma Blanca on 30 December 2013 (IMC). “Special protection.” Golden Eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos ). Two records from desert scrub: one at El Bocan on 2 December 1997 (HGdS); one near Samalayuca on 20 April 2015 (P. Dominguez in litt. , 2015). This species is a permanent resident in Trans-Pecos Texas, though somewhat more common in winter (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). In addition, one pair breeds annually in the Franklin Mountains of El Paso. “Threatened.” Sora (Porzana Carolina). Rare winter visitor in agricultural fields but perhaps uncom- mon during migration. One along the Rio Grande near Loma Blanca on 8 and 11 December 2014 (IMC). In El Paso County, the Sora is a fairly common transient migrant and an uncommon to rare winter visitor (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Common Gallinule ( Gallinula galeata). Locally uncommon permanent resident. Found only along the Rio Grande near Loma Blanca (IMC). American Coot (Fulica americana). Common permanent resident. Observed in moderate numbers in urban parks, in high numbers at Loma Blanca. Killdeer ( Charadrius vociferus). Common permanent resident throughout the municipality. Black-necked Stilt ( Himantopus mexicanus). Common permanent resident. Found year-round in small numbers at Parque Central and numerous there in spring and fall. Recorded in high numbers in spring and fall in agricultural lands of Loma Blanca (IMC). Howell and Webb (1995) mapped this species as a transient in northern Chihuahua, but it is a regular breeding species in west Texas and adjacent regions (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). In addition, it is gener- ally uncommon and localized in winter around El Paso (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). American Avocet (Recuruirostra americana ). Fairly common migrant in agricultural fields of Loma Blanca. It breeds regularly in El Paso County (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Spotted Sandpiper ( Actitis macularius). Fairly common winter visitor in agricultural fields of Loma Blanca; rare in urban parks (IMC). Around El Paso, the species is a fairly common migrant and uncommon to rare in winter (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). Solitary Sandpiper ( Tringa solitaria). Fairly common transient in agricultural fields of Loma Blanca. Greater Yellowlegs ( Tringa melanoleuca). Uncommon winter visitor in agricultural lands of Loma Blanca. Lesser Yellowlegs ( Tringa flauipes). Uncommon transient in agricultural lands of Loma Blanca. Long-billed Curlew ( Numenius americanus ). Uncommon winter visitor in agricultural fields of Loma Blanca. Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla). Regular winter visitor, found in high numbers only at Loma Blanca. Pectoral Sandpiper ( Calidris melanotos). Rare transient in agricultural lands: seen only once at Loma Blanca in fall 2013. Very uncommon to rare at El Paso (Peter- son and Zimmer 1998). Western Sandpiper ( Calidris mauri). Uncommon transient in agricultural lands, seen only at Loma Blanca (spring and fall). Long-billed Dowitcher ( Limnodromus scolopaceus ). Uncommon winter visitor in agricultural lands, recorded only at Loma Blanca. Wilson’s Snipe ( Gallinago delicata). Uncommon winter visitor in agricultural fields but found in high numbers at Loma Blanca. Rare in urban parks where recorded on only three occasions at El Chamizal. Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor). Uncommon transient in urban parks. 201 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO Ring-billed Gull ( Larus delawarensis). Fairly common winter visitor but recorded in moderate numbers only at Club Campestre (IMC). Rock Pigeon ( Columba livia). Abundant breeding resident in urban parks and uncom- mon to rare elsewhere. Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto). From 2012 to 2015, a common permanent resident throughout the Juarez Municipality (IMC). Not recorded in 1997 or 1998 (HGdS). At that time, the species had not yet reached adjacent Texas (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). Its rapid invasion of Mexico began in the early 2000s (Alvarez-Romero et al. 2008). The first El Paso records were in 2001, after which the dove quickly became a common and widespread resident (B. Zimmer in litt., 2014). Inca Dove ( Columbina inca). Locally fairly common permanent resident in agricultural fields and urban parks. Rarely seen in desert scrub (Trepachanga and Ojo de la Punta, IMC). White-winged Dove ( Zenaida asiatica). Fairly common permanent resident in desert scrub, grasslands, and agricultural fields. Large numbers can be found in urban parks. Mourning Dove ( Zenaida macroura). Fairly common permanent resident in all habitats surveyed. Greater Roadrunner ( Geococcyx cahfornianus). Fairly common permanent resident throughout the municipality. Barn Owl ( Tyto alba). Uncommon permanent resident in desert scrub (El Bocan) and urban parks (El Chamizal and Club Campestre). Great Horned Owl (Bubo uirginianus). Uncommon permanent resident in desert scrub (El Bocan, HGdS) and urban parks (Club Campestre, IMC); one record in agricultural lands near Zaragoza, 13 July 2013 (EG). Burrowing Owl ( Athene cunicularia). Fairly common permanent resident, found in moderate numbers in desert scrub. Uncommon permanent resident in agricultural fields, observed in small numbers at Zaragoza and Loma Blanca. In the Juarez- E1 Paso region less common in winter (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). “Special protection.” Short-eared Owl ( Asio flammeus). Rare winter visitor. Only one record: one bird observed and photographed in agricultural fields of Zaragoza on 16 April 2014 and seen later that day flying across the Rio Grande to El Paso (IMC; Figure 4). This date is the latest recorded for Chihuahua; the species occurs irregularly between October and March (Howell and Webb 1995). There have been no reliable records in El Paso County, Texas, since 1984, where Peterson and Zimmer (1998) noted the Short-eared Owl as a casual winter visitor. “Special protection.” Lesser Nighthawk ( Chordeiles acutipennis). Common summer resident in arid habi- tats. Uncommon to rare in urban parks, where recorded only in summer 2013 at El Chamizal. Common Nighthawk ( Chordeiles minor). Uncommon migrant in desert scrub, but single individuals were seen and heard making the typical nasal “peer” call on 6 June 1998 (El Bocan, HGdS) and on 4 July 2014 (Ojo de la Punta, IMC), suggest- ing the species probably breeds in hills near Samalayuca. Uncommon migrant and local breeder in adjacent parts of Texas (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Common Poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii). Fairly common summer resident in arid habitats. Mapped as a permanent resident by Howell and Webb (1995). White-throated Swift ( Aeronautes saxatalis). Rare summer resident in urban parks: only two records from El Chamizal (IMC). It probably breeds in hills near Samalayuca and in the Sierra de Juarez (Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson 2007). Howell and Webb (1995) did not map the species in Juarez Municipality, but Peterson and 202 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO Zimmer (1998) and Lockwood and Freeman (2014) recorded it as a regular breed- ing resident in west Texas and adjacent regions. Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri). Uncommon summer resident in desert scrub and agricultural fields, found in small numbers at El Bocan, Tre- pachanga, Zaragoza, and Loma Blanca. Common summer resident in urban parks. Broad-tailed Hummingbird ( Selasphorus platycercus) . Uncommon transient. Recorded only at El Bocan (flying low to fairly high over desert scrub in May and August-September) and Loma Blanca (IMC). Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus). Rare migrant in agricultural fields of Loma Blanca. Fairly common fall migrant in urban parks. Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon). Winter visitor, uncommon in urban parks, rare at Ojo de la Punta (IMC). Williamson’s Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus). Rare winter visitor. One sighting of a male at El Chamizal on 30 December 2012: mostly black with long white shoulder patch, white rump, white facial stripes, and yellow belly (IMC). This spe- cies was not mapped in Juarez Municipality by Howell and Webb (1995), but it has been noted as an irregular winter visitor in west Texas and adjacent regions (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius). Rare winter visitor. One record at El Chamizal, 1 January 2015 (IMC). Neither Howell and Webb (1995) nor Navarro- Siguenza and Peterson (2007) mapped this species in northern Chihuahua, but Peterson and Zimmer (1998) and Lockwood and Freeman (2014) considered it a rare winter visitor in west Texas and adjacent regions. Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchahs). Winter visitor, uncommon in urban parks, rare in desert scrub (Ojo de la Punta, IMC). Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens ). Rare winter visitor to urban parks: NVN saw one at El Chamizal on 1 January and 13 February 2008. Field identification was based on black wings with white spots, white back (broad white stripe down the center), top of head black, white supercilium, black eyestripe, white malar stripe, black tail, size more or less similar to a Ladder-backed Woodpecker’s, moving more acrobatically than other woodpeckers. This is the first record of the Downy Woodpecker for Chihuahua or anywhere in Mexico away from extreme northwestern Baja California (Erickson et al. 2001). The species is a very rare winter visitor in El Paso, with about eight or ten total records (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014, B. Zimmer in litt. , 2014). Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris). Widespread permanent resident. Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus). Common winter visitor to urban parks, but uncommon in desert scrub and agricultural fields (IMC, HGdS). This species was not mapped in Juarez Municipality by Howell and Webb (1995) or Navarro-Sigiienza and Peterson (2007), but it is a regular winter visitor in west Texas and adjacent regions (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). In addition, it breeds at El Paso in small numbers (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). American Kestrel (Falco sparverius). Fairly common permanent resident, seen in small numbers in desert scrub, grasslands, agricultural fields, and urban parks. Merlin ( Falco columbarius). Rare in desert scrub and uncommon winter visitor in urban parks. Peregrine Falcon ( Falco peregrinus). Rare transient in agricultural fields with only one seen, at Loma Blanca on 19 July 2014 (IMC). Howell and Webb (1995) mapped the species as a permanent resident in northern Chihuahua; Peterson and Zimmer (1998) and Lockwood and Freeman (2014) it considered an uncommon to rare migrant and a localized breeder around El Paso. “Threatened.” Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus). Rare winter visitor in desert scrub and agricultural fields with one record from El Bocan 7-8 February 1998 (HGdS), one record from 203 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO Puerta Juarez, and three records from Loma Blanca (IMC). Mapped as a perma- nent resident in Juarez Municipality by Howell and Webb (1995). “Threatened.” Olive-sided Flycatcher ( Contopus cooperi). Transient, uncommon in desert scrub (Ojo de la Punta) and agricultural fields (Loma Blanca); common in urban parks. Western Wood-Pewee ( Contopus sordidulus). Common transient in desert scrub, grasslands, agricultural fields, and urban parks. Willow Flycatcher ( Empidonax traillii). Uncommon transient in urban parks (some- what more numerous in the fall). Least Flycatcher ( Empidonax minimus). Rare migrant in desert scrub and urban parks with single birds at El Bocan on 1 May and 16 August 1997 (HGdS) and at Club Campestre on 21 May 2014 and the unusually early date of 30 March-1 April 2015 (IMC). Rare to casual migrant in adjacent parts of Texas (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014), but B. Zimmer (in litt. , 2014) considers it rare to uncommon. Hammond’s Flycatcher ( Empidonax hammondii). Rare migrant in desert scrub; uncommon migrant in urban parks. Gray Flycatcher ( Empidonax wrightii). Uncommon transient. Found in small numbers in grasslands, agricultural fields and urban parks, more commonly in desert scrub (as expected for the species; Rowland 2009). Dusky Flycatcher ( Empidonax oberholseri). Fairly common migrant in urban parks. Cordilleran Flycatcher ( Empidonax occidentalis). Fairly common transient in desert scrub (Trepachanga) and urban parks. Black Phoebe ( Sayornis nigricans ). Fairly common permanent resident in urban parks; seen in moderate numbers during winter. Uncommon at Loma Blanca. Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe). Rare winter visitor in urban parks with only two records from Parque Central in winter 2012 (IMC). Say’s Phoebe ( Sayornis saya). Fairly common permanent resident in desert scrub, grasslands, agricultural lands, and urban parks. Usually more common in winter and spring. Vermilion Flycatcher ( Pyrocephalus rubinus ). Rare winter visitor in urban parks, desert scrub, and agricultural fields: one seen at Club Campestre on 13 March 2014, one at Ojo de la Punta on 4 July 2014, and one female at Loma Blanca on 8 December 2014 (IMC). Mapped as a permanent resident by Howell and Webb (1995). It does not breed around El Paso, being found only as a rare winter visitor and migrant (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Ash-throated Flycatcher ( Myiarchus cinerascens) . Fairly common summer resident, seen in moderate numbers in desert scrub and grasslands, in small numbers in urban parks. One summer record from agricultural fields at Zaragoza, 20 June 2013 (IMC). Cassin’s Kingbird ( Tyrannus uociferans ). Fairly common transient. Found in small num- bers in desert scrub, agricultural fields, and urban parks. Howell and Webb (1995) and Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson (2007) mapped the species as a summer resident in northern Chihuahua. It is basically just a migrant in El Paso County (Peterson and Zimmer 1998) with a single breeding record about 25 years ago. It does breed in eastern Hudspeth County, just east of El Paso County (Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Western Kingbird ( Tyrannus verticalis). Common summer resident. Numerous in all habitats. Loggerhead Shrike ( Lanius ludovicianus). Common permanent resident in desert scrub and grasslands throughout Juarez Municipality. Rare in urban parks with only one seen at Club Campestre on 12 September 2014 and 6 March 2015 (IMC). Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii). Uncommon summer resident in urban parks: recorded only at El Chamizal and Club Campestre in small numbers (IMC). Rare at Ojo de la Punta (IMC). The species breeds regularly along the Rio Grande (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). 204 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO Plumbeous Vireo ( Vireo plumbeus). Fairly common transient in urban parks (IMC) with one record in desert scrub (El Bocan, 29 April 1997, HGdS). Cassin’s Vireo ( Vireo cassinii ). Rare transient with one record at Club Campestre, 19 May 2015 (IMC). The species is an uncommon to rare transient in El Paso County, Texas (Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius). Rare winter visitor. The first recorded for the state of Chihuahua, an adult was seen in good light conditions in a mixed-species flock containing Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Audubon’s Warblers at Club Camp- estre on 1 February 2014 (IMC; Figure 5). Another (returning?) was at the same site on 6 January 2015 (IMC). Field identification was based on the blue-gray head contrasting strongly with green back and white throat; crisp contrast at the malar, bold white spectacles, greenish yellow wash on flanks and undertail; belly white and bold wingbars (Heindel 1996, M. Heindel in litt. , 2014). Additionally, this record coincided with the largest incursion of the Blue-headed Vireo ever recorded in Trans-Pecos Texas (at least five documented between 15 December 2013 and 27 February 2014; Texas Ornithological Society, Trans-Pecos winter report December 2013-February 2014, http://www.texasbirds.org/); Peterson and Zimmer (1998) and Lockwood and Freeman (2014) considered it a “casual winter visitor” there. Warbling Vireo ( Vireo gilvus). Rare migrant in desert scrub, recorded only at El Bocan on 15 August 1997 (HGdS), at Trepachanga on 18 May 2014, and at Ojo de la Punta on 12 May 2015 (IMC). Fairly common migrant in urban parks (IMC). Steller’s Jay ( Cyanocitta stelleri). Probably a rare winter visitor, though possibly common during invasion years. Recorded in flocks of up to eight in urban parks from mid-December 2013 to mid-April 2014 (IMC). These records coincided with an invasion of the lowlands of Trans-Pecos Texas in the same winter (Texas Orni- thological Society, Trans-Pecos winter report December 2013-February 2014, http://www.texasbirds.org/). This species was not mapped in Juarez Municipal- ity by Howell and Webb (1995) or Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson (2007), but Peterson and Zimmer (1998) and Lockwood and Freeman (2014) considered it a very irregular winter visitor in west Texas. Invasions occur on the average about once every five years as birds move down out of the mountains in search of food around El Paso (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, B. Zimmer in litt., 2014). American Crow ( Corvus brachyrhynchos). Common winter visitor in agricultural fields, where found in high numbers from winter to early spring at Loma Blanca and Zaragoza (IMC; Figure 6). Two records for urban parks: two at El Chamizal on 1 January 2015; three at Club Campestre on 1 April 2015 (IMC). Not mapped in Chihuahua by Howell and Webb (1995) or Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson (2007). The only previous Chihuahua records are from near Galeana, -210 km southwest of Ciudad Juarez, of 25 on 14 February 1986 and 35 on 7 February 1987 (Hubbard 1987); Howell and Webb (1995) believed these to require verification. Our records represent the first photographic evidence of the American Crow in Chihuahua. At least for the past four decades, it has been a regular winter visitor in west Texas and adjacent regions (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Chihuahuan Raven ( Corvus cryptoleucus). Common permanent resident. Found in moderate numbers in arid habitats. Uncommon in agricultural fields of Loma Blanca. Tree Swallow ( Tachycineta bicolor). Fairly common transient, recorded only in moder- ate numbers in urban parks and agricultural fields (IMC, ATV). Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina). Uncommon summer resident in urban parks. Northern Rough-winged Swallow ( Stelgidopteryx serripennis). Fairly common sum- mer resident. Usually encountered in high numbers from early March to late Sep- tember (IMC). Uncommon summer resident at Ojo de la Punta (IMC). One record in agricultural fields (20 June 2013, Zaragoza, IMC). Howell and Webb (1995) 205 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO mapped this species as a transient in Chihuahua, but its nesting has been confirmed in northwestern Chihuahua (Gomez de Silva 2003b). In west Texas, it is a regular summer resident (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Bank Swallow ( Riparia riparia ). Recorded only as a fairly common transient in agri- cultural lands of Loma Blanca (IMC). Cliff Swallow ( Petrochelidon pyrrhonota). Fairly common summer resident. Found in moderate numbers in urban parks and agricultural fields (IMC). Cave Swallow ( Petrochelidon fulva). Fairly common summer resident. Found in moderate numbers in urban parks and agricultural fields and seen in small groups in desert scrub (IMC). This species was not mapped in Juarez Municipality by Howell and Webb (1995) or Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson (2007), but it has become a regular summer resident in west Texas and adjacent regions (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). First found in the El Paso area in 1983, the Cave Swallow quickly increased and became the second most common swal- low after the Barn Swallow (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). Additionally, the Cave Swallow is now wintering in small numbers almost every year around Rio Bosque (B. Zimmer in litt. , 2014). Barn Swallow ( Hirundo rustica). Widespread summer resident in the municipality. Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps). Common permanent resident. Found in small numbers in desert scrub, grasslands, and agricultural lands. Rare in urban parks (IMC). Red-breasted Nuthatch ( Sitta canadensis ). Irregularly fairly common winter visitor, less frequent in late spring during surveys 2012-2015. Found in moderate numbers in fall and winter in urban parks, but numbers large in some years, nearly absent in others. Seen in low numbers at El Chamizal in winter 2007-2008 (NVN). A notable early record, the species’ distinctive call was heard at Club Campestre on 8 August 2013 (IMC), presumably related to the “massive” invasion of Trans-Pecos Texas from fall 2012 to spring 2013 (Lockwood et al. 2013a, b). There are only a handful of previous Chihuahua records (Gomez de Silva 2005a, Moreno-Contreras et al. 2012, M. Bujanda in litt., 2014) and most recently records of two at the Ejido Large Parrot Reserve by W. H. Howe on 13 September 2012 (Gomez de Silva et al. 2013), and in extreme northwestern Chihuahua by Amy McAndrews and Jorge Montejo on 21 August 2014 (eBird). This species was not mapped in Chihuahua or adjacent states by Howell and Webb (1995) or Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson (2007), but it is an irregular winter visitor in west Texas (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). White-breasted Nuthatch ( Sitta carolinensis). Rare winter visitor to urban parks: single birds seen at El Chamizal on 1 and 16 January 2008 (NVN). This species was not mapped in Juarez Municipality by Howell and Webb (1995). Peterson and Zimmer (1998) and Lockwood and Freeman (2014) considered it a rare and very irregular winter visitor around El Paso. Brown Creeper ( Certhia americana ). Rare winter visitor in urban parks: two records, of single birds at Club Campestre on 9 March 2013 and at El Chamizal on 22 February 2015 (IMC, ATV). This species was not mapped in Juarez Municipality by Howell and Webb (1995) or Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson (2007), but it has become an irregular winter visitor in west Texas (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Rock Wren ( Salpinctes obsoletus). Common permanent resident, recorded in high numbers in arid habitats. Canyon Wren ( Catherpes mexicanus). Fairly common permanent resident, recorded in moderate numbers in arid habitats. House Wren (Troglodytes aedon). Uncommon winter visitor. Seen generally in small numbers in desert scrub and urban parks. At times a common migrant in the El Paso area (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). Marsh Wren ( Cistothorus palustris). Uncommon but very local winter visitor in agri- 206 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO cultural lands of Juarez Municipality. Three to five noisy birds were along the Rio Grande at Loma Blanca on 8 and 11 December 2014 (IMC). The lack of records is attributable to the species’ reclusiveness and choice of cattails or other dense marsh vegetation (Howell and Webb 1995). Bewick’s Wren (' Thryomanes bewickii). Fairly common winter visitor. Seen in mod- erate numbers in arid habitats but absent in summer. Mapped as a permanent resident by Howell and Webb (1995). In Trans-Pecos Texas, a winter visitor away from oak-juniper woodlands (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). Nested a few times in the Franklin Mountains of El Paso in the 1980s, but basically absent in summer there for the past 20 years (B. Zimmer in litt . , 2014). Cactus Wren ( Campylorhynchus brurmeicapillus). Common permanent resident in arid habitats. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher ( Polioptila caerulea). Uncommon winter visitor in brushy vegetation, where found in moderate numbers. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher ( Polioptila melanura). Fairly common permanent resident. Seen generally in brushy habitats, but in very small numbers. Apparently the freeze of February 2011 decimated Black-tailed Gnatcatcher populations in the Juarez-El Paso region (Texas Ornithological Society, Trans-Pecos winter report December 2011-February 2012, http://www.texasbirds.org/). Ruby-crowned Kinglet ( Regulus calendula). Common winter visitor. Numerous in desert scrub, agricultural lands, and urban parks. Eastern Bluebird ( Sialia sialis). Rare winter visitor. A flock of about six was at El Chamizal in January and February 2015. The species was mapped in northern Chihuahua by neither Howell and Webb (1995) nor Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson (2007). It is a rare and somewhat irregular winter visitor in El Paso County, Texas (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana). Common but irregular winter visitor, in desert scrub and urban parks. It is uncommon and irregular around El Paso (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Mountain Bluebird ( Sialia currucoides). Uncommon and very irregular winter visi- tor. Recorded in high numbers in desert scrub in the winter of 2013 only (IMC). Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus). Rare transient. One record at Loma Blanca on 5 May 2015 (IMC). The species is a rare migrant in El Paso County, Texas (Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Hermit Thrush ( Catharus guttatus). Fairly common winter visitor near foothills. Uncommon winter visitor in urban parks (IMC). Occasional at Ojo de la Punta (IMC). American Robin ( Turdus migratorius). Common resident breeder in agricultural lands and urban parks. Recorded during the entire 2012-2015 study period in moder- ate numbers but much less common in summer (IMC). Howell and Webb (1995) mapped this species as a winter visitor in Chihuahua, but it has become a regular breeding resident in west Texas and adjacent regions (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). In El Paso, it is an uncommon breeder in much of the city, becoming common only in the country club area of western El Paso where large trees are numerous (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). Curve-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre). Uncommon permanent resident, recorded in desert scrub in low numbers. Crissal Thrasher (Toxostoma crissale). Fairly common permanent resident. Found in moderate numbers in desert scrub. Sage Thrasher (Oreoscoptes montanus). Uncommon winter visitor. Recorded irregu- larly in desert scrub (IMC). One at El Bocan on 17 August 1997 was unusually early (HGdS). Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos). Common permanent resident through- out the municipality but less numerous in winter. European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Common permanent resident in urban parks. 207 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO Fairly common permanent resident in the town of Samalayuca and surrounding desert scrub (IMC). Rare permanent resident in agricultural fields of Loma Blanca. American Pipit ( Anthus rubescens). Common winter visitor in agricultural fields, but in high numbers only at Loma Blanca. Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum). Fairly common winter visitor in urban parks but numbers fluctuate from one winter to the next. Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens). Locally fairly common permanent resident at Club Campestre (IMC, ATV). Seen rarely at El Bocan (HGdS), Zaragoza, and El Chamizal (IMC). Northern Waterthrush ( Parkesia noueboracensis). Rare transient in urban parks: seen only at Club Campestre (fall). Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia). Rare transient in urban parks, where a female was at Club Campestre on 14 September 2013 (IMC). Orange-crowned Warbler ( Oreothlypis celata). Uncommon winter visitor to agricul- tural fields and urban parks. Found in moderate numbers in fall, less numerously in winter and spring (IMC). Howell and Webb (1995) mapped this species as a migrant in Chihuahua, but it has become a regular sparse winter visitor in west Texas, where it is also a common migrant (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Lucy’s Warbler ( Oreothlypis luciae). Rare summer resident in desert scrub: four males were vocalizing at Ojo de la Punta, Samalayuca, on 24 March, 1 and 12 May 2015 (IMC). The species was not mapped in Juarez Municipality by Howell and Webb (1995) or Navarro-Sigiienza and Peterson (2007), though the former described it as a fairly common summer resident in northwestern Chihuahua and a fairly common winter visitor in the southwestern portion of the state. In western Texas, Lucy’s Warbler is a rare to locally uncommon summer resident in mesquite woodlands along the Rio Grande from southern Hudspeth County to western Brewster County; in El Paso County it is principally a rare migrant but increasing as a summer visitor (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). It nests occasionally in Sierra County, New Mexico (B. Zimmer in litt. , 2015). Nashville Warbler ( Oreothlypis ruficapilla). Seen only as a rare migrant at Club Campestre on 18 April 2014 (IMC). Virginia’s Warbler (Oreothlypis uirginiae). Uncommon transient. Seen in urban parks in small numbers (spring and fall). Rare migrant in desert scrub (Ojo de la Punta, IMC). MacGillivray’s Warbler (Geothlypis tolmiei). Fairly common migrant in desert scrub, agricultural fields, and urban parks. Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trie has). Fairly common summer resident in agricultural fields of Loma Blanca and uncommon summer resident in urban parks. Mapped as a permanent resident by Howell and Webb (1995). In addition, it is a fairly common summer resident and a rare but regular winter visitor around El Paso (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). Hooded Warbler (Setophaga citrina). Rare migrant: one sighting of an adult male at Club Campestre on 25 April 2014 (IMC). The identification was based on the black hood, rest of underparts yellow, and upperparts yellow-olive with white tail spots. There is only previous Chihuahua record of the Hooded Warbler, from Mesa de las Guacamayas, Janos Municipality (Gomez de Silva 2007b), but there have been about 6-10 records for the El Paso area in the last 35 years (B. Zimmer in litt., 2014). American Redstart ( Setophaga ruticilla ). Rare migrant with one record from agricul- tural fields at Zaragoza on 25 September 2014 (IMC). Yellow Warbler ( Setophaga petechia). Uncommon migrant to agricultural fields of Loma Blanca. Rarely observed at Ojo de la Punta (IMC). Common migrant in urban parks, where found in moderate numbers in spring and fall (IMC). Howell 208 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO and Webb (1995) mapped the species as a summer resident in Juarez Municipal- ity, but it is now extirpated as a breeding species from nearby Texas (Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Pine Warbler ( Setophaga pinus). First state record for Chihuahua. A bright male was observed and photographed in good light high in Afghan pines and elms at Club Campestre, from 6 to 24 January 2015 (IMC; Figure 7). Field identification was based on underparts yellow except for whitish belly and undertail coverts and blurry streaks on side of breast, two white bars on gray wings, fairly long bill, stout appear- ance, and “tchik” call (Howell and Webb 1995). The species was not mapped in Chihuahua or adjacent states by Howell and Webb (1995) or Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson (2007). The former considered it to be an uncommon to rare (perhaps irregular) winter visitor to northeastern Mexico. Elsewhere in Mexico, this species has been recorded occasionally in the Yucatan (MacKinnon et al. 2011) and Baja California peninsulas (Erickson et al. 2013). The Pine Warbler is a casual winter visitor to El Paso County, Texas (Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Myrtle Warbler ( Setophaga coronata ). Uncommon winter visitor to urban parks. Audubon’s Warbler ( Setophaga auduboni). Common winter visitor throughout the municipality. Grace’s Warbler (Setophaga graciae). Rare migrant with one spring record: IMC saw one at close range in a grove of small pines with a mixed-species flock at Club Campestre on 18 April 2014 (Figure 8). The following characters were noted: short yellow supercilium, subocular crescent, yellow throat and chest, gray back, two white wing bars, and dark streaks on sides. This species was not mapped for the lowlands of Chihuahua by Howell and Webb (1995) or Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson (2007). Grace’s Warbler is rarely seen during migration in west Texas (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014) but nests just 64 km to the north in the Organ Mountains near Las Cruces, Dona Ana County, New Mexico (B. Zimmer in litt. , 2014). Black-throated Gray Warbler ( Setophaga nigrescens). Fairly common migrant in urban parks but rare in desert scrub. Townsend's Warbler ( Setophaga townsendi). Fairly common migrant in urban parks; less common in desert scrub. Wilson’s Warbler (Cardellina pusiha). Common migrant in urban parks (numer- ous in both spring and fall), desert scrub, grasslands, and agricultural lands. One unseasonal summer record, of a male at Club Campestre on 4 July 2014 (IMC). Yellow-breasted Chat ( Icteria virens). Uncommon summer resident along the Rio Grande floodplain near the agricultural lands of Loma Blanca. Observed rarely at Club Campestre (IMC). Green-tailed Towhee ( Pipilo chlorurus). Fairly common winter visitor. Found in small numbers in desert scrub. Observed occasionally at Club Campestre (IMC). Spotted Towhee ( Pipilo maculatus). Fairly common winter visitor, occurring in small numbers in desert scrub. Rufous-crowned Sparrow ( Aimophila ruficeps). Rare and very local permanent resi- dent in desert scrub; it has probably been overlooked in Juarez Municipality. Two sightings, from Trepachanga (foothills and rocky hillsides of the Sierra de Juarez), of about three on 25 January 2014 and two on 17 December 2014 (IMC). This species was not mapped in Juarez Municipality by Howell and Webb (1995) or Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson (2007), but it is a regular breeding resident in west Texas (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014) and in mountainous regions of Chihuahua. Canyon Towhee (. Melozone fused). Fairly common permanent resident in desert scrub. Uncommon in agricultural lands of Zaragoza and Loma Blanca; rare in urban parks (El Chamizal). Cassin’s Sparrow ( Peucaea cassinii). Uncommon summer resident in desert scrub: 209 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO recorded only at Puerta Juarez from March to early September. Mapped as a permanent resident by Howell and Webb (1995). In El Paso County, a fairly com- mon summer resident with a few mid-winter records (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). Chipping Sparrow ( Spizella passerina). Common winter visitor. Found in moderate numbers in desert scrub, grasslands, and agricultural fields. Numerous in urban parks during spring. Clay-colored Sparrow ( Spizella pallida). Fairly common migrant. Found in small numbers in desert scrub; numerous in agricultural fields. Brewer’s Sparrow ( Spizella breweri). Common winter visitor in desert scrub and grasslands. Black-chinned Sparrow ( Spizella atrogularis). Uncommon winter visitor in desert scrub. One record from El Chamizal. Vesper Sparrow ( Pooecetes gramineus). Uncommon winter visitor to desert scrub, grasslands, and agricultural fields (Loma Blanca). Lark Sparrow ( Chondestes grammacus). Uncommon migrant. Usually seen in mod- erate numbers in desert scrub from mid-August to September (IMC). Uncommon in urban parks. This species was mapped as a breeding resident in Chihuahua (Howell and Webb 1995), but around El Paso it is noted only as a regular migrant and summer resident (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Black-throated Sparrow ( Amphispiza bilineata). Common permanent resident. Frequently seen in desert scrub and grasslands. Sagebrush Sparrow ( Artemisiospiza nevadensis). Uncommon and local winter visitor to desert scrub and grasslands. Lark Bunting ( Calamospiza melanocorys) . Common winter visitor to desert scrub, agricultural fields, and grasslands. Savannah Sparrow ( Passerculus sandwichensis). Common winter visitor. Found in moderate numbers in desert scrub, grasslands, and agricultural fields. Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) . Rare transient in urban parks: one record of two birds at Club Campestre on 30 March 2015 (IMC). Mapped as a winter visitor in northern Chihuahua (Howell and Webb 1995). The species is an uncommon to casual migrant and winter visitor to Trans-Pecos Texas (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). Song Sparrow [Melospiza melodia). Uncommon winter visitor throughout the municipality. Lincoln’s Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii). Common winter visitor throughout the municipality. Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana). Uncommon winter visitor in agricultural fields, but perhaps overlooked in Juarez Municipality. Two individuals seen and photographed along the Rio Grande at Loma Blanca on 8 and 11 December 2014 (IMC). White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys). Common winter visitor through- out the municipality. Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis). Common winter visitor. Seen in moderate num- bers in desert scrub, agricultural lands, and urban parks. Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra). Transient in desert scrub: one record at Ojo de la Punta, Samalayuca, on 12 May 2015 (IMC). The Summer Tanager is an uncom- mon and local summer resident in El Paso County, Texas (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Possibly overlooked in the Juarez region. Western Tanager ( Piranga ludoviciana) . Common transient in desert scrub and urban parks. Northern Cardinal ( Cardinalis cardinalis). Rare permanent resident in desert scrub with only two records from Puerta Juarez. One record from El Chamizal. The cardinal is a rare permanent resident in El Paso County, Texas (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). 210 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus ). Common permanent resident in desert scrub. Uncommon permanent resident in grasslands, and rare in agricultural fields (Zaragoza, IMC). Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus). First record for Chihuahua. Rare transient with one record in desert scrub at Ojo de la Punta on 12 May 2015 (IMC; Figure 9). Not mapped for interior Chihuahua (Howell and Webb 1995, Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson 2007) and rare in Trans-Pecos Texas (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Black-headed Grosbeak ( Pheucticus melanocephalus) . Uncommon transient in agri- cultural lands of Loma Blanca, desert scrub, and urban parks (IMC). Howell and Webb (1995) mapped the species as a summer resident in northern Chihuahua, but it does not breed in the Juarez region. It is a fairly common to uncommon migrant in El Paso County, Texas (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). Blue Grosbeak ( Passerina caerulea). Common summer resident. Found in small numbers in agricultural fields. Numerous in desert scrub and grasslands. Lazuli Bunting [Passerina amoena ). Transient. Two records, of one at El Bocan, 19 August 1997 (HGdS), and a pair (male and female) at Ojo de la Punta, 1 May 2015 (IMC). The species is a fairly common migrant around El Paso (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014), so it has probably been overlooked in Juarez Municipality. Painted Bunting ( Passerina ciris). Rare transient. Two records: one at Loma Blanca on 10 August 2014; two at Club Campestre on 10 September 2014 (IMC). This species breeds in small numbers along the river southeast of El Paso and is an uncommon fall migrant in El Paso County generally (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). “Special protection.” Dickcissel [Spiza americana). One record of migrants flying over El Bocan, 17-21 September 1997 (HGdS). There is only one previous Chihuahua record, of one collected in Ramos Municipality on 6 September 1948 (Miller et al. 1957), mapped by Howell and Webb (1995). Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson (2007) did not map this species in Chihuahua. Uncommon to rare fall migrant in nearby Texas (Peter- son and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Red-winged Blackbird ( Agelaius phoeniceus ). Common permanent resident. It occurred throughout the 2012-2015 study period in high numbers in agricultural fields but in low numbers in urban parks (IMC). Uncommon permanent resident in desert scrub at Ojo de la Punta (IMC). This species was not mapped in Juarez Municipality by Howell and Webb (1995) or Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson (2007) but is a regular breeding resident in west Texas and adjacent regions (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Eastern Meadowlark ( Sturnella magna). Recorded only as a rare winter visitor in agricultural lands of Loma Blanca. Rare in El Paso in winter, and very uncommon and localized as a breeder (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Mapped as a permanent resident in Juarez Municipality by Howell and Webb (1995). Possibly the species does breed locally in grasslands south of Juarez Municipality. Western Meadowlark ( Sturnella neglecta). Fairly common permanent resident in desert scrub (Puerta Juarez) and agricultural lands (Loma Blanca). Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus). Fairly common winter visitor. Found in high numbers in agricultural lands and urban parks. Uncommon winter visitor at Ojo de la Punta, though it can be a fairly common winter visitor in the nearby town of Samalayuca. Brewer’s Blackbird [Euphagus cyanocephalus) . Fairly common winter visitor. Found in high numbers in agricultural lands and urban parks. Great-tailed Grackle [Quiscalus mexicanus). Common permanent resident in urban parks and agricultural fields. Uncommon in desert scrub. 211 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO Bronzed Cowbird ( Molothrus aeneus). Uncommon summer resident in agricultural fields. Brown-headed Cowbird ( Molothrus ater ). Fairly common summer resident in the agricultural lands. Uncommon in urban parks where seen in small numbers. At El Paso a common summer resident but also present in small numbers locally in winter, especially around horse stables (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). Mapped as a permanent resident by Howell and Webb (1995). Bullock’s Oriole ( Icterus bullockii). Fairly common summer resident in desert scrub, agricultural fields, and urban parks. Scott’s Oriole (Icterus parisorum). Fairly common summer resident in desert scrub. House Finch ( Haemorhous mexicanus). Common permanent resident throughout. Red Crossbill ( Loxia curuirostra). Irregular winter visitor to urban parks. In 2007 and 2008, recorded in low numbers at El Chamizal (NVN). From 2012 to 2015 recorded only in late March 2013 at Club Campestre (IMC, ATV). These records coincided with the “massive” invasion of Trans-Pecos Texas from fall 2012 to spring 2013 (Lockwood et al. 2013a, b). This species was mapped in Juarez Municipality by neither Howell and Webb (1995) nor Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson (2007) but is an irregular winter visitor in west Texas and adjacent regions (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). Pine Siskin ( Spinus pinus). Fairly common winter visitor to desert scrub and urban parks. Lesser Goldfinch ( Spinus psaltria). Fairly common permanent resident. Recorded in small groups in desert scrub, agricultural fields, and urban parks. Scarce in mid- summer, being a very localized breeder in El Paso County (Peterson and Zimmer 1998). American Goldfinch ( Spinus tristis). Rare winter visitor in urban parks with three individuals at Club Campestre on 24 March 2013 and one on 2 January 2014 (IMC, ATV). There are a few records for northwestern Chihuahua (Dieni et al. 2003). This species was mapped in Chihuahua by neither Howell and Webb (1995) nor Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson (2007) but it is a regular winter visitor in west Texas (Peterson and Zimmer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). House Sparrow ( Passer domesticus). Abundant permanent resident. DISCUSSION The 221 species recorded in our study constitute 68% of the species re- corded from Chihuahua (CONABIO 2014) and 19% of the Mexican avifauna (Navarro-Siguenza et al. 2013). Our records reveal several discrepancies with range maps and seasonality information provided by Howell and Webb (1995) and with range maps by Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson (2007). For example, 31 species we recorded were not mapped at all in this part of Chihuahua by Howell and Webb (1995): the Hooded Merganser, Western Grebe, Neotropic Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, White-tailed Kite, Mississippi Kite, Common Black Hawk, Harris’s Hawk, White-throated Swift, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpeck- er, Northern Flicker, Blue-headed Vireo, Steller’s Jay, American Crow, Cave Swallow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Eastern Bluebird, Lucy’s Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Pine Warbler, Grace’s Warbler, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Dickcissel, Red-winged Blackbird, Red Crossbill, and American Goldfinch. Neither were 27 of these (all of the above except Harris’s Hawk, White-throated Swift, Williamson’s Sapsucker, and White-breasted Nuthatch) mapped in 212 AVIFAUNA OF JUAREZ MUNICIPALITY, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO this area by Navarro-Siguenza and Peterson (2007). These species were simply missed because the area is poorly known, or because the species’ range is expanding, as in the cases of the Neotropic Cormorant, Eurasian Collar ed-Dove, Cave Swallow, and American Crow. We found the seasonality of several additional species different from that indicated by Howell and Webb (1995). Several herons listed as winter visitors are now established as breeding residents, whereas other species previously mentioned as permanent residents are only migrants or winter visitors in the Juarez-El Paso region. On the other hand, our records are highly consistent with published literature on the avifauna of west Texas (Peterson and Zim- mer 1998, Lockwood and Freeman 2014). The adjacent regions of Texas have received relatively intense study for many decades, and the habitats are similar, particularly in the westernmost counties of El Paso and Hudspeth. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank Dave Krueper, Mark Lockwood, Daniel D. Gibson, and Philip Unitt for their editorial work and for their helpful comments that significantly improved the content of this study. We are grateful to Barry R. Zimmer, James N. Paton, Peter Scott, Laura de Leon, Diana Venegas, Patricia Ramirez, and A. Townsend Peterson for their comments on the manuscript. Thanks to Antonio de la Mora for the elabora- tion of the map. We thank Karina Aguilar, Valeria Moreno, Cindy Najera, Itzel Ortiz, David Sanchez, and Eduardo Garcia for help in the field, and Miguel A. Viveros for authorizing access for bird surveys at Club Campestre. Thanks to CONACyT and Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez for the supporting grant for the first author. This is contribution number 3 of “New Distributional Information on the Avifauna of Chihuahua.” LITERATURE CITED Allen, J. A. 1893. List of mammals and birds collected in northeastern Sonora and northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico, on the Lumholtz Archaeological Expedition. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 5:27-42. 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CONA- BIO, Mexico, D.F.; http://www.conabio.gob.mx/informacion/gis/ [20 August 2014] Navarro-Sigiienza, A. G., Peterson, A. T., and Gordillo-Martinez, A. 2003. Muse- ums working together: The atlas of the birds of Mexico. Bull. Br. Ornithol. Club 123:207-225. Navarro-Sigiienza, A. G., Rebon-Gallardo, M. F., Gordillo-Martinez, A., Peterson, A. T., Berlanga-Garcia, H., and Sanchez-Gonzalez, L. A. 2013. Biodiversidad de aves en Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 85:476-495. Peterson, A. T., and Navarro-Sigiienza, A. G. 1996. Review of A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Auk 113:975-977. Peterson, J., and Zimmer, B. R. 1998. Birds of the Trans-Pecos. Univ. of Texas Press, Austin. Ralph, C. J., Geupel, G. R., Pyle, P., Martin, T. E., and Desante, D. F. 1993. Hand- book of field methods for monitoring landbirds. U.S. Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-144. Rowland, F. 2009. Identifying Empidonax flycatchers: The ratio approach. Birding 41:30-38 Rzedowski, J. 2006. 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FAULKNER, 6035 Parfet Street, Arvada, Colorado 80004; zebrilus@gmail.com ABSTRACT: Since 1985, 58 species have been added to the Colorado list, 49 confirmed as new to the state, 8 to reclassification of subspecies as species, and 1 to description of a new species (the Gunnison Sage-Grouse, Centrocercus minimus). The changes include discovery of a resident population of the Ruffed Grouse ( Bonasa umbellus), transitory colonization of the Inca Dove ( Columbina inca), marginal colonization of the Acorn Woodpecker ( Melanerpes formicivorus), the Glossy Ibis (. Plegadis falcinellus) becoming a regular spring migrant, massive colonization of the Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto), vagrancy of four species of Old World origin, and vagrancy of one species of Southern Hemisphere origin, the Kelp Gull ( Larus dominicanus). The Colorado Bird Records Committee (CBRC) last published a report in Western Birds in 1987 (Gent 1987). Since that time, its reports have been published exclusively within the journal published by the Colorado Field Or- nithologists ( C.F.O . Journal, Journal of the Colorado Field Ornithologists, and Colorado Birds). All of the CBRC’s reports can be downloaded from its website (www.coloradobirdrecords.org). This report summarizes species added to the Colorado list since publication of Gent (1987), including addi- tions due to taxonomic revision. The Colorado state list totaled 440 species at the end of 1985 (Gent 1987). This report discusses 58 additions to the Colorado list (8 due to taxo- nomic splits), as well as four additional species that could have represented changes to the list. All species on the 1985 list remain on the current list. Thus, as of review of all documentation through 2013, the Colorado state list stood at 498 species. Per CBRC bylaws, all accepted first state records received a 7-0 or 6-1 vote to accept (up to three rounds of voting) and were based on physical evidence (e.g., photo, audio recording, specimen) or writ- ten documentation from multiple observers. Single-observer records may be accepted provisionally until one of the aforementioned requirements is met for a subsequent occurrence, at which time the species is added to the state list (for an example, see the Common Ground-Dove). Basic information on all records evaluated can be retrieved from the CBRC website. The CBRC has had nine chairs from 1986 to 2013: Richard Bunn, Doug Faulkner, Peter Gent, Mark Janos, Tony Leukering, Bill Lisowsky, Duane Nelson, Bill Prather, and Larry Semo. REPORT FORMAT The initials of the contributing observer(s) and the record’s accession num- ber are given for each first state record. The initials of the observer(s) who found the bird, if known, are italicized and presented first only if that person also contributed documentation; additional contributors follow in alphabetical order by last name. If the initial observer is known with certainty, but he or she did not submit documentation, those initials are italicized and presented last. 216 Western Birds 46:216-232, 2015 COLORADO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT: 1986-2013 Observers submitting a photograph or video are indicated with a dagger (t), those who submitted video by (u), those who submitted audio spectrograms or recordings by (s), and those who submitted a sketch by (s/c). In this report, county names are italicized. The committee recognizes only those dates for which a bird was documented as dates of occurrence. The full span of dates for each record is given when possible; however, the seasonal summary reports in the Colorado Field Ornithologists’ quarterly journal are the primary source of those dates. Abbreviations used in the report: CBC, Christmas Bird Count; DMNS, Denver Museum of Nature and Science; NG, National Grassland; NM, National Monument; SP, State Park; SWA, State Wildlife Area. SPECIES ADDED BECAUSE OF TAXONOMIC REVISIONS All species added to the Colorado state list as a result of taxonomic splits by the American Ornithologists’ Union North American Classification Committee were supported by records accepted by the CBRC or had been recognized as regularly occurring in the state (Andrews and Righter 1992). Except where noted, these species are not on the CBRC’s main review list. Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii). Split from the Canada Goose ( B . canadensis) (Banks et al. 2004). The Canada Goose is a year-round resident in Colorado, supple- mented by migrants and winter visitors; the Cackling Goose is a common migrant and winter resident on the eastern plains, particularly in the southeast. Gunnison Sage-Grouse ( Centrocercus minimus). Distinguished as a species distinct from the Greater Sage-Grouse (C. urophasianus) in 2000 (Young et al. 2000, AOU 2000). These species are allopatric year-round residents in sagebrush steppe in Colorado. The Gunnison Sage-Grouse is patchily distributed in southwestern Colorado from eastern Gunnison and north-central Saguache west to the Utah state line. Mexican ( Antrostomus arizonae) and Eastern (A. vociferus) Whip-poor-wills. Formerly considered a single species, the Whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus vociferus), of which Colorado had just four records in 1985. One of those four was of a singing individual of the Mexican subspecies arizonae near Colorado Springs, El Paso , July 1981, the other three of the eastern nominate vociferus. Subsequently split (Chesser et al. 2010), both species are accidental in Colorado and on the CBRC’s main review list. Currently, Colorado has two records of the Mexican and nine records of the Eastern. Colorado’s second recorded Mexican Whip-poor-will was a calling individual along Fosset Gulch Road, Archuleta, on 22 June 1999. Eight of the state’s nine records of the Eastern are from east of the Rocky Mountains; the other is of one tape-recorded along the Little Snake River, Moffat, on 21 May 1992. Six of the nine Eastern Whip-poor-will records are from 13 to 26 May, the remaining three spanning September. Blue-headed ( Vireo solitarius) and Cassin’s (V cassinii) Vireos. Split from the Plumbeous Vireo (V. plumbeus), which breeds regularly in Colorado (AOU 1997). The Blue-headed Vireo was on the main review list through 2013, after which the CBRC removed it because of its annual occurrence in small numbers (Faulkner 2014). That species is primarily a fall migrant (40 records) from 1 September to 25 October in eastern Colorado. Colorado has just six spring records (five from 6 to 19 May; one for 16 June). Cassin’s Vireo is a regular fall migrant in small numbers statewide, except on the extreme eastern plains, but it is considerably rarer during spring migration. Eastern Towhee ( Pipilo erythrophthalmus) . Formerly considered conspecific as the Rufous-sided Towhee (also P. erythrophthalmus), this species and the Spotted 217 COLORADO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT: 1986-2013 Towhee (P. maculatus ) were split in 1995 (AOU 1995). The two species’ hybrid zone in the Great Plains, particularly along the Platte River drainage, has been well established, with birds showing Eastern Towhee characteristics occurring into north- eastern Colorado (Sibley and West 1959, Rising 1983a). The Spotted Towhee is a widespread breeding species in the state. The Eastern Towhee remains on the main review list in part because of the lack of regular breeding in Colorado and inherent difficulties presented by the Great Plains hybrid swarm. The CBRC does not accept records of any birds exhibiting even minor Spotted Towhee features. As of 2013, Colorado had 32 records from along the Front Range and eastern plains. Most records (22) are of fall migrants and wintering birds, presumably originating from somewhere north and/or east of Colorado. Baltimore Oriole ( Icterus galbula). In 1995, the AOU resplit this species and Bull- ock’s Oriole (/. bullockii), which it had merged in 1973. Like that of the towhees, the hybrid zone for these species on the Great Plains has been well studied (Rising 1983a, b). But, in contrast to the situation of the towhees, phenotypically pure Baltimore Orioles breed regularly in the eastern tier of Colorado counties — thus that species is not on the main review list. Bullock’s Oriole breeds widely in the state. Black ( Leucosticte atrata) and Gray-crowned (L. tephrocotis) Rosy-Finches. The AOU (1993) reversed its decision of 1983 and resplit these species from the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (L. australis), which is nearly endemic to Colorado. During winter, all three species are found regularly in mixed flocks throughout the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. SPECIES ADDED AS A RESULT OF DISTRIBUTIONAL RECORDS Fulvous Whistling-Duck {Dendrocygna bicolor). Colorado’s only record is of one at a small pond near Kersey, Weld, 15 October 1990 (JHm, JCo; 8-90-14). The question of this bird’s origin was of some concern to the CBRC, but Nelson (1992) noted that acceptance of this record was based partially on the species’ “strong tendency to wander after the breeding season.” Mottled Duck ( Anas fulvigula). Bailey and Niedrach (1965) noted two specimens taken in Colorado: one near Loveland, Larimer, 6 November 1907, and an adult male at Timnath Reservoir, Larimer, 18 September 1962 (DMNS 353 and 33794, respectively). It was on the basis of these specimens that the Mottled Duck was origi- nally placed on the Colorado list when the Colorado Bird Records Committee (then the CFO Official Records Committee) was formed in 1972. However, the species was removed from the state list (Andrews 1979) after John Hubbard examined these specimens and reidentified them as having Mallard (A. platyrhynchos) influence (Hub- bard 1977). Colorado’s only accepted record is of a male photographed at Andrick Ponds SWA, Morgan, 28-30 June 2013 (SM/f, RH; 2013-186); it exhibited the blue-green speculum of A. /. maculosa (Bellrose 1976). Garganey ( Anas querquedula). A male at Jackson Reservoir, Morgan, 26 April 1990 (PG, MJ, JBr; 8-90-11), was the first Garganey reported in Colorado. This bird was also reported on the 27 th , but the CBRC has no documentation in support of its occurrence on that date. This occurrence follows the strong pattern in much of the U.S. and Canada for this species to be found in spring (Howell et al. 2014). The only other Colorado record is also of a male found during spring migration, at Sombrero Pond, Boulder, 28 March 1992. Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula). The state’s first was a male at Cottonwood Marsh, Boulder, 21-23 Mar 1997 ( MPl , PG, MJ, TLs/c, LN; 1997-16). Colorado has since recorded three more Tufted Ducks: one each in March 2000, January 2011, and December 2011. The latter two may have been the same (returning) adult female, 218 COLORADO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT: 1986-2013 but they were at locations 14 km apart, and the CBRC decided that distance was enough to warrant the birds being considered as different. Ruffed Grouse ( Bonasa umbellus). Colorado’s first record is of one killed by a hunter on Hoy Mountain, Moffat, 26 October 1988, <1 km from the Utah state line (DMNS 39566). All subsequent records have also come from Hoy Mountain, where the Ruffed Grouse is likely a year-round resident. Arctic Loon ( Gauia arctica ) The surprise of the 2002 fall migration was the appear- ance of a transitional-plumaged adult at a small gravel-pit pond near Franktown, Douglas, 17-20 November 2002 ( HK , UK, DFf, RHf, TLf, ROf, GW, DWmf; 2002-105; Figure 1). This represented the first U.S. record away from Pacific coastal states. Colorado has a second record of an alternate-plumaged adult at Chatfield SP, Jefferson/Douglas, 28 September 2005. Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus). This species has had a confusing history in Colorado dating back to at least 1898 (Faulkner 2004). It was on the CBRC's original state list (Reddall 1973) on the basis of a specimen (DMNS 39079, collected May 1916), then later removed when reexamination revealed the bird to be a White-faced Ibis (P. chihi) (Gent 1987). The first accepted Colorado record of the Glossy is of an alternate-plumaged adult at Sweitzer Lake SP, Delta, 27 March 1986 ( MJ sk, VJ; 7-86-10). This species is now regular, with an average of 3.3 records accepted annually from 1995 to 2004, 4.3 from 2005 to 2011). Owing to the annual occurrence of multiple individuals, the species has been removed from the state’s main review list (Faulkner 2012a). Nesting has not been confirmed in Colorado but was just across the state border near Laramie, Wyoming, in 2005 (Faulkner 2005). Black Vulture ( Coraggps atratus). Colorado’s first was represented by an adult that roosted near the John Martin Reservoir dam, Bent, 13-14 August 2002 (DiVt, CLWt; 2004-83). Colorado has since accepted two more records, both of single adults, in July 2009 and July 2010. All three records are from eastern Colorado. Figure 1 . Transitional-plumaged Arctic Loon at Walker Pit near Franktown, Douglas, 19 November 2002. Photo by Tony Leukering 219 COLORADO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT: 1986-2013 Harris’s Hawk ( Parabuteo unicinctus). The committee reviewed documentations for three occurrences in 1994, accepting two of them: one adult near Waterton, Jef- ferson, 17-23 December 1994 {JK, SS, JBH, MJ, JRf; 10-94-17) and one adult in Fort Collins, Larimer, 19 December 1994 (BLs; 10-94-18). An apparent movement by this species outside its normal range in 1994 was enough to assuage concerns regarding these birds’ origin (Prather 1997). Colorado has two additional records, from October 1995 and June 2007. Pending review are two additional records, both with photographs, from 2013 and 2014. Zone-tailed Hawk ( Buteo albonotatus). An adult soaring over Colorado NM, Mesa, 17 July 1999, was well documented by attendees and staff of the Rocky Mountain [ne Colorado] Bird Observatory’s summer camp (NB, JDut, MN, AWf, SYf; 1999- 176) for the state's first record. Colorado has another record from Pueblo City Park, Pueblo, 27 April 2002. The committee also has received photographs of one from spring 2014; the record is pending review. Curlew Sandpiper. ( Calidris ferruginea). An alternate-plumaged female at Upper Queen Reservoir, Kiowa, 30 June-1 July 1998 (DNf, DSc; 1998-49) represents the first of currently four records for Colorado. The other three records are of single birds during fall migration in September 2005, August 2012, and August 2013. Black-headed Gull ( Chroicocephalus ridibundus). A basic-plumaged individual remained at Cherry Creek Reservoir, Arapahoe, 8-9 October 1988 (JR, SS, DMt; 23-88-33). Colorado’s subsequent three records are all of individuals staying very briefly in April 1990, October 1998, and October 2000. Western Gull. ( Larus occidentalis) . Colorado’s first Western Gull visited Chatfield SP, Douglas/ Jefferson, 1-18 June 2011 (GWf, DAf, PGf, BMdt, BKPf, NP; 2011- 81). This individual, which had a lame left leg, had the solid bright yellow orbital ring and black wingtips indicating a pure Western Gull and a saddle color within the range of variation of the northern subspecies occidentalis. Colorado has three other accepted records, of a third-cycle subadult and an alternate-plumaged adult, both from March 2012, and another adult in October 2013. All four of these records are from eastern Colorado. In a split decision, the CBRC did not accept a record of a Western-type gull, photographed in southwestern Colorado in April 2012, that appeared to have an infusion of Glaucous-winged Gull (L. glaucescens) genes. Iceland Gull ( Larus glaucoides). A first-cycle immature at Valeo Ponds SWA and the Pueblo landfill, Pueblo, 9-10 January 1999 represented the first record for Colorado (RO, BKP, DQ, MJ, PG, TLf, TDu; 1999-171). Another in its first cycle occurred in March 2000, but it wasn’t until 2005 that the species became annual during late winter and early spring. Colorado currently has 33 records, with the initial dates of sightings in November (1), December (5), January (7), February (5), March (10), and April (5), and another one in the queue for review. Slaty-backed Gull ( Larus schistisagus). An adult in definitive basic plumage was in the greater Loveland area, Larimer, 6 March-6 April 2000 (DL, RHfu, TL, JM, LN, RO, LSf, DE; 2000-164). Colorado’s second record is of another long-staying adult at Aurora Reservoir, Arapahoe, 15 December 2013-3 January 2014. Kelp Gull ( Larus dominicanus). Semo (2007) exhaustively reviewed the occur- rence of a 3- or 4-year-old male Kelp Gull of the wide-ranging nominate subspecies dominicanus that was at Jackson Reservoir, Morgan, 17-27 September 2003, and between Fossil Creek Reservoir and Donath Reservoir, both Larimer, 19 October-20 November 2003 (HK, UK, PG, RHf, TLf, BMdt, NP, BSf, ASt; 2003-78; Figure 2). The committee acknowledged that it could not prove with certainty that this individual did not possess mixed-species heritage. The Herring Gull (L. argentatus) is the only species with which the Kelp Gull is known to have hybridized in the Northern Hemisphere, and this was the only pairing the committee considered. While FI Kelp x Herring hybrids appear intermediate between the parental species, Kelp x post-FI 220 COLORADO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT: 1986-2013 Figure 2. After more than a week at Jackson Reservoir, Morgan , in September 2003, this near-adult Kelp Gull was observed at two locations in Larimer during October and November 2003 (here at Donath Reservoir, 26 October). Photo by Bill Maynard backcrosses can appear phenotypically identical to a pure Kelp Gull (Dittmann and Cardiff 2005). Expert opinion solicited for this record noted unanimously that this individual appeared to be a phenotypically pure Kelp Gull. Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscatus). Colorado’s only Sooty Tern record is of an adult apparently driven inland by Hurricane Ike (BKPf, JK, BMdf, NP, BS, ASt, GWt; 2008-107). This bird, discovered 12 September 2008 at Lake Holbrook, Otero, disappeared for a brief period before anxious birders refound it at Lake Meredith, Crowley, 14.5 km to the northwest. The bird departed early the next morning (Percival 2009). Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus). One at Nee Noshe Reservoir, Kiowa, 15-16 July 1997, provided Colorado with its first record (DNf, MJ sk, DSc sk; 1997-42) (Nelson 1999). The state’s subsequent two records are of single birds making brief visits in June 2004 and July 2012. All three records are from eastern Colorado. Sandwich Tern ( Thalasseus sandvicensis). Quite unexpected, an adult was found at Manitou Lake, Teller, 27 June 2013, and actively foraged at Manitou Lake and along Trout Creek through 30 June 2013 (BLff, RL, JDrf, DFf, BK, PGt, BKPf; 2013-177; this issue’s front cover). The two New World subspecies, acuflavidus and eurygnathus, are distinct, as the latter usually has an entirely yellow or orange bill. The Eurasian subspecies sandvicensis, can be distinguished with caution, in part, by its longer, thinner, drooping bill. Efe et al. (2009) suggested it be distinguished as species, but Chesser et al. (2013) believed the evidence for this inadequate. Several photos of the Colorado tern showed that its bill was thick and fairly straight, as in acuflavidus. The origin of this bird is of some concern because there are very few inland records of this species, most (all?) of storm-driven birds. Colorado experienced no major weather systems before or during the time that this tern was found. However, 221 COLORADO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT: 1986-2013 its behavior of actively plunge-diving for prey, the lack of leg bands, and lack of feather wear all suggested that this was a wild bird and not one recently escaped from captivity. Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger). An adult found at Jett Reservoir, Kiowa, in southeastern Colorado, stayed for three days, 19—21 July 2001 (DF sk, PG, ROu, CLWt, DN: 2001-64). Colorado’s only other record is of one at Pastorius Reservoir, La Plata, 29 April 2004, in the southwest corner of the state. Eurasian Collared-Dove ( Streptopelia decaocto ). A small colony of at least 11 birds in Rocky Ford, Otero, went undetected by the birding community until July 1996 (TL, PG, MJ; 25-96-34), though local residents related that the birds had been present since 1995 (Janos 1998). The species continued its well-documented U.S. expansion through the state and is now considered a common year-round resident in much of Colorado. Inca Dove ( Columbina inca). The committee received documentation for three occurrences in 1992, all of which were accepted. The first was of one at Lafayette, Boulder, 4 November-16 December 1992 (MJ, DNt, DMn; 25-92-3), the other two records of two birds at Vineland, Pueblo, 15 November 1992-4 January 1993, with one persisting to 28 February 1993 (MJ, MY, JW; 25-92-12), and three birds at Lamar, Prowers, 23 November-21 December 1992 (JS/f; 25-92-2). The Inca Dove established very small breeding colonies in Rocky Ford, Otero, and Lamar, Prowers, during the early 2000s, but these populations disappeared by 2011. Colorado cur- rently has 22 accepted records. Common Ground-Dove (Columbina passerina). Colorado’s first record, of one at Deckers, Douglas, 8 November 1981 (DM/; 25-81-64), was quickly followed by the second, at Tamarack Ranch SWA, Logan, 17 December 1981 ( GBr ; 25-81-63). Given that these records, and another from December 1994, were all single-observer reports without physical evidence, it was not until multiple observers documented the occurrence of one at Jackson Reservoir, Morgan, in November 1999 that the species was added to the state list. Colorado has just one additional record, of one in November 2011, which contributed to establishing a pattern of late fall and early winter (November-December) occurrence of the Common Ground-Dove in the state. Green Violetear (Colibri thalassinus). One visiting a feeder near Durango, La Plata, 25-26 July 1998 (MPx t; 1998-80), represented the state’s first record. Colo- rado has a second record, of one photographed at Conifer, Jefferson, 12 Septem- ber-4 October 2003, which was originally identified as a Magnificent Hummingbird ( Eugenes fulgens) (Faulkner 2012b). These records fit the Green Violetear’s pattern of summer vagrancy to the U.S., likely involving the partially migratory subspecies thalassinus of central Mexico (Howell et al. 2014). Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris). The state’s first record is represented by an adult male at Rye, Pueblo, 13 July 1991 (DSi, TSf; 31-91-42). Colorado now has 24 records of which 18 are of fall migrants with initial detection dates from 19 August to 3 October. Two other records for July are also likely of fall migrants, while the remaining four records are of spring migrants found 30 April-13 May. Costa’s Hummingbird (Calypte costae ). A male at Crow Valley Campground, Pawnee NG, Weld, 17-18 May 2001, provided Colorado’s first record (RDf, SD, RHi>, SMe; 2001-46), which remains the only spring occurrence among the total of now seven records. The remaining six are from July (1), August (1), September (2), November (1), and December (1). Broad-billed Hummingbird ( Cynanthus latirostris). A female at Clifton, Mesa, 14-15 November 2002 (DFf, TLf, DNt, RO, GWt, CLWt, SB, BMr ; 2002-100) represents the first of now three state records. The bird had apparently been present since at least July, but the Colorado birding community did not become aware of it 222 COLORADO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT: 1986-2013 until November, when Steve Bouricius checked on the report of a late Black-chinned Hummingbird ( Archilochus alexandri) that turned out to be this species (Leukering 2004). Remarkably, two of Colorado’s records are of birds previously banded in Louisiana! The female at Clifton had been banded in January 2002, and an adult male found at Colorado Springs, El Paso, on 13 April 2006 had been banded the previous December. An adult male found 1 1 km south of Lamar, Prowers, on 18 April 2005, was not captured (and photos do not show the legs well), so the committee is unaware whether or not it too had been previously banded. White-eared Hummingbird {Hylocharis leucotis). Colorado’s first and second records overlapped during the same summer. An adult female visited feeders at a residence near Durango, La Plata ; the committee received documentation for 19 June-24 July 2005 (JBef, PG, JKf, CWi, SA; 2005-69; Figure 3), though the bird apparently stayed through 7 August. During this period, an immature female was first observed on 22 July in northern La Plata ~35 km north of the first bird, and it apparently also stayed until 7 August (DFt. LSf, PB; 2005-77). These White-eared Hummingbirds occurred during the species’ unprecedented movement during the sum- mer and early autumn of 2005, which generated first records for northern Arizona, southeastern New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and only the second record east of the Mississippi River, of one in Michigan (Semo 2006). Acorn Woodpecker {Melanerpes formicivorus). Currently, the state’s first accepted record is of four individuals just north of the New Mexico border at Lake Dorothey SWA, Las Animas, 20 July-4 September 1994 (PG, JM, MY; 33-94-43). The status of a provisionally accepted record at Billy Creek SWA, Ouray, 5 September 1980 (unknown observer; 33-80-60) mentioned by Chase (1982) is under review. A very small breeding colony has persisted near Durango, La Plata, since at least 1995, and a pair has nested at Pueblo Mountain Park near Beulah, Pueblo, since 2012. Colorado currently has 17 records, although a few of these may pertain to the same individuals over multiple years (e.g., the Durango breeding colony). Figure 3. The first of two female White-eared Hummingbirds found in La Plata during mid-summer 2005 (here at Durango, 2 July). Photo by Bill Schmoker 223 COLORADO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT: 1986-2013 Crested Caracara ( Caracara cheriway). An injured adult found near Trinidad, Las Animas, 29 September 1997, taken to a raptor rehabilitator, and ultimately released provided Colorado with its first record (GEf; 1997-21). This individual showed none of the telltale signs of previous captivity, such as worn tail feathers or abnormal bill or talon growth (Evans 1998). Colorado has two additional records, both of single adults, for October 2010 and July 2011. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher ( Empidonax flauiventris). Colorado’s first record was provisionally accepted as a single-observer report of one in Pueblo, Pueblo, on 28 May 2000 (MJ; 2000-165). Subsequently, one was photographed in August 2005, one was captured at a banding station in May 2006, and one was audio recorded in May 2008. There are currently nine records of this species. Acadian Flycatcher ( Empidonax virescens). One at Van’s Grove, Bent, 12 May 2008 (BKPf, JKf, BMdf; 2009-32; Figure 4) remains the only Acadian Flycatcher recorded in Colorado. Buff-breasted Flycatcher ( Empidonax fuluifrons). A singing male was at Hannah Ranch SWA, El Paso, 19 May 1991 (JCo, BPr, JP; 34-91-47). Despite a range contraction and population decrease between the late 1800s and 1970 (Conway and Kirkpatrick 2007), the species had historically ranged as far north as Prescott, Arizona, and west-central New Mexico, so its occurrence in Colorado was plausible. Brown-crested Flycatcher (. Myiarchus tyrannulus ). One photographed at Crow Valley Campground, Pawnee NG, Weld, 29 October 2007 (DLf; 2007-76; Figure 5), provided Colorado with its first record. Its large bill implied it was of the subspe- cies magister of the southwestern U.S. and western Mexico. Colorado has a second record of one photographed in Alamosa, 29 June 2013. Still pending review is one photographed in 2014. Great Kiskadee ( Pitangus sulphuratus). Colorado’s sole record is of one observed for just 13 minutes in the backyard of a private residence near Lamar, Prowers, 21 June 2013 (JStf; 2013-174). Kansas has a single record from Cimarron NG, Morton, 18-21 May 1995, ~120 km southeast of where this bird was observed in Colorado’s southeastern corner. The Colorado record currently represents the farthest north this species has been documented in North America. Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher (Myiodynastes luteiventris) . One record for Colorado, of an adult at Adobe Creek Reservoir, Bent, 18-19 September 2002 (DNf, RHf, TLf ; 2002-77; Figure 6). Although ascertaining the age of Myiodynastes flycatchers can be difficult, photos of this bird show worn flight feathers and a long, wide dark shaft streak on the outermost rectrix, indicating an adult (Pyle 1997, Leukerinq and Semo 2004). Thick-billed Kingbird ( Tyrannus crassirostris). One at Waterton Canyon, Jefferson, 23 October 1992, provided Colorado with its first record ( DWd , JK s/c; 34-92-190). The state’s only other record is of one photographed near Parker, Elbert, 3 July 2004. Cave Swallow (. Petrochelidon fulua). Leukering (2011) considered the Cave Swal- low to be a “stealth” vagrant to Colorado. As he noted, it has been reported in the state on multiple occasions since 2003, but until 2013 the CBRC has received docu- mentation for only one of those reports, which it did not accept in a mixed decision (Semo and Faulkner 2011). The only accepted record is of a juvenile photographed at Prewitt Reservoir, Washington , 17 July 2013 (SM/f; 2013-183). Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus). After this species and the Winter Wren (T. hiemalis ) were split from T. troglodytes in 2010 (Chesser et al. 2010), the CBRC received photographs of one at Two Buttes SWA, Baca, 2 January 2005 (TLf, CLW-, 2010-88; 7-0). Prior to 2010, T. hiemalis was known to be of annual occurrence in Colorado but the status of T. pacificus as currently defined was unclear, with no records accepted by the CBRC. Subsequently, the committee has accepted nine Pacific 224 COLORADO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT: 1986-2013 Wren records, all of which are from the eastern half of the state from mid-October to early January. Smith’s Longspur (Calcarius pictus). Rather surprisingly, this migrant and winter resident in the Great Plains was first recorded in Colorado only in 2003, when one was observed at Nee Noshe Reservoir, Kiowa, 11-12 October 2003 (BS, SMa, JM, GWf; 2003-82). The state still has just a total of five records, all but one (from Boulder) from the far eastern plains. The Boulder record is also the only one for spring, 16 April 2013. Tropical Parula. ( Setophaga pitiayumi). A singing male set up territory in Grand- view Cemetery, Ft. Collins, Larimer, 18 June-4 July 2005 (DF, PG, LGf, THf, NL, JMt, NP s, BSt, CWit, DL, JM; 2005-71; Figure 7). This record represents the northernmost documented occurrence of this species. Red-faced Warbler [Cardellina rubrifrons). Colorado’s lone record is of one along the Wheat Ridge Greenbelt, Jefferson, 3 May 1993 (DNf, JRf, DSc, SS; 52-93-36). Black-chinned Sparrow ( Spizella atrogularis). Colorado’s first record is of one photographed in the southeastern corner of the state at a private residence near Lamar, Prowers, 16 September 2006 (JStf; 2006-128). Since then, birders have documented multiple singing males near Durango, La Plata, in 2010; three records for the Devil’s Kitchen Trail, Colorado NM, Mesa, 2010-2012, including successful nesting in 2012; and a nonsinging individual in rural Huerfano in 2012. Pyrrhuloxia ( Cardinalis sinuatus). Colorado’s first of four records is of a female found 7 km west of the Kansas border near Holly, Prowers, 17-18 December 1989 (MJ, KK, DNf; 56-89-53). The other three records are from August 1996, April 1999, and June 2011. Vagrancy of the Pyrrhuloxia in the southern Great Plains typically occurs in late fall and winter, so the late spring and summer dates for three of Colorado’s four records are somewhat atypical (Patten 2006). Bronzed Cowbird (. Molothrus aeneus ). An immature male, probably of the eastern subspecies aeneus, was near a private residence in Lakewood, Jefferson, 18 May-5 June 1990 (PG, MJ, BC, JCt ; 54-90-76). The committee recently has received documentation for this bird’s continuing occurrence at its original location for 17 June and at another nearby residence on 30 June. This remains Colorado’s only record. Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus). A definitive-plumaged male occupied a small territory near Cortez, Montezuma, 19 June-14 July 2006 (RHf, JKf, BMdf, BKPf, NP, ASt, CWit, HE, JR; 2006-102). It resembled the southwestern U.S. subspecies nelsoni in its yellow (less orange) plumage, long bill, and relatively short tail (Semo 2008). Still under review is the photograph of an adult female in May 2014. Streak-backed Oriole ( Icterus pustulatus). Colorado’s first, an apparent adult female, patronized feeders at a private residence in Loveland, Larimer, 8 December 2007-2 January 2008 (CK|, PG, GGf, TLt, BKP, NP, ASt, AK; 2007-103; Figure 8). It appeared to be of the subspecies microstictus of western Mexico. Colorado’s only other record is of one near Fountain, El Paso, 25 November 2011. Hoary Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni). The massive redpoll invasion of winter 2012-2013 yielded six records. The first was of multiple individuals coming to feeders at the Discovery Museum, Ft. Collins, Larimer, 23 December 2012-26 January 2013 (TH, KMD, RHt, BMdt, MM, SMlf; 2013-10; Figure 9). These birds occurred among the hundreds of Common Redpolls (A. flammea) also coming to those feeders but did not associate specifically with each other. All 14 documentations received were of single birds, and 10 of these included photographs. Sex and plumage differences evident in the photographs reveal up to three individuals per day but it is impracti- cal for the committee to attempt to determine exactly how many individuals might have been documented over their month-long stay. The additional five records, all with photographs, date from 29 December 2012 to 3 March 2013. The committee 225 COLORADO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT: 1986-2013 Figure 4. Colorado’s overdue (and still its only) Acadian Flycatcher at Van’s Grove, Bent, 12 May 2009. Photo by Brandon Percival Figure 5. This Brown-crested Flycatcher, of the subspecies magister, made a quick stop at Crow Valley Campground, Weld, 29 October 2007, in northeastern Colorado. Photo by David Leatherman 226 COLORADO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT: 1986-2013 Figure 6. Colorado’s only Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, photographed during its two-day visit to a woodlot at Adobe Creek Reservoir, Bent, 18-19 September 2002 (here on 19 September). Photo by Tony Leukering Figure 7. This adult male Tropical Parula set up a territory at the Grandview Cemetery in Fort Collins, Larimer, 18 June-4 July 2005 (here on 22 June). Photo by Rachel Hopper 227 COLORADO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT: 1986-2013 did not accept six other reports, even though these also included photographs. For these, outside expert opinions were not decisive or at least two committee members concluded that the birds should be left unidentified to species because they were not classic examples of the Hoary Redpoll. Lawrence’s Goldfinch ( Spinus lawrencei). A male stayed at a private residence in Grand Junction, Mesa, 23 May-24 July 2007 (LA, PG, GGt, RH|, BMf, NP; 2007- 38; Figure 10) and may have sired young with a female Lesser Goldfinch (S. psaltria ) (Brinkley 2008). This species breeds in California and northern Baja California and winters regularly in southern Arizona and northwestern mainland Mexico, making occasional winter movements farther east to New Mexico, so the occurrence of one during summer was quite unexpected. Semo (2008 and references therein) noted that single males also occurred in 2007 in southwestern Utah (late March and presumably the same individual again in early September) and west-central New Mexico, 19 July-5 August, lending support to a pattern of anomalous vagrancy by that species in 2007. SPECIES NOT REPRESENTING A CHANGE FROM THE COLORADO LIST IN 1985 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (. Dendrocynga autumnalis). This species was origi- nally placed on the Colorado list on the basis of a record from Chatfield SP, Douglas/ Jefferson, 21 September 1980 (Chase 1982). A subsequent committee removed this record, as well as another from 1981, because of concerns regarding origin (Nelson 1991), an issue the previous committee had considered (Leukering 2003). In 2002, after the species had established a pattern of vagrancy in the Great Plains, the com- mittee re-reviewed four documented reports and accepted one: an adult at Adams and Bunker Reservoir No. 1, Weld, 11 July 1991 (GBtf; 8-91-14). This remains the only accepted record for Colorado. Emperor Goose ( Chen canagica ). Colorado’s only documented Emperor Goose is one killed by a hunter near Hudson, Weld, in late January 2009. Although the CBRC did not accept the record, its analysis may have implications for other potential extralimital records of the Emperor Goose in the interior U.S. (Semo 2011). Semo and I examined and photographed the mounted specimen, and the taxidermist allowed two underwing coverts to be pulled. The bird showed no sign of captivity, such as removal of the hallux from the right foot, leg bands, tattooing on foot webbing, or abnormal feather wear or calloused feet. Comparison of stable-isotope ratios in the pulled feathers by the U.S. Geological Survey with those in birds within their native range in Alaska implied that the Colorado specimen had molted those feathers at a latitude similar to Colorado (Semo 2011). Possibly, it was a wild bird that had spent the previous summer in or near Colorado. Regardless, the majority of committee members were conservative and voted to not accept because of the results of the stable-isotope analysis and the possibility that this Emperor Goose was not of wild provenance. California Condor ( Gymnogyps calif ornianus). The identification of three birds at Land’s End on the Grand Mesa, Mesa, 25 August 1998 is not in doubt; however, because these birds originated from the recently introduced population in Arizona this occurrence does not qualify as a state record. Two second-year birds (N1 and N8) reported in 2015 had been released in Grand Canyon NP in September 2014. N8 was photographed in southwestern Colorado in mid-April, then approximately a week later in Los Alamos, New Mexico. N1 was observed in a Colorado Springs backyard in late May and captured for rehabilitation and re-release. Common Black Hawk ( Buteogallus anthracinus). This species was on the state list in 1985 (Gent 1987) on the basis of one at Chatfield State Park, Douglas, 20 June 1980 (DA, KK; 10-80-83). A later committee removed this record under the mistaken belief that the species was “quite sedentary” and cautioned that a pattern of vagrancy 228 COLORADO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT: 1986-2013 should be established before that record was accepted (Nelson 1991). After the com- mittee had received three additional reports, it unanimously re-accepted the 1980 record as Colorado’s first (Prather 1996). Colorado currently has 11 records of the Common Black Hawk, seven of them since 2005, from both sides of the continental divide. Their distribution by month is April (3), May (2), June (5), and September (1). REPORTERS AND CITED OBSERVERS The committee thanks the following individuals cited in this report for submitting records of or discovering and reporting rare birds in Colorado: David Alcock, Susan Allerton, Robert Andrews, Larry Arnold, Nick Barber, Giff Beaton (GBt), Jim Beatty (JBe), Steve Bouricius, John Bregar (JBr), Richard Brown, Galen Burrell (GBr), Jerry Cairo (JCo), Bill Carter, Jan Carter (JCt), Ruth Dick, Todd Dilley, Steve Dinsmore, John Drummond (JDr), Jennie Duberstein (JDu), Kathy Mihm Dunning (KMD), David Ely, Norm Erthal, Gail Evans, Doug Faulkner, Peter Gent, Gregg Goodrich, Larry Griffin, J. B. Hayes (JBH), Thomas Heinrich, Joe Himmel (JHm), Rachel Hopper, Mark Janos, Vicky Janos, Bill Kaempfer, Joey Kellner, Hugh Kingery, Urling Kingery, Kate Kittleman, A1 Kogler, Connie Kogler, David Leatherman, Tony Leukering, Norm Lewis, Brenda Linfield (BLf), Roger Linfield, Bill Lisowsky (BLs), Joe Mammoser, Steve Mammoser (SMa), David Martin (DMt), Bill Maynard (BMd), Dave Menough (DMn), Steve Messick (SMe), Mark Minner-Lee, Steve Mlodinow (SMI), Dennis Morales (DM1), Bob Myers (BMr), Duane Nelson, Larry Norris, Matt Norris, Ric Olson, Brandon Per- cival (BKP), Nathan Pieplow, Marlene Pixler (MPx), Myron Plooster (MP1), Bill Prather (BPr), John Prather, David Quesenberry, Jack Reddall, Joe Roller, Bill Schmoker, Dick Schottler (DSc), Larry Semo, Tom Shane, David Silverman (DSi), Jennifer Slater (JS1), Andrew Spencer, Steve Stachowiak, Jane Stulp (JSt), Glenn Walbek, David Waltman (DWm), Doug Ward (DWd), Cole Wild (CWi), Joan Williams, Adam Wood, Chris Wood (CLW), Mark Yaeger, and Scott Yanco. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank Peter Gent, Rachel Hopper, Tony Leukering, and Brandon Percival for their reviews, comments, and corrections to early drafts of this report. My thanks also to Paul Lehman and David Vander Pluym for their thoughtful comments and improvements to the submitted manuscript. LITERATURE CITED American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU). 1993. Thirty-ninth supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds. Auk 110:675-682. AOU. 1995. Fortieth supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds. Auk 112:819-830. AOU. 1997. Forty-first supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds. Auk 114:542-552. AOU. 2000. Forty-second supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check- list of North American Birds. Auk 117:847-858. Andrews, R. 1979. Colorado Field Ornithologists Official Records Committee Report 1976-1977. W. Birds 10:57-70. Andrews, R., and Righter, R. 1992. Colorado Birds: A Reference to Their Distribution and Habitat. Denver Mus. Nat. Hist., Denver. Bailey, A. M., and Niedrach, R. J. 1965. Birds of Colorado. Denver Mus. Nat. Hist., Denver. Banks, R. C., Cicero, C., Dunn, J. L., Kratter, A. W., Rasmussen, P. C., Remsen, J. 229 COLORADO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT: 1986-2013 Figure 8. This Streak-backed Oriole frequented a feeder near Loveland, Larimer, 8 December 2007-2 January 2008 (here on 9 December). Photo by Bill Schmoker V. Jr., Rising, J. D., and Stotz, D. F. 2004. Forty-fifth supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds. Auk 121:985-995. Bellrose, F. C. 1976. Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North America. Stackpole, Har- risburg, PA. Brinkley, E. S. 2008. Changing seasons: Southbound. N. Am. Birds 61:550-556. Chase, C. A. III. 1982. Colorado Field Ornithologists Records Committee report 1980-1981. C.F.O. J. 16:46-52. Chesser, T. R., Banks, R. C., Barker, F. K., Cicero, C., Dunn, J. L., Kratter, A. W., Figure 9. One of multiple Hoary Redpolls at the Discovery Museum, Larimer, part of a major redpoll invasion during the winter 2012-2013 (here on 11 January). Photo by Rachel Hopper 230 COLORADO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT: 1986-2013 Figure 10. Colorado’s first recorded Lawrence’s Goldfinch was this adult male at Grand Junction, Mesa, 23 May-24 July 2007 (here on 26 May). Photo by Bill Schmoker Lovette, I. J., Rasmussen, P. C., Remsen, J. V. Jr., Rising, J. D., Stotz, D. F., and Winker, K. 2010. Fifty-first supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds. Auk 127:726-744. Chesser, R. T.., Banks, R. C., Barker, F. K., Cicero, C., Dunn, J. L., Kratter, A. W., Lovette, I. J., Rasmussen, P. C., Remsen, J. V. Jr., Rising, J. D., Stotz, D. F., and Winker, K. 2013. Fifty-fourth supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds. Auk 130:558-571. Conway, C. J., and Kirkpatrick, C. 2007. Effect of forest fire suppression on Buff- breasted Flycatchers. J. Wildlife Mgmt. 71:445-457. Dittmann, D. L., and Cardiff, S. W. 2005. The “Chandeleur” Gull: Origins and iden- tification of Kelp x Herring Gull hybrids. Birding May/June: 266-276. Efe, M. A., Tavares, E. S., Baker, A. J., and Bonatto, S. L. 2009. Multigene phy- logeny and DNA barcoding indicate that the Sandwich Tern complex ( Thalasseus sandvicensis, Laridae, Sternini) comprises two species. Molec. Phylogen. Evol. 52:263-267. Evans, G. 1998. Crested Caracara: A mishap and a second chance. J. Colo. Field Ornithol. 32:82-84. Faulkner, D. 2004. Glossy Ibis records for Colorado and neighboring states. W. Birds 35:147-155. Faulkner, D. 2005. Hybridization and nesting of Glossy Ibis ( Plegadis falcinellus) in Wyoming. N. Am. Birds 59:382-384. Faulkner, D. 2012a. Changes to the Main Review List. Colo. Birds 46:207-214. Faulkner, D. 2012b. The 62 nd report of the Colorado Bird Records Committee. Colo. Birds 46:106-120. Faulkner, D. 2014. The 69 th report of the Colorado Bird Records Committee. Colo. Birds 48:163-179. Gent, P. 1987. Colorado Field Ornithologists’ Records Committee report for 1979-1985. W. Birds 18:97-108. 231 COLORADO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE REPORT: 1986-2013 Howell, S. N.G. , Lewington, I., and Russell, W. 2014. Rare Birds of North America. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, NJ. Hubbard, J. P. 1977. The biological and taxonomic status of the Mexican Duck. New Mexico Dept. Game and Fish Bull. 16. Janos, M. 1998. Report of the Colorado Bird Records Committee: 1996 records. J. Colo. Field Ornithol. 32:173-187. Leukering, T. 2003. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: A wanderer rejoins the official Colorado list. Colo. Birds 37:202-206. Leukering, T. 2004. The 37 th Report of the Colorado Bird Records Committee. Colo. Birds 38:73-88. Leukering, T. 2011. In the scope: Cave Swallow: Colorado’s stealthiest vagrant. Colo. Birds 45:236-242. Leukering, T., and Semo, L. S.. 2004. 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W. 2000. A new species of sage-grouse (Phasianidae: Centrocercus ) from southwest- ern Colorado. Wilson Bull. 112:445-453. Accepted 14 March 2015 232 HISTORY AND STATUS OF THE WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN IN NEW MEXICO CLAIT E. BRAUN, Grouse Inc., 5572 North Ventana Road, Tucson, Arizona 85750; sgwtp66@gmail . com SARTOR O. WILLIAMS III, Division of Birds, Museum of Southwestern Biology, Uni- versity of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131; sunbittern@earthlink.net ABSTRACT: We reviewed the literature and observations of the occurrence and status of the White-tailed Ptarmigan ( Lagopus leucura ) in New Mexico. Historical reports were infrequent, likely because of an inadequate system for recording observa- tions from the public, although by 1928 biologists had a good understanding of the distribution and status of the species in the state. By 1980, ptarmigan persisted in small numbers in the northern portion of the New Mexico range but were uncommon or absent in the southern portion of the range, prompting a transplant of White-tailed Ptarmigan from Colorado into the southern area in 1981. Poliowing that successful transplant, observations initially increased and subsequently continued at a relatively low level with most reports coming from the southern portion but including others from throughout the historical range. White-tailed Ptarmigan are localized in suitable habitats, but their abundance in New Mexico may be affected by the decreasing size of alpine snowfields in summer, grazing in areas dominated by willow ( Salix spp.), and the shift to a warmer and drier climate. The White-tailed Ptarmigan ( Lagopus leucura) occurs from Alaska south to New Mexico; its distribution is highly discontinuous and is most fragmented in the southern portion of its range (Braun et al. 1993). The abundance of the species is also quite variable (Braun, unpubl. data) and has been measured for only a few sites. Variation in abundance appears to depend on a site’s characteristics, especially the abundance of late-lying snow patches and rock and boulder fields, as well as the presence of willows ( Salix spp.), which may be affected by moisture regimes. The ptarmigan was first reported in New Mexico by B. J. D. Irwin prior to 1866 in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Cantonment Burgwyn near present-day Taos (Coues 1866, 1875, Bendire 1892). Bailey (1928) suggested those records were from the Truchas Peaks area farther south, although similar habitat existed closer in the Wheeler Peak area; the collec- tion locale — latitude 37° north — is the present New Mexico-Colorado border (Coues 1875). While the actual collection date of the reported specimens is unknown, it was likely 1856-1857, as Irwin was stationed in New Mexico (at Fort Union) for only a short period between August 1856 and December 1857 (Hume 1942). It is likely Irwin visited the Burgwyn area sometime before leaving New Mexico and arriving at Fort Buchanan near Tucson, Arizona, in December 1857; he did not return to northern New Mexico. Cantonment Burgwyn was abandoned by the U.S. Army in 1860. The present location of the specimen(s) is unknown. Bailey (1928) offered a bleak description of the species’ distribution and abundance in New Mexico in the earliest decades of the 20 th century, as even extensive searches in some areas yielded few records. By 1928, how- ever, specimen records and/ or reports had accumulated from most or all of the known New Mexico distribution as it is understood today. Although its Western Birds 46:233-243, 2015 233 HISTORY AND STATUS OF THE WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN IN NEW MEXICO habitat is limited, the White-tailed Ptarmigan has persisted in New Mexico to the present in essentially the same areas as occupied in the late 1920s. Our objectives are to report (1) on the occurrence of White-tailed Ptarmi- gan in New Mexico by two broad time intervals, separated by a transplant in 1981; (2) on efforts to locate extant populations before and after the transplant; (3) details of the transplant into the southern portion of the New Mexico range; and (4) estimate possible size of the area that the spe- cies could inhabit in the state. These data should be useful as the species is studied more intensively, the result of interest by some groups in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in listing the White-tailed Ptarmigan as threatened or endangered because of a reduction projected from climate change. METHODS We searched the published literature, unpublished reports in the files of government agencies, and written reports of observations of White-tailed Ptarmigan maintained in the archives of the New Mexico Ornithological Society, inspected museum specimens (four that could be found), and, in 2004, Williams searched habitat appearing suitable on the basis of Braun’s extensive field experience in Colorado. We included only conclusive reports from the historic range (Ligon 1927, Bailey 1928) and in areas where birds transported from Colorado were released (spring and fall 1981). Broadcasting tape-recorded White-tailed Ptarmigan calls (Braun et al. 1973), in 1969, 1979, and 2006 Braun searched apparently suitable habi- tat (Braun 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979, 2006) as follows: 10-11 September 1969 with New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) personnel in the Wheeler Peak area including Simpson Peak, Taos Cone, and Mount Walter, and also in the Latir Peaks area on 12 September 1969. Ten years later, Braun and personnel of the NMDGF and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) made similar searches in the Latir Peaks 3-4 August 1979 and on Mount Walter above Taos Ski Valley on 5 August 1979. Also in 1979 they visited the southern portion of the New Mexico distribution, surveying por- tions of the Pecos Wilderness (Jicarita Peak, Serpent Lake, Santa Barbara Divide, Horseshoe Lake, Barbara Peak) as well as portions of the Truchas Peaks (Truchas Lake) and south to Pecos Baldy from 7 to 9 August. Santa Fe Baldy and nearby Lake Peak were searched on 10 August. In 2006, broad- casting calls of a male White-tailed Ptarmigan, Braun and USFS personnel searched the area above Serpent Lake to Jicarita Peak and along the Santa Barbara Divide trail from 12 to 14 June. Using methods detailed by Braun and Rogers (1971:21) and areal mea- surements from U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps, Braun estimated the area above tree line (elevation 3505 m) in the Sangre de Cristo Moun- tains of New Mexico, as Pat Gioannini of the New Mexico Section of the American Alpine Club did independently. The latter estimate was based on a computer program that counted pixels above 3505 m in the area from Santa Fe Baldy north to the Colorado line in the vicinity of Stateline Peak. We made no distinction between area possibly available from May through October and in winter (November-April), as knowledge of habitats used by White-tailed Ptarmigan in winter in New Mexico is lacking. 234 HISTORY AND STATUS OF THE WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN IN NEW MEXICO RESULTS Pre-1981 Observations Bailey (1904, 1905) provided the first detailed overview of the distribution and status of White-tailed Ptarmigan in New Mexico, reporting specimens and observations (some of the latter second-hand and several years old) from many of the peaks in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains now understood as ptarmigan locales. She (Bailey 1904) recognized a lower-elevation gap of “some 30-40 miles” (48-64 km) that separated the northern peaks (Wheeler Peak northward) from the southern peaks of the upper Pecos region, and noted the species seemed to be scarce or absent in the southern area and in low numbers in the north. Ligon (1927:127-129) reported essentially the same status in the mid-1920s, noting the species formerly occurred on about a dozen high peaks and ridges in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains but had been “exterminated” from the southern peaks (e.g., Pecos Baldy, Truchas Peaks), was faring poorly in the Wheeler Peak and Gold Hill areas, and seemed to be surviving best in the Costilla Peak area near the Colorado line. Ligon estimated the total amount of alpine habitat in New Mexico at “less than 20 square miles” (< 52 km 2 ) but reported that excessive summer grazing by domestic sheep was destroying the habitat and suggested only about 100 birds remained. Bailey (1928) summarized the available historical distributional data, including mapping the range as extending from Santa Fe Baldy and Pecos Baldy north to the Colorado line. By 1928, the species was understood to occur, or have occurred, in the Costilla Peaks area near the Colorado border, the Latir Peaks area, Gold Hill, and the Wheeler Peak area in the north, and the Santa Barbara Divide ridge (“Mora Pass”), Truchas Peaks, Pecos Baldy, and Santa Fe Baldy areas in the south, these encompassing the alpine areas of present day Taos, Colfax, Rio Arriba, Mora, and Santa Fe counties (Figure 1). Ligon (1961:88) revisited historical information and added at least one more recent observation, a report of a female and brood on “Costilla Peak” in mid-July 1952; we suspect the location, given as the “head of Ricardo Creek” is more likely Little Costilla Peak, an isolated 3825-m mountain on the Taos-Colfax county line and east of the principal peaks, including (Big) Costilla Peak in Taos County. Ligon (1961) reported seeing ptarmigan in New Mexico on but two occasions, on Wheeler Peak (in the 1920s) and on Costilla Peak, where he collected two specimens in November 1926. He concluded the species was, by the early 1960s, restricted to a few peaks in the northern portion of the distribution. Lee (1967) reiterated that the ptarmigan appeared to be surviving only in the northern part of the distribu- tion, from Wheeler Peak north. Hubbard (1970) summarized known locales and listed several further observations, including in the Santa Fe Baldy area in the mid-1960s (letter from Braun), in the Latir Peaks area in April 1969, and on Costilla Peak in February 1970, and later (1978) reported one photographed of five seen on Wheeler Peak in September 1976. Hubbard (1978) summarized the overall status at that time as rare to uncommon and local, although formerly more widespread and numerous; he made no mention that the species was 235 HISTORY AND STATUS OF THE WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN IN NEW MEXICO Figure 1. Principal peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in north-central New Mexico (shaded area, above 1600 m), which correspond to known White-tailed Ptarmigan locations. These locales are clustered in two groups, representing the northern and southern portions of species’ distribution in the state. Northern portion: 1, Stateline Peak; 2, Costilla Peak; 3, Little Costilla Peak; 4, Latir Peaks; 5, Gold Hill; 6, Wheeler Peak (including Mount Walter). Southern portion: 7, Jicarita Peak (including Serpent Lake); 8, Santa Barbara Divide (including Mora Pass, Horseshoe Lake, Rincon Bonita, Middle Fork Lake, Barbara Peak); 9, Truchas Peaks; 10, Pecos Baldy; 11, Santa Fe Baldy (including Lake Peak). Elevations of peaks range from 3806 (Pecos Baldy) to 4012 m (Wheeler Peak). extirpated from New Mexico, contra Wolfe et al. (2011). An important report from the mid-1970s was of two birds in winter plum- age on 27 January 1974 at the headwaters of Nambe Creek near Santa Fe Baldy (correspondence of 12 February 1974 and 4 March 1974 from S. R. Bryan Jr.); this represents the southernmost factual record of living ptarmi- 236 HISTORY AND STATUS OF THE WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN IN NEW MEXICO gan. A report of two seen on Santa Fe Baldy in November 1976 ( American Birds 31:208) represented the last report from the southern portion of the New Mexico range prior to 1981. A report by R. T. Peterson of two on Stateline Peak on 10 August 1979 indicated the species was still present near the Colorado border. We dismiss one report from the mid-1970s from “near Chama,” as the undetailed, second-hand observation of three birds on an unknown date in November 1974 was on Cumbres Pass in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, not in New Mexico. We located four museum specimens of the White-tailed Ptarmigan taken in New Mexico, all from Taos County. Three are in the U.S. National Museum (USNM 193236, adult male, 24 January 1904, 3.2 km north of Arroyo Seco; USNM 194589, adult male, 24 July 1904, 8 km south of Twining; USNM 194588, adult male, 6 August 1904, 8 km south of Twining), and one is in the Museum of Southwestern Biology at the University of New Mexico (MSB 891, yearling male, 19 June 1924, 32 km northeast of Taos at Wheeler Peak). We know of two additional Taos County specimens col- lected by J. S. Ligon on 28 November 1926 on Costilla Peak near the New Mexico-Colorado boundary (Ligon 1961). Those specimens were mounted and placed on exhibit at the Santa Fe office of the NMDGF (photograph in Ligon 1927), but their whereabouts today is unknown. Braun initiated searches for ptarmigan in New Mexico in 1969; his field diary from work at Wheeler Peak on 10 and 11 September and at Latir Peak on 12 September 1969 does not mention finding any birds or sign (droppings or feathers) in those areas, although he found sign of the Dusky Grouse ( Dendragapus obscurus) above treeline on Wheeler Peak. Three birds reported from Latir Peak in April 1969 (Hubbard 1970) were likely transients from farther north, owing to the general lack of willow habitat noted there on 1969 surveys. A decade later, however, J. P. Hubbard photo- graphed two adults on Latir Peak on 6 August 1978, and K. J. Nelson of the USFS reported “broods and chicks” on both Latir Peak and Mount Walter in the Wheeler Peak area during August and September 1978. In 1979, at the request of the NMDGF and the USFS, Braun searched for ptarmigan in New Mexico from 3 to 10 August. Areas investigated included the Latir and Wheeler Peak areas in the north and the Jicarita Peak, Truchas Peaks, Pecos Baldy, and Santa Fe Baldy (including Lake and Pentente peaks) areas in the south. He observed older winter ptarmigan sign on Latir Peak on 3 and 4 August and two broods (of five and three chicks) on Mount Walter above Horseshoe Lake on 5 August. Both adult females were captured, banded, photographed, and released; this was in the same area where K. J. Nelson reported broods and chicks in 1978 as well as one male on 29 June 1979 and a female with five chicks on 18 July 1979. On subsequent surveys of the area where Braun captured the two females with broods, Nelson found two additional adults in August. No ptarmigan or their sign were observed in any of the areas searched in the southern portion of the New Mexico range. In 1980, M. R. Broschart {in litt.) reported he found three males in the Wheeler Peak area in late June 1980 by playing tape-recorded “challenge” calls of the White-tailed Ptarmigan. Nelson reported a pair of ptarmigan in the Heart Lake cirque of the Latir Peak area in 1980 as well as three 237 HISTORY AND STATUS OF THE WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN IN NEW MEXICO additional males in the Wheeler Peak area: one on the northeast ridge overlooking Lost Lake, one on the southeast side of La Cal Basin, and one on the ridge between Mount Walter and Simpson Peak. Nelson also observed a male on the east-facing slope of the saddle and ridge southeast of Gold Hill, and a female with one chick in the same area plus a male on the northeast slope of Gold Hill. All sightings listed by Bailey (1904, 1905, 1928) and Ligon (1927, 1961) were from the northern mountains (Figure 1) from Wheeler Peak north to the Colorado State boundary. All known specimen records (6) from New Mexico are also from the northern mountains. From the southern mountains (Figure 1), before the 1960s there was no documentation, but there were second-hand reports of ptarmigan (Hubbard 1970). See Bailey (1904) for “Mora” Pass, and Bailey (1928:203) specifically mentioned reports from the “Truchas Peaks” in 1903 and from “peaks at the head of the Pecos” in 1919. Subsequently, prior to 1981, we know of only the two (1974, 1976) reports by Hubbard (1978), both at Santa Fe Baldy. Thus prior to 1981 there were at least 19 verifiable reports from the northern mountains versus at least five from the southern mountains. The 1981 Transplant The NMDGF, in cooperation with the USFS, formally requested a trans- plant of White-tailed Ptarmigan from Colorado in February 1981. The goal was to release birds into the southern portion of the New Mexico range, where there had been the fewest reports in recent years. That request was approved, and from 26 to 28 May 1981, 22 ptarmigan (11 mated pairs) captured in Colorado were released in the vicinity of the Santa Barbara Divide in the Pecos Wilderness of the Carson and Santa Fe national forests. An additonal 21 birds (12 adult and yearling females, six adult and yearling males, and three young of the year) from Colorado were released into the same area on 10 September 1981 (Braun et al. 2011). Post- 1981 Observations Following the 1981 transplants, reports increased in the southern portion of the range and continued in the northern portion. Some of these observa- tions were reported by Wolfe et al. (2011) from Williams’s data collected while he was employed by the NMDFG. We found 50 separate observations of over 214 individual White-tailed Ptarmigan between 1982 and 2006. Of this total, 10 observations (38 individuals) were from the northern area (Figure 2) and 40 observations (176 individuals) were from the southern area (Figure 2). Reports of observations in the northern area were primarily from Wheeler Peak (including Mount Walter), Kachina Peak, Latir Peaks, and Stateline Peak. Those in the south were primarily in the area of Santa Barbara Divide including Jicarita Peak, Rincon Bonita, and Barbara Peak with some as far south as Santa Fe Baldy. The observations likely reflected the ptarmigan’s abundance, but their distribution was undoubtedly influenced by word of mouth from observers and may not represent the actual distribu- tion. The largest group of up to 26 individuals was reported in 1983 in the vicinity of the 1981 releases (NMDGF 1983). Broods were observed in this area commonly, and Wolfe (2006) reported a nest on the summit of Barbara 238 HISTORY AND STATUS OF THE WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN IN NEW MEXICO Figure 2. White-tailed Ptarmigan breeding (near willows) and summer (near snowfields) habitats, Santa Barbara Ridge, New Mexico. Photo by Cole J. Wolf Peak in August 1993. An observation by J. R. Oldenettel on Santa Barbara Ridge in July 2005 was of a hen possibly brooding a newly hatched chick. The consistency in sightings and sign (feathers and/or droppings) continued through 2006. In 2006 the USFS contracted Braun to examine habitats in the Serpent Lake, Santa Barbara Divide, and Jicarita Peak areas to devise a survey for presence or absence. On 13 June 2006, above Serpent Lake, he heard and observed two males, capturing and banding one, and along the trail to Jicarita Peak observed a pair. On 14 June, two males were calling above camp at the headwaters of the East Fork of the Rio Santa Barbara. Ptarmi- gan feathers and droppings were noted at several locations along the Santa Barbara Divide during this trip. Also in 2006, D. J. Cleary (in litt.) visited Little Costilla Peak but detected no ptarmigan. Similarly, E. R. Rominger observed none in the northern portion of the range during helicopter surveys for bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis ) on 15 and 16 July. Birders began to visit the Santa Barbara Divide-Jicarita Peak area begin- ning in the early 2000s specifically to locate ptarmigan, and these “ptar- migan treks” continued almost annually to 2014, skipping only 2010 and 2011. On all of these treks, conducted in July or August, ptarmigan were encountered, and adults with young were noted in 2005, 2009, and 2012. Wolfe et al. (2011) listed observations of ptarmigan in New Mexico from 2007 through 2010. 239 HISTORY AND STATUS OF THE WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN IN NEW MEXICO DISCUSSION The historic distribution of the White-tailed Ptarmigan in New Mexico included all of the alpine habitat of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains from Santa Fe Baldy north to the Colorado boundary, a distance of some 132 km (Bailey 1928, Ligon 1961). All of the reported areas of occupancy in New Mexico are within the distance the species moves in Colorado (Hoffman and Braun 1975, Giesen and Braun 1993). New Mexico records are few from the 1920s to the late 1960s, when interest in the species increased after initiation of studies in adjacent Colorado (Braun and Rogers 1971) and with the establishment in 1974 of an endangered-species program by NMDGF, which listed the ptarmigan as endangered in 1975. Brasso and Emslie (2006) reported late Pleistocene fossils of Lagopus from Sandia Cave in Las Huertas Canyon on the Sandoval-Bernalillo County line. The fossils were closest in size to the White-tailed Ptarmigan. The loca- tion, in the Sandia Mountains, is less than 50 km south of Santa Fe Baldy. Bailey (1904, 1905) and Ligon (1927) commented on the apparent poor condition of alpine habitats in New Mexico, which they assumed was the result of livestock grazing, primarily by domestic sheep. This activity, coupled with illegal hunting, was assumed to have reduced abundance of the species (e.g., Bailey 1928, Ligon 1961). Grazing by domestic sheep has been observed to cause the ptarmigan to change its patterns of movement in summer (Braun 1971), and localized overharvest has been documented (Braun and Rogers 1971). Therefore we believe that Bailey’s and Ligon’s conclusions have merit. Habitats the White-tailed Ptarmigan uses in New Mexico (Figure 2) appear similar to those used in southern Colorado except for the reduced abun- dance of willows and the lack of late-lying snowfields and wet seeps. Their floristic composition parallels those to the north in Colorado as described by Braun (1971). Alpine areas used by ptarmigan in New Mexico are small, disjunct, frequently linear, and contain unsuitable habitats. Thus large numbers of individuals should not be expected. Two independent estimates of the area above tree line (about 3505 m) in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains distribu- tion of the species in New Mexico are similar — up to about 285 km 2 . Only a fraction of this area is suitable, however. Some areas have extensive steep rocky cliffs with little vegetation. A liberal assessment, based on field studies along the Front Range, Collegiate Range, and San Juan Mountains in Colorado (Braun and Rogers 1971), is that from May through October about one-half of the total, about 143 km 2 , could be suitable for ptarmigan, a figure almost three times as large as Ligon’s (1927) estimate of 52 km 2 . The low density of the White-tailed Ptarmigan in New Mexico is due mostly to the small size of suitable alpine areas but probably also to the lack of shrub willows in the krummholz zone, especially in the drier locales such as Latir Peaks and Gold Hill, where snowfields do not linger into mid to late summer. Mat willow is locally common, especially in the Mount Walter area, and is likely the habitat most favorable for the species in the state. Thus the unavailability of taller willow in winter and spring suggest these are the periods limiting the White-tailed Ptarmigan in New Mexico, affecting overwinter survival and the 240 HISTORY AND STATUS OF THE WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN IN NEW MEXICO number of possible breeding territories. On the basis of work in Colorado (Braun and Rogers (1971), we estimate the ptarmigan’s population density in New Mexico in spring at 0.8 to 2.3 pairs/km 2 in occupied habitat. The best habitats in the state are in the Wheeler Peak area (especially Mount Walter) and farther north in the Costilla Peak area adjacent to occupied range in Colorado (because of probable linkage with Colorado populations). The best areas in the southern portion of the New Mexico distribution are those along the Santa Barbara Divide from Jicarita Peak to Barbara Peak. White-tailed Ptarmigan can occupy most alpine areas in New Mexico in late spring and early summer. However, field investigations in 1969 and 1979 suggest that habitat can also be limiting in late summer and early fall because of the lack of late-lying snow fields and moist areas to provide succulent forage. In Colorado, grazing by domestic sheep tends to desic- cate alpine vegetation in late summer and fall, causing ptarmigan to move farther upslope, if possible, or to steep rocky east- and north-facing slopes, which retain moisture and to which sheep have less access (Braun 1971). The success of the releases of White-tailed Ptarmigan in New Mexico was expected from the success of transplants to Utah (Braun et al. 1978), an isolated area in Colorado (Hoffman and Giesen 1983), and California (Frederick and Gutierrez 1992). Overall, the success of ptarmigan transplants within North America has been high (Kaler et al. 2010, Braun et al. 2011). Those releases were into suitable habitat, as they were also in New Mexico. The number of observations of ptarmigan in New Mexico increased after the 1981 transplants, as did the locations where the birds were reported. The frequent absence of ptarmigan in some areas, such as Latir Peaks and Gold Hill in the north, Pecos Baldy and Santa Fe Baldy in the south, sug- gests fluctuations in abundance and distribution. In Colorado, these oscilla- tions appear to have a period of 7-10 years but low amplitude (Braun et al. 1991). That pattern may prevail in New Mexico also. The best, most secure habitats for the species in the state appear to be in the north in the Mount Walter and Costilla Peak areas, where land ownership is mixed. Further legal protection for areas of mixed ownership important to White-tailed Ptarmigan may be needed. Since 1966, nesting and hatching of the White-tailed Ptarmigan in Colo- rado has shifted earlier (Wang et al. 2002, Wann 2012). These changes could be profound farther south in the limited alpine habitats of New Mexico where population densities are low and occupancy is intermittent, as at Latir Peaks and Gold Hill. The scarcity of late-remaining snow fields and areas with taller or even mat willows, and the lack of connectivity of apparently suitable habitats in all alpine areas of New Mexico, suggest the effect of future changes in climate on the White-tailed Ptarmigan should be expressed and measurable in this state first. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Braun appreciates the early support of personnel of the Colorado Division of Wildlife, especially Jack R. Grieb, as well as directors of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (Ladd S. Gordon, Harold F. Olsen), and area managers Parry D. Larson and Robert Welch, as well as Endangered Species Program manager John P. Hubbard. Personnel of the U.S. Forest Service who were particularly helpful were Kurt 241 HISTORY AND STATUS OF THE WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN IN NEW MEXICO J. Nelson, Art Renfrow, E. Leon Fisher, and Matt W. McDonald. Williams acknowl- edges the many observers who have contributed observations of the ptarmigan and other birds to the New Mexico Ornithological Society since 1962. We thank Patricia Mehlhop for preparing Figure 1, and Cole J. Wolf for use of his photographs. We thank Greg Wann, an unidentified reviewer, and associate editor Robert Gill for com- ments and suggestions that improved the original manuscript. LITERATURE CITED Bailey, F. M. 1904. Additional notes on the birds of the upper Pecos. Auk 21:349- 363. Bailey, F. M. 1905. Notes from northern New Mexico. Auk 23:316-318. Bailey, F. M. 1928. Birds of New Mexico. New Mexico Dept. Game and Fish, Santa Fe. Bendire, C. E. 1892. Life histories of North American birds. Smithsonian Inst., Washington, DC. Brasso, R. L., and Emslie, S. D. 2006. Two new late Pleistocene avifaunas from New Mexico. Condor 108:721-730. Braun, C. E. 1969. White-tailed Ptarmigan field surveys in New Mexico, 10-12 September 1969. Report to Colo. Dept. Game, Fish and Parks, Fort Collins, CO. Braun, C. E. 1970. Distribution and habitat of White-tailed Ptarmigan in Colorado and New Mexico. Proc. Southwestern and Rocky Mountain Div., Am. Assoc. Adv. Sci. 46:35. Braun, C. E. 1971. Habitat requirements of Colorado White-tailed Ptarmigan. Proc. W. Assoc. State Game and Fish Commissioners 51:284-292. Braun, C. E. 1979. White-tailed Ptarmigan field surveys in New Mexico, 3-10 August 1979. Report to Colo. Div. Wildlife, Fort Collins, CO. Braun, C. E. 2006. White-tailed Ptarmigan, Pecos Wilderness Area, trip report. 12-14 June 2006. Report to Grouse, Inc., and Carson National Forest, 208 Cruz Alta Rd., Taos, NM. Braun, C. E., and Rogers, G. E. 1971. The White-tailed Ptarmigan in Colorado. Colo. Div. Game, Fish and Parks Tech. Publ. 27. Braun, C. E., Nish, D. H., and Giesen, K. M. 1978. Release and establishment of White-tailed Ptarmigan in Utah. Southwest. Nat. 23:661-668. Braun, C. E., Schmidt Jr., R. K., and Rogers, G. E. 1973. Census of Colorado White- tailed Ptarmigan with tape-recorded calls. J. Wildlife Mgmt. 37:90-93. Braun, C. E., Stevens, D. R., Giesen, K. M., and Melcher, C. P. 1991. Elk, White-tailed Ptarmigan and willow relationships: A management dilemma in Rocky Mountain National Park. Trans. N. Am. Wildlife and Nat. Resources Conf. 56:74-85. Braun, C. E., Martin, K., and Robb, L. A. 1993. White-tailed Ptarmigan ( Lagopus leucurus), in The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.), no. 68. Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia. Braun, C. E., Taylor, W. P., Ebbert, S. E., Kaler, R. S. A., and Sandercock, B. K. 2011. Protocols for successful translocations of ptarmigan, in Gyr falcons and Ptarmigan in a Changing World (R. T. Watson, T. J. Cade, M. Fuller, G. Hunt, and E. Potopov, eds.), vol. 2, pp. 339-348. Peregrine Fund, Boise, ID. Coues, E. 1866. List of the birds of Fort Whipple, Arizona: with which are incorpo- rated all other species ascertained to inhabit the Territory; with brief critical and field notes, descriptions of new species, etc. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 18:39-100. Coues, E. 1875. On the breeding-habits, nest, and eggs, of the White-tailed Ptarmigan (. Lagopus leucurus). Bull. U.S. Geol. Geogr. Surv. Territories; 2nd Ser, 5:263-266. Frederick, G. P., and Gutierrez, R. J. 1992. Habitat use and population characteristics of White-tailed Ptarmigan in the Sierra Nevada, California. Condor 94:889-902. 242 HISTORY AND STATUS OF THE WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN IN NEW MEXICO Giesen, K. M., and Braun, C. E. 1993. Natal dispersal and recruitment of juvenile White-tailed Ptarmigan in Colorado. J. Wildlife Mgmt. 57:72-77. Hoffman, R. W., and Braun, C. E. 1975. Migration of a wintering population of White-tailed Ptarmigan in Colorado. J. Wildlife Mgmt. 39: 485-490. Hoffman, R. W., and Giesen, K. M. 1983. Demography of an introduced population of White-tailed Ptarmigan. Can. J. Zool. 61:1758-1764. Hubbard, J. P. 1970. Check-list of the birds of New Mexico. New Mexico Ornithol. Soc. Publ. 3. Hubbard, J. P. 1978. Revised check-list of the birds of New Mexico. New Mexico Ornithol. Soc. Publ. 6. Hume, E. E. 1942. Ornithologists of the United States Army Medical Corps. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore. Kaler, R. S. A., Ebbert, S. E., Braun, C. E., and Sandercock, B. K. 2010. Demogra- phy of a reintroduced population of Evermann’s Rock Ptarmigan in the Aleutian Islands. Wilson J. Ornithol. 122:1-14. Lee, L. 1967. White-tailed Ptarmigan, in New Mexico Wildlife Management, pp. 129-130. New Mexico Dept. Game and Fish, Santa Fe. Ligon, J. S. 1927. The Wild Life of New Mexico: Its Conservation and Management. New Mexico Dept, of Game and Fish, Santa Fe. Ligon, J. S. 1961. New Mexico Birds and Where to Find Them. Univ. of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque. New Mexico Department Game and Fish (NMDGF). 1983. Ptarmigans faring well. New Mexico Wildlife Magazine 28(6): 13. Wang, G., Hobbs, N. T., Giesen, K. M., Galbraith, H., Ojima, D. S., and Braun, C. E. 2002. Relationships between climate and population dynamics of White-tailed Ptarmigan Lagopus leucurus in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA. Climate Res. 23:81-87. Wann, G. T. 2012. Long-term demography of a White-tailed Ptarmigan population in Colorado. M S. thesis, Colo. State Univ., Fort Collins. Wolfe, D. H. 2006. Nesting documentation for the White-tailed Ptarmigan in the San- gre de Cristo Mountains, New Mexico. Publ. Okla. Biol. Surv., 2nd Ser., 7:21-23. Wolfe, D. H., Larsson, L. C., Oldenettel, J. R., Walker, H. A., and Patten, M. A. 2011. Status of populations of the White-tailed Ptarmigan at the southern edge of its range, in Gyrfalcons and Ptarmigan in a Changing World (R. T. Watson, T. J. Cade, M. Fuller, G. Hunt, and E. Potopov, eds.), vol. 1, pp. 247-257. Peregrine Fund, Boise, ID. Accepted 18 February 2015 243 LOOP MIGRATION BY A WESTERN YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO WINTERING IN THE GRAN CHACO SHANNON E. MCNEIL, DIANE TRACY, and CAROLINE D. CAPPELLO, Southern Sierra Research Station, 7872 Fay Ranch Road, Weldon, California 93283; sem. ssrs@gmail.com, dtracy.ssrs@gmail.com (current affiliation of Cappello: Department of Biology, University of Washington, Box 351800, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195; ccappell@uw.edu) ABSTRACT: A lack of information on the full life cycle of long-distance migrants, including nonbreeding periods, may hinder the recovery of threatened populations. In 2010, on the middle Rio Grande, Sechrist et al. (2012) recaptured a Yellow-billed Cuckoo [Coccyzus americanus) fitted with a light-level geolocator, revealing for the first time wintering grounds and migration routes of an individual of this species. To further this knowledge, in 2011 we placed light-level geolocators on eight Western Yellow-billed Cuckoos at breeding sites on the lower Colorado River in Arizona and California. We recaptured one female in July 2012 at her previous capture site and analyzed the stored light data. During fall migration the bird flew -9500-9900 km, passing through the Caribbean region. It wintered from mid-November to late April in the Gran Chaco of central South America, around the junction of Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina. The more direct spring route back to the breeding grounds passed through Peru and Central America. Following recapture, we discovered the bird was nesting while wearing the geolocator, and she later fledged young from two nests. Before and after migration, the bird appeared to pause in southern Arizona or Sonora, paralleling the first tracked Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo, suggesting this monsoonal region may be important to the western population during these stages of the life cycle. The bird’s migration timing and loop route, though reversed in direction, were also strikingly similar to those of the first bird tracked, and their overlapping wintering grounds suggests the possibility of a distinct winter range for the western population. Given the continuing expansion of agriculture into natural areas throughout this large region of South America, conservation of these forested areas is essential. In the western U.S., the decline of the breeding population and range of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo {Cocc^zus americanus), recently listed as threat- ened under the Endangered Species Act as a “distinct population segment” (U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2014), is attributed mainly to loss or degrada- tion of breeding habitat following large-scale modification of rivers (Gaines and Laymon 1984, Hughes 1999). Knowledge of the conditions the cuckoo experiences during the rest of its life cycle is limited, however, prohibiting a full assessment of its year-round conservation needs. Habitat quality in the winter range can affect an individual’s fitness, timing of its spring migration, and reproductive success (Marra et al. 1998, Tonra et al. 2011). The threats to western cuckoos once they leave their breeding grounds are unclear but may be driven by the loss of forest to increased human population and by the expansion and intensification of agriculture and cattle grazing, all exac- erbated by climate change (Ramirez-Villegas et al. 2012). Recent research spurred by the development of the light-level geoloca- tor has revealed both stopover and wintering sites of many long-distance migrants (Bridge et al. 2013, McKinnon et al. 2013), and the evolution of this technology enables the tracking of smaller (<100 g) migratory birds to their stopover and wintering grounds. Although the devices’ precision 244 Western Birds 46:244-255, 2015 LOOP MIGRATION AND CHACO WINTERING BY A YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO remains rough, particularly in latitude (in forest, error averaging close to 200 km; Fudickar et al. 2012), geolocators can reliably be used to track the movements of long-distance migrants (Ryder et al. 2011). The track- ing of sufficient numbers of Yellow-billed Cuckoos could reveal the species’ migratory connectivity rangewide (Webster et al. 2002), including whether the western and eastern populations use separate migration corridors or wintering grounds, as found between distinct breeding populations of other species (Delmore et al. 2012). If the two populations are allopatric during the nonbreeding season, the decline of the western population may also be associated with greater rates of forest loss on its wintering grounds. The first geolocator-carrying Yellow-billed Cuckoo to be tracked over one year was a female captured on the middle Rio Grande, New Mexico (Sechrist et al. 2012). The data revealed a post-breeding dispersal phase in northwest Mexico, fall migration through Mexico and Central America, wintering in central South America in the Gran Chaco region of Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, spring migration back to the breeding grounds via the Caribbean and Yucatan Peninsula, and a pre-breeding stop-over again in northwest Mexico. With the year-round movements of just one individual known, our objectives were to gain further understanding of western cuckoos’ migration and wintering periods, including identifying the main areas used for wintering. This information may help to clarify the birds’ risks year round. METHODS Between mid-June and mid-August 2011, we captured, banded, and weighed 29 adult cuckoos at three riparian-forest-restoration sites man- aged under the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (2004): Palo Verde Ecological Reserve, California (33.7° N, 114.5° W), Ci- bola Valley Conservation Area, Arizona (33.41° N, 1 14.66° W), and Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona (33.36° N, 114.69° W). We modified a targeted mist-net technique (Sogge et al. 2001), raising the top of the net to the height of the canopy (up to 12 m) to increase the likelihood of capture. We attached two to four stacked mist nets (each 2.6 m high, 9-18 m long, mesh 60 mm) between two canopy poles (Bat Conservation and Manage- ment, Inc.) placed in a vegetation gap and broadcast cuckoo vocalizations from portable speakers hidden on each side of the net. From each bird captured, we drew up to 40 pL of blood for molecular sexing (McNeil et al. 2012). We fitted eight that we knew or assumed were breeding on the basis of nest observations, proximity to nests, or residency with Mk20 ASLT geolocators (British Antarctic Survey), with light stalks 15 mm long angled at 30°. Following Rappole and Tipton (1991), we attached the geoloca- tors to lower-back leg-loop harnesses made of 1 mm elastic cord weighing 1.1 g total (0.9 g geolocator plus 0.2 g cord attachment; 1.5- 1.9% of the birds’ total mass). We released the birds where captured, and the following breeding season we tried to recapture them at the same or adjacent sites to retrieve the geolocators. We used BASTrak software to download and decompress geolocator data, and TransEdit to analyze the data (Fox 2010). We used a light threshold level 245 LOOP MIGRATION AND CHACO WINTERING BY A YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO of 2 to define sunrise and sunset, visually assessed each of these transitions, and rated the quality of the transitions on a scale of 0 to 9. Transitions lacking smooth curves (evidence the bird was in deep shade) received low scores. We then rejected transitions scoring less than 8. We also discounted clearly erroneous locations, such as those >1000 km apart within 12 hours or falling far off shore. We used a sun-elevation angle of -4.09°, which best calibrated to the capture location for the week after deployment (8-15 August 2011), thus assuming a similar degree of shading throughout the year. We used BirdTracker software (Fox 2010) to estimate latitude and longitude (datum WGS 84) at noon and midnight each day. Because Yellow-billed Cuckoos migrate at night (Crawford and Stevenson 1984), we compensated for lon- gitudinal movement when estimating latitude (Fox 2010). For the periods within 15 days of the fall and spring equinoxes (23 September 2011 and 20 March 2012, respectively) when day length was similar everywhere, we inferred coordinates in longitude only. We estimated mean positional error by measuring the distance between calculated and known locations for the week after deployment and the week before recapture, when the bird was at the breeding site. We imported the locations into ArcMap 9.3 (ESRI) for visual assessment, and defined a buffer around pre- and post-breeding points and around winter points, the width equal to our mean positional error, to represent the areas of staging for migration and wintering, respectively. RESULTS Of four males and four females fitted with geolocators in 201 1 , we recap- tured one female on 17 July 2012 at the Palo Verde Ecological Reserve, at the same net location where initially captured on 7 August 2011. We failed to refind the other seven or any of the 21 other cuckoos banded but not fitted with geolocators. We removed the leg harness and geolocator and ex- amined the bird thoroughly; she appeared healthy with no obvious ill effects from the harness. She weighed 64 g on recapture, 4 g heavier than when captured in 2011. We then fitted her with a tail-mounted radio transmitter (McNeil et al. 2013) and found her to be a week into nesting, about 230 m from the capture location. We radio-tracked her until 2 September, when we lost her signal and assumed she left the site. She nested three times in 2012, the first and last attempts successfully. The geolocator generated 687 location points over 344 days between 7 August 2011 and 16 July 2012. We omitted 409 low-quality points (59.5%), including 114 (16.6%) near the equinoxes, when geolocation data are unreliable, and another 15 that were clearly erroneous (2.2%). This left 263 points (38.3%) with which we assessed the migration routes and winter range (Figures 1,2). After the data from the first week of deployment (8-13 August) were calibrated to the capture location, the mean positional error during that week was 87.2 km (range 46.8-146.4 km, SD = 28.2 km, n = 11 points). Longitudinal error averaged 56.3 km (range 19.1-89.1 km, SD = 19.0 km, n = 11), and latitudinal error averaged 57.2 km (range 2.9-142.9 km, SD = 41.5 km, n = 11). The geolocator stopped recording data on removal so we were unable to calibrate it after retrieval. Because the bird was a week into nesting when recaptured, so presumably at or near 246 LOOP MIGRATION AND CHACO WINTERING BY A YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO -100° W -80° W -60° W Figure 1. Estimated locations of a Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo from the lower Colorado River to/from central South America, 7 August 2011 to 17 July 2012. No latitude data are available for September 2011 because of the fall equinox; possible routes are shown as dashed arrows. the nest the entire week, we compared the data from the week prior to recapture, 10-15 July 2012, to the location of her active nest. The mean distance between the estimated locations and the nest was 221.2 km (range 22.1-387.7 km, SD =110 km, n = 10). We used this distance (221 km) 247 LOOP MIGRATION AND CHACO WINTERING BY A YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO -100° W -80° W -60° W Figure 2. Comparison of migration routes, schedules, and wintering grounds of two Western Yellow-billed Cuckoos from the lower Colorado River (a) and the middle Rio Grande (b; data from Figure 2 in Sechrist et al. 2012). Points along the routes also coded as 1, capture /breeding location; 2, post-breeding, Aug-Sep, and pre-breeding, Jun; 3, fall migration, early Oct; 4, fall migration, mid-Oct; 5, winter range, Dec-Mar; 6, spring migration, late Apr; 7, spring migration. mid-May; 8, spring migration early Jun; 9, spring migration, mid- Jun. 248 LOOP MIGRATION AND CHACO WINTERING BY A YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO as the width of the buffer to display positional error around the points. The mean latitudinal error from the nest was 211.2 km south (range 1 6 . 3-353 . 9 km, SD = 107.1 km, n = 10), or approximately 2° south, large compared to the longitudinal error (mean 57.2 km, range 10.7-158.3 km, SD = 43.6 km, n = 10). Visual assessment of the locations suggested that through the year, several other points outside the grasp of the equinoxes were shifted south by a similar amount, including a cluster of points placed in the Pacific Ocean south of Central America, when the bird was probably in Panama, Nicaragua, or Honduras during spring migration. We inferred the following from the estimated locations: Post-breeding Dispersal and Fall Migration • The bird left the breeding site around 17 August, moving east toward central southern Arizona or northwest Mexico, where she remained until 13 September. • On 14 September, she flew east to 104°-107° W longitude, staying until 27 September. • After spending six weeks in the southwest U.S. or northern Mexico post- breeding, the bird swiftly moved east, apparently flying -2000 km from 27 September to 1 October (mean 500 km/day). By 1 October she was at 85.5°-87.5° W longitude. • On 3 October, she was in line with Florida, Cuba and Central America. From 6-19 October she was east of Florida’s longitude. • From 20 to 25 October, she apparently moved through eastern Co- lombia, then spent late October to mid-November in Amazonian Brazil. Winter • The bird spent mid-November through March, and probably April, in the Gran Chaco of central South America, in the region where the borders of Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina intersect. • Latitude data from 12 to 29 March were unusable, the dates being too near the equinox, but longitude was static. By late March she had possibly moved south toward coastal Argentina. It is unclear if this shift was error due to weather or a prolonged effect of the equinox. Spring Migration • She began moving north by 28 April and was in Central America from late May to early June. • Data from June were largely unusable (possibly because of weather or the geolocator being too shaded), but she likely moved northwest through southern Mexico to arrive in central Mexico 18-23 June. By 28 June, she was back in southern Arizona or Sonora. • By 9 July she had returned to the breeding site, and began nesting around 12 July. Fall migration from the southwest U.S. to South America took three weeks (mean 225-250 km/day), with another month taken to arrive on the wintering grounds (mean 117 km/day). Spring migration lasted two months, one month 249 LOOP MIGRATION AND CHACO WINTERING BY A YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO from the wintering grounds to Central America (mean 150 km/day), another to the southwest U.S. (mean 123 km/day). The distance from the breeding site to the core wintering grounds was 9500-9900 km (depending on the fall route), and the distance back to the breeding site was 9100-9200 km. In comparison to that tracked by Sechrist et al. (2012), our cuckoo took a similar but reversed loop route (Figure 2). That is, she apparently migrated through the Caribbean in the fall and through Central America in the spring, whereas the cuckoo captured on the middle Rio Grande took a fall route through Central America and returned in the spring through the Carib- bean. The timing of the two cuckoos’ migration was also strikingly similar; both apparently left their breeding grounds around late August, arrived in northern Colombia in mid-October, and arrived on the wintering grounds mid-November. Both began spring migration in late April, and after staging in other areas in northwest Mexico or southern Arizona, they both returned to their respective breeding grounds around the end of June. DISCUSSION Understanding the cuckoo’s migration strategies and where it stages and winters enables the expansion of management beyond the present limited scope of its breeding grounds. On a more basic ecological level, this infor- mation may help answer questions about flexibility in migration strategy and divergence of eastern and western Yellow-billed Cuckoo populations. Addi- tionally, as geolocator technology for smaller birds is still evolving, our results support the application of this technology to smaller migratory land birds. We did not find the geolocators to affect the cuckoos’ rate of recapture or ability to breed; the fraction 1/8 recaptured is comparable to the 9.9% rate of recapture of 183 cuckoos banded along the lower Colorado River from 2009 to 2012 (McNeil et al. 2013). In a review of geolocator studies, Bridge et al. (2013) also found rates of return of birds with and without geolocators to be comparable. Though we failed to refind any of the 21 other adults captured but not fitted with geolocators in 2011, we recaptured three birds banded in the study area in earlier years (McNeil et al. 2013), suggesting some site fidelity with a relatively low probability of recapture. That all geolocator-fitted cuckoos thus far recaptured have been female (three including another female recaptured on the Pecos River whose geo- locator failed soon after deployment, Sechrist and Best 2012) is somewhat unexpected because we typically capture and recapture fewer females than males (16% and 2.8% fewer, respectively; McNeil et al. 2013). Females average around 10% heavier than males (in this small sample of eight birds, the females averaged 14% heavier), though all our attachments weighed no more than 1.9% of the body mass of any bird, below the recommended limit of 3% (Gustafson et al. 1997). As birds may lose mass during migration, we recommend long-term attachments be as light as possible. Our exclusion of over 60% of the data is consistent with other studies that have discarded as much as 62% of data from birds inhabiting forested environments (e.g., Ryder et al. 2011), the result of shade confounding the light-level readings from which locations are calculated (Fudickar et al. 2012). As we found, location error averaging over 200 km (Fudickar et al. 250 LOOP MIGRATION AND CHACO WINTERING BY A YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO 2012, Lisovski et al. 2012) is typical for latitude (see Hill 1994 for detailed explanation), and latitude data from the periods around the fall and spring equinoxes were largely unusable, often implying locations near the poles (data not shown). Unfortunately, our bird spent the period most affected by the fall equinox making the largest movements east. Because readings for longitude are unaffected during the equinoxes, we were able to infer possible routes for this portion of fall migration. As the first tracked cuckoo passed between the West Indies and Yucatan Peninsula (Sechrist et al. 2012), this route (though reversed in direction and season) seems the most plausible. The apparent staging by both tracked cuckoos in southern Arizona or northern Mexico pre- and post-breeding suggests this region is important to the western population during these stages of its life cycle. The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is often described as wandering or nomadic during periods surround- ing the breeding season, exploiting outbreaks of large insects (Hamilton and Hamilton 1965, Hughes 1999); birds of many species wander considerable distances after breeding but before migration (Rappole and Ballard 1987). Nomadic or exploratory behavior should aid the cuckoo in locating ephem- eral patches of cottonwood-willow forest. The North American monsoon typically develops over southwest Mexico from late May to early June, arriving in northwest Mexico from mid- to late June, and in the southwest U.S. by early July (Adams and Comrie 1997) — roughly tracking the movement of our cuckoo through Mexico in June to its arrival in the southwest U.S. by early July. The spike in rainfall in July and August over the center of the monsoonal region in northwest Mexico (Douglas et al. 1993) coincides with the peak of western cuckoo nesting. If cuckoos track monsoonal flushes of new vegetation and insects (Wallace et al. 2013), they may be pursuing a multi-stage strategy for breeding and migration, as found in some other birds (e.g., Stach et al. 2013). Sechrist et al. (2012) raised “migratory double-brooding” (breeding in two regions in one year, separated by a migration) as a possible reason for cuck- oos to visit Mexico late in the breeding season. First suggested by Rohwer et al. (2009), this hypothesis is based on circumstantial evidence alone, and it appears increasingly unlikely (Rohwer and Wood 2013). Sechrist et al. (2012) also suggested molt migration as a possible cause for the stopover in Mexico, while acknowledging that the stopover was too brief; also, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo molts its flight feathers mainly in its winter range (Pyle 1997, Rohwer and Wood 2013). Tracking many more individuals, through more than one annual cycle, is needed to test these hypotheses and assess fidelity to staging areas. The similarity in the timing of the two tracked cuckoos’ migration was unsurprising. In long-distance migrants, it is often highly consistent within a population (Stanley et al. 2012) and determined genetically (Berthold and Helbig 1992), though it can be affected by factors such as energetic condi- tion and nesting date (Stutchbury et al. 2011). Western cuckoos’ breeding much later than the eastern population (Hughes 1999) also suggests the western population may winter farther south and thus travel farther from the winter to the breeding grounds (Rubolini et al. 2005), or it may begin spring migration later than the eastern population. The lack of migration data on eastern individuals currently prevents further comparison. 251 LOOP MIGRATION AND CHACO WINTERING BY A YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO The reversal of the two tracked cuckoos’ loop routes implies that western cuckoos’ migration routes are flexible, as found in some other species (Al- erstam et al. 2006, Vardanis et al. 2011, Stanley et al. 2012). Sechrist et al. (2012) already dispelled speculation that only eastern cuckoos migrate through the Caribbean (Hughes 1999), and both birds’ passing through the Caribbean suggests migration of western cuckoos through this area may even be common. Within a population, migration routes are generally more flexible than timing (Delmore et al. 2012, Stanley et al. 2012), as we found. Loop routes are common (Klaassen et al. 2010, Stanley et al. 2012), though typically the movement is in a consistent direction (e.g., clockwise). Because wind direction can be the greatest predictor of flight direction (Able 1973), the direction of the wind at the start of each migration may have driven each bird’s decision whether to pass through Central America or the Caribbean. The threats to western cuckoos on their breeding grounds, primarily habitat loss and degradation (Gaines and Laymon 1984), increasingly exac- erbated by long-term drought and climate change (Ault et al. 2014), may be even greater in their winter range. The Gran Chaco, containing the second largest native forest in South America after the Amazon Basin, has, over the last few decades, experienced large-scale conversion and fragmentation of forest for expanding cattle and soybean production (Berbery et al. 2006). Deforestation of the Chaco in Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia represents the greatest loss of forest cover globally in the 21st century (Hansen et al. 2013). From 2005 to 2010, annual rates of deforestation in this region (1.5-2. 5%) surpassed Latin American and world averages (0.5% and 0.2%, respectively, reviewed by Seghezzo et al. 2011). Gasparri and Grau (2009) found deforestation of Chaco dry forest accelerating, with over 1.4 million ha destroyed in the last 35 years. Mastrangelo and Gavin (2014) encouraged alternatives to intensive agriculture, such as selective clearing, to lessen the continuing reduction of habitat for birds in this region. A better understanding of the winter range, including identifying and supporting actions to reduce these threats, will promote conservation of western cuckoos through their full life cycle. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank the Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Con- servation Program (contracting officer representative Barbara Raulston) for funding the long-term monitoring of the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo that made this study possible. We also thank our coworkers at the Southern Sierra Research Station and 2011-2012 field crews. Additional thanks to Melanie Culver and the Conservation Genetics Lab, University of Arizona School of Natural Resources and the Environment, for help with methods for sexing. Juddson Sechrist (Bureau of Reclamation) gave us advice on fitting geolocators as well as helpful comments on the manuscript, and James Fox (British Antarctic Survey) provided information on geolocator specifications. 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Determination of threatened status for the western distinct population segment of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo ( Coccyzus ameri- canus). Federal Register 79:59992-60038. Vardanis, Y., Klaassen, R. H. G., Strandberg, R., and Alerstam, T. 2011. Individuality in bird migration: Routes and timing. Biol. Lett. 7:502-505. Wallace, C. S. A., Villarreal, M. L., and van Riper III, C. 2013. Influence of monsoon- related riparian phenology on Yellow-billed Cuckoo habitat selection in Arizona. J. Biogeogr. 40:2094-2107. Webster, M. S., Marra, P. P., Haig, S. M., Bensch, S., and Holmes, R. T. 2002. Links between worlds: Unraveling migratory connectivity. Trends Ecol. Evol. 17:76-83. Accepted 25 March 2015 Yellow-billed Cuckoo Drawing by George C. West 255 NOTES BLACK-CAPPED VIREO BREEDING HABITAT IN NORTH-CENTRAL TEXAS ASHLEY M. LONG and HEATHER A. MATHEWSON, Institute of Renewable Natural Resources, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843; ashley . long@ag.tamu . edu DIANNE H. ROBINSON, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Waukesha, Wisconsin 53188 JOSEPH A. GRZYBOWSKI, College of Mathematics and Science, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, Oklahoma 73034 MICHAEL L. MORRISON, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843 The Black-capped Vireo ( Vireo atricapilla ), listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, breeds in southwestern Oklahoma, central Texas, and northern Mexico (Grzybowski 1995, Wilkins et al. 2006). Its breeding habitat is typically composed of low, deciduous shrubs and trees of irregular heights, heterogeneity that may result from local environmental conditions (e.g., soil type, climate) or must be maintained by periodic disturbance (e.g., wildfire, prescribed burning) (Graber 1961, Grzybowski 1995). Habitat loss (e.g., land-use conversion, vegetation succession), habitat degradation (e.g., grazing by domestic livestock, browsing by wild herbivores), and nest parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird ( Molothrus a ter) precipitated the species’ decline (Ratzlaff 1987). Since the vireo’s listing as endangered (Ratzlaff 1987), most of its management (e.g., cowbird removal, habitat manipulation) and research has taken place at a few prioritized study sites in Texas (e.g., Grzybowski et al. 1994, Stake and Cimprich 2003, Pope et al. 2013) and Oklahoma (e.g., Grzybowski et al. 1994). Smith et al. (2012) added to our understanding of vireo-habitat relationships in the southwestern portion of the breeding range in Texas. Information regarding the vireo’s occurrence, abundance, and reproductive status in relation to habitat characteristics is still lacking for north-central Texas. In April 2011, four wildfires called the Possum Kingdom Complex burned 51,000 ha in Stephens, Palo Pinto, and Eastland counties in north-central Texas (McFarland et al. 2012). The vireo’s breeding range overlaps the area burned in these wildfires (Grzybowski 1995). Few vireo detections have been recorded in these counties, however (Wilkins et al. 2006, McFarland et al. 2013), and no information regarding the abundance or reproductive status of the vireo in this region has been published. In 2012, we searched for vireos at the 753-ha Possum Kingdom State Park, located in the northwest portion of Palo Pinto County and centrally located between three well-studied vireo sites in Texas and Oklahoma, the Kerr Wildlife Management Area (~440 km southwest, Texas), the Fort Hood Military Reservation (~300 km southeast, Texas), and the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge and adjacent Fort Sill (-220 km north, Oklahoma). There had been unpublished reports of male vireos at Possum Kingdom State Park in some years before the 2011 wildfire, which affected >70% of the park. We did not detect any vireos in the park in 2012 but did locate males, females, and fledglings during point counts and systematic searches in 2013 and 2014. From 27 March to 26 June 2013 and from 23 March to 29 April 2014, two independent observers conducted each point count at - 2-week intervals along a grid of points spaced 400 m apart across the entire park. We used this spacing to minimize the risk of recounting individuals while maximizing the number of points we could visit 256 Western Birds 46:256-260, 2015 NOTES within the park’s boundaries. Observers surveyed each point three times in 2013 and 2014, representing six independent surveys per point per year. During surveys, from 06:30-13:00, observers recorded all singing male vireos detected within 100 m of each point over 5 min. Although other species were not the focus of the study, we also recorded all singing male Golden-cheeked Warblers ( Setophaga chrysoparia ) and vocalizing cowbirds detected during our surveys. We did not count during inclement weather (e.g., excessive rain or wind >~20 km/hr) or any other conditions that could inhibit our ability to detect the vireo. In addition, to assess the vireo’s breeding at this site, we systematically searched for females and fledglings at intervals of ~2-4 weeks from 27 March to 29 June 2013 and 23 March to 10 July 2014 along a 200-m grid established for vegetation measurement (see below). This smaller grid aligned with our larger 400-m grid so that our systematic surveys included the space between our count points. When we detected a vireo by either method, we checked if it was banded and searched the surrounding area for additional vireos. We recorded the coordinates of all vireos with hand-held Global Positioning System units and documented the behavior of all individuals observed. We detected the first male vireo during a point count in burned vegetation in early May 2013, then found another in late May and a third in early June during systematic surveys in burned vegetation adjacent to mature woodland in the western portion of Possum Kingdom State Park. During systematic surveys in the same area in late June, we noted two males plus a family group (one male, one female, and two fledglings estimated to be ~1 week old). In 2014, during systematic surveys, we again detected vireos in burned vegetation in the western portion of the park (two males and one female in late May; three males, one female, and one fledgling estimated to be ~1 week old in early July). Also in 2014, we found vireos during point counts and systematic surveys in burned vegetation in the southeastern (six males in late April; two males and one female in late May; two males and two females in early July), central (three males in early July), and northern (one male in early July) portions of the park. No birds were banded, so the total number of detections over multiple visit can not specify the total population. But the number of vireos detected within the park increased over the three years after the fire. There were no pre-fire vegetation data for Possum Kingdom State Park, but the fire’s intensity within the park was high (K. Skow, unpubl. data); most vegetation was completely cleared from plateaus, leaving only snags in previously wooded areas. After the fire, mature vegetation remained only along slopes and draws. At the end of the vireo’s breeding season in both 2013 and 2014, we sampled vegetation along a grid of points spaced 200 m apart and aligned with our bird-count points. At each vegetation-sampling point and at points located 5 m from the grid point in each cardinal direction, we recorded percent canopy cover of all live and dead woody plants >2 m to the nearest 10% with a tubular densitometer and canopy height to the nearest 0.5 m with a retractable meter stick. We apportioned canopy cover by tree species, considering snags as a separate category. We then established a circle of radius 5 m around the center point and divided the circle into four quadrants based on the four cardinal directions. Within each quadrant, we visually estimated percent shrub cover for all live and dead woody plants <2 m, percent herbaceous cover, and percent bare ground to the nearest 10%. As for trees, we divided our overall shrub measurements by species within the shrub layer, again segregating snags as a separate category. We categorized our vegetation-sampling points as (1) mature woodland representing pre-fire conditions (“unburned”), (2) burned areas that were not occupied by vireos (“burned”), and (3) burned areas that were occupied by vireos (“occupied”). The last included all vegetation-measurement points within 200 m of a vireo detection. We then estimated the means and standard deviations for overall canopy cover and height, species-specific canopy cover and height, overall shrub cover, species-specific shrub cover, herbaceous cover, and bare ground within unburned, burned, and occupied 257 NOTES vegetation for each year of our study (Table 1). Given the small number of sampling points located in vegetation occupied by vireos compared to that in unburned and burned vegetation, we did not compare the vegetation categories statistically. As expected, mean percent canopy cover and mean canopy height were much greater in unburned than burned and occupied areas (Table 1). Ashe juniper ( Juniperus ashei) was the dominant canopy species of unburned areas, constituting ~80% of the available canopy cover both years. The remaining ~20% of canopy cover was composed of 8 deciduous species in 2013 and 11 deciduous species in 2014 (e.g., cedar elm, Ulmus crassifolia ■ Texas oak, Quercus buckleyv, shin oak, Q. sinuata). The mean height of Ashe juniper in unburned areas was 3.2 m in 2013 and 3.8 m in 2014. Mean overall canopy cover was minimal in burned and occupied areas, regardless of year (Table 1). By contrast, mean percent shrub cover was greater in burned and occupied areas than in unburned areas and appeared to increase across all areas with time since the 2011 wildfire, most notably in areas occupied by vireos (Table 1). We recorded 14 and 19 species in the shrub layer of unburned areas in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Ashe juniper was the most prominent species in the shrub layer of unburned areas (33% of shrub cover in 2013, 36% in 2014). The remainder (67% in 2013 and 64% in 2014) was composed of deciduous species. In 2013, the three most prominent deciduous species in the shrub layer of unburned areas included shin oak (13%), snags (9%), and willow ( Salix spp.; 7%). In 2014, the three most prominent deciduous species in the shrub layer of unburned areas included shin oak (11%), prickly pear ( Opuntia spp.; 9%), and live oak (Q. fusiformis ■ 4%). In burned areas, the number of shrub species was similar (14 in 2013 and 21 in 2014), but Ashe juniper was nearly lacking (0% of shrub cover in 2013, <1% in 2014). In 2013, the three most prominent shrub-layer species in burned areas were flame-leaf sumac (Rhus lanceolata-, 23%) and shin oak (17%); snags constituted 18%. In 2014, the three most prominent shrub layer species were flame-leaf sumac (26%), prickly pear ( Opuntia spp.; 25%), and shin oak (14%). We recorded fewer shrub species in occupied areas (6 in 2013 and 12 in 2014). As in burned areas, Ashe juniper was not a major component of the shrub layer in areas occupied by vireos (0% of shrub cover in 2013, 10 years has been reported for only six other species of Setophaga: Adelaide’s (S. adelaidae), Prairie (S. discolor), Townsend’s (S. townsendi), Yellow (S. petechia), and Yellow-rumped Warblers (S. coronata auduboni ) and the American Redstart (S. ruticilla) (Kennard 1975, Klimkiewicz et al. 1983, Lutmerding and Love 2014). Longevity is an important demographic trait with consequences for population dynamics. Long-lived species, for example, may be less sensitive to demographic variability and fluctuations in population size over time (Garcia et al. 2008, Morris et al. 2008). Our single record provides only a glimpse into the Golden-cheeked Western Birds 46:261-262, 2015 261 NOTES Warbler’s maximum longevity. Continuing long-term monitoring, however, offers the possibility for further observations of this demographic variable. Future records may prove useful in models of population viability or growth, which can help improve conservation planning and management. We thank the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the staff at Kerr WMA, especially Donnie Frels and Ryan Reitz. We also thank the many field technicians who assisted with monitoring at Kerr WMA in 2013 and 2014. We thank Danny Bystrak and the U.S. Geological Survey Bird Banding Laboratory for providing banding records, and we thank David A. Cimprich, James Giocomo, and others who reviewed early drafts of the manuscript. Funding for monitoring at Kerr WMA was provided by the Joint Fire Science Program. Logistical support was provided by the Texas A&M Institute of Natural Resources. The warbler was originally banded by Giri Athrey. We rebanded the warbler under U.S. Fish Wildlife Service endangered species permit TE 195248-6 and bird-banding permit 21755. LITERATURE CITED Garcia, M. B., Pico, F. X., and Ehrlen, J. 2008. Life span correlates with population dynamics in herbaceous plants. Am. J. Bot. 95:258-262. Groce, J. E., Mathewson, H. A., Morrison, M. L., and Wilkins, N. 2010. Scientific evaluation for the 5-year status review of the Golden-cheeked Warbler. Report to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; http://irnr.tamu.edu/media/252621/gcwa_sci- entific_evaluation . pdf. Kennard, J. H. 1975. Longevity records of North American birds. Bird Banding 46:55-73. Klimkiewicz, M. K., Clapp, R. B., and Futcher, A. G. 1983. Longevity records of North American birds: Remizidae through Parulinae. J. Field Ornithol. 54:287-294. Ladd, C. G., and Gass, L. 1999. Golden-cheeked Warbler ( Setophaga chrysoparia), in The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.), no. 420. Birds N. Am., Philadelphia. Lutmerding, J. A., and Love, A. S. 2014. Longevity records of North American birds, version 2014. U.S. Geol. Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD; www. pwrc . usgs . gov/BBL/longevity/Longevity_main . cf m . Morris, W. F., Pfister, C. A., Tuljapurkar, S., Haridas, C. V., Boggs, C. L., Boyce, M. S., Bruna, E. M., Church, D. R., Coulson, T., Doak, D. F., Forsyth, S., Gaillard, J.-M., Horvitz, C. C., Kalisz, S., Kendall, B. E., Knight, T. M., Lee, C. T., and Menges, E. S. 2008. Longevity can buffer plant and animal populations against changing climatic variability. Ecology 89:19-25. Peak, R. G., and Thomas, A. D. 2010. Golden-cheeked Warbler demography on Fort Hood, Texas, 2010. Annual report. The Nature Conservancy, Fort Hood, TX (order from The Nature Conservancy, 318 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701). Pulich, W. M. 1976. The Golden-cheeked Warbler, a Bioecological Study. Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept., Austin, TX. Smith, R. N. 1990. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants — determina- tion of threatened status for the Golden-cheeked Warbler: Final rule. Fed. Reg. 55:53153-53160. Accepted 10 March 2015 262 NOTES HYPERMELANISTIC AMERICAN PIPIT RETURNS TO WINTER IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA KEN R. SCHNEIDER, 366 28 th St., San Francisco, California 94131; kschnei 1 @hotmail .com On 1 December 2013, I observed a hypermelanistic American Pipit ( Anthus rubescens) at Bedwell Bayfront Park in San Mateo County, California (Schneider 2014). This rather striking individual remained there through at least 4 January 2014. Almost a year later, on 5 November 2014, 1 found a similar pipit at the same location, where it remained through at least 28 January 2015. The bird was judged by photos to be in its first year when observed in 2013. Photographs of the bird in 2014-2015 again show a rather uniform medium-brown plumage with pale edging on the wing coverts and tertials and a blackish bill and legs, and the shape of the primary coverts, as well as other features of the plumage, made it possible to age the bird then as an adult. As the bird was not captured and banded in winter 2013-2014, it is difficult to prove that the pipit the following winter was in fact the same bird, but the rarity of this plumage abnormality in pipits, the similar overall appearance from one winter to the next, and the same location argue strongly that this was indeed the same bird. The progression in the apparent age of the bird from first year to adult also lends support to this conclusion. One possible alternative to the earlier conclusion (Schneider 2014) was that I had not been able to exclude entirely the possibility of adventitious discoloration (as by soot or mud), but I think that the overall appearance of the bird, including the residual patterning with pale edges to many of the flight feathers, made this unlikely. That the dark plumage remained one year later and, presumably, after both a partial prealternate and complete prebasic molt provides further evidence that the coloration was an intrinsic abnormality (such as increased melanin pigment) and not a result of soiling or other external factors. It is not clear whether or not this coloration would make the bird unusually conspicu- ous and vulnerable to predation, but it is of interest that such a bird apparently survived into its second year. Of perhaps greater interest, little has been learned about fidelity to wintering sites in this species (Hendricks and Verbeek 2012). Hudson (1928) reported the recurrence of a “partial albino” American Pipit wintering in South Carolina. My current observations add to the anecdotal evidence that flocks of American Pipits we observe in winter at any one locality may be composed of many of the same individual birds seen there in prior years. Studies with banded or otherwise marked or tracked birds could provide helpful insight into this question. I thank Paul Hendricks for his encouragement and for pointing out the 1928 paper by Hudson. Peter Pyle was kind enough to examine my photos of the returning bird and aged the bird as an adult. LITERATURE CITED Hendricks, P., and Verbeek, N. A. 2012. American Pipit ( Anthus rubescens), in The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, ed.), no. 95. Cornell Lab. Ornithol., Ithaca, NY; http://bna.birds.cornell.edu.bnaproxy.birds.cornell.edu/ bna/ species/095. Hudson, G. E. 1928. A probable recurrence of a partial albino pipit ( Anthus rubes- cens) in winter. Auk 45:381-382. Schneider, K. R. 2014. Hypermelanism in an American Pipit. W. Birds 45:84-85. Accepted 8 March 2015 Western Birds 46:263, 2015 263 NOTES FIRST OCCURRENCE OF THE CAVE SWALLOW IN BRITISH COLUMBIA PAUL G. LEVESQUE, 2258 Oxford St., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V5L 1G1; paulglevesque@gmail.com JAMIE FENNEMAN, Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Van- couver, British Columbia; botrychiophile@gmail.com JEREMIAH KENNEDY, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia; jeremiah_kennedy@sfu.ca On 11 November 2012 we observed a group of four swallows foraging over a freshwater pond at Iona Island Regional Park in Richmond, British Columbia (49° 21' N 123° 21' W). At a distance of 100 m, we quickly identified three of them as Barn Swallows (. Hirundo rustica ), while the fourth appeared at first to be a Cliff Swallow (. Petrochelidon pprrhonota) . When it got closer to the observers, we identified the fourth bird — by its dark cinnamon-orange forehead, pale cinnamon-orange throat and chin, and dark cinnamon-orange rump — as a Cave Swallow ( Petrochelidon fulua) (Figures 1 and 2), a species previously unknown in British Columbia. The bird remained at Iona Island for nine days (to 19 November), during which period it was seen and photographed by many. Photographs show that the bird was undergoing primary molt and that it had replaced primaries 1 through 6 (Figure 1). The prebasic molt of adult Cave Swallows begins promptly after breeding, with flight feathers being replaced from June through September. In contrast, the preformative molt of immature birds occurs later, in the fall and winter, with flight-feather replacement from September through March (Pyle 1997). Given the date of our observation and the extent of primary replacement, we aged the bird as an immature in preformative molt. Of five generally accepted subspecies of the Cave Swallow (Strickler and West 2011), three [puertoricens in Puerto Rico, poeciloma in Jamaica, and citata in the Yucatan and Chiapas), are thought to be nonmigratory and are not known to have occurred in the United States or Canada. Two subspecies, P. f. fulva and P. f. pallida, are migratory and are known to occur in the United States and Canada. Nominate fulva breeds in Cuba, including the Isle of Pines, and Hispaniola (Strickler and West 2011), and in 1987 a breeding population became established in southern Florida (Smith et al. 1988). Subspecies pallida breeds in Texas, New Mexico, and north-central Mexico (Strickler and West 2011). Subspecies pallida differs from the others by its longer wing and tail and paler rufous coloration (Ridgway 1904, Selander and Baker 1957, Turner and Rose 1989, Garrido et al. 1999). More specifically, nominate fulva has darker cinnamon-rufous or deep chestnut coloration on the forehead, cheeks, collar, throat, breast, flanks, vent, and rump, while pallida, in contrast, has the forehead and rump paler orange-rufous and the collar, throat, cheeks, and breast pale buffy-orange or cinnamon-orange. In contrast to those of P f. fulva, the flanks and vent of P. f. pallida have limited rufous coloration and are mostly gray-brown. The Iona Island Cave Swallow exhibited less extensive cinnamon-orange coloration on the rump and cheeks than does P. f. fulva, and its flanks and vent were gray-brown, with rufous nearly absent. The collar was mostly gray-brown with little cinnamon- orange at the base of the head, and the forehead was darker and more saturated than the cinnamon-orange of the rump, cheeks, throat, and breast (Figures 1 and 2). These plumage characteristics all strongly suggest that the bird was an example of the southwestern subspecies, P. f. pallida. In Texas, the breeding population of P f. pallida has increased considerably (10.8% annually), from 1957 to 1999 expanding its breeding range by 900% (Kosciuch et al. 2006). In eastern North America, extralimital occurrences of Cave Swallows (both 264 Western Birds 46:264-266, 2015 NOTES Figure 1. Cave Swallow at Iona Island, British Columbia, 12 November 2012. Note the molt limit in the outer primary feathers. Figure 2. Cave Swallow at Iona Island, British Columbia, 12 November 2012. Note the limited extent of cinnamon- orange coloration on the flanks and vent. Photo by David Tang Photo by Michelle Lamberson subspecies) have increased in frequency, with reports extending from their breeding ranges north to the Great Lakes and east to Canadian Atlantic provinces. McNair and Post (2001) examined photographs and specimens of extralimital Cave Swal- lows in eastern North America and reported that spring occurrences on the Atlantic coast were of P. f. fulva, spring occurrences inland were of P. f. pallida, and fall occurrences at both coastal and inland localities were of pallida. Subsequently, a few Cave Swallows occurring along the Atlantic coast in spring appear to have included pallida as well (P. E. Lehman pers. comm.). Fewer occurrences have been recorded west of the normal breeding range of pallida: eight records in Arizona (Rosenberg et al. 2011) and nine in California (Tietz and McCaskie 2014). McNair and Post (2001) concluded that the single breeding pair in Arizona and the first Cave Swallow recorded from California were pallida. Hamilton et al. (2007) suggested that pallida is likely the subspecies to which all California records can be attributed. Our record is the first of a Cave Swallow in western Canada and the Pacific Northwest but follows the pattern of increasing vagrancy in the East that is likely being driven by the expansion of the breeding population in Texas and New Mexico. We thank Michelle Lamberson and David Tang for making their photographs available to us. Our manuscript was greatly improved through the reviews of Daniel Gibson and Steven Heinl. LITERATURE CITED Garrido, O. H., Peterson, A. T., and Komar, O. 1999. Geographic variation and taxonomy of the Cave Swallow (Petrochelidon fulva) complex, with the descrip- tion of a new subspecies from Puerto Rico. Bull. Br. Ornithol. Club 119:80-90. Hamilton, R. A., Patten, M. A., and Erickson, R. A. (eds.). 2007. Rare Birds of California. W. Field Ornithol., Camarillo, CA. Kosciuch, K. L., Ormston, C. G., and Arnold, K. A. 2006. Breeding range expansion by Cave Swallows ( Petrochelidon fulva) in Texas. Southwest. Nat. 51:203-209. 265 NOTES McNair, D. B., and Post, W. 2001. Review of the occurrence of vagrant Cave Swal- lows in the United States and Canada. J. Field Ornithol. 72:485-503. Pyle, P. 1997. Identification Guide to North American Birds, part 1. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, CA. Ridgway, R. 1904. The birds of North and Middle America. U.S. Natl. Mus. Bull. 50, part III. Rosenberg, G. H., Radamaker, K., and Stevenson, M. M. 2011. Arizona Bird Com- mittee report, 2005-2009 records. W. Birds 42:198-232. Selander, R. K., and Baker, J. K. 1957. The Cave Swallow in Texas. Condor 59:345-363. Smith, P. W., Robertson, W. B., and Stevenson, H. M. 1988. West Indian Cave Swallows nesting in Florida, with comments on the taxonomy of Hirundo fulva. Florida Field Nat. 16:86-90. Strickler, S., and West, S. 2011. Cave Swallow ( Petrochelidon fulva), in The Birds of North American Online (A. Poole, ed.), no. 141. Cornell Lab Ornithol., Ithaca, NY ; http : //bna . birds . cor nell . edu/bna/ species/ 1 4 1 . Tietz, J., and McCaskie, G. 2014. Update to Rare Birds of California, 1 January 2004-4 February 2014; http://www.californiabirds.org/cbrc_book/update.pdf. Turner, A., and Rose, C. 1989. Swallows and Martins. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. Accepted 19 March 2015 266 NOTES DIRECT REMOVAL OF FECAL SACS BY ROCK WRENS ARAN MEYER, City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Program, 1745 Hoffman Mill Rd., Fort Collins, Colorado 80523; ArMeyer@fcgov.com NATHANIAL WARNING and LAURYN BENEDICT, University of Northern Colo- rado, Campus Box 92, Greeley, Colorado 80639; natwarning@gmail.com, lauryn. benedict@unco.edu Removal of fecal sacs from nests during nestlings’ development is an adaptive behavior shared by most species of passerines (Skutch 1976, Welty 1982, Weather- head 1984). The selective forces that have shaped nest-sanitation behavior remain unclear, but clean nests are thought to be less likely to attract predators (Petit and Petit 1987, Petit et al. 1989; but see Ibanez-Alamo et al. 2014a). Nest-sanitation behavior also appears to improve a host’s rejection of a brood parasite’s eggs (Moskat et al. 2003, Guigueno and Sealy 2012). In many studies nest sanitation is linked explicitly to measures of parental investment, including feeding rates (Ricklefs 1977, Gustafsson and Sutherland 1988, Markman et al. 2002). All of these studies indicate that the removal of fecal sacs can improve reproductive success for the parents, but fewer studies have focused on the role of nestlings’ behavior in nest sanitation, particularly in coordination with parental actions. Such behaviors have been known for some time. For example, Blair and Tucker (1941) described “active cooperation” behaviors, in which nestlings of multiple species with varied nest types were observed making deliberate movements to facilitate removal of their feces. Selection for behaviors that facilitate efficient removal of fecal material should be beneficial because they prevent nest contamination and decrease the time and energy expenditure given to nest sanitation (Thomson 1935, Spencer 2005, Ibanez-Alamo et al. 2013). Nestlings of a few passerine species have been observed to raise their tails in response to adults’ visits to the nest in order to facilitate cloacal stimulation, after which the adults pick up the fecal sacs and either remove them from the nest or eat them (Selous 1933, Smith 1942, Davis 1978). Other researchers describe parent birds waiting near nestlings to remove fecal sacs from the nest floor (Gabrielson 1912, Laskey 1948, Ley and Williams 1998). In the House Wren (Troglodytes aedon ) in Surinam, Haverschmidt (1952) described parents removing fecal sacs directly from the cloacae of nestlings, a behavior also described by Dobbs et al. (2001) in the Scaled Antpitta ( Grallaria guatimalensis). This direct removal of fecal sacs likely eliminates a parent bird’s need to search for and pick up feces during the time of maximum provisioning effort, and it could limit the amount of potentially harmful bacteria within nests (Ibanez-Alamo et al. 2014b). Direct removal of fecal sacs can be difficult to observe, particularly in cavity nests or nest boxes, and may therefore go underreported and undescribed. To date there have been few accounts of nestlings cooperating with parents to remove waste in species nesting in rock cavities, and even fewer photos or videos documenting such coordinated sanitation behaviors. The Rock Wren ( Salpinctes obsoletus) nests in rock cavities, with both males and females participating in chick rearing and nest sanitation (Lowther et al. 2000, Warn- ing and Benedict 2015; Figure 1). From 2012 to 2014 we used direct observation and motion-activated cameras (Reconyx, Holmen, WI) to observe five pairs of Rock Wrens provisioning their young on public lands in montane shrublands near Fort Collins, Colorado (40° 31.56° N, 105° 09.29° W). The nests contained 3-5 chicks (average 4) with broods ranging in age from 7 to 14 days. We placed cameras (adjusted to 1 m focal length) ~1 m from three ground-based nests and directly observed two nests located in cliff cavities. We did not quantify rates of fecal-sac removal or standardize observation effort across nests so report only qualitative natural history data. Because Western Birds 46:267-270, 2015 267 NOTES Figure 1 . A Rock Wren carrying a fecal sac away from the nest at Lory State Park, Colorado, on 2 July 2013. Photo by Dave Leatherman of shadowing within the nest cavities during our observations, we describe behaviors near the nest-cavity entrances as nestlings became more mobile, within 1-2 days of fledging. At each of the five nests, we documented Rock Wrens removing fecal sacs both from the floor of the nest cavity and directly from the cloacae of nestlings (Table 1). During direct removal, which typically followed a feeding, a chick turned away from its parent, raised its tail, and produced a fecal sac in apparent response to the approach- ing or waiting adult. The adult Rock Wren quickly removed the fecal sac directly from the cloaca, carried the waste in flight, and dropped it away from the nest (Figure 2; see also video recorded by Meyer on 14 June 2012 at youtu.be/Uag8xfJ3qbM). Our photos and video provide clear documentation of a phenomenon that has previously been described in only a few bird species. Rock Wren nestlings coordinate their behaviors with their parents’, aiding in efficient removal of waste from nests. Many other species are likely to behave similarly. In other species researchers have described unusual adaptive nest-sanitation behaviors and changes in nest-sanitation behavior over time (Blair and Tucker 1941, Gluck 1988). Further studies are needed to determine the specific benefits of this behavior to the Rock Wren and to determine Table 1 Locations, Active Dates, Observation Dates, and Methods of Observing Fecal-Sac Removal from Five Rock Wren Nests in Larimer County, Colorado Location Known active dates Observation date(s) of fecal sac removal Method Type(s) of removal observed Devils Backbone Open Space Lory State Park 5 June- 16 June 2012 14 June Direct observation Cloacal S. Valley Trail 30 June-7 July 2013 3 July, 7 July Direct observation Cloacal, nest floor Quarry Cove 15 June-20 June 2014 19 June, 20 June Motion camera Cloacal Shoreline Trail 16 June-24 June 2014 23 June, 24 June Motion camera Cloacal, nest floor Pine Ridge Natural Area 22 June-28 June 2014 27 June Motion camera Cloacal, nest floor 268 NOTES Figure 2. Time sequence from a motion-activated camera showing a Rock Wren removing a fecal sac directly from the cloaca of a nestling on 23 June 2014. Photos by Nat Warning how the prevalence and proportion of direct removal of fecal sacs may change over the course of nestlings’ development. We thank D. Leather man for assistance in the field and the city of Fort Collins Natural Areas Program and the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife for access to study sites. We also thank M. Guigueno for her critical review of the manuscript. The Denver Audubon Society and the Colorado Mountain Club provided funding for motion-activated cameras. LITERATURE CITED Blair, R. H., and Tucker, B. W. 1941. Nest sanitation. Br. Birds 34:206-215. Davis, C. M. 1978. A nesting study of the Brown Creeper. Living Bird 17:237-263. 269 NOTES Dobbs, R. C., Martin, P. R., and Kuehn, M. J. 2001. On the nest, eggs, nestlings, and parental care of the Scaled Antpitta ( Grallaria guatimalensis). Ornitol. Neo- trop. 12:225-233. Gabrielson, I. N. 1912. A study of the home life of the Brown Thrasher, Toxostoma rufum. Wilson Bull. 24:64-94. Gluck, E. 1988. Why do parent birds swallow the feces of their nestlings? Experi- entia 44:537-539. Guigueno, M. F., and Sealy, S. G. 2012. Nest sanitation in passerine birds: Implica- tions for egg rejection in hosts of brood parasites. J. Ornithol. 153:35-52. Gustafsson, L., and Sutherland, W. J. 1988. The costs of reproduction in the Collared Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis. Nature 335:813-815. Haverschmidt, F. 1952. Nesting behavior of the Southern House Wren in Suri- nam. Condor 54:292-295. Ibanez-Alamo, J. D., Sanllorente, O., Arco, L., and Soler, M. 2013. Does nest preda- tion risk induce parent birds to eat nestlings’ fecal sacs? An experimental study. Ann. Zool. Fennici 50:71-78. Ibanez-Alamo, J. D., Ruiz-Raya, F., Roncalli, G., and Soler, M. 2014a. Is nest preda- tion an important selective pressure determining fecal sac removal? The effect of olfactory cues. J. Ornithol. 155:491-496. Ibanez-Alamo, J. D., Ruiz-Rodriguez, M., and Soler, J. J. 2014b. The mucous cov- ering of fecal sacs prevents birds from infection with enteric bacteria. J. Avian Biol. 45:354-358. Laskey, A. R. 1948. Some nesting data on the Carolina Wren at Nashville, Tennes- see. Bird-Banding 1948:101-121. Ley, A. J., and Williams, M. B. 1998. Nesting of the Regent Honeyeater Xantho- myza phrygia near Armidale, New South Wales. Aust. Bird Watch 17:328-336. Lowther, P. E., Kroodsma, D. E., and Farley, G. H. 2000. Rock Wren (Salpinctes obsoletus), in The Birds of North America, (F. B. Gill and A. Poole, eds.), no 486. Birds N. Am., Philadelphia. Markman, S., Pinshow, B., and Wright, J. 2002. The manipulation of food resources reveals sex-specific trade-offs between parental self-feeding and offspring care. Proc. Royal Soc. B. 269:1931-1938. Moskat, C., Szekely, T., Kisbenedek, T., Karcza, Z., and Bartol, I. 2003. The importance of nest cleaning in egg rejection behaviour of Great Reed Warblers Acrocephalus arundinaceus. J. Avian Biol. 34:16-19. Petit, D. R., and Petit, L. J. 1987. Fecal sac dispersal by Prothonotary Warblers: Weatherhead’s hypothesis re-evaluated. Condor 89:610-613. Petit, K. E., Petit, L. J., and Petit, D. R. 1989. Fecal sac removal: Do the pattern and distance of dispersal affect the chance of nest predation? Condor 91:479-482. Ricklefs, R. E. 1977. On the evolution of reproductive strategies in birds: Reproduc- tive effort. Am. Nat. 111:453-478. Selous, E. 1933. Evolution of Habit in Birds. Constable, London. Skutch, A. F. 1976. Parent Birds and their Young. Univ. Texas Press, Austin. Spencer, K. A. 2005. The effects of body state on nest sanitation and provisioning effort in breeding Barn Swallows ( Hirundo rustica). Can. J. Zool. 83:1360-1364. Smith, S. 1942. The instinctive nature of nest sanitation. Br. Birds 35:120-124. Thomson, D. F. 1935. Some adaptations for the disposal of feces. The hygiene of the nest in Australian birds. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 4:701-706. Warning, N., andL. Benedict. 2015. Paving the way: Multifunctional nest architecture of the Rock Wren. Auk 132:288-299. Weatherhead, P. J. 1984. Fecal sac removal by Tree Swallows: The cost of cleanli- ness. Condor 86:187-191. Welty, J. C. 1982. The Life of Birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. Accepted 15 April 2015 270 NOTES PROLONGED INCUBATION AND TWO CLUTCHES IN A NEW MEXICO GREAT HORNED OWL NEST: 2011-2012 DALE W. STAHLECKER, Eagle Environmental, Inc., 30 Fonda Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508; dale@eagleenvironmental.net Widely spread across the phylogenetic tree in three avian orders, birds of prey are linked by their food habits and convergent evolution of talons and strong beaks. Second clutches/broods are rare among raptors; instead, a tendency to extend incubation beyond the time required for hatching has been documented in 12 species of the Accipitriformes, four of the Falconiformes, but only two of the Strigiformes (Margalida et al. 2006). With an average incubation period of 33 days (Arturo et al. 2014), the Great Horned Owl ( Bubo virginianus ) has not previously been reported to extend incubation. Furthermore, the species was previously known to lay a second clutch only after the death of the male early in incubation of the first clutch (Marti 1969). In late January 2008 a resident pair of Great Horned Owls chose to occupy an artificial nest I had maintained for five years in a pinyon pine ( Pinus edulis ) 50 m from my home office, 15 km south of Santa Fe, New Mexico. They subsequently used the same nest annually through 2015 and often roosted nearby while not nesting. The subdivision containing my house is located in pinyon pine-juniper ( Juniperus sp.) savanna with a mean elevation of 2050 m above sea level. Large lots (0.5 to 1 ha), limits to yard/garden size, and extensive greenbelts have resulted in a largely intact natural habitat and prey base, but with an above-average density of roof-top perches. From 2009 to 2012, the timing of these owls’ nesting was remarkably consistent. The adult female spent the full day of 11 or 12 February in an incubation posture on the nest. That was followed by one (2009, 2010) or two (2012) days with the female perched a few meters from the nest, then continuous incubation was initiated on 14 February. In each year, therefore, I estimated hatching on 17 March, and nestlings 5-6 weeks old were likely by the first week of May. This timing is typical of the Great Horned Owl in New Mexico (Dickerman et al. 2010). On 12 February 2011 the “pre-incubation” day again occurred on schedule; the female was off the nest until I departed at 11:00 on 13 February for a 5-week field project. Neighbors confirmed incubation multiple times during my absence, but the exact day of initiation was not documented. On my return on 22 March, the female was still incubating/brooding, but as April passed it became clear that there were no chicks. Incubation continued until at least 5 May but became intermittent by 7 May. On 11 May the female was off the nest all afternoon, so I collected two addled eggs (deposited with the Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico). Presuming incubation did begin on 14 February, the extended incubation in 2011 lasted ~75 days. Again in 2012 the start of laying/incubation was unchanged, with full incubation initiated on 14 February. During the following weeks, I observed the female incubat- ing throughout the day, though I was gone at intervals for multiple days. Incubation was continuous 9-11 March. On the afternoon of 11 March I observed an intense mobbing by Common Ravens ( Corvus corax), which lasted 30 minutes and involved six to eight ravens approaching to within 1 m of the incubating female owl. The male owl pursued several ravens; he also stood for a time in the nest by the female. While the female never came off the eggs during the mobbing or the remainder of the day, she spent all of 12 March perched 1-2 m from the nest. I departed that evening and was gone 13-29 March. I observed the female incubating in late afternoon on 30 March and on each subsequent check throughout April and into May. I assumed she would eventually give up the effort as the female had in 2011, and she did appear to Western Birds 46:271-272, 2015 271 NOTES be sitting higher in the first week of May. After a 5-day absence, I found the female feeding two owlets ~2.5 weeks old (Arturo et al. 2014) on 20 May, so the incubation of the eggs that produced these two owlets was initiated ~1 April. Incubation on this one nest again lasted ~75 days, but two clutches had to be involved since the owlets could not have been from eggs incubated beginning mid-February. There were no eggs or eggshell fragments when I was first able to examine the nest post-branching/ post-fledging on 25 June, when the young were roosting away from the nest and my visit no longer elicited a response from the adults. While I have referred throughout to “the” female, it is not certain that there was only one adult female. It is also not certain when the first 2012 clutch failed, but the day off the eggs on 12 March, 26 days after initiation of incubation, likely would have killed any embryos. In captivity, a raptor of similar size, the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), can be induced to double clutch only if eggs are removed early in the incubation of the first clutch (Platt et al. 2007), which suggests that one of the pair of these owls was replaced. It is possible that the female mobbed on 11 March was evicted by a second female as early as the intervening night, which could explain the day of no incubation. I heard no challenging or returned female hooting, though. Replacement could have occurred during my absence 13-29 March. Still, the intense mobbing the day before the apparent abandonment of the first clutch, which was part of almost daily raven mobbing of the owls every breeding season, is possibly more than coincidental. A female that prolonged incubation one year might have had the behavioral flexibility to double clutch the succeeding year. This note, Eagle Environmental Publication 2, is the result of an unfunded, oppor- tunistic, but scientifically motivated inquiry that serendipitously occurred where it could not be ignored. Neighbors L. and C. Williams documented incubation during my absences. I thank B. W. Smith for the many positive suggestions that greatly improved the original draft and concepts of this manuscript. Referee comments by J. L. Lincer, P. H. Bloom, and D. D. Gibson clarified thoughts and theories, particularly on possible explanations of the double clutch in 2012 and successful fledging of the second clutch. LITERATURE CITED Arturo, C., Houston, C. S., Smith, D. G., and Rohner, C. 2014. Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), in The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, ed.), no. 372. Cornell Lab Ornithol., Ithaca, NY; http ://bna. birds. Cornell. bnaproxy. birds. cornell.edu/bna/species/372. Dickerman, R. W., Harden, J., and Cartron, J.-L. 2010. Great Horned Owl, in The Raptors of New Mexico (J.-L. Cartron, ed.), pp. 537-553. Univ. New Mexico Press, Albuquerque. Margalida, A., Arroyo, B. E., Bortolloti, G. R., and Bertran, J. 2006. Prolonged incu- bation in raptors: Adaptive or non-adaptive behavior? J. Raptor Res. 40: 159-163. Marti, C. 1969. Renesting by Barn and Great Horned Owls. Wilson Bull. 81 :467-468. Platt, J. B., Bird, D. M., and Bardo, L. 2007. Captive breeding, in Raptor Research and Management Techniques (D. M. Bird and K. L. Bildstein, eds.), pp. 383-400. Hancock House, Blaine, WA. Accepted 1 7 July 2015 272 FEATURED PHOTO INTERSPECIFIC FEEDING OF MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD NESTLINGS BY A PYGMY NUTHATCH STEVE ZAMEK, 740 Greenview PL, Los Altos, California 94024; steve@featherlightphoto .com EDWARD R. PANDOLFINO, 1328 49th Street, Sacramento, California 95819 On 17 June and 20 June 2014 Zamek and his sister, J. Zamek, observed an adult Pygmy Nuthatch ( Sitta pygmaea) feeding Mountain Bluebird ( Sialia currucoides) nestlings near Prosser Creek Reservoir, Nevada County, California. The bluebirds’ nest cavity was approximately 2 m above the ground in a large snag. An active Pygmy Nuthatch nest with nestlings was in a cavity in the same snag approximately 2 m above the bluebird nest. There were other nest holes in this snag, but they did not appear to contain active nests. During approximately two hours of observation in late afternoon on 17 June and three hours in early morning on 20 June, a female Mountain Bluebird frequently fed the three bluebird nestlings. A male Mountain Bluebird was also present and remained close to the nest most of the time but visited the nest only four times on 17 June and twice on 20 June. A Pygmy Nuthatch also fed the Mountain Bluebird nestlings at least ten times on 17 June and at least nine times on 20 June. The Pygmy Nuthatch also reached into the Mountain Bluebird nest and removed fecal sacs two times on 20 June. Zamek obtained photographs of the bluebirds and the nuthatch feeding the bluebird nestlings and removing a fecal sac (see this issue’s back cover), making this one of very few photographically documented examples of interspecific feeding of nestlings and nest maintenance. The male bluebird jabbed at the nestlings’ open bills but did not actually feed them during two visits to the nest on 20 June. These apparent “mock” feedings occurred immediately after the male bluebird had chased the nuthatch away from the nest. The nuthatch was persistent in its attempts to feed the bluebird nestlings, despite the male bluebird’s aggression, making approximately as many visits as the female bluebird. The female bluebird never chased the nuthatch. The active Pygmy Nuthatch nest in this snag was well attended by at least two adult Pygmy Nuthatches, but Zamek never observed any nuthatch make a direct visit to the bluebird nest from the nuthatch nest. Although up to three nuthatches were observed simultaneously, it was not possible to determine if the bluebirds were being fed by one of the nesting pair or by the third nuthatch. Cases associated with brood parasitism excluded, interspecific feeding of nestlings or fledglings has been described in at least 78 species of birds (Eddinger 1970, Shy 1982, McGowan 1990, McNair and Duyck 1991, Erickson 1998, Drozdz et al. 2004, Pierce 2005, Archer and Stansfield 2006, Kristin 2009, Hall et al. 2010, Matsuda 2011, Heber 2012). Pinkowski (1980) also observed a Pygmy Nuthatch feeding Mountain Bluebird nestlings and removing fecal sacs in Colorado, making the observation described here only the second published example of interspecific feeding between these two species. Pinkowski also noted that the frequency of feeding by the nuthatch was similar to that of the bluebirds and that the nuthatch removed fecal sacs by leaning into, but not entering, the nest cavity. In contrast to Zamek’s observations, Pinkowski noted that both bluebird parents chased the nuthatch. Shy (1982) proposed seven possible proximate causes for a bird of one species feeding the young of another: (1) the bird was raising a mixed-species clutch; (2) the original nest of the bird failed or was destroyed; (3) the nest of the other species was close to the nest of the bird engaging in interspecific feeding; (4) begging of the heterospecific young stimulated the bird to Western Birds 46:273-275, 2015 273 FEATURED PHOTO feed them; (5) orphaned heterospecific young were “adopted” by the feeding bird; (6) a male bird with an active nest fed another species while his mate incubated; (7) an unmated bird formed an interspecific parental relationship with the actual parent of the young. In the case we describe, one can rule out a mixed-species clutch, orphaned heterospecific young, or an interspecific parental relationship as proximate causes. If the nuthatch feeding the bluebirds was one of the pair nesting in the same snag, then the proximity of the two nests could have been a contributing factor. While the presence of begging young may have been a factor, Zamek heard no begging from the nestlings during either of his visits. Still, the young may have begged at other times and thus stimulated the feeding response in this nuthatch. Therefore, the interspecific feeding reported here could have been due to one or more of the following factors: the nuthatch having lost a nest; proximity of the bluebird nest to the nuthatch nest; the nuthatch having an incubating female in a different nest in the general area; the presence of begging bluebirds stimulating the feeding instinct. It is possible that the nuthatch feeding the bluebirds was a nonparental helper at the nearby Pygmy Nuthatch nest, as such nest helpers have been observed at 17-40% of Pygmy Nuthatch nests studied (Norris 1958, Storer 1977, Sydeman et al. 1988). We thank Luke George for very helpful comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. Peter LaTourrette and John Sterling provided useful suggestions about which photos to include to best illustrate the observed behaviors. LITERATURE CITED Archer, M. G., and Stansfield, S. 2006. Chiff chaff feeding juvenile Wrens. Br. Birds 99:268. Drozdz, R., Hromada, M., and Tryjanowski, P. 2004. Interspecific feeding of a Great Grey Shrike ( Lanius excubitor) fledgling by adult Yellowhammers ( Emberiza citri- nella). Biol. Lett. 41:185-187. Eddinger, C. R. 1970. The White-eye as an interspecific feeding helper. Condor 72:240. Erickson, R. A. 1998. Unmated male California Gnatcatcher feeds fledgling Bushtits. W. Birds 29:475-476. Hall, M. L., Murphy, S. A., Churchwell, R. T., and Milenkaya, O. 2010. Interspecific feeding between an insectivore and a granivore — male Purple-crowned Fairy- Wren Malurus coronatus feeds nestling Crimson Finches Neochmia phaeton. Corella 34:49-50. Heber, S. 2012. Interspecific feeding event in which a female bellbird ( Anthornis melanura ) feeds and broods two robin (Petroica australis ) nestlings, taking turns with the genetic parents of the nestlings; www. youtube. com/watch?v=b- AKuhV12Ig (accessed 25 July 2014). Kristin, A. 2009. Interspecific feeding at bird nests: Ficedula albicollis as a helper at the nest of Turdus philomelos. Tichodroma 21:98-101. Matsuda, B. M. 2011. Interspecific feeding of South Island Tomtit ( Petroica macro- cephala macrocephala ) nestlings and fledglings by a male Stewart Island Robin (P. australis rakiura). Notornis 58:95-97. McGowan, K. J. 1990. Nesting Fish Crows adopt a fledgling Blue Jay. J. Field Ornithol. 61:171-173. McNair, D. B., and Duyck, B. 1991. Interspecific feeding among some oscines. Chat 11:9-11. Norris, R. A. 1958. Comparative biosystematics and life history of the nuthatches Sitta pygmaea and Sitta pusilla. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool. 56:119-300. Pierce, A. J. 2005. Interspecific feeding of a White-eye fledgling by a Little Spider- hunter. Nat. Hist. J. Chulalongkorn Univ. 5:41. Pinkowski, B. C. 1980. Pygmy Nuthatch feeds Mountain Bluebird nestlings. W. Birds 11:155-156. 274 FEATURED PHOTO Shy, M. M. 1982. Interspecific feeding among birds: A review. J. Field Ornithol. 53:370-393. Storer, B. E. 1977. Aspects of the breeding ecology of the Pygmy Nuthatch ( Sitta pygmaea ) and the foraging ecology of wintering mixed-species flocks in western Montana. Master’s thesis, Univ. of Montana, Missoula. Sydeman, W. J.. Gunter, M., and Baida, R. P. 1988. Annual reproductive yield in the cooperative Pygmy Nuthatch ( Sitta pygmaea). Auk 105:70-77. WFO’S 4 1ST ANNUAL CONFERENCE — HUMBOLDT COUNTY, CALIFORNIA 28 September-2 October 2016 Please join us for Western Field Ornithologists 41st annual conference, to be held 28 September through 2 October 2016 at the River Lodge Conference Center, on the Eel River in Fortuna, California. Events will include indoor workshops on Friday and Saturday mornings, science sessions on Friday and Saturday, a no-host reception on Friday evening, our annual banquet on Saturday evening, and field trips Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Fortuna is within 14 miles of several important birding areas, including the Eel River State Wildlife Management Area, the Loleta Bottoms, the Ferndale Bottoms, and Russ Park. Within the southern portion of nearby Humboldt Bay are several more notable sites, including King Salmon, Fields Landing County Park, the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge’s Hookton Slough Trail and Shorebird Loop Trail and the Mattole Valley Loop. Farther afield, outstanding birding areas include the Areata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, the Eureka waterfront, Big Lagoon County Park, Woodley Island and Vance Road, Mad River County Park, the Blue Lake riparian area and Mad River Hatchery, and the Horse Mountain area. We look forward to seeing you in Fortuna! MARK YOUR CALENDAR WFO will be offering a tour of the central Sierra Nevada led by Jon Dunn, Lena Hayashi, Ed Pandolfino, and Dave Quady, 20-28 June 2016. This trip will cover all the Sierra’s best habitats on both the west and east sides of the range. It will include an evening of owling when we will try for the Spotted, Flammulated, Western Screech-, Northern Pygmy-, and Northern Saw-whet Owls. Other target birds include the Black Swift, White-headed Woodpecker, Williamson>s Sapsucker, Pinyon Jay, Mountain Bluebird, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Pine Grosbeak, Red Crossbill, and Evening Grosbeak. Registration will open in November 2015, and full details and pricing will be announced via a WFO news e-mail. If you are not currently on our e-mail list, send a message to erpfromca@aol.com with your full name, city, state, and current e-mail address. WESTERN BIRDS ONLINE Issues of Western Birds are now available as downloadable PDFs at www. western fieldornithologists.org/publications.php, and WFO members have access to the latest issues. Members who would like to save some shelf space, save some trees, and help WFO save some money, can opt out of receiving a mailed paper copy of Western Birds. Just send an e-mail to treasurer Suzanne Carota (smcarota@gmail.com) and let her know that you would like to take advantage of this option. Publication on paper is not going away, and members who prefer a printed journal are as welcome as always. 275 World Wide Web site: WESTERN BIRDS www. westernfieldornithologists . org Quarterly Journal of Western Field Ornithologists President: David E. Quady, 39 The Crescent, Berkeley, CA 94708; davequady@att.net Vice-President: Thomas A. Blackman, 4470 Orchard Ave., San Diego, CA 92107; obeach@cox.net Past-President: Edward R. Pandolfino, 1328 49th St., Sacramento, CA 95819; ERFfromCA@aol.com Treasurer/Membership Secretary: Suzanne Carota, 3476 Armourdale Ave., Long Beach, CA 90808; smcarota@gmail.com Recording Secretary: Liga Auzins, 12842 Safford East, Garden Grove, CA 92840; llauzins@y ahoo . com Directors: Jon L. Dunn, Daniel D. Gibson, Homer Hansen, Susan Kelly, Kurt Leuschner, Larry Modesitt, Frances Oliver, Diane Rose, Steve Rottenborn, W. David Shuford, Raymond VanBuskirk, Catherine P. Waters Editor: Philip Unitt, San Diego Natural History Museum, P. O. Box 121390, San Diego, CA 92112-1390; birds@sdnhm.org Assistant Editor: Daniel D. Gibson, 3705 Quartz Rd., Ester, AK 99725 Associate Editors: Kenneth P. Able, Daniel S. Cooper, Doug Faulkner, Thomas Gardali, Daniel D. Gibson, Robert E. Gill, Paul E. Lehman, Ronald R. 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Send membership dues, changes of address, correspondence regarding missing issues, and or- ders for back issues and special publications to the Treasurer. Make checks payable to Western Field Ornithologists. Back issues of Western Birds within U.S. $40 per volume, $10 for single issues, including shipping and handling. Outside the U.S. $55 per volume, $15 for single issues, including ship- ping and handling. Published 1 September 2015 ISSN 0045-3897 Vol. 46, No. 4, 2015 Western Specialty: Black -chinned Hummingbird Photo by Harold F. Greeney of Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador: Female Black-chinned Hummingbird ( Archilochus alexandri ) on its nest, Southwest Research Station, Chiricahua Mountains, Cochise County, Arizona. Note the situation of the nest on a down-sloping twig with a thicker branch above it. In this issue of Western Birds, Harold F. Greeney, Chris E. Hamilton, Evelyng K. Astudillo-Sanchez, Susan M. Wethingon, Eric R. Hough, Christina Ripplinger, and Krista K. Schmidt (pp. 326-330) summarize the placement of 412 Black-chinned Hummingbird nests in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona, finding that 65% were built in such situations. They suggest that this arrangement helps not only shelter the nest but to screen it from predators that may be crawling along the thicker branch above. Volume 46, Number 4, 2015 Comparison of Vocalizations of Four U.S. Subspecies of the White-breasted Nuthatch Edward R. Pandolfino and Nathan D. Pieplow 278 Indications That the Common Redpoll is Double Brooded in Alaska Brandi Ringgenberg and Kevin Winker 291 Ninth Report of the Washington Bird Records Committee (2008-2010) Ryan J. Merrill and Matt Bartels 299 NOTES Nest-Site Selection of the Black-chinned Hummingbird in Southeast Arizona Harold F. Greeney, Chris E. Hamilton , Evelyng K. Astudillo-Sanchez, Susan M. Wethington, Eric R. Hough, Christina M. Ripplinger, and Krista K. Schmidt 326 Colorado’s First Accepted Record of the Cave Swallow Steven G. Mlodinow and Tony Leukering 331 Two Thrush Species Feed the Same Nestlings Larry Siemens 336 New Montezuma Quail Records from Chihuahua, Mexico Israel Moreno-Contreras, Ana Gatica-Colima, and Diana Venegas 339 Eccentric Preformative Molt in the Spotted Towhee Stephen M. Fettig and Charles D. Hathcock 343 Book Reviews Jeffrey S. Marks and Justyn Stahl 347 Thanks to Western Birds' Reviewers and Associate Editors 350 Featured Photo: Hybridization between the Dusky Grouse and Sharp-tailed Grouse Ryan P O'Donnell 351 Index Daniel D. Gibson 353 Front cover photo by © Larry Siemens of Redding, California: nestlings of Townsend’s Solitaire ( Myadestes townsendi) at Leoni Meadows, El Dorado Co., California, 2 July 2015 — nestlings fed by an American Robin ( Turdus migratorius) as well as their own parents. Back cover: “Featured Photos” by © Ryan P. O’Donnell of Flagstaff, Arizona: (center) hybrid Dusky Grouse (Dendragapus obscurus) x Sharp-tailed Grouse ( Tympanuchus phasianellus) at Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area, Cache Co., Utah, 7 April 2013, and © Paul Higgins of Roy, Utah: (top) Dusky Grouse in Weber Co., Utah, 10 March 2012, and (bottom) Sharp-tailed Grouse in Box Elder Co., Utah, 31 March 2012. Western Birds solicits papers that are both useful to and understandable by amateur field ornithologists and also contribute significantly to scientific literature. Particularly desired are reports of studies done in or bearing on North America west of the 100th meridian, including Alaska and Hawaii, northwestern Mexico, and the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Send manuscripts to Daniel D. Gibson, P. O. Box 155, Ester, AK 99725; avesalaska@ gmail.com. For matters of style consult the Suggestions to Contributors to Western Birds (at www. western fieldornithologists.org/docs/journal_guidelines.doc). WESTERN BIRDS Volume 46, Number 4, 2015 COMPARISON OF VOCALIZATIONS OF FOUR U.S. SUBSPECIES OF THE WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH EDWARD R. PANDOLFINO, 1328 49th Street, Sacramento, California 95819, erpfromca@aol . com NATHAN D. PIEPLOW, 2480 Kittredge Loop Dr. #0848, Boulder, Colorado 80310, npieplo w@ gmail . com ABSTRACT: There are distinct regional differences among the vocalizations of the White-breasted Nuthatch ( Sitta carolinensis), but only one subspecies (S. c. carolinensis) has been the subject of published vocal analyses. We used recordings made throughout the ranges of four U.S. subspecies to compare their vocalizations qualitatively and quantitatively, finding that these vocalizations may be categorized in three groups, eastern (S. c. carolinensis ), interior west (S. c. nelsoni and S. c. tenuis- sima), and Pacific (S. c. aculeata). All four subspecies sing a simple song consisting of an evenly spaced series of overslurred notes. The rate of this song varies from <5 notes/sec to >12 notes/sec. The pitch of these songs increases from east to west, being lowest in S. c. carolinensis and highest in S. c. aculeata. Sitta c. aculeata also has an additional song unique to that taxon consisting of a series of sharply slurred, evenly spaced notes that fall, then rise, and then fall in pitch. Both S. c. carolinensis and S. c. aculeata frequently give a simple call note that is very distinctly and rapidly modulated; it is significantly higher in pitch in S. c. aculeata than in S. c. carolinensis. Neither interior subspecies makes a similar call. Both interior subspecies commonly give two calls absent from the repertoires of S. c. carolinensis and S. c. aculeata, one consisting of tightly paired notes given at a constant pace, the other a very rapid, unevenly spaced series of single notes given in short bursts. We found no diagnostic differences between the two interior subspecies in either song or calls. Although as many as six subspecies of the White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis ) have been described within the United States, only four of them occupy substantial geographic ranges: roughly, S. c. carolinensis in the East and the Great Plains, S. c. nelsoni in the central and southern Rocky Mountains and eastern Great Basin, S. c. tenuissima in the high and eastern Sierra Nevada, eastern Cascades, and western Great Basin, and S. c. aculeata west of the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades (Hawbecker 1948, Spellman and Klicka 2007, Grubb and Pravosudov 2008). Phillips (1986) 278 Western Birds 46:278-290, 2015 VOCALIZATIONS OF FOUR SUBSPECIES OF WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH recognized also S. c. cookei in northeastern North America (synonymized with S. c. carolinensis by Wood 1992) and S. c. oberholseri found in the Chisos Mountains of western Texas. Four or five additional subspecies oc- cur in Mexico. Except for the pale back of S. c. carolinensis, plumage and structural differences among the subspecies are subtle, with significant overlap in most variables (Pyle 1997, Mlodinow 2014), making consistent visual field identi- fication difficult. Genetic analyses suggest that each of the four widespread subspecies represents a distinct clade, and that the White-breasted Nuthatch may comprise three or four biological species (Spellman and Klicka 2007, Walstrom et al. 2011). It is well-known that the vocalizations of White-breasted Nuthatches differ regionally (Dunn and Blom 1987, J. L. Dunn in Gaines 1988, Sibley 2000, 2014, Mlodinow 2014), falling into three regional groups: an eastern group corresponding to S. c. carolinensis, an interior west group corresponding to S. c. nelsoni and S. c. tenuissima, and a Pacific group corresponding to S. c. aculeata. However, the only detailed published analysis of White- breasted Nuthatch vocalizations (Richison 1983) was restricted to one site in Minnesota and therefore included only the eastern subspecies (S. c. carolinensis). Most other publications that have addressed the vocalizations of this species have likewise been restricted to the eastern subspecies (Tyler 1916, Kilham 1972, 1981, Harrap and Quinn 1996, Elliot 2005). Thus the vocalizations of the other White-breasted Nuthatch subspecies have not been analyzed in detail. Differences in vocalizations can both represent and reinforce barriers to gene flow, serving as a mechanism for assortative mating and thus promoting speciation (Newton 2003). Therefore, an analysis of the White-breasted Nut- hatch’s vocalizations may help clarify its taxonomy. We analyzed recordings from throughout the ranges of these four subspecies and compared vocaliza- tions both qualitatively and quantitatively to better understand the variation in their vocalizations, to determine which, if any, vocalizations can be used Fiqure 1 . Locations of analyzed recordinqs of calls and sonqs of the White-breasted Nuthatch. 279 VOCALIZATIONS OF FOUR SUBSPECIES OF WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH to identify these taxa in the field, and to compare variation in vocalizations to previously described morphologic and genetic variation among these taxa. METHODS Figure 1 shows the locations of all recordings used in our analyses. These recordings included those available from the archives of the Cornell Labora- tory of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library (macaulaylibrary.org/), recordings available at www.xeno-canto.org/, our own recordings, and recordings ob- tained from other recordists (all recordists noted in the Acknowledgments). We selected recordings from locations within the range of each subspecies consistent with published morphometric data, avoiding locations where the ranges of subspecies may be in contact. We selected recordings of quality sufficient for quantitative analysis. For each recording, we measured four variables: note duration, note rate (number of notes per second), number of notes in a continuous series of notes, and difference in frequency between successive partials (pitch). The partials are the multiple tones that make up a single nasal sound; on the spectrogram, they appear as individual traces arranged in a vertical stack. We used fre- quency difference between partials rather than fundamental frequency as a proxy for pitch because the purported fundamental frequencies in White- breasted Nuthatch vocalizations are frequently faint or absent. In complex sounds consisting of a stack of partials in harmonic series, the frequency difference between partials is equal to the frequency of the fundamental, and the human ear hears the pitch of the fundamental even if one or more of the lowest partials, including the fundamental, are filtered out (Fasti and Zwicker 2007). Thus a listener hears these sounds at the frequency of the difference between the partials, not at the frequency of the strongest partial on the spectrogram. It is possible that White-breasted Nuthatch vocalizations are not harmonic series (i.e., that the difference in frequency between partials is not equal to the frequency of the fundamental). At least in the similarly structured sounds of the Black-capped Chickadee ( Poecile atricapillus), the stack of partials on the spectrogram can actually represent a set of heterodyne frequencies (frequencies produced by the combination of two different frequencies) gen- erated by the acoustic coupling of the two sides of the syrinx, rather than a harmonic series with a true fundamental frequency (Nowicki and Capranica 1986). In sounds of this type, the pitch the human ear perceives does not always match the frequency difference between partials (Fasti and Zwicker 2007), but the discrepancy is likely to be small in most cases. For all measurements we used the selection boxes in Raven Pro (www. birds.cornell.edu/brp/raven/RavenOverview.html) applied to spectrograms of the vocalizations. For the time variables (duration of notes and rate of delivery), we averaged measurements from at least four consecutive series of calls or songs for each individual. We defined frequency as the difference between the loudest partial (darkest on the spectrogram) and the partial just above it at the temporal midpoint of the note. For this variable, we averaged at least ten different measurements from at least five consecutive songs or calls for each individual. 280 VOCALIZATIONS OF FOUR SUBSPECIES OF WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH To assess the significance of differences between measures of vocaliza- tions in comparisons of more than two subspecies, we used Mann-Whitney (7-tests and applied Bonferroni adjustments (Dytham 2003). Terminology A bewildering variety of names has been used to describe White-breasted Nuthatch vocalizations. For example, the single nasal call of S. c. carolin- ensis has been variously described as a quank (Tyler 1916, Richison 1983), kun or kaan (Kilham 1981), yan/c (Dunn et al. 1983, Elliot 2005, Sibley 2014), and yenk or renk (Sibley 2000). The corresponding single call of S. c. aculeata has been described as wheer (Dunn and Alderfer 2011) or as eeern or beeerf (Sibley 2000) Also, the common contact calls often given by foraging pairs (a vocalization not analyzed here) have been termed hits (Tyler 1916, Richison 1983), tucks (Richison 1983), and inks (Elliot 2005, Sibley 2014). For the purposes of this analysis, we use the terms below for each of the vocalizations studied: Overslur. We use this term to describe a sound that rises and then falls in pitch (Pieplow 2007). Quanks. We use this general term for the notes in each of the calls analyzed as it suggests the very nasal quality of all these notes. Modulated quanks. These comprise the single overslurred notes given by S. c. carolinensis and aculeata, both of which show a distinct pattern of frequency modulation within the note. Disyllabic quanks. These comprise the tightly paired notes given by S. c. nelsoni and tenuissima, yidi yidi yidi in Sibley (2000, 2014), yida in Dunn and Alderfer (2011). These paired notes may be given singly or in a continuous, evenly paced series. Rapid quanks. We use this term for the very rapid bursts of notes given by S. c. nelsoni and tenuissima ( yidididid in Sibley 2014). Simple song. By this we mean the evenly paced series of overslurred notes, all on one pitch, given by all four taxa. Tooey song. This refers to the evenly spaced series of notes given by S. c. aculeata, each note of which drops, then rises, then falls again in pitch ( tuey tuey tuey in Sibley 2014). RESULTS Each of the four subspecies of White-breasted Nuthatch we analyzed gives a simple song consisting of an evenly spaced series of overslurred notes, all on the same pitch (Figure 2). S. c. aculeata also gives a tooey song consisting of an evenly spaced series of distinctly slurred notes, with each note first falling, then rising, and then falling again in pitch (Figure 3). It sings this tooey song much more often than it does the simple version. On the basis of over 100 observations in California and Oregon, we heard the tooey song approximately ten times as often as the simple song (simple song heard in 10 of 109 song observations). The rate at which the notes of the simple song are delivered varies from less than 5/sec to over 12/sec, and in none of the subspecies we compared did we find a distinct division between slow and fast versions (Figure 4). There 281 VOCALIZATIONS OF FOUR SUBSPECIES OF WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH S. c. nelsoni HUHtUWllilLli A #'l A tr t A ,♦ 4 t A A > 4 ,< sec 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 4 — | S. c. tenuissima //////// kHz sec 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 Figure 2. Spectrograms of the simple songs of four subspecies of the White-breasted Nuthatch. S. c. carolinensis : recorded 11 February 2012 in Platte County, Nebraska by N. Pieplow (recording not used in the analysis). S. c. nelsoni: recorded 22 June 2007 south of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, by N. Pieplow. S. c. tenuissima: recorded 21 Apr 2015 in Lava Beds National Monument, Siskiyou County, California, by E. Pandolfino. S. c. aculeata: recorded 9 April 2015 near Red Bluff, Tehama County, California by E. Pandolfino. Examples of these songs can be heard at www. westernfieldornithologists.org/W-B_Nuthatch/. were no significant differences in song rate (number of notes per second) or in the number of notes in a song among these taxa (Table 1). We noted that, within a given bout of singing, the rate remained remarkably constant from song to song. On average, the variation in rate of note delivery between 282 VOCALIZATIONS OF FOUR SUBSPECIES OF WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH 4 kHz S. c. aculeata \jk \A V> l> \r wr sec 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 Figure 3. Spectrogram of the tooey song of S. c. aculeata recorded 17 February 2015 in southeastern Sacramento County, California by E. Pandolfino. Examples of this song can be heard at www.westernfieldornithologists.org/W-B_Nuthatch/. the fastest and slowest rate within a set of successive simple songs from an individual was less than 0.2 notes/sec (0.16, 0.19, 0.17, and 0.15 notes/ sec for S. c. carolinensis, nelsoni, tenuissima, and aculeata , respectively). The pitch of the simple song increased from east to west with the songs of S. c. carolinensis being the lowest and those of S. c. aculeata the high- est (Figure 5; Table 1). The songs of S. c. carolinensis differed significantly in pitch from those of the other three taxa. The songs of S. c. nelsoni and tenuissima were not significantly different in pitch, nor were the songs of S. c. tenuissima and aculeata. The observed range of frequencies for each subspecies pair overlapped except for S. c. carolinensis vs. S. c. aculeata. S. c. carolinensis and aculeata both give an overslurred, rapidly modu- lated quank note (Figure 6) that may be delivered singly, in pairs, or in short series. We found no analogous note in any recording of the other subspecies. This note averaged higher in pitch (Figure 7) in S. c. aculeata than in S. c. carolinensis. The difference in pitch for this note was highly significant (P < 0.0001), with no overlap in range (487-588 Hz for carolinensis vs. 863-1036 Ffz for aculeata). Both of the interior subspecies (S. c. nelsoni and tenuissima) give two types of calls that we did not observe in any recording of the other two sub- species. Disyllabic quanks consist of tightly paired notes (Figure 8), the note Table 1 Comparison of Pitch, Song Rate, and Number of Notes of the Simple Song of Four Subspecies of the White-breasted Nuthatch carolinensis nelsoni tenuissima aculeata a n 24 24 14 10 Mean pitch b 673 ± 97 788 ± 126 892 ± 147 1039 ± 128 Range 504-904 604-1136 758-1200 917-1266 Mean rate c 8 ± 2 8 ± 2 7 ± 2 6 ± 2 Range 5-11 5-12 4-10 4-10 Mean notes d 12 ± 4 10 ± 3 10 ± 4 9 ± 4 Range 7-22 6-17 5-20 4-16 “Simple song only; does not include fooey songs. b Hertz, plus or minus standard deviation. “Notes per second, plus or minus standard deviation. ^Number of notes per song, plus or minus standard deviation. 283 VOCALIZATIONS OF FOUR SUBSPECIES OF WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH 16 14 12 - © t o T3 10 f C o i u c CD to 8 to o Ol ■M O Vi c 6 0 Song Rate carolinensis nelsoni tenuissima aculeata aculeata (tooey) Figure 4. Distribution of song rates (notes/second) for the simple songs of Sitta c. carolinensis, nelsoni, tenuissima, and aculeata. pairs usually given in an evenly spaced series. However, disyllabic quank note pairs may also be given singly or in groups of two. These tightly paired notes produce a “rough edge” to the vocalization that can be easily distinguished by the human ear in the field. Rapid quanks are given in short, uneven, and very rapid bursts of notes (Figure 9). Between nelsoni and tenuissima, the rate of delivery of the notes in these calls did not differ significantly (Table 2). However, the pitches showed significant differences, with the calls of S. c. 1400 -| □ carolinensis B nelsoni tenuissima H aculeata (simple) 0 aculeata (tooey) Figure 5. Comparison of the pitch (difference between partials) of songs of Sitta c. carolinensis, nelsoni, tenuissima, and aculeata. Error bars represent one standard deviation. 1200 1000 800 c CD I 600 400 200 284 VOCALIZATIONS OF FOUR SUBSPECIES OF WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH sec 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 Figure 6. Spectrograms of modulated quank calls of S. c. carolinertsis (recorded 20 September 2009 in Manistee County, Michigan, by N. Pieplow; recording not used in the analysis) and S. c. aculeata (recorded 18 December 2014 in eastern Placer County, California, by E. Pandolfino). Examples of these calls can be heard at www. westernfieldornithologists.org/W-B_Nuthatch/. nelsoni lower in pitch than those of S. c. tenuissima (Table 2). However, the difference in pitch is probably too small to be reliably distinguished by ear in the field by most observers, and the observed ranges of pitch of both disyllabic quanks and rapid quanks overlapped considerably (Table 2). 1200 Modulated Quank Pitch 1000 800 I 600 cr QJ 400 200 □ carolinensis S3 aculeata Figure 7. Comparison of the pitch (difference between partials) of modulated quank calls of S. c. carolinensis and S. c. aculeata. Error bars represent standard deviation. 285 VOCALIZATIONS OF FOUR SUBSPECIES OF WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH 4 S. c. nelsoni kHz sec 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 Figure 8. Spectrograms of disyllabic quank calls of S. c. nelsoni (recorded 3 September 2008 in Mesa County, Colorado, by N. Pieplow) and S. c. tenuissima (recorded 22 January 2015 at Juanita Lake, Siskiyou County, California, by E. Pandolfino). Examples of these calls can be heard at www.westernfieldornithologists. org/W-B_Nuthatch/. 4 kHz S. c. tenuissima sec 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 Figure 9. Spectrograms of rapid quank calls of S. c. nelsoni (recorded 9 March 2008 at Mesa Lakes Lodge, Mesa County, Colorado, by N. Pieplow) and S. c. tenuissima (recorded 19 April 2015 in Union County, Oregon, by E. Pandolfino). Note call of Clark’s Nutcracker ( Nucifraga Columbiana) just after rapid quank in recording of S. c. nelsoni. Examples of these calls can be heard at www.westernfieldornithologists. org/W-B_Nuthatch/. 286 VOCALIZATIONS OF FOUR SUBSPECIES OF WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH Table 2 Comparison of Pitch and Rate for Disyllabic and Rapid Quanks of Sitta c. nelsoni and tenuissima nelsoni tenuissima P Disyllabic quank n 12 13 Mean pitch" 705 ± 50 816 ± 51 0.0003 Range 633-803 760-929 Mean rate b 6.7 ± 1.1 7.1 ± 1.0 0.3 Range 5.2-9. 1 5. 5-8.9 Rapid quank n 14 18 Mean pitch" 701 ± 83 889 ± 86 0.0003 Range 620-908 750-1068 Mean rate b 20 ± 4 19 ± 3 0.6 Range 11-25 13-25 "Hertz, plus or minus standard deviation. fa Notes per second, plus or minus standard deviation. DISCUSSION Our results indicate that, from qualitative and quantitative analyses of vocal- izations, these four subspecies of the White-breasted Nuthatch fall into three distinct vocalization groups. S. c. carolinensis and aculeata share qualitatively similar calls (modulated quanks ) and song; however, both these vocalizations are delivered at significantly different pitches with no overlap in frequency. In addition, S. c. aculeata gives a tooey song unique to this subspecies. The two interior subspecies, S. c. nelsoni and tenuissima, both give call types (disyllabic quanks and rapid quanks ) that were not observed in the other two subspecies. Although the pitches of the calls and songs of these two interior subspecies differ slightly, the ranges of frequency of all those vocalizations overlap. Field Identification Except when the pale back of S. c. carolinensis can be assessed, especially in contrast with the black on the tertials, it can be difficult or impossible to distinguish these four taxa visually in the field. On the basis of our analyses, S. c. aculeata can be confidently identified if one hears the more common tooey song, as no other subspecies sings a similar song. In addition, both S. c. aculeata and S. c. carolinensis can be distinguished by their modulated quank calls, which differ strongly from any vocalizations of S. c. tenuissima or S. c. nelsoni, and which differ from one another in pitch, with no overlap. Disyllabic quanks or rapid quanks should allow one to confidently identify a nuthatch as either S. c. nelsoni or tenuissima. The similarity of these calls and the overlap of frequencies suggest that differentiating between these two interior subspecies by call may be impossible in the field. Even if recordings are obtained, only calls outside of the range of overlap in frequency may be useful for identification. Likewise, overlapping frequencies of the simple songs of all four subspecies renders that song generally useless for identifica- tion for all except S. c. carolinensis vs. aculeata. 287 VOCALIZATIONS OF FOUR SUBSPECIES OF WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH Taxonomic Implications Our analyses of differences in vocalizations suggest three distinct taxo- nomic groups within the U.S., an eastern group consisting of S. c. caro- linensis, an interior group including both S. c. nelsoni and tenuissima, and a Pacific group including S. c. aculeata. Because few recordings of White-breasted Nuthatches are available from Mexico, we were unable to analyze vocalizations of those taxa statistically. Qualitatively, however, S. c. alexandrae in the Sierra San Pedro Martir of northern Baja California fits with S. c. aculeata on the basis of recordings of modulated quariks (www. xeno-canto.org/72055, recordist R. E. Webster) in the same frequency range as those of S. c. aculeata. Conversely, S. c. lagunae in the Sierra de la Laguna of southern Baja California fits into the interior group on the basis of recordings of disyllabic quariks (www.xeno-canto.org/72055, recordist R. E. Webster; macaulaylibrary.org/audio/161719, recordist M. J. Iliff; N. Pieplow recordings). Disyllabic and rapid quanks have likewise been recorded throughout the range of the interior Mexican subspecies S. c. mexicana (www.xeno-canto.org/229762, recordist Peter Boesman; www. xeno-canto.org/67052, recordist Daniel Lane), and S. c. oberholseri (www. xeno-canto.org/229763, recordist Peter Boesman). Our analysis of vocalizations is consistent with both structural and plum- age characters of these subspecies, which also suggest three groups with S. c. nelsoni and tenuissima more similar to each other than to aculeata and carolinensis (Hawbecker 1948, Pyle 1997, Sibley 2000). Genetic studies suggested that each of these four may be a distinct clade (Spellman and Klicka 2007, Walstrom et al. 2011). However, Hawbecker (1948) identified specimens from central southern Nevada that appeared to be intergrades be- tween S. c. nelsoni and tenuissima, and Spellman and Klicka (2007) found mixed haplotypes between these two taxa in the same region. These genetic analyses confirmed those two interior subspecies as sister taxa more closely related to each other than to the other two U.S. subspecies. Spellman and Klicka (2007) grouped S. c. mexicana and lagunae with S. c. nelsoni, which also aligns well with the qualitative similarity of vocalizations we noted above. Slow vs. Fast Song Tyler (1916), Kilham (1981), Richison (1983), and Elliott (2005) studied vocalizations of S. c. carolinensis over extended periods at locations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Ohio, respectively. Each author described both a slow song and fast song, with the fast song gener- ally given at approximately twice the rate of the slow song. Tyler (1916) and Elliott (2005) reported never hearing songs of intermediate cadence from any individuals. But we found no clear distinction between slow and fast songs in recordings made throughout the ranges of any of the four subspecies we analyzed. It may be that a given individual sings stereotyped slow or fast songs, as Ghalambor and Martin (1999) suggested for the Red- breasted Nuthatch ( Sitta canadensis ), but that variation between individuals and across the range of each subspecies produces the relatively continuous set of song rates we observed (Figure 4). There are no studies similar to the ones cited above for any of the other 288 VOCALIZATIONS OF FOUR SUBSPECIES OF WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH subspecies of the White-breasted Nuthatch. However, we have noted two examples of S. c. tenuissima switching from a slow song to a fast song, in each case approximately doubling the cadence. One example in which an individual bird switches from slow to fast song, apparently in response to songs and calls from a distant White-breasted Nuthatch, can be heard at www.xeno-canto.org/239350. Kilham (1981) observed fast song only in agonistic encounters, while Richison (1983) and Elliott (2005) observed this song type in a variety of contexts. It is possible that the distinction between tooey and simple songs in S. c. aculeata corresponds to the distinction between slow and fast song in other subspecies, but more study is needed. Further Study We made no attempt to characterize the function or context of White- breasted Nuthatch vocalizations, including by season. Studies similar to those of Richison (1983) and Elliott (2005) for the other subspecies are needed for the roles of vocalizations such as the disyllabic and rapid quanks of the interior subspecies to be understood. Such studies could also test the hypothesis that individual White-breasted Nuthatches sing two stereotyped songs at different rates, as well as investigating the function of those two songs, and the function of the tooey song in S. c. aculeata. The possibility of vocal learning in North American nuthatches requires investigation. Strong circumstantial evidence from patterns of individual and regional variation indicates that song may be learned in the European Nuthatch ( Sitta europaea; e.g., White 2012), and it is possible that song, at least, is learned in the White-breasted Nuthatch as well. We did not perform any playback experiments in the field to test how and whether White-breasted Nuthatches differentiate between the sounds of their own subspecies and those of other subspecies. Such experiments could help clarify whether vocal differences between groups contribute to reproductive isolation. Detailed studies of the contact zones between these subspecies could help to determine the extent of reproductive isolation and gene flow, if any, between these groups, and to provide a more conclusive answer to the question of species boundaries in this complex. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library and the Xeno- canto Foundation for maintaining extensive archives of recordings and for making those recordings available. We are indebted to the many recordists who made and uploaded these recordings. An analysis across such a broad span of geography would not have been possible without their efforts. We thank the following recordists: A. Allen, H. Barker, L. Benner, P. Boesman, G. Budney, A. Cartier, B. Clock, I. Cruickshank, L. Davis, E. Defonso, P. Driver, E. Elias, S. Fisher, T. Graves, J. Gulledge, W. Gunn, W. Hershberger, J. Hite, V. Huber, M. Iliff, E. Jakob, T. Johnson, J. Jongsma, G. Keller, L. Kibler, B. Kroeger, D. Labarre, D. Lane, R. Little, G. MacDonald, C. Marantz, J. McGowan, B. McGuire, M. Medler, D. Minis, K. Nelson, M. Nelson, S. Pantle, T. Parker, C. Parrish, G. Reynaud, A. Rinkert, M. Robbins, A. Spencer, M. St. Michel, R. Stein, B. Walker, and R. Webster. We thank B. Byers, T. Gardali, J. Dunn, K. Garrett, and P. Unitt for many helpful suggestions and edits that greatly improved the manuscript. 289 VOCALIZATIONS OF FOUR SUBSPECIES OF WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH LITERATURE CITED Dunn, J. L., and Alderfer, J. 2011. Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 6 th ed., Natl. Geogr. Soc., Washington, D.C. Dunn. J. L., and Blom, E. A. T. 1987. Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 2 nd ed. Natl. Geogr. Soc., Washington, D.C. Dunn, J. L., Watson, G. E., and O’Neill, J. P. 1983. Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 1 st ed. Natl. Geogr. Soc., Washington, D.C. Dytham, C. 2003. Choosing and Using Statistics: A Biologists's Guide. Blackwell, Mal- den, MA. Elliott, J. T. 2005. Territorial defense and mate attraction in isolated and social White- breasted Nuthatches (Sitta carolinensis): Tests of dynamic programming models. Ph.D. dissertation, Ohio State Univ., Columbus. Fasti, H., and Zwicker, E. 2007. Psychoacoustics: Facts and Models, 3rd ed. Springer- Verlag, Berlin. Gaines, D. 1988. Birds of Yosemite and East Slope. Artemisia Press, Lee Vining, CA. Ghalambor, C. K., and Martin, T. E. 1999. Red-breasted Nuthatch ( Sitta canadensis ), in The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.), no. 459. Birds N. Am., Philadelphia. Grubb, T. C. Jr., and Pravosudov, V. V. 2008. White-breasted Nuthatch ( Sitta carolinen- sis), in The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, ed.), no. 54. Cornell Lab. Orni- thol., Ithaca, NY; bna.birds.cornell.edu.bnaproxy.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/054/. Harrap, S., and Quinn, D. 1996. Tits, Nuthatches, and Treecreepers. Christopher Helm, London. Hawbecker, A. C. 1948. Analysis of variation in western races of the White-breasted Nuthatch. Condor 50:26-39. Kilham, L. 1972. Reproductive behavior of White-breasted Nuthatches: II. Courtship. Auk 89:115-129. Kilham, L. 1981. Agonistic behavior of the White-breasted Nuthatch. Wilson Bull. 93:271-274. Mlodinow, S. G. 2014. Cryptic species: The White-breasted Nuthatches. Birding 46:26-32. Newton, I. 2003. The Speciation and Biogeography of Birds. Academic Press, London. Nowicki, S., and Capranica, R. R. 1986. Bilateral syringeal coupling during phonation of a songbird. J. Neurosci. 6:3595-3610. Phillips, A. R. 1986. The Known Birds of North and Middle America, part I. Denver Mus. Nat. Hist. Denver. Pieplow, N. 2007. Describing bird sounds in words. Birding 39(4):48-54. Pyle, P. 1997. Identification Guide to North American Birds, part I. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, CA. Richison, G. 1983. Vocalizations of the White-breasted Nuthatch. Wilson Bull. 95:440- 451. Sibley, D. A. 2000. The Sibley Guide to Birds. Knopf, New York. Sibley, D. A. 2014. The Sibley Guide to Birds, 2nd ed. Knopf, New York. Spellman, G. M., and Klicka, J. 2007. Phylogeography of the White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis): Diversification in North American pine and oak woodlands. Molec. Ecol. 16:1729-1740. Tyler, W. M. 1916. A study of a White-breasted Nuthatch. Wilson Bull. 28:18-25. Walstrom, V. W., Klicka, J., and Spellman, G. M. 2011. Speciation in the White-breasted Nuthatch ( Sitta carolinensis ): A multilocus perspective. Molec. Ecol. 21:907-920. White, P. J. C. 2012. Song characteristics vary clinally across an active colonization zone in Eurasian Nuthatches Sitta europaea. Bird Study 59:296-302. Wood, D. S. 1992. Color and size variation in eastern White-breasted Nuthatches. Wilson Bull. 104:599-611. Accepted 2 July 2015 290 INDICATIONS THAT THE COMMON REDPOLL IS DOUBLE BROODED IN ALASKA BRANDI RINGGENBERG and KEVIN WINKER, University of Alaska Museum, 907 Yukon Drive, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775; kevin.winker@alaska.edu ABSTRACT: Successfully rearing two broods in one season (double brooding) is rare at high latitudes, and few well-documented cases exist in the Arctic. There are numerous suggestions in the literature that the Common Redpoll [Acanthis flammed) is occasionally a double-brooded species. We examined banding data sets from interior Alaska, specimens in the University of Alaska Museum bird collection, and Alaska nest-record cards to understand the timing of reproduction in Alaska boreal forest and tundra. In interior Alaska Common Redpolls exhibit characteristics of breeding for over four months, plenty of time to successfully raise two broods. Furthermore, tundra breeding takes place after most boreal forest breeding, making it possible that individuals could rear two broods in different regions, as has been suggested in northern Europe. Finally, pronounced annual variation in production of young in Fairbanks was not correlated with production of tree seeds in the previous summer. Many passerines increase reproductive success by multiple brooding, rais- ing two or more broods in a single breeding season. The possibility of having more than one brood is determined primarily by the length of the breeding season, as well as by other environmental factors, such as food availability, microhabitat of the nest site, and the amount of parental care needed for the first brood (Hussell 1983, Gill 2007, Mulvihill et al. 2009, Jacobs et al. 2013). The Common Redpoll, Acanthis flammea, breeds during the summer in boreal taiga and shrubby tundra habitats. Individual redpolls depart their wintering areas from mid-March through April and arrive at their breeding grounds by mid-May (Knox and Lowther 2000). During the breeding season, the female, often attended by the male, takes about three days to build a nest, then lays a clutch of three to five eggs; incubation lasts 1 1 days and is performed solely by the female with the male occasionally bringing her food (Knox and Lowther 2000). Nestlings normally fledge after 12-15 days, although Walkinshaw (1948) reported young leaving the nest after only 9 days. Offspring begin their first prebasic molt shortly after fledging, molting from as early as mid-July to as late as late October, but primarily from August through September (Cramp and Perrins 1994). Records of post-fledging care suggest that it may be very limited (Alekseeva 1986, Haftorn 2002). For example, in Finnmark, Norway, fledglings were seen at the nest site of their presumed parents, which were in the process of renesting, but neither male nor female acknowledged the offspring and the young eventually flew off (Haftorn 2002). In total, these reproductive activities, from nest building to fledging, require 29-34 days. It is uncommon for passerines to double brood at high latitudes. The short summers provide less time for breeding, particularly if late thaws reduce chances for successful reproduction (Elkins 1983). At Baffin Island, Canada, Hussell et al. (2014) reported unequivocal evidence of double brooding in the Northern Wheatear ( Oenanthe oenanthe), the only species of seven small passerines in the North American Arctic so far definitively shown to do so. Close relatives of the redpoll, such as the Twite ( Carduelis flavirostris) and Western Birds 46:291-298, 2015 291 POSSIBLE DOUBLE BROODING OF THE COMMON REDPOLL IN ALASKA the Greenfinch ( Chloris chloris), are known to double brood (Kosinski 2001, Raine et al. 2006). There is evidence that female Common Redpolls can lay replacement clutches if their first nesting attempt is not successful, and up to three clutches have been observed (Sheldon 1911, Troy and Shields 1979, Alekseeva 1986). But so far there seems to be no concrete documentation of their successful double brooding, although observations suggest that it probably does take place (e.g., Brandt 1943, Troy and Shields 1979, Seutin et al. 1991, Haftorn 2002). Relatively long periods of reproductive activity have led many to infer that the Common Redpoll is double-brooded, maybe even commonly (e.g., Evans 1966, Hilden 1969, Kessel 1989, Cramp and Perrins 1994, Knox and Lowther 2000). There are two distinct ways in which double brooding has been inferred in the Common Redpoll: through the typical avian behavior of renesting in the same general area, and, in northern Europe, through nesting first in one region and then moving substantial distances to renest in another region where spring arrives later (e.g., Peiponen 1957, Hilden 1969, Gotmark 1982, Haftorn 2002). After breeding and before migration, adults undergo a complete prebasic molt, from around July through early September (Cramp and Perrins 1994). Small flocks start to form around mid-July and continue through August. Kessel (1989) found that on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, departure from the breeding grounds happens mostly in September, but in some years some birds remain as late as December. Here we examine data on Common Redpoll breeding in Alaska to deter- mine whether the species might be double brooded there. METHODS We began by examining two datasets on birds banded in interior Alaska, one from the Alaska Bird Observatory and Alaska Songbird Institute (1992- 2012), at Fairbanks (64° 50' N), and one from Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge (1993-2013), at Tok (63° 20' N). We considered the timing and incidence of incubation patches, eggs in oviduct, cloacal protuberances, juvenal plum- age, flight-feather molt, and relative abundances of adults and birds of the year (hatch-year individuals). Proportions of adults with incubation patches, cloacal protuberances, and flight-feather molt were also calculated (on the basis of total adults, rather than of males or females, because many individu- als could not be sexed). Because banding was standardized temporally, we were able to compare years directly. We did not consider flight-feather molt at Tok because of diminished banding there in June or July. All date data were analyzed on the basis of Julian dates, but we report results in calendar dates for non-leap years. With specimens from the bird collection at the University of Alaska Mu- seum (1963-2013) we compared evidence of redpoll breeding at Fairbanks and Tok with data from tundra in arctic Alaska (where we do not have banding data), “arctic” being defined as territory north of the Arctic Circle or north and west of the Porcupine, Yukon, and Kuskokwim rivers, and other tundra- dominated regions of western Alaska, including the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands (Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984, amended 1990; 292 POSSIBLE DOUBLE BROODING OF THE COMMON REDPOLL IN ALASKA www . nsf . gov/ geo/ plr/ arctic/iarpc/ arc_res_pol_act . jsp) . Brown streaking on the head, lack of a red cap, and/or an incompletely ossified skull identified a specimen as in its year of hatching. Flight-feather molt was specified on the label or identified by missing or uneven flight feathers. Also, we noted if the label recorded a cloacal protuberance, incubation patch, or egg in the oviduct. A few additional individuals were included from tundra-dominated regions such as Cape Peirce and Mother Goose Lake; while these western Alaska locations are not technically in the arctic, they are dominated by tundra habitats and thus provide data that complement the banding data from forested habitats in interior Alaska. We also used Alaska nest-record cards from the University of Alaska Museum, primarily from arctic Alaska. Finally, we examined annual seed-crop data for five species of trees from the Bonanza Creek site of long-term ecological research (LTER) in the boreal forest near Fairbanks (www.lter.uaf.edu/data_detail.cfm?datafile_pkey=14) to see if there was a correlation between the abundance of juvenal-plumaged redpolls and the abundance of these seed crops. Surveys are standardized, and the sites that we used were those that had complete data for the years 1992-2012. Tree species included tamarack, Larix laricina , from site FP5A; white spruce, Picea glauca, from sites FP2A, FP4A, UP1A, and UP3A; black spruce, P. mariana, from site FP3A; birch, Betula papyrifera, from sites FP4A and UP3A; and alder, Alnus crispa, from sites FP4A and UP3A. We calculated annual seed fall for each tree species and the total from all five. RESULTS Data on Common Redpolls captured by the Alaska Bird Observatory began on 21 April and ended 30 September. The species was abundant from 25 April to 19 May, and eight of these days had over a hundred captures each (in aggregate), with only a portion of these birds apparently remaining later to breed. Females had incubation patches from 22 April to 31 August, a period of 132 days (Figure 1); an outlier (recording error?) on 27 September was excluded. The interval encompassing the days on which the proportion of adults with incubation patches reached 1.0 extended from 18 June to 22 August, a period of 66 days (Figure 2). Females with eggs in the oviduct were found over 47 days from 21 April to 6 June, though Alaska nest records extend laying in Fairbanks to 23 June and even later, with a record of hatching on 6 August. We found cloacal protuberances from 21 April to 19 August, a total of 120 days of males' possible breeding, with the highest proportion from 20 June to 19 August; Figure 3). Juvenal plumage was noted from 6 May to 29 September, a total of 146 days. Flight-feather molt was recorded from 21 April to 30 September, suggesting that post-breeding molt of adults can extend over approximately 162 days. However, only a few individuals showed flight-feather molt early in the season, increasing until 50% of cap- tures showed it on 6 June and 15 July and more than 50% only on 22 July and afterwards. Numbers of juvenal-plumaged individuals peaked in 1995, 1998, 2003, 2006, 2009, and 2011 (Figure 4). Redpoll data from the Tetlin bird-banding station began on 21 April and 293 POSSIBLE DOUBLE BROODING OF THE COMMON REDPOLL IN ALASKA Date Figure 1 . Abundance by date of redpolls with incubation patches at Fairbanks (black line starting from 21 April; Alaska Bird Observatory data) and in arctic Alaska (gray bars starting at 21 May; data from specimens in the University of Alaska Museum and Alaska nest-record cards; eggs assumed to correspond with incubation patches in the adult female). 1 0.9 0.8 Date Figure 2. Proportion by date of Common Redpolls at Fairbanks with incubation patches. Gray line, daily proportion; black line, five-day moving average. 294 POSSIBLE DOUBLE BROODING OF THE COMMON REDPOLL IN ALASKA 1 0.9 0.8 0.7 3 06 o 0.5 Q. O a. 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 >> >. >, c C c 2 2 cn CD CD Q, CL CL cd cd CD CD =3 3 3 3 3 CD d> CU 2 2 “5 I ”5 i -p J o 1 Q J o < < < CO CO CO 1 1 1 1 o o o CM CO d> d> CT) CO CO CO CM CO T— CM CO CM CM Date Figure 3. Proportion by date of Common Redpolls at Fairbanks with cloacal protuberances. Gray line, daily proportion; black line, five-day moving average. ended on 2 October. Individuals exhibited incubation patches from 23 April to 8 September, giving a total of 140 days of birds in condition to incubate or brood. There were no records for eggs in the oviduct in this dataset. Cloacal protuberances were identified from 22 April to 10 June, a total of 50 days tn 700 600 c ra | soo to re 400 3 ■o ’> | 300 « 200 -D £ 3 z 100 0 (Mn'jiflfflsoooiot-Nn^infflNtomofwn OlOlOOOlOlOlOJOOOOOOOOOOi-’ - t- »- CT>a>a}0>oa>a>a>oooooooooooooo Year Figure 4. Numbers of redpolls in juvenal plumage banded each year at Fairbanks (black line) and Tok (gray line), Alaska (1992-2013). 295 Number of Individuals - Tetlin POSSIBLE DOUBLE BROODING OF THE COMMON REDPOLL IN ALASKA of males in condition to breed. Juvenal plumage was found from 30 July to 2 October, a period of 65 days. These dates are roughly similar to those in the larger Alaska Bird Observatory dataset (not shown), but banding at Tok in June and July was insufficient to reflect the full duration of breeding and molting. The number of juvenal-plumaged birds per year peaked in 1994, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2009, and 2011 (Figure 4). In the UAM bird collection, 23 specimens from arctic and tundra areas of Alaska had incubation patches, on dates from 21 May to 5 July (Figure 1). Three, collected on 26 July, 5 August, and 6 August, showed flight-feather molt. Thirteen, dated 3 July-31 August, were nestlings or in juvenal plum- age. One with a cloacal protuberance was dated 21 July. No specimen had an egg in the oviduct. An additional seven nestings in arctic Alaska are documented in the Alaska nest records, with laying reported on 15 June, eggs in the nest on 6 June and 1 and 5 July, and hatching on 20 and 30 June and 6 July. We found no correlation between the production of juvenal-plumaged birds by year and the seed data from Bonanza Creek L.TER (seed abundance for birch, Betula, and white spruce, Picea, is in Figure 5). DISCUSSION Although we found no direct evidence for double brooding of the Common Redpoll in Alaska, we can infer that it probably takes place, given 29-34 days needed for a successful nesting and the relatively long period during which redpolls exhibit breeding activity in interior Alaska: 132 days of incubation rj r* i m sD r— OC On ® . — , fN m N G> |N- DC ON O CJ O T On On ON ON ON ON On On On On ON On On ON g § § § § g g o O g g e s CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM fM m 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 V 5 u c. C 71 3 Year Figure 5. Annual counts of fallen seeds (1992-2012) of birch, Betula papyrlfera (black line), and white spruce, Picea glauca (gray line), at the Bonanza Creek site of long-term ecological research near Fairbanks. Note that years of peak seed production do not correspond with years of peak captures of juvenal redpolls at Fairbanks in Figure 4. 296 POSSIBLE DOUBLE BROODING OF THE COMMON REDPOLL IN ALASKA patches, 120 days of cloacal protuberances, 146 days of juvenal plumage, or 162 days total of some evidence of breeding. On and near the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, Troy and Shields (1979) observed one female attempt three successive nests (only the last clutch was successful), and both they and Kessel (1989) inferred from observations and the long breeding season that this species might be double brooded there. Our data imply an even longer breeding season in interior Alaska, suggesting that seeking direct evidence of double brooding in boreal forests should be worthwhile as well. Furthermore, comparing the timing of reproduction of redpolls in interior forest and on the tundra implies that birds breeding early at Fairbanks have time to relocate to tundra and breed again there (Figure 1). The comple- mentarity of the timing of breeding in the two regions is highly suggestive, as is the relative scarcity of postbreeding molt in the interior until 22 July (one might expect postbreeding molt to be initiated earlier than this in single-brooded adults breeding from late April through early June). Despite the numbers of females with incubation patches in the interior early in the breeding season (Figure 1), many other redpolls in that area are apparently not breeding then (Figure 2), so not all individuals pursue a two-site strategy of double brooding. Nor may such a strategy be pursued every year. The great variation from year to year in numbers of birds in juvenal plumage (Figure 4) suggests that such a strategy may be followed only in years of ample food, as suggested in Europe (Peiponen 1957, Hilden 1969, Gotmark 1982). Although we thought that this annual variation might be correlated with the production of tree seeds, we found no evidence for this (Figures 4 and 5). Common Redpolls consume the types of tree seeds that are counted at Bonanza Creek, such as those of birch, alder, and spruce; they forage primarily for seeds still in the trees, moving to the ground when seeds in the trees are exhausted or fallen (Cramp and Perrins 1994). It is possible that tree-seed production during a summer is not correlated with tree-seed availability during the following breeding season (e.g., if storms knock seeds out of the trees). In Fairbanks, the redpoll’s breeding season extends over the rather long span of approximately four months, suggesting that the species is capable of a second brood in this area. It is also possible, given the difference in timing of breeding between the forested interior and tundra, that some individuals that raise a first brood around Fairbanks then move to tundra to raise a second brood. To test this hypothesis, one should examine redpolls arriving in the tundra for evidence of regressing incubation patches, post-ovulatory follicles, and for the possible arrival of hatch-year birds. Birds breeding in the boreal forest should be marked individually to assess whether double brooding is taking place and with what frequency. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank April Harding Scurr of the Alaska Songbird Institute for access to the (former) Alaska Bird Observatory’s data on banded redpolls, Nicole Wells for access to Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge’s bird-banding data, Roger Ruess for access to the Bonanza Creek LTER annual tree-seed count data, and Daniel Gibson, David Hussell, and Philip Unitt for comments on earlier drafts of the manuscript. 297 POSSIBLE DOUBLE BROODING OF THE COMMON REDPOLL IN ALASKA LITERATURE CITED Alekseeva, N. S. 1986. Vtoraya kladka, obikhnovennoy chechetka na Yamalye [Sec- ond clutch of the redpoll on the Yamal Peninsula], Ornitologiya 21:145. Brandt, H. 1943. Alaska Bird Trails. Bird Research Foundation, Cleveland, OH. Cramp, S., and Perrins, C. M. (eds.). 1994. Birds of the Western Palearctic, vol. VIII. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, England. Elkins, N. 1983. Weather and Bird Behavior. T. & A. D. Poyser, London. Evans, P. R. 1966. Autumn movements, moult and measurements of the Lesser Redpoll Carduel is flammea cabaret. Ibis 108:183-216. Gill, F. B. 2007. Ornithology, 3rd ed. Freeman, New York. Gotmark, F. 1982. Grasiskans Carduelis flammea forekomst i sodra Sverige under “sydhackningsaret" 1975 [Irruptive breeding of the Redpoll, Carduelis flammea, in south Sweden in 1975]. Var Fagelvarld 41:315-322. Haftorn, S. 2002. A pair of Redpoll Carduelis flammea with two clutches in Finn- mark, Norway. Ornis Svecica 12:165. Hilden, O. 1969. Uber Vorkommen und Brutbiologie des Birkenzeisigs (Carduelis flammea) in Finnisch-Lappland im Sommer 1968 [The occurrence and breed- ing habits of the Redpoll in northern Lapland in summer 1968]. Ornis Fennica 46:93-112. Hussell, D. J. T. 1983. Tree Swallow pairs raise two broods in a season. Wilson Bull. 95:470-471. Hussell , D . J . T. , Bairlein , F. , and Dunn , E . H . 2 0 1 4 . Double brooding by the N orther n Wheatear on Baffin Island. Arctic 67:167-172. Jacobs, A. C., Reader, L. L., and Fair, J. M. 2013. Double brooding in the Western Bluebird. Condor 115:386-393. Kessel, B. 1989. Birds of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. Univ. Alaska Press, Fairbanks. Knox, A. G., and Lowther, P. E. 2000. Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea), in The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.), no. 543. Birds N. Am., Philadelphia. Kosinski, Z. 2001. The breeding ecology of the Greenfinch Carduelis chloris in urban conditions (study in Krotoszyn, Poland). Acta Ornithologica 36:111-121. Mulvihill, R. S., Latta, S. C., and Newell, F. L. 2009. Temporal constraints on the incidence of double brooding in the Louisiana Waterthrush. Condor 1 11:341-348. Peiponen, V. 1957. Wechselt der Birkenzisig, Carduelis flammea (L.), sein Brutge- biet wahrend des Sommers [Does the Redpoll change its breeding area during the summer?]? Ornis Fennica 34:41-64. Raine, A. F., Sowter, D. J., Brown, A. F., and Sutherland, W. J. 2006. Natal philopatry and local movement patterns of Twite Carduelis flavirostris. Ringing & Migration 23:89-94. Seutin, G., Boag, P. T., White, B. N., and Ratcliffe, L. M. 1991. Sequential polyandry in the Common Redpoll ( Carduelis flammea). Auk 108:166-170. Sheldon, W. G. 1911. Breeding habits of winter migrants in Swedish provinces of Jemtland and Lapland. Br. Birds 5:155. Troy, M. D., and Shields, G. F. 1979. Multiple nesting attempts by Alaskan redpolls. Condor 81:96-97. Walkinshaw, L. H. 1948. Nestings of some passerine birds in western Alaska. Condor 50:64-70. Accepted 8 April 2015 298 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) RYAN J. MERRILL, 1616 10 th St. W, Kirkland, Washington 98033; rjm284@gmail.com MATT BARTELS, 611 N 50 th St., Seattle, Washington 98103; mattxyz@earthlink.net ABSTRACT: Since its eighth report (Aanerud 2011) the Washington Bird Records Committee (WBRC) has reviewed 291 reports representing 92 species and seven other subspecies and forms, accepting 232 of them, an acceptance rate of 80%. Most of these birds were observed between 2008 and 2010. Six new species and one subspecies group are added to the Washington state checklist: Providence Petrel ( Pterodroma solandri), Hawaiian Petrel (P. sandwichensis), Greater Pewee (Contopus pertinax ), Yellow-bellied Plycatcher (Empidonax flauiventris), Variegated Plycatcher (Empidonomus varius), Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii), and Interior or Lead- colored Bushtit ( Psaltriparus minimus plumbeus ). In addition, the WBRC removed two species, the Mute Swan ( Cygnus olor) and American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) from the state checklist. The Washington state list now stands at 498 species. The contents of this report are the results from six Washington Bird Records Committee (WBRC) meetings held between February 2008 and January 2011 and follow the eighth report (Aanerud 2011). The WBRC is a committee of the Washington Ornithological Society. In total for this report, the committee reviewed 291 reports representing 92 species (and seven other subspecies and forms). An acceptance rate of 80% resulted in 232 new records for the state. The WBRC added six new species to the checklist of Washington birds: Providence Petrel ( Pterodroma solandri ), Hawaiian Petrel ( P. sandwichensis), Greater Pewee ( Contopus pertinax), Yellow-bellied Flycatcher ( Empidonax flauiventris), Variegated Flycatcher (. Empidonomus varius), and Bell’s Vireo ( Vireo bellii). In addition the WBRC reviewed and accepted the first record of the Lead-colored or Interior Bushtit (. Psaltriparus minimus plumbeus). The WBRC reexamined its list of review species in 201 1 . Species that will no longer be reviewed include the Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) (37 records), Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) (41 records), Hudsonian Godwit ( Limosa haemastica) (31 records), Bar-tailed Godwit (L. Iapponica) (51 records), Ruff ( Calidris pugnax) (25 records), Buff-breasted Sandpiper (C. subruficollis) (16 records), Parakeet Auklet (Aethia psittacula) (14 re- cords), Eurasian Collared-Dove ( Streptopelia decaocto) (21 records), and Rose-breasted Grosbeak ( Pheucticus ludovicianus) (53 records). The Blue Snow Goose was the first morph removed from review after the WBRC accepted nine reports in just three years. In 2009 the committee voted to remove the Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) from the Washington list. No reports, in the committee’s opinion, arise from wild populations, and the Mute Swan does not meet the standard of an established introduced exotic species (as does the House Sparrow, Passer domesticus, for example). In addition, in 2011 the committee voted to remove the American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) from the state list. In the committee’s opinion, none of the reports since the 1970s are likely of birds of wild origin. It is possible that some earlier undocumented reports represent American Black Ducks of wild origin, but these have not been Western Birds 46:299-325, 2015 299 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) reviewed. For further discussion of non-established introduced species, see Wahl et al. (2005). The Washington list now stands at 498 species. PROCEDURES Procedures are consistent with those detailed in the introduction to the first WBRC report (Tweit and Paulson 1994) and expanded on in the in- troduction to the sixth report (Mlodinow and Aanerud 2006). A “report” is information submitted to the committee in the form of evidence substantiat- ing the observation of a review species. A “record” is a report that has been accepted by the committee. Acceptance of a record requires an affirmative vote from all but one of its membership. Species accounts are organized with English and scientific names first fol- lowed in parentheses by the total number of records accepted for Washington and the number of records accepted in this report. An asterisk following the total number of records indicates that the species has been reviewed for a restricted period of time, so the number does not represent the total number of sightings in the state. Each entry includes the following information: date(s) of observation, location and county, and (for accepted records) initials of the observer(s). To aid with record-keeping and future reference, each report includes a unique file number consisting of the species’ four-letter code, year of the sighting, and entry number determined by the order in which the committee received the report. For the sake of brevity in the species accounts below, the four-letter code is omitted from file numbers after the first. The names of the observers who submitted only written descriptions are by convention listed first, followed by those who submitted photographic, video, or audio documentation. The discoverer of the bird is listed only if that person contributed evidence for committee review. Additional details including information such as the number of individual birds present and notes on sex, age, and/or plumage are our assessments and do not reflect decisions made by the committee. Beginning with this report, the committee reviewed value of maintaining a “supplementary list.” Previously, any species accepted by the committee based on a single-person sight record was added to the supplementary list. These records still underwent close scrutiny, and acceptance to this list was not intended to indicate doubt about the validity of the report. Nevertheless, the distinction between a single observer and multiple observers seemed sometimes arbitrary, and placement on a separate supplementary list implied these species were not fully on the state list. Therefore, the committee is discontinuing the supplementary list and will include species accepted with- out evidence such as photographs, audio recordings, or a specimen on the regular list but note them as based on “sight only” records. The number of observers will no longer serve as the basis of distinguishing these species’ position on the state list. In this report, 63% of the accepted records were submitted with at least one photo, audio, or video recordings. Although the spread of smart phones and other recording devices has made documen- tation easier than ever, this percentage indicates the continued value of a well-constructed, detailed written report. 300 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) COMMITTEE MEMBERS Committee members who voted on these reports include Kevin Aanerud, Tom Aversa (until 2010), Phil Mattocks (until 2009), Ryan Merrill (from 2009), Steve Mlodinow, Dennis Paulson, Bob Sundstrom (until 2010), Bill Tweit, Brad Waggoner (from 2010), and Charlie Wright (from 2010). Ryan Merrill joined the committee in 2009 replacing Phil Mattocks. Char- lie Wright and Brad Waggoner joined the committee in 2010, replacing Bob Sundstrom and Tom Aversa, respectively. Jessie Barry left the committee in 2008 and was not replaced, reducing the number of voting members from eight to seven. Doug Schonewald was the secretary through 2010, replaced then by Matt Bartels. THE RECORDS Reports Accepted by the Committee Emperor Goose (Chen canagica ) (8*, 3). An immature was at Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Wahkiakum Co., 4 Apr 2007 (EMGO-2007-1; GB1). Two, one adult and one immature, were near South Bend, Pacific Co., from 15 Jan to 23 Feb 2008 (2008-1; BT, photo: RJM; Figure 1). Two adults were at the same location 18-24 Jan 2009 (2009-1; AKa, RR). Blue Snow Goose ( Chen caerulescens ) (9*, 1). The lone record of this color morph was of five birds at Fir Island, Skagit Co., 5 Nov 2007 (LSGB-2007-2; photo: RJM). After the WBRC accepted nine records in the three years after adding this morph to the review list, it dropped the Blue Goose from the list in 2008. Bewick’s Tundra Swan ( Cygnus columbianus bewickii) (12*, 3). An adult was at Conway, Skagit Co., 24 Feb-1 Mar 2008 (BESW-2008-1; SM, photo: RJM; Figure 2). Another was at Ridgefield NWR, Clark Co., 1 Nov 2008 (2008-2; photo: CLe), and one was at Brady Loop Road, Grays Harbor Co., 18 Jan-21 Mar 2009 (2009-1; photos: KeB, BW). These records bring the state total to 12 since the subspecies’ addition to the review list in 2003. Baikal Teal ( Anas formosa) (4, 3). An adult male was at Columbia NWR, Adams Co., 30 May 2008 (BATE-2008-1; photo: RaH; Figure 3). Adult males were also photographed at Ridgefield NWR, Clark Co., 31 Jan 2009 (2009-1; photos: BC, CCr, SK) and near Ferndale, Whatcom Co., 17 Mar 2009 (2009-2; photo: PW). In addition to the four recorded in Washington, two Baikal Teal have been found in Oregon (Nehls 2015) and seven in California (www.californiabirds.org/cbrc_book/ update.pdf). The record for 30 May is the latest for the west coast of North America south of Alaska. Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) (18*, 6). Records include: An adult male at Everett, Snohomish Co., 11 Oct 2007 (TUDU-2007-1; SM); an adult male at Priest Rapids, Grant and Yakima counties, 23 Feb-16 Mar 2008 (2008-1; DSc, ASt); a female at Lake Erie, Skagit Co., 11 Jan-4 Mar 2009 (2009-1; GB1, SM, photo: GT; Figure 4); an adult male at Drano Lake, Skamania Co., 7-16 Mar 2010 (2010-1; photo: DP); an adult male at Priest Rapids, Yakima Co., 28 Mar 2010 (2010-2; photo: RJM); and an adult male at Port Susan Bay, Snohomish Co., 24 Jun-3 Jul 2010 (2010-3; photos: TA, SM). These six records increase the state total to 18 records since the committee began reviewing the species in 1999. The Tufted Duck at Port Susan Bay is the first recorded for Washington in summer; other summer records for the west coast south of Alaska include one in 1996 from California and three from Vancouver, British Columbia (Toochin et al. 2014). 301 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) Figure 1. Two Emperor Geese (EMGO-2008-1) near South Bend, Pacific Co., 26 March 2008. Photo by Ryan J. Merrill King Eider ( Somateria spectabilis) (15, 1). An immature male was at Semiahmoo Spit, Whatcom Co., 17 Jan 2009 (KIEI-2009-1; JGu). A female was at Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor Co., beginning 3 Jul 2009 and was seen intermittently through at least 8 Apr 2012 (2009-3; DMo, BT, photo: GT; Figure 5). An immature male was at Potlatch State Park, Mason Co., 21 Nov 2009 (2009-2; photo: MvB). Short-tailed Albatross ( Phoebastria albatrus ) (9, 2). A juvenile was 193 km west of Westport, Grays Harbor Co., on 6 Apr 2008 (STAL-2008-1; photo: GSM). Another juvenile was tracked via satellite transmitter through Washington waters 25-29 Sep 2009 (2009-1; RoS) as it moved south along the continental shelf break before continuing into Oregon and eventually reaching California. The bird hatched Figure 2. Bewick’s Tundra Swan (BESW-2008-1) near Conway, Skagit Co., 1 March 2008. Photo by Ryan J. Merrill 302 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) Figure 3. Male Baikal Teal (BATE-2008-1) at Columbia NWR, Grant Co., 30 May 2008. Photo by Randy Hill on Torishima Island in the spring of 2009 and was translocated to Mukojima Island, where it fledged in May. Of Washington’s nine records, six are within the past 20 years, after the species began to recover from its near extinction in the first part of the 20 th century. Providence Petrel ( Pterodroma solandri) (1, 1). In 1992, 1993, and 1996, the WBRC voted with inconclusive results on a report of a Providence (also known as Solander’s) Petrel about 50 km west of Westport, Grays Harbor Co., on 11 Sep 1983 (PRPE-1983-1; TWa, photo: MLu). The state checklist prepared by the Figure 4. Female Tufted Duck (TUDU-2009-1) at Lake Erie, Skagit Co. , 16 January 2009. Photo by Gregg Thompson 303 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) Figure 5. Female King Eider (KIEI-2009-3) at Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor Co., 3 July 2009. Photo by Gregg Thompson WBRC in 1989 (Feltner et al. 1989) included the species on the basis of this report, but in 1994 the committee opted to refrain from accepting the record until more information could be gathered (Aanerud and Mattocks 2000). Reluctance to accept this record was due in part to concerns in distinguishing the species from other dark gadfly petrels. Advances in the knowledge of identification as well as the personal Figure 6. Hawaiian Petrel (HAPE-2008-1) over Grays Canyon, Grays Harbor Co., 27 September 2008. Photo by Matthew Pike 304 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) Figure 7. Great Shearwater (GRSH-2009-1) off Westport, Grays Harbor Co., 29 August 2009. Photo by Ryan Shaw experience of several committee members with these species convinced the WBRC that the extensive written description by an experienced observer was adequate for acceptance of the species to the state list. Key field marks noted include the white underwing patch bisected by a thin dark line (producing a “double flash” of white in flight), the languid flight style, overall size, dark upperparts, and relatively long tail. The photo supported the description, but only some members of the committee thought Figure 8. Adult Red-necked Stint (RNST-2009-1) at Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor Co., 24 July 2009. Photo by Gregg Thompson 305 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) Figure 9. Adult Laughing Gull (LAGU-1 998-1) at Ruby Beach, Jefferson Co., 10 May 1998. Photo by Ed Findley the identification was diagnostic from the photo alone. As a result, the Providence Petrel is accepted on the basis of a sight-only record. Murphy’s Petrel (P. ultima), also known to occur in Washington waters, is similar but smaller with more slender wings, less bull-necked than the Providence Petrel, and has a smaller bill. Additionally the described pattern of the underwing is typical of the Providence Petrel and rarely seen on Murphy’s. With respect to other dark gadfly petrels that may occur in the northeast Pacific, the pattern of the underside of the primaries eliminates both races of the Great-winged Petrel (Pterodroma macroptera macroptera and P. m. gouldi), which show a uniformly dull silvery patch. The uniform upper side of the wing eliminates the Kermadec Petrel (P. neglecta), whose outer primaries show obvious pale shafts. Figure 10. Adult Black-tailed Gull (BTGU-2009-2) in Tacoma, Pierce Co., 22 October 2009. Photo by Gregg Thompson 306 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) Figure 11. Northern Hawk Owl (NHOW-2008-3) at Hart’s Pass, Okanogan Co., 5 October 2008. Photo by Gregg Thompson Murphy’s Petrel (Pterodroma ultima) (6, 4). On 6 Apr 2008 two Murphy’s Petrels were observed, one 133 km and one 233 km off Westport, Grays Harbor Co. (MUPE-2008-1; GSM, photo: THu; 2008-2; GSM). Another was 90 km off Cape Disappointment, Pacific Co. (2010-1; THa, photo: RJM), and two more were 85 km off Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor Co. (2010-2; THa, RJM) on 1 May 2010. Mottled Petrel ( Pterodroma inexpectata) (8, 3). During a research cruise organized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Northwest Fisheries Science Center, four Mottled Petrels were seen between 64 and 70 km offshore over Nitinat Canyon, Clallam Co., on 25 Mar 2009 (MOPE-2009-1; photo: RJM). The same day, four more were between 48 and 58 km offshore over Juan de Fuca Canyon, Clallam Co. (2009-2; photo: RJM). A single bird was seen at Point No Point, Kitsap Co., 27 Nov 2009 (2009-3; ASe), establishing the first Washington record away from the outer coast. Hawaiian Petrel ( Pterodroma sandwichensis) (1, 1). Washington’s first record is based on one photographed over the west end of Grays Canyon, Grays Harbor Co., on 27 Sep 2008 (HAPE-2008-1; BLB, BT, photo: MPi; Figure 6). Details of the underwing pattern, overall proportions, and especially the limited extent of the dark cap appear to eliminate the Galapagos Petrel (P. phaeopggia), with which the Hawaiian Petrel was formerly considered conspecific under the name Dark-rumped Petrel (Banks et al. 2002). In addition, contrast between the grayish sides of the neck 307 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) and the blackish cowl, as well as the white curling up behind the auricular, appear to specify the Hawaiian Petrel rather than the Galapagos Petrel (Tomkins and Milne 1991, Browne et al. 1997, Force et al. 2007, Howell 2012). Great Shearwater (Puffinus gravis ) (3, 1). A Great Shearwater off Westport, Grays Harbor Co., 29 Aug 2009 (GRSH-2009-1; BT, photos: JPr, RSh; Figure 7) was the third recorded in Washington. Oregon has two records, California nine, and British Columbia five. Alaska has four photo-documented sightings (not all of them reviewed) (Gibson et al 2003, Gibson and Withrow 2015; D. Gibson and S. Heinl pers. comm.). Manx Shearwater ( Puffinus puffinus) (41*, 1 1). Manx Shearwater records included one southwest of Alexander Island, Jefferson Co., 13 Jun 2007 (MASH-2007-3; RJM); two separate birds off Long Beach Peninsula, Pacific Co., 26 Jun 2007, one of which was at 46.475° N, 124.100° W (2007-4 and 5; RJM); one west of Alexander Island, Jefferson Co., 4 Jul 2007 (2007-8; RJM); one off northern Grays Harbor Co. on 12 Jul 2007 (2007-10; RJM); one seen from Cape Flattery, Clallam Co., 18 Jul 2007 (2007-11; RJM), and one north of Point Grenville, Grays Harbor Co., 23 Jul 2007 (2007-12; RJM). After discussion in 2012 three more reports from 2007 were accepted (2007-6 and 7, both from 4 Jul 2007, and 2007-9 from 11 Jul 2007, all three from west of Alexander Island, Jefferson Co; RJM). A record of two birds off Cape Flattery, Clallam Co., 29 Jul 2006, was also accepted in 2012 after further discussion (2006-2; BW and SM). With 41 records, the WBRC removed the Manx Shearwater from its review list in 2008. Ashy Storm-Petrel ( Oceanodroma homochroa) (2, 1). An Ashy Storm-Petrel 233 km west of Westport on 6 Apr 2008 (ASSP-2008-1; GSM) was the second recorded in Washington. In addition to noting plumage characteristics that included narrow gray wing bars and a long forked tail, the report detailed a constant “fluttery” flight style that differed notably from the gliding of the Leach’s Storm-Petrels also present. Washington’s first Ashy-Storm Petrel was photographed in June 2006 (Aanerud 2011). There are also two reports from British Columbia waters, 172 km west of Tatoosh Island, Clallam Co., from June 2008 (Fenneman 2011, 2012), and six records from Oregon, one in in 2007 one in 2009, and four in 2014 (Nehls 2015). Frigatebird species ( Fregata sp.) (2, 1). A frigatebird flying across the Columbia River at Stevenson, Skamania Co., 16 Apr 2008 (FRIG-2008-1; DK, BR) eluded specific identification. While one might assume that the Magnificent Frigatebird (F. magnificens ) is the likely species, the precedents of both the Greater (F. minor ) and Lesser (F. ariel) frigatebirds in the continental United States has led the committee to accept this record as “frigatebird species.” Washington has two prior records of the Magnificent and one other of a frigatebird not identified to species. Brown Booby ( Sula leucogaster) (5, 2). A subadult Brown Booby landed on a boat near Lopez Island, San Juan Co., on 21 Aug 2005 (BRBO-2005-1; AN, photo: JGr). A dead adult was found on Long Beach, Pacific Co., 27 Jan 2010 (2010-1; TF, photo: MPa, University of Washington Burke Museum 90275). White-faced Ibis ( Plegadis chihi) (11*, 5). Although this species was removed from the WBRC’s review list in the fifth report, a handful of reports were voted on before this decision and never formally reported. They include the following: one photographed along Frenchman Hills Road, Grant Co., 21-30 May 1999 (WFIB-1999-1; SM, HO, BT, photo: GL); three videotaped near Othello, Adams Co., 27-28 May 2000 (2000-1; BLB, KK, video: SM); one at Kingston, Kitsap Co., 30 May-2 Jun 2000 (2000-2; VN, IP); one videotaped at Columbia NWR, Adams and Grant counties, 3 Jun 2000 (2000-3; DD, video: SM); and 24 at the Walla Walla River delta, Walla Walla Co., 9 May 2001(2001-1; MD, MLD, BT). In addition one report from State Route 28 near Wilson Creek, Grant Co., on 13 Jul 2000 was accepted as a White-faced/ Glossy Ibis (WFIB/GLIB-2000-1; CE, MAT). The 2001 incursion of the White-faced Ibis into Washington, estimated at a minimum of 295 birds in May and June, was 308 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) Figure 12. Washington’s first Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (YBFL-2009-1) at Windust Park, Franklin Co., 30 August 2009. Photo by Michael Woodruff enough to prompt removal of the species from the review list. More recent incursions have been less massive, but the ibis has still occurred in the spring in most succeeding years (Tweit and Flores 2006). Red-shouldered Hawk ( Buteo lineatus ) (41*, 1). An immature Red-shouldered Hawk observed at Ridgefield NWR, Clark Co., on 23 Sep 2007 (RSHA-2007-2; photo: SM) brought the state total to 41 records, 32 of them from 1998 to 2008, when the species was removed from the review list. Broad-winged Hawk ( Buteo platypterus ) (18, 5). A juvenile at Hooper, Whitman Co., on 16 Sep 2007 (BWHA-2007-1; photo: MWo), a juvenile at Sentinel Bluffs, Grant Co., 9 Sep 2008 (2008-2; SM, BW), a juvenile at Washtucna, Adams Co., 12 Sep 2008 (2008-2; TL, photo: RaH), an adult along Taneum Road, Kittitas Co., 3 May 2009 (2009-1; TB), and a dark-morph juvenile caught at Chelan Ridge, Chelan Co., 28 Sep 2009 (2009-3; photo: HWI, fide SHa, KW) bring Washington’s total to 18 records, though there are a number of reports that have not been reviewed, in particular from the Chelan Ridge raptor-migration site (www.hawkwatch.org/conservation-science/ migration-research-sites/74-chelan-ridge-raptor-migration-project). Eurasian Dotterel (Charadrius morinellus) (4, 1). A juvenile Eurasian Dotterel north of Oysterville, Pacific Co., 12-13 Sep 2007 (EUDO-2007-1; KiB, photo: MFe) was the fourth recorded in Washington. Hudsonian Godwit ( Limosa haemastica ) (31*, 5). The WBRC accepted five records: an adult male mostly in alternate plumage in Ellensburg, Kittitas Co., on 21 Aug 2003 (HUGO-2003-2; SD); an adult female mostly in alternate plumage at Port Susan Bay, 309 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) Snohomish Co. on 26 Jul 2007 (2007-1; photo: TA); a female at Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor Co., on 26 May 2008 (2008-1; photos: MC, JMG); a molting adult at Tokeland, Pacific Co., on 3 Aug 2008 (2008-2; photo: BW); and a female at Sunlight Beach, Island Co., 27 May 2009 (2009-1; photo: RJM). These bring the state total to 31 records, 19 of them between 1999 and 2009. The Hudsonian Godwit was removed from the review list in 2010. Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica) (51*, 4). An adult was photographed at Tokeland, Pacific Co., 15 Sep 2001 (BTGO-2001-4; NLF, PS, photo: RuS); an adult female was there 19-23 Jul 2007 (2007-7-1; photos: RJM, RuS, PS); a juvenile was in Westport, Grays Harbor Co., 14-15 Sep 2007 (2007-2; photo: TO); and a juvenile was at Bottle Beach, Grays Harbor Co., 2 Oct 2007 (2007-3; photo: MBi). These brought the state total to 51 records (34 between 1998 and 2008) before the species was removed from the review list in 2008. Ruff (Calidris pugnax ) (25*, 2). Records of two at Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor Co., 9 and 11 Sep 2007 (RUFF-2007-2; PK, photo: CWr) and one female at Boe Road near Port Susan Bay, Snohomish Co., 1-19 Dec 2007 (2007-4; photo: SM) bring Washington’s total to 25 records between 1999 when the Ruff was added to the review list and 2008 when it was removed. Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis) (4, 2). Reconsideration of the report of an adult at Crockett Lake, Island Co., on 18 Jul 1993 (RNST-1993-1; SM) resulted in unanimous acceptance. The prior vote was 5-2-1 yes-no-abstain. At the time the committee was “waiting for a multiple-observer or exquisitely detailed single-person sight report, or (better) for photographic or specimen evidence, before accepting this species” (Tweit and Skriletz 1996). Another adult was at Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor Co., 24 Jul 2009 (2009-1; photos: GT, BW; Figure 8). Buff-breasted Sandpiper ( Calidris subruficollis) (16*, 3). Three Buff-breasted Sandpipers were at Midway Beach, Pacific Co., on 25 Aug 2007 (BBSA-2007-1; photos: MvB, DnG); one was at Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor Co., on 11 Sep 2007 (2007-2; photo : CWr) ; five were on Fir Island and two were at Samish Flats , Skagit Co . , also on 11 Sep 2007 (2007-3; photo: RJM). The WBRC accepted 16 records of this species (most, if not all, of juveniles) from 1999 to 2008 while it was being reviewed. Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomuia) (17, 3). Thick-billed Murres were found at Point No Point, Kitsap Co., on 12 Jan 2009 (TBMU-2009-1; VN), off Grays Harbor Co. on 25 Mar 2009 (2009-2; RJM), and near Protection Island, Clallam Co., on 14 Dec 2009 (2009-3; BLB, CWr, photo: JKu). Xantus’s Murrelet ( Synthliboramphus hypoleucus ) (10, 2). Following the AOU’s reclassification of the two subspecies of Xantus’s Murrelet as species, Scripps’s Mur- relet (S. scrippsi) and Guadalupe Murrelet (S. hypoleucus) (Chesser et al. 2012), the WBRC is reconsidering all Xantus’s Murrelet reports, to confirm which can be confidently assigned to either of the new species. Scripps’s Murrelet ( Synthliboramphus scrippsi). One was 66 km west of Cape Alava, Clallam Co., on 8 Jul 2007 (SCMU-2007-1; GSM). Scripps’s/Guadalupe Murrelet ( Synthliboramphus scrippsi/hypoleucus) . A mur- relet of one of these two species was at least 32 km west of Westport, Grays Harbor Co., 7 Sep 2007 (SCMU/GUMU-2007-3; RJM). Scripps’s/Craveri’s Murrelet ( Synthliboramphus scrippsi/craueri). Two mur- relets — either Scripps’s or Craveri’s — were 61 km west of La Push, Clallam Co., on 9 Jul 2007 (SCMU/CRMU-2007-2; GSM). Parakeet Auklet ( Aethia psittacula ) (14*, 2). One was observed 18 km WSW of Cape Alava, Clallam Co., on the surprising date of 8 Jul 2007 (PAAU-2007-1; GSM). An additional 101 were observed, and many photographed, between 9 and 75 km off Washington’s central and north coast, Clallam, Jefferson, and Grays Harbor 310 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) counties, between 24 Mar and 8 Apr 2009 (2009-1; photos: RJM). Photographic documentation of Parakeet Auklets in these numbers, as well as unreviewed but reli- able reports in other recent years from waters seldom explored at this time of year, precipitated this species’ removal of from the review list. Oregon had 18 records of the Parakeet Auklet though 2010, and California had over 80 records before its committee discontinued reviewing the species. Horned Puffin ( Fratercula corniculata) (26, 6). One was at Westport, Grays Harbor Co., on 21 Jul 2007 (HOPU-2007-1; BLB, BT); an immature was south of Point of Arches, Clallam Co., on 5 Jun 2007 (2007-2; RJM, photo: RoH); an adult was near Quillayute Needles, Clallam/Jefferson Co., on 13 Jul 2007 (2007-3; RJM); one was near Smith Island, Island Co., 18 Aug 2007 (2007-4; photos: DaH, DoH); a dead bird (specimen not preserved) was at Midway Beach, Pacific Co., on 7 Aug 2009 (2009-1; photo: KeB); and an immature was at Grays Canyon, Grays Harbor Co., 26 Jun 2010 (2010-1; BSh, photos, BD, GSM). Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea) (2, 1). Washington’s second was an immature at the Yakima River Delta, Benton Co., briefly on 20 Jan 2008 (IVGU-2008-1; video: BW). California has two records, British Columbia nine, and Oregon none. Black-headed Gull ( Chroicocephalus ridibundus) (16, 1). An adult was at Electric City, Grant Co., 29-31 Dec 2007 (BHGU-2007-2; DSc, photos: ASt, ESt, VG, LS). Although it was the 16 th recorded in the state as a whole, it was the first found in eastern Washington. Laughing Gull ( Leucophaeus atricilla) (7, 3). An adult was at Ruby Beach, Jefferson Co., on 10 May 1998 (LAGU-1998-1; photo: EF; Figure 9). Another was at Hoquiam, Grays Harbor Co., on 24 Jul 2007 (2007-1; photo: GBe). A second-cycle bird at Point No Point, Kitsap Co., on 1 Jun 2008 (LAGU-2008-1; photo: VN) and then Port Susan Bay, Snohomish Co., on 7 Jun 2008 (SM) was inferred by the commit- tee to represent the same individual, and just the second away from the outer coast. Black-tailed Gull ( Larus crassirostris) (5, 3). Adult Black-tailed Gulls were at Tatoosh Island, Clallam Co., on 18 Jun 2008 (BTGU-2008-1; TWo), the Walla Walla river delta, Walla Walla Co., on 29 Aug 2009 (2009-1; photos: MD, MLD), and at Tacoma, Pierce Co., 13 Oct-7 Nov 2009 (2009-2; MHo, CWr, photos: RiC, JeC, GT; Figure 10). These three records increase Washington’s total to five, all since 2004. Iceland Gull ( Larus glaucoides) (14, 2). An adult Iceland Gull of subspecies kumheni was at the Wallula Grain Station, Walla Walla Co., on 8 Mar 2009 (ICGU-2009-1; photos: MD, MLD) and a first-cycle bird, also kumheni , was at Nisqually NWR, Thurston Co., on 10 Feb 2010 (2010-1; ST, photo: DR). Lesser Black-backed Gull ( Larus fuscus) (18, 6). New records include one adult at Rufus Woods Lake, Douglas Co., 30 Jan 2008 (LBBG-2008-1; photos: VG, LS); one adult at the Yakima River delta, Benton Co., 22 Jan 2008 (2008-2; photo: KeB); one adult at Clarkston, Asotin Co., 8-10 Nov 2008 (2008-3; photos: KC, TeG); an adult at Nelson Island near Richland, Benton Co., on 1 Jan 2009 (2009-1; BLF, NLF); an adult at the Walla Walla River delta, Walla Walla Co., 15 Jan 2009 (2009-2; photo: MD);and one more adult at Richland, Benton Co., 16 Jan 2010 (2010-1; photos: MD, MLD, DnG, TM). All 18 of Washington’s Lesser Black-backed Gulls have occurred since 2000 and all but one have been found east of the Cascades. Slaty-backed Gull (Larus schistisagus) (15, 4). A fourth-cycle Slaty-backed Gull was at the Cedar River mouth in Renton, King Co., on 28 Dec 2007 (SBGU-2007-2; photo: RJM). Three more were accepted from the fields along Wenzel Slough Road near Satsop, Grays Harbor Co.: an adult 9-17 Mar 2008 (2008-1; photos MPi, RuS, CWr), a third-cycle bird 11-17 Mar 2008 (2008-2; photo: MPi), and a second-cycle bird 11 Mar 2008 (2008-3; SF, photo: MPi). Least Tern ( Sternula antillarum) (5, 2). One was at Crockett Lake, Island Co., on 311 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) Figure 13. Washington’s first Variegated Flycatcher (VAFL-2008-1) at Windust Park, Franklin Co., on 7 September 2008. Photo by Ryan J. Merrill 16 Jul 2007 (LETE-2007-1; photo: SL), another at Everett, Snohomish Co., on 4 Jul 2008 (2008-1; KAa). All five of Washington’s records fall between May and August. Eurasian Collared-Dove ( Streptopelia decaocto) (21*, 2). Records of two at Ellensburg, Kittitas Co., 13 Apr 2007 (EUCD-2007-1; photo: DmB) and one at Battle Ground, Clark Co., 28 Jun-1 Aug 2007 (2007-2; photo: CK) were accepted before the removal of the species from the review list in 2008. Following the first state record in Spokane on 2 Jan 2000, the Eurasian Collared-Dove expanded rapidly. The first western Washington record came from Stanwood, Snohomish Co., on 9 Oct 2003. By April 2011, it had been recorded in all 39 of the state’s counties, and it continues to increase in both range and population. White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) (9, 3). One was at Bennington Lake, Walla Walla Co., 14 Aug 2007 (WWDO-2007-1; photo: MLD), another at Vancouver, Clark Co., 20 Jun 2008 (2008-1; photo: SHg), and a third at Tokeland, Pacific Co., 31 May 2010 (2010-1; photo: AG). Northern Hawk Owl ( Surnia ulula ) (26, 9). Records of the Northern Hawk Owl included one near Winthrop, Okanogan Co., 19 and 25 Jun 2007 (NHOW-2007-2; photo: VG, LS); one at Hart's Pass, Okanogan Co., 9 Sep 2007 (2007-3; photo: NM); one 1.6 km west of Grand Coulee, Grant Co., 31 Dec 2007-1 Jan 2008 (2007-5; photos: VG, LS, DSc); one at Cheney, Spokane Co., 30 Oct-1 Nov 2008 (2008-1; JuC, CCo, photos: BuD, KC); one at Tiffany Meadows, Okanogan Co., 12 Oct 2008 (2008-2; JDn); one at Hart’s Pass, Okanogan Co., 27 Sep-18 Oct 2008 (2008-3; photo: GT; Figure 11); one 19 km west of Okanogan, Okanogan Co., 7-14 Dec 2008 (2008-4; GK); one near Mansfield, Douglas Co., 3-22 Feb 2009 (2009-1; 312 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) Figure 14. Tennessee Warbler (TEWA-2008-1) at Washtucna, Adams Co., on 8 September 2008. Photo by Gregg Thompson Figure 15. Magnolia Warbler (MAWA-2008-3) at Washtucna, Adams Co., on 10 September 2008. Photo by Ted Kenefick 313 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) MD, BT, photos: MPi, SPi, SSm); and one at Tatoosh Butte, Okanogan Co., 17-18 Jul 2009 (2009-2; photo: VG, LS). Costa’s Hummingbird ( Calypte costae ) (9.1). An adult male visited a feeder in Mount Vernon, Skagit Co., on 16 May 2009 (COHU-2009-1; photo: TD). Yellow-bellied Sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus uarius) (8, 2). One immature at Hood River Park in Walla Walla Co. on 7 Oct 2004 (YBSA-2004-2; MD, MLD) was at the same location that hosted a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker the previous winter (see Mlodinow and Aanerud 2008). An immature female was at Gingko State Park, Kittitas Co., on 14 Apr 2008 (YBSA-2008-3; MWe, photo: DSw). Greater Pewee ( Contopus pertinax ) (1, 1). Washington’s first Greater Pewee was found at Edmonds, Snohomish Co., the morning of 23 Nov 2008 (GRPE-2008-1; DD, CR). Despite being a sight record, the detailed description specified the overall coloration, prominent crest, bill shape, entirely orange lower mandible, and call note, eliminating the possibility of an Olive-sided Flycatcher or a wood-pewee. Records in California are concentrated between November and March and range as far north as Alameda and Santa Cruz counties in the San Francisco Bay area (Hamilton et al. 2007). Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax flauiuentris ) (1, 1). Washington’s first Yellow-bellied Flycatcher was photographed at Windust Park, Franklin Co., on 30 Aug 2009 (YBFL-2009-1; CCo, JuC, photo: MWo; Figure 12). While initially identi- fied as a Least Flycatcher in the field, subsequent analysis of a series of close, sharp photos led to the identification as the Yellow-bellied based on the yellowish throat, large, rounded head, short bill and tail, conspicuous rounded eye ring, and extensive greenish coloration including on the sides of the breast. Although no records have been accepted for Oregon, California has 29 records of the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, all on dates from 27 Aug to 16 Oct. Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum) (3, 1). An Alder Flycatcher singing at Havil- lah, Okanogan Co., 18-19 Jun 2006 (ALFL-2006-1; photo, audio: PS, RuS, photo: MWo) was at the same location as the Washington’s first, also singing, four years prior. Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans ) (15, 2). Black Phoebes were documented along Larkin Rd. near Midway Beach, Pacific Co., 7 May 2009 (BLPH-2009-1; TA) and on Mercer Island, King Co., 26 Mar 2010 (2010-1; photos: JoC, RiH, RJM), bringing the state total to 15 records. Variegated Flycatcher ( Empidonomus uarius ) (1, 1). The first Variegated Flycatcher for both Washington and western North America was at Windust Park, Franklin Co., 6-7 Sep 2008 (VAFL-2008-1; MD, MLD, CH, photos: RJM, SM; Figure 13). The Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher (Myiodynastes luteiuentris), which has occurred on the west coast as far north as Areata, California, was eliminated by the bird’s overall small size and relatively small bill. The Piratic Flycatcher ( Legatus leucophaius), another austral migrant that has occurred in Texas and New Mexico, has a still smaller bill and lacks the rusty rump with large dusky streaks this Variegated Flycatcher showed. The dark crown, dark auriculars, and diffuse malar stripe were also consistent with the Variegated and not the Sulphur-bellied or Piratic. There are prior records of the Variegated Flycatcher from Maine, Tennessee, and Ontario, with the Washington record representing the first from the western half of the continent (Mlodinow and Irons 2009). Tropical Kingbird ( Tyrannus melancholicus) (14, 3). One was near Mount Vernon, Skagit Co., 24 Nov-18 Dec 2008 (TRKI-2008-2; photo: RJM); one was at Hoquiam, Grays Harbor Co., 24 Oct 2009 (2009-1; photo: GT); and one was recorded calling at Westport, Grays Harbor Co., 12 Nov 2009 (2009-2; photo, audio: RJM). Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird ( Tyrannus melancholicus/couchii) (21, 5). Birds accepted as either the Tropical or Couch’s Kingbird include one at Neah Bay, Clallam 314 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) Co., 9 Nov 2003 (TRKI/COKI-2003-3; JN); one at Bottle Beach, Grays Harbor Co., 29 Sep 2007 (2007-1; CSc); one at Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor Co., 12 Oct 2007 (2007-2; photo: CWr); one at Marymoor Park, Redmond, King Co., 10 Oct 2007 (2007-3; photo: JTu); and one at Anacortes, Skagit Co., 24 Nov 2008 (2008-1; photo: DF). There are no definitive records of Couch’s Kingbird in Washington, the nearest record being from Las Vegas, Nevada (January 2015; www.xeno-canto.org/ species/Tyrannus-couchii) . Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (' Tyrannus forficatus ) (8, 1). One was near Gardiner, Clallam Co., 2-3 Jul 2007 (STFL-2007-1; photos: RJM, TO). Bell’s Vireo ( Vireo bellii) (3, 3). Washington’s first Bell’s Vireo was at Wylie Slough, Skagit Wildlife Area, Skagit Co., 27-28 Sep 2007 (BEVI-2007-1; KeB, SM). The initial review of this report was tabled in 2008, but in 2011 it was accepted unani- mously. The second was at Washtucna, Adams Co., on 6 Sep 2008 (2008-1; DI, SM). A singing bird was at Sun Lakes State Park, Grant Co., 20 May 2009 (2009-1; BSc, DSc). All three birds had features in their descriptions consistent with subspe- cies V. b. bellii, but were not conclusively identified as such by the observers or the committee. Nearby, Oregon has two records, and Idaho has one record of Bell’s Vireo [Natl. Audubon Soc. Field Notes 52:361, 1998; www.idahobirds.net/ibrc/ reviewspecies/ vireo_accentor. html#bevi) . Blue-headed Vireo ( Vireo solitarius) (6, 1). One was at Lyons Ferry, Franklin Co., on 7 Sep 2008 (BHVI-2008-1; DI, photo: SM). Philadelphia Vireo {Vireo philadelphicus) (5, 2). A Philadelphia Vireo was accepted from Washtucna, Adams Co., 20 Aug 2005 (PHVI-2005-1; BF), and another was at Hooper, Whitman Co., 3 Jun 2007 (2007-1; GS). Lead-colored or Interior Bushtit ( Psaltriparus minimus plumbeus ) (1, 1). After adding the Interior Bushtit group (also known as the Lead-colored or Plumbeous Bushtit) to the list of subspecies it reviews in Washington in 2005, the WBRC received one report from the area where this subspecies is suspected to be resident. On 6 Apr 2009, four were observed near Moses Lake, Grant Co. The photos alone were not diagnostic of the subspecies group, but in combination with the description the documentation was sufficient to confirm it in our state (BUSH-2009-1; DSc). The closest location where nesting of this subspecies is known is in east-central Oregon (Marshall et al. 2003). Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) (10, 1). One was at Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor Co., on 13 Sep 2008 (BGGN-2008-1; MBr). Brown Thrasher ( Toxostoma rufum) (10, 2). A Brown Thrasher was at Fort Walla Walla Natural Area, Walla Walla, Walla Walla Co., on 12 Jun 2008 (BRTH-2008- 1; MD & MLD). Another was at Nisqually NWR, Thurston Co., on 10 Oct 2008 (2008-2; MLe). Chestnut-collared Longspur ( Calcarius ornatus ) (7, 2). A male in alternate plumage was associating with two Horned Larks at McChord Air Force Base, Pierce Co., on 15 May 2009 (CCLO-2009-1; RMo). Another male was at the Hoquiam sewage- treatment plant, Grays Harbor Co., 21-31 Oct 2009 (2009-2; DW, photos: RiH, GT). Ovenbird ( Seiurus aurocapilla) (19, 2). Ovenbirds at Ellenger Farm, Adams Co., on 4 Sep 2008 (OVEN-2008-1; BW) and Leadbetter Point, Pacific Co., 22 Oct 2008 (2008-2; photo: RJM) bring the state total to 19 records. Most of Washington’s Ovenbirds have occurred during May or June, with only five being in the fall. Black-and-white Warbler ( Mniotilta varia) (30, 3). One was at Washtucna, Adams Co., 14 Sep 2008 (BAWW-2008-1; BoS), one at Kent Ponds, King Co., 24 May 2009 (2009-1; photo: GO, OO), and one at Ridgefield, Clark Co., 30 Apr 2010 (2010-2; THi). Prothonotary Warbler ( Protonotaria citrea) (3, 1). A Prothonotary Warbler, either 315 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) Figure 16. Hatch-year Orchard Oriole (OROR-2009-1) at the Hoquiam sewage- treatment plant, Grays Harbor Co., 24 October 2009. Photo by Gregg Thompson a first-year bird or an adult female, at Bateman Island, Benton Co., 10 Aug 2007 (PROW-2007-1; ARJ) was Washington’s third. Tennessee Warbler (Oreothlypis peregrina) (23, 6). One was at Washtucna, Adams Co., 15 Sep 2007 (TEWA-2007-2; MD); another was there 8 Sep 2008 (2008-1; DSc, photo: GT; Figure 14); one was at the Elwha River mouth, Clallam Co., 16 Nov 2008 (2008-2; SM, BW); one was at Montlake Fill, Seattle, King Co., 25 Aug 2009 (2009-1; CSi); one was at Theler Wetlands, Belfair, Mason Co., 15-16 Aug 2009 (2009-2; KeB); and one was at Vantage, Kittitas Co., 28 May 2010 (2010-1; SM). Mourning Warbler ( Geothlypis Philadelphia) (2, 1). The description of Wash- ington’s second Mourning Warbler, at Washtucna, Adams Co., on 25 Aug 2007 (MOWA-2007-1 ; SM, DSc) specified an even, thin eye ring broken only slightly in front and back of the eye, undertail coverts long in relation to the tail, and bright yellow in much of the throat, distinguishing this bird from the expected MacGillivray's Warbler (G. tolmiei). The extensively yellow throat indicated a hatch-year bird. Oregon has six records, Idaho two records, and California 146 through 2013. Northern Parula ( Setophaga americana) (13, 2). A hatch-year female was at Washtucna, Adams Co., on 2 Sep 2009 (NOPA-2009-1; TA, photo: RJM). Another hatch-year female was in the Sooes River valley, Clallam Co., 17 Sep 2009 (2009-2; BT). Six of Washington’s 13 records have been during the fall, six during the summer, and the first, in 1975, was in winter. Magnolia Warbler ( Setophaga magnolia) (20, 7). Records of the Magnolia Warbler include one at Biscuit Ridge, Walla Walla Co., 29 May 2005 (MAWA-2005-2; CWr); one at Bowerman Basin, Grays Harbor Co., 8 Sep 2007 (2007-1; MM); one at Nahcotta, Pacific Co., 27 Jun 2008 (2008-1; JGi); one at Washtucna, Adams Co., 10 Sep 2008 (2008-3; photo: TK; Figure 15); another there 21 Sep 2008 (2008-2; 316 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) SM) ; a hatch-year female at Lynnwood , Snohomish Co.,3Sep2009(2009-l; photo : KM); and two at Lacey, Thurston Co., 22 Nov 2009 (2009-2; JD1, AW). Bay-breasted Warbler ( Setophaga castanea) (2, 1). Washington’s second Bay- breasted Warbler, the first to be photographed, was a singing male near Chehalis, Lewis Co., 5 Jun-8 Jul 2006 (BBWA-2006-1; RKo, photos: KeB, KT). California has more than 300 records, Oregon 11, and Idaho three. Blackburnian Warbler ( Setophaga fusca) (6, 2). A male Blackburnian Warbler was at Confluence State Park, Chelan Co., 19 May 2007 (BLBW-2007-1; DMa, JeP, GR). Another, in its first year, was at Sentinel Bluffs, Grant Co., 29 Aug 2009 (2009-1; SM, CWr). Chestnut-sided Warbler ( Setophaga pensylvanica) (21, 3). The WBRC accepted records of single Chestnut-sided Warblers from Ocosta, Grays Harbor Co., on 14 Aug 2008 (CSWA-2008-2; TA, photo: RJM) and Washtucna, Adams Co., on 8 Sep 2008 (2008-1; RJM, SM, BW) and 21 Sep 2008 (2008-3; photo: SM). All but six of Washington’s records are for June or July. Blackpoll Warbler ( Setophaga striata) (27, 6). New records of the Blackpoll Warbler included one at Vancouver Lake, Clark Co., 13 Sep 2007 (BLPW-2007-3; TA); one at Sentinel Bluffs, Grant Co., 2 Sep 2008 (2008-1; BW); one at Washtucna, Adams Co., 3 Sep 2008 (2008-2; photo: RaH); another one there 7 Sep 2008 (2008-3; RaH); one at Lyons Ferry Park, Franklin Co., 8-11 Sep (2008-4; TA, photos: RJM, SM); and a singing male at Sun Lakes State Park, Grant Co., 24 May 2009 (2009-1; photo: DSc). These bring the state total to 27 records, all but three of which have come from eastern Washington, and all but three of which have been in the fall. Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescerts) (9, 2). A female was at Wapato, Yakima Co., 16-17 Oct 2005 (BTBW-2005-1; ASt, ESt, photo: DnG) and another female was at College Place, Walla Walla Co., 8-11 Nov 2007 (2007-1; photo: MD, MLD), bringing the state total to nine records. Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica ) (2, 1). Washington’s first recorded Yellow-throated Warbler frequented suet feeders and apples in Twisp, Okanogan Co., 8 Dec 2001-23 Jan 2002 (YTWA-2001-1; RMu, photo, video: SM, photo: RuS). A second, later record, from Asotin Co. in 2003 was discussed in the seventh report of the WBRC (Mlodinow and Aanerud 2008). There are eight records for Oregon, four for Idaho, and more than 150 for California. Red Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca iliaca/zaboria ) (13*, 6). The six records accepted in this period are of one at Harrington, Lincoln Co., 22 Sep 2007 (RFSP- 2007-1; photo: TM); one at Yakima, Yakima Co., 16 Dec 2008 (2008-1; ASt, photo: MRo); one at Redmond, King Co., 31 Dec 2008-2 Jan 2009 (2008-2; MHo, JaP, TP, photo: AL); one at Fall City, King Co., 18 Nov 2009 (2009-3; TA); one at Yakima, Yakima Co., 16 Dec 2009 (2009-4; photo: DnG); and one at South Prairie, Pierce Co., 22 Jan 2010 (2010-1; CWr). These bring Washington’s total to 13 records of this subspecies group since it was added to the review list in 2004. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheuticus ludovicianus ) (53*, 14). The 14 records accepted were of an adult male at Robinson Gulch, Kittitas Co., 9 Jun 1990 (RBGR- 1990-3; NH); an adult male at Quilcene, Jefferson Co., 1 May 2008 (2008-1; BeS, photo: MAS); an adult male at Arlington, Snohomish Co., 17 Jun 2008 (2008-2; photo: DoB); an adult male at Kent, King Co., 5 Jul 2008 (2008-3; photo: DSt); an adult male at Long Beach, Pacific Co., 21 Jun 2008 (2008-4; CWh, photo: SWh); one in basic plumage at Lind Coulee, Grant Co., 20 Sep 2008 (2008-5; SM); another in basic plumage at Gig Harbor, Pierce Co., 10 Nov 2008 (2008-6; photo: CSm); one in basic plumage at Sequim, Clallam Co., 21 Dec 2008 (2008-7; TCu); a first-winter male at Suncrest, Stevens Co., 21 Feb 2009 (2009-1; photo: MWo); an adult male at Elk, Spokane Co., 13 May 2009 (2009-2; photo: MWo); an adult 317 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) male at Brooks Memorial State Park, Klickitat Co., 6 Jun 2009 (2009-3; photo: DE); an adult male near Blanchard, Skagit Co., 23 Jun 2009 (2009-4; photo: MSD); an adult male at Chewelah, Stevens Co., 7 Jul 2010 (2010-1; photo: KaB); and an adult male at Bonney Lake, Pierce Co., 26 Mar-4 Apr 2010 (2010-2; VB, photo: GT). With 53 records, 36 of them between 2000 and 2010, the committee removed the Rose-breasted Grosbeak from its review list in 2011. Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea ) (28, 9). The nine Indigo Buntings accepted include a female near George, Grant Co., 18 Aug 2007 (INBU-2007-2; GG, BW); an adult male at Point No Point, Kitsap Co., 4 Jun 2008 (2008-1; photo: BW), an adult male at North Auburn, King Co., 6 Jun 2008 (2008-2; photo: KAn); an adult male at Coppei Creek, Walla Walla Co., 5-11 Jun (2008-3; photo: RJM); a hatch-year bird at Juanita Bay, King Co., 15 Nov 2008 (2008-4; photo: RJM); an adult male at Kennewick, Benton Co., 1-2 May 2009 (2009-2; ToG, RW, photo: SPe); an adult male at Three Forks Park, Fall City, King Co., 10 Jun-9 Aug 2009 (2009-3; photos: RJM, GT); an adult male near Carson, Skamania Co., 21 Jun 2009 (2009-4; WC, photo: MvB); and a male, most likely in its second year, at Corkindale Creek, Skagit Co., 19 Jun-12 Jul 2009 (2009-5; photo: RJM). Dickcissel ( Spiza americana) (6, 1). A Dickcissel at Westport, Grays Harbor Co., 31 Oct 2008 (DICK-2008-1; photo: BT) was the sixth recorded in Washington. Common Grackle (Quiscaius quiscula) (18, 2). Adult males were at Toppenish, Yakima Co., 20 Dec 2009 (COGR-2009-1; ASt) and Burien, King Co., 25 Apr 2010 (2010-1; photo: JKa). Both birds appeared to be of the subspecies versicolor. Great-tailed Grackle ( Quiscaius mexicanus ) (8, 4). Two were 8 km northeast of Wallula, Walla Walla Co., 15 Jul 2007 (GTGR-2007-1; photo: MD, MLD); one was at Newhalem, Whatcom Co., 19-23 Jun 2007 (2007-2; RKu, photos: PDB, RJM), one was at Sprague Lake, Lincoln Co., 17 May 2009 (2009-1; photo: GO, OO); and one was at Ridgefield NWR, Clark Co., 2 Jun 2010 (2010-1; JDz). All were males. Orchard Oriole ( Icterus spurius) (6, 3). New Orchard Oriole records were of one at Samish Island, Skagit Co., 6-7 Nov 2007 (OROR-2007-1; HA, photo: LD, MSD), one at the Wa’atch River, Clallam Co., 9 Sep 2009 (2009-2; CWr, photo: RJM), and a hatch-year bird at Hoquiam, Grays Harbor Co., 22-27 Oct 2009 (2009-1; photos: RiH, GT, IU; Figure 16). Hoary Redpoll [Acanthis hornemanni) (14, 1). Two male Hoary Redpolls at Muskrat Lake, Okanogan Co., on 24 Dec 2007 (HORE-2007-1; MF1, SSc) represent Washington’s 14th record. Reports Not Accepted by the Committee — Identification Uncertain Tufted Duck [Aythya fuligula) (18*, 6). The brief description of a bird at Hoquiam, Grays Harbor Co., on 30 Apr 2010 (TUDU-2010-4) suggested this species but also included aspects inconsistent with the Tufted Duck, including the bill described as “dark brown.” Smew (Mergellus albellus ) (3, 0). A report of two females at Bainbridge Island, Kitsap Co., on 5 Oct 2008 (SMEW-2008-1) failed to eliminate the Pigeon Guillemot ( Cepphus columba), among other much more likely species. Arctic Loon ( Gavia arctica) (3, 0). Loons reported from Point No Point, Kitsap Co., on 14 Feb 2008 (ARLO-2008-1) and Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor Co., on 18 Jan 2009 (2009-1), were seen too distantly and described insufficiently to convince the committee they were the Arctic. The Arctic Loon remains one of the more difficult species to document definitively without photographic support. Mottled Petrel ( Pterodroma inexpectata ) (8, 3). A report from off Edmonds, Snohomish Co., on 27 Nov 2009 (MOPE-2009-4) coincided with the same day’s report of the same species off Kitsap Co., which the committee accepted. While the 318 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) bird may have been the same as the one seen off Kitsap Co. only two hours earlier and 16 km southeast, the details were not sufficient for acceptance. Streaked Shearwater ( Calonectris leucomelas) (0, 0). While the report of a Streaked Shearwater about 37 km off Westport, Grays Harbor Co., on 23 Aug 2008 (STRS-2008-1) suggested that species, the observer did not see the face, bill, or underwing and was less than certain of the species in part because of the possibility of an aberrant Pink-footed Shearwater (. Puffinus creatopus). Ashy Storm-Petrel ( Oceanodroma homochroa) (2, 1). A sighting off Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor Co., on 1 May 2010 (ASSP-2010-1) was too brief to eliminate other species of dark-rumped storm petrels. California Condor ( Gymnogyps californianus ) (1, 0). The report from South Prairie, Pierce Co., on 29 Dec 2009 (CACO-2009-1) was insufficiently detailed. Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) (0, 0). A report from Race Lagoon, Whidbey Island, Island Co., on 31 Aug 2008 (HASH-2008-1) failed to be accepted, both because some committee members were not convinced the description ruled out other raptors and because Harris’s Hawk is common in falconry, raising the question of wild origin. Harris’s Hawk remains unrecorded in neighboring Idaho or Oregon. Broad-winged Hawk ( Buteo platypterus) (18, 5). A report of one at Ridgefield, Clark Co., on 21 Apr 2009 (BWHA-2009-2) did not eliminate the Red-shouldered Hawk. Zone-tailed Hawk (Buteo albonotatus ) (0, 0). The report of a Zone-tailed Hawk from the bridge of Highway 12 over the Satsop River, Grays Harbor Co., on 18 Dec 2008 (ZTHA-2008-1) failed to consider a dark-morph Rough-legged Hawk (B. lagopus) or Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawk (B. jamaicensis harlani). Hudsonian Godwit ( Limosa haemastica ) (31*, 5). Photos of a godwit from Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor Co., 22 Aug 2009 (HUGO-2009-2) lacked any accompanying description and on their own failed to eliminate the Black-tailed Godwit (L. limosa ). Bar-tailed Godwit ( Limosa lapponica ) (51*, 4). In its previous summaries, the WBRC overlooked a report not accepted from Bridgeport, Douglas Co., 5 Aug 1996 (BTGO-1 996-1). Long-billed Murrelet ( Brachyramphus perdix) (7, 0). A report from Luhr Beach, Thurston Co., on 27 Aug 2004 (LBMU-2 004-1) was not accepted in a 2006 meeting because of insufficient details. Horned Puffin ( Fratercula corniculata) (26, 6). A possible immature Horned Puffin off Westport, Grays Harbor Co. (HOPU-2008-1) was seen briefly in the distance, and the details reported were insufficient to convince the committee. White-winged Dove ( Zenaida asiatica) (9, 2). A report from Peone Prairie near Mead, Spokane Co., on 18 Oct 2008 (WWDO-2008-2 failed to eliminate the Eurasian Collared-Dove. Northern Hawk Owl ( Surnia ulula ) (26, 9). A report from Seattle, King Co., 30 Nov 2007 (NHOW-2007-4) was short on details. Allen’s Hummingbird ( Selasphorus sasin) (1, 0). The description of a supposed adult male Allen’s Hummingbird at Deer Lake, Island Co., on 11 May 2009 (ALHU- 2009-1) fit a Rufous Hummingbird (S. ru/us) better. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus uarius) (8, 2). A report from Moses Lake, Grant Co., on 12 Sep 2004 (YBSA-2004-1) was considered at two meetings but ultimately not accepted. A report from 16 km west of Eatonville, Pierce Co., on 9 Apr 2008 (2008-1) failed to address the Red-naped Sapsucker ( S.nuchalis ). A reported second Yellow-bellied Sapsucker with the one accepted at Ginkgo State Park, Kittitas Co., on 14 Apr 2008 was only seen briefly, and no photos or detailed descriptions were possible (2008-2). 319 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) Crested Caracara ( Caracara cheriway) (3, 0). A report of a Crested Caracara from Marymoor Park, Redmond, King Co., on 11 Jul 2009 (CRCA-2009-1) did not persuasively eliminate the Osprey ( Pandion haliaetus). Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum ) (3, 1). A report of an Alder Flycatcher calling but not singing at Kettle Falls, Ferry Co., 7 Jun 2004 (ALFL-2004-1) was not accepted. A reported Alder Flycatcher near Clarkston, Asotin Co., on 11 Jun 2008 (2008-1) was well described, but the vocalization was heard only briefly and the com- mittee was reluctant to accept the report without a longer interaction. Eastern Phoebe ( Sayornis phoebe) (7, 0). In reviewing historical reports, the com- mittee declined to accept the reports of the Eastern Phoebe in Washington published in Bent (1942) (EAPH-0000-1). Three sight reports are mentioned, from Camas, Clark Co., Yakima, Yakima Co., and Pullman, Whitman Co. No specimens were collected, and no dates were reported. These reports probably referred to Say’s Phoebe (S. saya). Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus/couchii) (21, 5). The date of a report from Discovery Park, Seattle, King Co., 9 June 1999 (TRKI/COKI-1999-1) implies the bird was a Western Kingbird ( T. uerticalis). Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) (8, 1). Though closely following the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher accepted from the same county on 15 May 2003 (Mlodinow and Aanerud 2008), the report from Silica Road, Grant Co., 17 May 2003 (STFF- 2003-2) was insufficiently detailed. Blue-headed Vireo ( Vireo solitarius) (6, 1). A vireo, reported as a Blue-headed Vireo, at Windust Park, Franklin Co., on 8 Sep 2008 (BHVI-2008-2) was seen too briefly for the subtle color differences necessary for this difficult identification to be noted. Philadelphia Vireo ( Vireo philadelphicus) (5, 2). A report from Washtucna, Adams Co., 25 May 2007 (PHVI-2007-2) included a photo and description yet did not rule out a bright Warbling Vireo (V. gilvus). Another bird reported from the same locality on 31 May 2008 (2008-1) was well-described but not convincingly enough to rule out alternatives to the Philadelphia Vireo. A 30 Aug 2008 report from Washougal, Clark Co. (2008-2), did not convincingly rule out other vireos. Wrentit ( Chamaea fasciata) (0, 0). Written details of a Wrentit reported from the Montlake Fill in Seattle, King Co., 22 Aug 2007 (WREN-2007-1) were inadequate for a species unknown in Washington. Crested Myna ( Acridotheres cristatellus) (0, 0). A brief report from Edmonds, Snohomish Co., on 27 Dec 2007 (CRMY-2007-1) did not eliminate other species of mynas, any of which presumably would have been an escapee. An introduced population of the Crested Myna persisted on Vancouver Island from the late 1800s until 2003 (Self 2003). Scattered, undocumented reports of this species in Washington over the years possibly represented birds dispersing from British Columbia, though the WBRC has reviewed no previous reports (Mattocks et al. 1976). Phainopepla ( Phainopepla nitens ) (1, 0). The report of an adult male from Mill Creek, Snohomish Co., on 31 Jul and 5 Aug 2009 (PHAI-2009-1) was insufficient for acceptance. McKay’s Bunting ( Plectrophenax hyperboreus) (3, 0). A reported McKay’s Bunting along Cameron Fake Road, Okanogan Co., on 17 Feb 2008 (MKBU-2008-1) was tantalizing but was seen too distantly for a pale male Snow Bunting ( P. nivalis ) to be ruled out. Worm-eating Warbler ( Helmitheros vermivorum) (0, 0). A report from Tacoma, Pierce Co., on 13 Jul 2005 (WEWA-2005-1) was more likely of another species. Neither the Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) nor wrens were ruled out by the details provided. Black-and-white Warbler ( Mniotilta varia) (30, 4). A report from Mercer Island, 320 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) King Co., 22 Jun 1992 (BAWW-1992-2) was not accepted by the committee in 1994 but the decision was inadvertently never published. A report from the north side of Stacker Butte, Klickitat Co., 21 May 2010 (2010-1) failed to eliminate the Black-throated Gray Warbler ( Setophaga nigrescens) convincingly. A song apparently of a Black-and-white Warbler was heard along Tieton Road, Yakima Co., on 20 Jun 2010 (2010-3). Concerns regarding another species of warbler singing an aberrant song prevented the committee from endorsing this report. Tennessee Warbler ( Oreothlypis peregrina) (23, 6). A report from Sentinel Gap, Grant Co., on 1 Sep 2007 (TEWA-2007-3) raised concerns about the distance to the bird as well as inconsistencies in the described plumage and call note. Blackpoll Warbler ( Setophaga striata) (27, 6). Details of Blackpoll Warblers reported from Spokane, Spokane Co., on 14 Oct 2001 (BLPW-2001-1) and from Vantage, Kittitas Co., on 9 Oct 2005 (2005-4) were inadequate. Black-throated Blue Warbler ( Setophaga caerulescens) (9, 2). The description of a male at Silver Lake, Cowlitz Co., on 9 Apr 2008 (BTBW-2008-1) lacked detail sufficient for acceptance. Lark Bunting ( Calamospiza melanocorys ) (11, 0). A report of a male Lark Bunting in alternate plumage from Columbia NWR, Grant Co., on 17 Aug 2008 (LARB-2008-1) did not eliminate other species, and the described plumage seemed unlikely for the season. The description of a female at Ross Lake, Whatcom Co., 8 Jun 2010 (2010-1) was not adequate to establish the identity of the species, and it was unclear whether the bird was definitely in Washington or remained on the Canadian side of the border. Indigo Bunting ( Passerina cyanea) (28, 9). Distant and backlit photos, unaccom- panied by a written description filling in the gaps, were not sufficient to rule out a hybrid Lazuli x Indigo Bunting for a bird observed at Long Swamp, Okanogan Co, 13 Jul 2009 (INBU-2009-6). Dickcissel (Spiza americana) (6, 1). The description of a Dickcissel reported at the Montlake Fill in Seattle, King Co., on 18 Apr 2009 (DICK-2009-1) had several inconsistencies with that identification, including apparent size. Baltimore Oriole ( Icterus galbula ) (4, 0). The report of one in Sequim, Clallam Co., on 24 May 2006 (BAOR-2006-1) didn’t eliminate an aberrantly plumaged Red- winged Blackbird ( Agelaius phoeniceus). Concerns about the detailed description of the wings of a bird in flight and about the viewing conditions prevented a report of one at Wanapum State Park, Kittitas Co., on 28 May 2006 (2006-2) from being accepted. The description of a bird in Bothell, King Co., on 16 May 2009 (2009- 1) fit a Black-headed Grosbeak ( Pheucticus melanocephalus) much better than a Baltimore Oriole. The report of one from Richland, Benton Co., on 21 Jul 2009 (2009-2) included insufficient detail. Hoary Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni) (14, 1). A report from Seattle, King Co., 30 Dec 2001 (HORE-2001-2) was not accepted by the committee in 2002, but the decision was inadvertently never published. A report from Lake Padden, Whatcom Co., 9 Jan 2008 (2008-1) more likely represented a Common Redpoll (A. flammea). Reports Not Accepted by the Committee — Identification Certain, Origin Unknown American Black Duck ( Anas rubripes) (0, 0). As mentioned in the introduction, in 2011 the WBRC removed this species from the Washington list after concluding that American Black Ducks of wild origin have not been convincingly shown to have occurred in the state. Particularly for recent reports, escapees from captivity are far more likely. The committee continues to evaluate reports, however, first considering the species’ identity, then separately voting on the question of origin. It recognized 321 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) these four reports as representing American Black Duck but did not accept them because of uncertain origins: single females at Juanita Bay, Kirkland, King Co., 1 Oct 2007 (ABDU-2007-2) and 1 Aug-18 Oct (likely the same bird returning; 2008- 2); one at Stanwood, Snohomish Co., 10 Nov 2007 (2007-1); one at Port Susan Bay, Snohomish Co., 4 May 2008 (2008-1). Subsequently, a Woodinville breeder informed the committee that many free-flying American Black Ducks had escaped his ponds in recent years. Common Ground-Dove ( Columbina passerina ) (0, 0). While the details of a report near Rochester, Thurston Co., 26 Aug 2008 (COGD-2008-1) seemed to confirm a Common Ground-Dove, the bird appeared tame, so the committee refrained from adding this species to the state list on the basis of this report. Northern Cardinal ( Cardinalis cardinalis ) (0, 0). Photographs of a female in Vancouver, Clark Co., on 28 Apr 2009 (NOCA-2009-1) left no doubt about the bird’s identity. As with other sightings of Northern Cardinal, the committee continues to wrestle with the question of origin. Sufficient doubt remains over the origin in Washington of any Northern Cardinal, a species regularly kept in captivity, that the committee has thus far not endorsed any reports. CORRECTIONS A review of previously published reports, aided to a large extent by Laurie Knittle of Washington Birder (wabirder.com), has uncovered a number of unintentional errors published in previous WBRC reports. Smew ( Mergellus albellus). “Alan Grenon” is the correct spelling for one of the observers of Washington’s third recorded Smew (SMEW-1993-1), not “Alan Grinnon’’ as originally published in the WBRC’s second report (Tweit and Skriletz 1996:27). Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus). Washington’s third recorded Mountain Plover (MOPL-2000-1), was at Fort Canby State Park, Pacific Co., from 22 Dec 2000 to 26 Jan 2001, not 1999-2000 as originally written (Aanerud 2002:7). Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica). The 18 Oct 2005 observation at Tulalip Bay, Snohomish Co. (BTGO-2005-6) was reported by Maxine Reid, not M. Bacon as published (Aanerud 2011:40). Lesser Black-backed Gull ( Larus fuscus). The second-year bird at Sun Lakes, Grant Co. (LBBG-2004-2) was present from 8 to 14 Oct 2004, not 2005 as originally written (Mlodinow and Aanerud 2008:30). Eurasian Collared-Dove ( Streptopelia decaocto). The 2004 observation from Diamond Point (EUCD-2004-1) was in Clallam Co., not Jefferson Co. as published (Modinow and Aanerud 2008:31-32). White-winged Dove ( Zenaida asiatica). Cypress Island, site of Washington’s second White-winged Dove, 19 Jul 1997 (WWDO-1997-1), is in Skagit Co., not Island Co. (Aanerud 2002:11). Northern Hawk Owl ( Surnia ulula). Bridgeport, site of NHOW-1982-1, is in Douglas Co., not Okanogan Co. (Aanerud and Mattocks 1997:23). Black-throated Blue Warbler ( Setophaga caerulescens). One at Davenport Cemetery, Lincoln Co. 26 Sep 2004 (BTBW-2004-1) was a male, not a female as published by Mlodinow and Aanerud (2008:36-37). Painted Bunting ( Passerina ciris). The report of Washington’s first Painted Bunting, from 10 Feb to 2 Mar 2002 (PABU-2002-1), should have included Rachel Lawson as the initial reporter and photographer (Mlodinow and Aanerud 2006:48-49). 322 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank the following people for advice and comments. WBRC committee mem- bers: Kevin Aanerud, Tom Aversa, Phil Mattocks, Steve Mlodinow, Dennis Paulson, Doug Schonewald, Bob Sundstrom, Bill Tweit, Brad Waggoner, Charlie Wright. Outside comments, advice, and support from Joseph Buchanan, Alan Contreras, Jon Dunn, Dan Gibson, Steve Heinl, Laurie Knittle, Penny Rose, and Dan Stephens. In addition, our thanks to the following observers for contributing their records of birds for our consideration: Kevin Aanerud (KAa), Jim Acton (JA), Kathy Andrich (KAn), Howard Armstrong (HA), Tom Aversa (TA), Dimitri Bader (DmB), Donne Bates (DoB), Geert Beckers (GBe), Brian Bell (BB), Vicki Biltz (VB), Michael Bishop (MBi), Gary Bletsch (GB1), Keith Brady (KeB), Marv Breece (MvB), Kirsten Brennan (KiB), Marc Breuninger (MBr), Kat Brooks (KaB), Tayler Brooks (TB), Trudy Cadman (TCa), Wilson Cady (WC), Robin Cameron (RoC), Keith Carlson (KC), Richard Carlson (RiC), Michael Carmody (MC), Jeff Cohen (JeC), Joe Conforti (JoC), Craig Corder (CCo), Judy Corder (JuC), Bryan Crawford (BC), Corrinne Crawford (CCr), Tim Cullinan (TCu), Lee Dallas (LD), Mary Sue Dallas (MSD), John Danielson (JDn), Jim Danzenbaker (JDz), Paul DeBruyn (PDB), Jacinda Denison (JDe), MerryLynn Denny (MLD), Mike Denny (MD), Tom Derrer (TD), Joe Dlugo (JD1), B. Doe (BD), Buck Domitrovich (BuD), Bill Dowd (BiD), Scott Downes (SD), Dennis Duffy (DD), Carolyn Eagan (CE), Donna Enz (DE), Marie Fernan- dez (MFe), Eddie Findley (EF), Shawneen Finnegan (SF), Michael Fleming (MH), Tracy Fleming (TF), Bob Hores (BF), Dave Freriks (DF), George Gerdts (GG), Jeff Gilligan JGi), Victor Glick (VG), Andrea Grad (AG), Denny Granstrand (DnG), Terry Gray (TeG), Tony Greagor (ToG), David Green (DaG), John Grettenberger (JGr), John Gunningham (JGu), Arden Hagen (AH), Sherry Hagen (SHg), Nita Hamilton (NH), Paul Hansen (PH), Todd Hass (THa), Shawn Hawks (SHa), HawkWatch International (HWI), Carl Haynie (CH), David Henderson (DaH), Donna Henderson (DoH), Rick Hibpshman (RiH), Tyler Hicks (THi), Marcia High (MHi), Randy Hill (RaH), Michael Hobbs (MHo), Rob Hollingshead (RoH), Terry Hunefeld (THu), Eugene Hunn (EH), David Irons (DI), Jonathan Isacoff (JI), Joel Jakabosky (JJ), Austin Ray Johnson (ARJ), Karen Johnson (KJ), Anne Kahle (AKa), Joanne Kauffman (JKa), Ted Kenefick (TK), Gordon Kent (GK), Ken Knittle (KK), Steve Kohl (SK), Anna Kopitov (AKo), Russ Koppendrayer (RKo), Penny Koyama (PK), James Kralovic (JKr), Elise Kreiss (EK), David Krueper (DK), Christy Kuhlman (CK), Jan Kummet (JKu), Robert Kuntz (RKu), Bruce LaBar (BLB), Bill LaFramboise (BLF), Nancy LaFramboise (NLF), Greg Lasley (GL), Anne Lawrence (AL), Rachel Lawson (RL), Kyle Leader (KL), Carol Ledford (CLe), Martha Lee (MLe), Terry Little (TL), Susan Littlefield (SL), Chet Lowry (CLo), Mike Lundstrom (MLu), Kevin Mack (KM), Tom Mansfield (TM), Mike Marsh (MM), Dick Martin (DMa), Nick Mason (NM), Jean McGregor (JMG), Paul Menzel (PM), Ryan J. Merrill (RJM), G. Scott Mills (GSM), Steve Mlodinow (SM), Dianna Moore (DMo), Randy Moore (RMo), Jim Morris (JMo), Richard Murray (RMu), Jeremy Nance (JN), Vic Nelson (VN), Anna Nousek (AN), Tim O’Brien (TO), Grace Oliver (GO), Ollie Oliver (00), Hal Opperman (HO), Jeff Parsons (JeP), Mike Patterson (MPa), Jackie Paul (JaP), Tom Paul (TP), Ian Paulsen (IP), Dennis Paulson (DP), Scott Peterson (SPe), Matthew Pike (MPi), Steve Pink (SPi), Jim Pruske (JPr), Alan D. Rammer (AR), Moira K. Ray (MRa), Maxine Reid (MRe), David Richardson (DR), Carol Riddell (CR), Randy Robinson (RR), Patti Rogers (PRo), Gretchen Rohde (GR), Mike Roper (MRo), Bob Russell (BR), Patricia Rutherford (PRu), Stefan Schlick (SSc), Barb Schonewald (BSc), Doug Schonewald (DSc), Libby Schreiner (LS), Carol Schulz (CSc), Adam Sedgley (ASe), Ryan Shaw (RSh), Bill Shelmerdine (BSh), Gina Sheridan (GS), Connie Sidles (CSi), Carol Smith (CSm), Stuart Smith (SSm), Bob Stallcop (BoS), Ben Stamper (BeS), Mary Ann Stamper (MAS), Andy Stepniewski (ASt), Ellen Stepniewski (ES), Dan Streiffert (DSt), Patrick Sullivan (PS), Ruth Sullivan (RuS), Rob Suryan (RoS), Dave Swayne (DSw), Gregg Thompson (GT), Mary Anne Thorbeck (MAT), Shep Thorp (ST), Rick Toochin (RT), Khanh Tran (KT), John Trochet (JTr), John Tubbs (JTu), Bill Tweit (BT), Igor Uhrovic 323 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) (IU), Brad Waggoner (BW), Terry Wahl (TWa), Art Wang (AW), Doug Watkins (DW), Wayne Weber (WW), Regan Weeks (RW), Mike West (MWe), Jim White (JW), Chuck Whittey (CWh), Suzy Whittey (SWh), Isadora Wong (IW), Paul Woodcock (PW), Kent Woodruff (KW), Michael Woodruff (MWo), Tim Wootton (TWo), Charlie Wright (CWr). 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Columbia, Vancouver; linnet. geog.ubc.ca/efauna/Atlas/Atlas. aspx?sciname=Oceanodroma%20homochroa. Force, M. P., Webb, S. W., and Howell, S. N. G. 2007. Identification at sea of Hawai- ian and Galapagos petrels. W. Birds 38:242-248. Gibson, D. D., Heinl, S. C., Tobish, T. G. 2003. Report of the Alaska Checklist Committee, 1997-2002. W. Birds 34:122-132. Gibson, D. D., and Withrow, J. J. 2015. Inventory of the species and subspecies of Alaska birds, second edition. W. Birds 46:94-185. Hamilton, R. A., Patten, M. A., and Erickson, R. A. (eds.). 2007. Rare Birds of California. W. Field Ornithol., Camarillo, CA. Howell, S. N. G. 2012. Petrels, Albatrosses & Storm-Petrels of North America: A Photographic Guide. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, NJ. Marshall, D. B., Hunter, M. G., and Contreras, A. L. 2003. Birds of Oregon: A General Reference. Univ. of Ore. Press, Corvallis. Mattocks, Jr. P.W., Hunn, E.S., and Wahl, T.R. 1976. A checklist of the birds of Washington State with recent changes annotated. W. Birds 7:1-24. Mlodinow, S. G. and Aanerud, K. R. 2006. Sixth report of the Washington Bird Records Committee. Wash. Birds 9:39-54. Mlodinow, S. G. and Aanerud, K. R. 2008. Seventh report of the Washington Bird Records Committee. Wash. Birds 10:21-47. 324 NINTH REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON RECORDS COMMITTEE (2008-2010) Mlodinow, S. G., and Irons, D. S. 2009. First record of the Variegated Flycatcher for western North America. W. Birds 40:47-50. Nehls, H. (ed.). 2015. Records of the Oregon Bird Records Committee through April 2015. Oregon Bird Records Committee; www.orbirds.org/obrcrecordsmay2015. pdf. Self, B. 2003. Vancouver Crested Mynas gone. Winging It 15:7. Tomkins, R. J., and Milne, B. J. 1991. Differences among Dark-rumped Petrel (Pterodroma phaeopygia ) populations within the Galapagos Archipelago. Not- ornis 38:1-35. Toochin, R., Fenneman, J., and Levesque, P. compilers. 2014. 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Accepted 28 June 2015 WFO’S 4 1ST ANNUAL CONFERENCE — HUMBOLDT COUNTY, CALIFORNIA 28 September-2 October 2016 Please join us for Western Field Ornithologists 41st annual conference, to be held 28 September through 2 October 2016 at the River Lodge Conference Center, on the Eel River in Fortuna, California. Events will include indoor workshops on Friday and Saturday mornings, science sessions on Friday and Saturday, a no-host reception on Friday evening, our annual banquet on Saturday evening, and field trips Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Fortuna is within 14 miles of several important birding areas, including the Eel River State Wildlife Management Area, the Loleta Bottoms, the Ferndale Bottoms, and Russ Park. Within the southern portion of nearby Humboldt Bay are several more notable sites, including King Salmon, Fields Landing County Park, the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge’s Hookton Slough Trail and Shorebird Loop Trail and the Mattole Valley Loop. Farther afield, outstanding birding areas include the Areata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, the Eureka waterfront, Big Lagoon County Park, Woodley Island and Vance Road, Mad River County Park, the Blue Lake riparian area and Mad River Hatchery, and the Horse Mountain area. We look forward to seeing you in Fortuna! 325 NOTES NEST-SITE SELECTION OF THE BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD IN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA HAROLD F. GREENEY, Yanayacu Biological Station & Center for Creative Studies, Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador; c/o Foch 721 y Amazonas, Quito, Ecuador; revmmoss@yahoo . com CHRIS E. HAMILTON, Department of Biology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada K9J 7B8 EVELYNG K. ASTUDILLO-SANCHEZ, SUSAN M. WETHINGTON, ERIC R. HOUGH, CHRISTINA M. RIPPLINGER, and KRISTA K. SCHMIDT, Humming- bird Monitoring Network, PO. Box 115, Patagonia, Arizona 85624 The selection of safe breeding sites is an important behavioral component of avian population ecology (Newton 1998), and nest predation is a major ecological force limiting reproductive success and shaping the spatial distributions of breeding birds (Ricklefs 1969, Martin 1995). Avian nesting sites can be examined at multiple spatial scales, from broad landscape levels, to nest and patch characteristics, to microsite features such as overhead concealment and nest orientation (Martin 1993, Paton 1994). Microhabitat features of the vegetation used as nest substrates are especially important for camouflage and protection from inclement weather (Martin 1995, Deeming 2002, Kolbe and Janzen 2002). Numerous studies have linked specific aspects of nest microsites and nesting success in a variety of birds (e.g., Martin and Roper 1988, Liebezeit and George 2002, Aguilar et al. 2008, Powell et al. 2010, Miller 2014). While many studies of avian nesting success focus on predation or brood parasitism (e.g., Li and Martin 1991, Larison et al. 1998, Lima 2009), in some species, particularly species with narrow physiological tolerances like hummingbirds (Calder and Booser 1973, Calder 1994, 2002), nest placement may also be important for maintaining the microclimate around the nest (Deeming 2002). The Black-chinned Hummingbird ( Archilochus alexandri) is a migratory species that nests from southern British Columbia to extreme northern Mexico and southern Texas, wintering from southern Texas to south-central Mexico (Baltosser and Russell 2000). As pointed out by Baltosser (1978), its choice of nesting substrate tends to vary geographically, so detailed studies are needed from multiple areas before we can assess the relative importance of geographic variation in its nest placement. Addition- ally, though there are many anecdotal accounts of the nesting of the Black-chinned Hummingbird, most studies addressing nest-site selection have focused on habitat structure or species of tree used as nest substrate rather than actual nest placement or microsite characteristics (e.g., Stamp 1978, Brown 1992, Smith et al. 2009). If not, their sample sizes are very small (e.g., Christy 1932). The success of Black-chinned Hummingbird nests in southeastern Arizona has been linked to their placement in relation to nests of the Cooper’s Hawk ( Accipiter cooperii ) and Northern Goshawk (A. gentilis ) and to the spatial patterns of foraging by the Mexican Jay (Aphelocoma wollweberi), an important predator of eggs (Greeney and Wethington 2009, Greeney et al. 2015). To provide baseline information on nest- microsite selection to explore this trophic cascade further, we describe the microsite and placement of Black-chinned Hummingbird nests on the basis of 412 nests in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona. We made all observations in the vicinity of the Southwestern Research Station (31° 53° N, 109° 12° W; elevation 1600 m), located west of Portal, Arizona. We located the nests by searching riparian areas at elevations of 1400-1750 m from April to July during 2007 and 2008. We 326 Western Birds 46:326-330, 2015 NOTES located 95% of nests by observing the female’s behavior and following her to the nest, circumventing the concealing effect of nest height and foliage density. We measured 11 variables at each nest. We estimated the height of substrate trees to the nearest 0.5 m with a 7-m pole and used a tape to measure the trunk’s diameter at breast height (DBH). Using a 7-m pole, we also measured nest height to the nearest 10 cm, estimating the height of nests over 7 m by using the pole as a gauge. We visually estimated the distance of the nest from the central portion of the tree and from the outer edge of the foliage at nest height, and estimated the diameter of the supporting branch by visually estimating the relative sizes of each feature in relation to the width of the nest in question, using mean measurements taken from 26 nests collected in the same study area (Greeney unpubl. data). We noted many nests placed near forked limbs, which appeared as a horizontally oriented “Y,” with one arm of the fork overhanging the nest and one supporting it, so we estimated the distance between the nest and the fork, as well as the distance from the nest rim to the overhanging arm of the fork, and then estimated the diameter of this overhead cover. For each nest we also noted if the supporting branch was angled, and whether it was living or dead, and we made note of all nests that were constructed on the visible remains of an old nest. We recorded the orientation of nests in relation to the substrate tree with a hand-held compass. We used circular statistics to test for non-uniform directionality of nest orientation (Bergin 1991), running Rao’s uniformity test ( U : Rao 1976, Batschelet 1981) in Oriana 2.0 (Kovach, Pentraeth, Wales). In addition to the probability, we present mean vector length (r), which is a unitless measure (0-1) of the dispersion of the data, with a value of 0 being widely dispersed (uniform) and 1 being tightly concentrated. Of 412 nests, 266 (64.6%) were in alligator juniper [Juniperus deppeana). The remainder were built in Arizona sycamore ( Platanus wrightii; 17.5%), oaks (Quercus spp.; 10.9%), one-seeded juniper (J. monosperma; 2.2%), spiny hackberry ( Celtis ehrenbergiana ; 2.2%), pines (1.2%), and Wright’s silktassel ( Garrga wrightii; 0.7%), as well as one nest (0.2%) in each of Fremont cottonwood ( Populus fremontii), pecan (Cargo illinoinensis), and Arizona cypress ( Cupressus arizonica). Substrate trees had an estimated mean height ofll.3±3.7m(n = 399) and a mean DBH of 37 ± 25 cm (n = 362). Mean estimated nest height was 5. 7 ±2. 6m (n = 411), with 56% of nests in the upper half of the substrate (tree) and 28% in the upper third (n = 400). Mean estimated distance from the nest to the center of the tree was 2.6 ± 1.4 m (n = 408), and mean estimated distance to the end of the supporting branch was 1.1 ± 0.6 m (n = 408); thus 63% of nests were in the outer third of the foliage (as measured at the height of the nest). Nests showed a significant bias toward orientation south-southeast with respect to the substrate tree ( n = 98, U = 156.408, r = 0.627, p < 0.01; Figure 1). Black-chinned Hummingbirds were more likely to nest on slightly angled branches (56%, n = 403) as well as on living branches (57%, n = 409), and branches used had a mean estimated diameter of 1.6 ± 0.9 cm. Most nests were also placed close to the fork of a branch oriented so that they were covered by one arm of the “Y” (65%, n = 412). Where a covering branch was present, nests were built an average of 6.9 ±3.5 cm below this branch and 7.4 ± 5.2 cm from the forking of the supporting arm, and overhead branches were on average 2.7 ±1.8 cm in diameter (n = 266). At a mean height of almost 6 m above the ground, the Black-chinned Hummingbird nests we studied were at the higher end of the range reported in the literature or from collected nests. While Baltosser (1986), also working in southeastern Arizona, found most nests 5-6 m above the ground, studies in California and northern Arizona sug- gest a mean height of 2 m (Brown 1992, Baltosser and Russell 2000). Pitelka (1951) described most nests as 2-3 m up in southern California, while studies in New Mexico and Texas reported nests generally below 4 m (Baltosser 1978, Ortego and Sargent in Baltosser and Russell 2000). It should be noted, however, that mean substrate height varies considerably by site (e.g., 2.4 m, Brown 1992, vs. 11.3 m, this study) 327 NOTES 0 Figure 1. Compass orientation, with respect to the substrate’s trunk, of Black-chinned Hummingbird nests in southeast Arizona (0° = north). The length of a given bar expresses the number of nests oriented in that direction. The Black-chinned Hummingbird’s preference for nesting in riparian areas is well established (Grinnell and Miller 1944, Baltosser 1989, Strong and Bock 1990), but other habitats are also commonly used, including orchards (Grinnell and Miller 1944, Woods 1936, Small 1994) and well-irrigated urban areas (Rosenberg et al. 1987), perhaps suggesting that humidity is an important factor in nest-site selection. While we did not thoroughly search areas outside of riparian zones, no females we followed were attending nests away from riparian zones, and we did not find any nests outside of riparian zones during casual searches or travel between focal areas. Even within southeast Arizona the preferred species of substrate tree varies considerably from study to study: Baltosser (1978, 1989) found sycamores, cypresses, and maples to be preferred nesting substrates, with the population closest to our site (Rucker Canyon) showing a secondary preference for junipers (Baltosser 1978). Elsewhere, Brown (1992) reported the introduced tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima) as the preferred substrate in northern Arizona, as did Smith et al. (2009) working in southwestern New Mexico, where they also noted use of Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) and eastern cottonwood ( Populus deltoides). California studies have shown a preference for sycamore, with oak and willow also used (Wueste 1902, Pitelka 1951, Baltosser and Russell 2000). Prior authors have remarked on the Black-chinned Hummingbird’s use of the outer portions of substrate trees (Merriam 1896, Unglish 1932, Woods 1936), while others have found a preference for the lower strata of substrate trees (e.g., Ortego and Sargent in Baltosser and Russell 2000). The population of Black-chinned Hummingbirds we studied showed a clear preference for the upper, outer portions of junipers, choosing slightly angled, living branches, smaller in diameter than the nest and with a branch sheltering it from above. We believe that such details of site selection may be important for successful reproduction, with any geographic variation in substrate species more likely to be explained by which tree species is locally abundant and having a growth form with architectural qualities to provide such sites. 328 NOTES We suggest the preference for nesting at branch tips, along with the use of thin supports, may be in response to pressures by non-aerial predators such as snakes and squirrels, and that overhead cover is an important microsite characteristic that has been overlooked in prior studies (but see Holland 1916). Simply because of the density of the trees in which we found nests, we suspect that many of our nests that were not categorized as having overhead cover were actually shaded by thin foliage to some degree. Additionally, we speculate that a thick branch directly above the nest may encourage arboreal predators such as squirrels to travel along these upper branches, reducing the chance that they will physically or visually encounter a hum- mingbird nest hidden below the branch. We thank Dawn Wilson and the staff of Southwest Research Station for their help and support during our field work. This study was funded by a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Wethington, agreement number 201815J857, and the Hummingbird Monitoring Network. Mark Mendelsohn, Daniel S. Cooper, Michael C. Long, and Quresh Latif provided valuable revisions to improve the clarity of this manuscript. Greeney’s field work is also supported by John Moore and Matt Kaplan through the Population Biology Foundation, as well as by Field Guides and the Maryland Ornithological Society. LITERATURE CITED Aguilar, T. M., Dias, R. I., Oliveira, A. C., and Macedo, R. H. 2008. Nest-site selec- tion by Blue-black Grassquits in a neotropical savanna: Do choices influence nest success? J. Field Ornithol. 79:24-31. Baltosser, W. H. 1978. Ecological relationships among nesting hummingbirds in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona. M.S. thesis, New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces. Baltosser, W. H. 1986. Nesting success and productivity of hummingbirds in south- western New Mexico and southeastern Arizona. Wilson Bull. 98:353-367. Baltosser, W. H. 1989. Nectar availability and habitat selection by hummingbirds in Guadalupe Canyon. Wilson Bull. 101:559-578. Baltosser, W. H., and Russell, S. M. 2000. Black-chinned Hummingbird ( Archilochus alexandri), in The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.), no. 495. Birds N. Am., Philadelphia. Batschelet, E. 1981. Circular Statistics in Biology. Academic Press, London. Bergin, T. M. 1991 . A comparison of goodness-of-fit tests for analysis of nest orienta- tion in Western Kingbirds (Tyrannus uerticalis). Condor 93:164-171. Brown, B. T. 1992. Nesting chronology, density and habitat use of Black-chinned Hummingbirds along the Colorado River, Arizona. J. Field Ornithol. 63:393-400. Calder, W. A. 1994. When do hummingbirds use torpor in nature? Physiol. Zool. 67:1051-1076. Calder, W. A. 2002. Characteristics and constraints of incubation in hummingbirds, in Avian Incubation (D. C. Deeming, ed.), pp 207-222. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, England. Calder, W. A., and Booser, J. 1973. Hypothermia of Broad-tailed Hummingbirds during incubation in nature with ecological correlates. Science 180:751-753. Christy, B. H. 1932. A hummingbird nest. Condor 34:241-242. Deeming, D. C. (ed.). 2002. Avian Incubation. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, England. Greeney, H. F., Meneses, M. R., Hamilton, C. E., Lichter-Marck, E., Mannan, R. W., Snyder, N., Snyder, H., Wethington, S. M., and Dyer, L. A. 2015. Trait-mediated trophic cascade creates enemy-free space for nesting hummingbirds. Sci. Adv. 1: el500310. Greeney, H. F., and Wethington, S. M. 2009. Proximity to active Accipiter nests reduces nest predation of Black-chinned Hummingbirds. Wilson J. Ornithol. 121:809-812. 329 NOTES Grinnell, J., and Miller, A. H. 1944. The distribution of the birds of California. Pac. Coast Avifauna 27. Holland, H. M. 1916. An unusual nest addition. Condor 18:31. Kolbe, J. J., and Janzen, F. J. 2002. Impact of nest-site selection on nest success and nest temperature in natural and disturbed habitats. Ecology 83:269-281. Larison, B., Laymon, S. A., Williams, P. L., and Smith, T. B. 1998. Song Sparrows vs. cowbird brood parasites: Impacts of forest structure and nest-site selection. Condor 100:93-101. Li, P. J., and Martin, T. E. 1991. Nest-site selection and nesting success of cavity- nesting birds in high-elevation forest drainages. Auk 108:405-418. Liebezeit, J. R., and George, T. L. 2002. Nest predators, nest-site selection, and nesting success of the Dusky Flycatcher in managed ponderosa pine forest. Condor 104:507-517. Lima, S. L. 2009. Predators and the breeding bird: Behavioral and reproductive flexibility under the risk of predation. Biol. Rev. 84:485-513. Martin, T. E. 1993. Nest predation and nest sites: New perspectives on old patterns. BioScience 43:523-532. Martin, T. E. 1995. Avain life history evolution in relation to nest sites, nest predation, and food. Ecol. Monogr. 65:101-127. Martin, T. E., and Roper, J. J. 1988. Nest predation and nest-site selection of a western population of the Hermit Thrush. Condor 90:51-57. Miller, K. E. 2014. Great Crested Flycatcher ( Myiarchus crinitus) nest-site selection and nesting success in tree cavities. Fla. Field Nat. 42:45-53. Merriam, F. A. 1896. Notes on some of the birds of southern California. Auk 13:115-124. Newton, I. 1998. Population Limitations in Birds. Academic Press, San Diego. Paton, P. W. C. 1994. The effect of edge on avian nest success: How strong is the evidence? Conserv. Biol. 8:17-26. Pitelka, F. A. 1951. Breeding seasons of hummingbirds near Santa Barbara, Califor- nia. Condor 53:198-201. Powell, L. L., Hodgman, T. P., Glanz, W. E., Osenton, J. D., and Fisher, C. M. 2010. Nest-site selection and nest survival of the Rusty Blackbird: Does timber management adjacent to wetlands create ecological traps? Condor 112:800-809. Rao, J. S. 1976. Some tests based on arc-lengths for the circle. Sankhya, Ser. B 33:1-10. Ricklefs, R. E. 1969. An analysis of nesting mortality in birds. Smithsonian Contr. Zool. 8:1-48. Rosenberg, K. V., Terrill, S. B., and Rosenberg, G. H. 1987. Value of suburban habitats to desert riparian birds. Wilson Bull. 99:642-654. Small, A. 1994. California Birds. Winchester Press, New York. Smith, D. M., Finch, D. M., and Hawksworth, D. L. 2009. Black-chinned Hum- mingbird nest-site selection and nest survival in response to fuel reduction in a southwestern riparian forest. Condor, 111:641-652. Stamp, N. E. 1978. Breeding birds of riparian woodland in south-central Arizona. Condor 80:64-71. Strong, T. R., and Bock. C. E. 1990. Bird species distribution patterns in riparian habitats in southeastern Arizona. Condor 92:866-885. Unglish, W. E. 1932. Nesting of the Black-chinned Hummingbird in Santa Clara County, California. Condor 34:228. Woods, R. S. 1936. Choice of nesting sites by hummingbirds. Condor 38:225-227. Wueste, R. C. 1902. A few notes on the nesting of Trochilus alexandri. Condor 4:39-40. Accepted 6 August 2015 330 NOTES COLORADO’S FIRST ACCEPTED RECORD OF THE CAVE SWALLOW STEVEN G. MLODINOW, 530 Peregrine Circle, Longmont, Colorado 80504; SGMlod@aol.com TONY LEUKERING, 1 Pindo Palm St. W, Largo, Florida 33770; greatgrayowl@aol . com Colorado’s first accepted record of a Cave Swallow (. Petrochelidon fulva ) involved an immature photographed at Prewitt Reservoir, Washington County, on 17 July 2013. The bird occurred amid this species’ substantial range expansion and a complex, rapidly changing pattern of vagrancy in the United States and Canada over the last 50 years. Here we detail the species’ colonization of the U.S. and summarize these patterns of vagrancy. On 17 July 2013, Mlodinow, Andrew Core, and Sean Walters were walking across extensive mudflats at the western end of Prewitt Reservoir, Washington County. Approximately 400 swallows were feeding over the flats when Mlodinow noted an orange-throated swallow headed toward them. He alerted his companions, and both rapidly located the bird. It circled the observers for about 10 minutes, approaching as closely as 3 meters, often in excellent light. When the bird was farther away, it was easy to relocate among the Cliff Swallows ( P. pyrrhonota) by its pale orange throat. We took several photographs identifying the bird as a Cave Swallow. The Colorado Bird Records Committee (CBRC) later accepted this record as the state's first (Faulkner 2014). Leukering (2011) summarized five pre-2010 reports of the Cave Swallow from Colorado, including three single-observer sightings not submitted to the CBRC but likely representing correct identifications: Las Animas County, May 2003; Bent County, July 2005; and Pueblo County, September 2006. The two other reports include a bird that may have been a hybrid Cliff Swallow x Cave Swallow and one that was not accepted by the CBRC. The shape and structure of the Cave Swallow we observed were much like those of a Cliff Swallow. The head sported a small orange patch on the forehead that was considerably darker than that of an adult Cliff Swallow but probably within range of young Cliff Swallows. The size of the forehead patch was consistent with that of an immature of either species. The throat was a medium orange that was distinctly paler than that of any Cliff Swallow present and was unmarred by dark (or light) markings. This orange went up onto the auriculars and blended into the collar, which transitioned to grayish on the hindneck. The demarcation between collar and back was fairly crisp. The crown was dull dark glossy blue, barely extending down to the eyes and curving sharply upward posterior to the eyes (Figure 1). The back and wings were dull glossy dark blue, without white streaking on the back. Thus both the head and back had already taken on the aspect of an adult. The rump was orange. The tail was dark and square. The white chest and belly blended into the sides, which were orange-buff mixed with dusky. The undertail coverts were washed in orange-buff and had very limited markings, seemingly restricted to a couple narrow dusky smudges on the outermost posterior undertail coverts. The small area of yellow at the gape is consistent with a recent fledgling. The Colorado Cave Swallow had orange auriculars, inconsistent with any plumage of the Cliff Swallow. The throat of the Colorado bird was plain orange. In contrast, by the time a Cliff Swallow acquires back and crown plumage resembling that of an adult (as in the Colorado bird), the throat should have dark smudging resembling, or starting to resemble, that of an adult. Similarly, the background color of the throat should be a darker orange than that of the Colorado bird. The Colorado bird had a narrow cap that did not extend much behind the eye, unlike the more extensive cap Western Birds 46:331-335, 2015 331 NOTES of a Cliff Swallow. Finally, the more lightly marked undertail coverts of this bird are typical of a Cave Swallow and would be unusual for a Cliff Swallow (Leukering 2011). Cave Swallows in the United States and Canada consist of two subspecies, P. f. fulva from the West Indies and P. f. pallida from northern Mexico (Phillips 1986). Though fulva was first recorded in the U.S. in Florida in 1890 (Scott 1890), it was not noted breeding there until 1987 (Smith et al. 1988) and has not subsequently expanded its breeding range beyond Dade County (Strickler and West 2011). The first record from the western U.S. was of pallida in Texas in 1910 (Bishop 1910), with the first breeding records coming from Kerr County on the Edwards Plateau in 1914 (Thayer 1914) and New Mexico’s Guadalupe Mountains in 1930 (Johnson 1960). Subsequently, the New Mexico population has expanded only slightly (Strickler and West 2011), while the Texas population has expanded greatly (Kosciuch et al. 2006) As of 1956, the Texas breeding range of the Cave Swallow was still limited to Kerr County (Selander and Baker 1957), but by 1966, the species bred in seven counties, occupying a range of nearly 26,000 km 2 (Kosciuch et al. 2006). By 1970, the breeding range was -80,000 km 2 , increasing to -140,000 km 2 in 1980 and -191,000 km 2 in 1990 (Kosciuch et al. 2006). Much of this range expansion was to the north and west, but in the 1990s, Cave Swallows also spread northeast, with a total range of almost 259,000 km 2 by 1999 (Kosciuch et al. 2006). This rapid increase in range is likely largely due to Cave Swallows adapting to the use of bridges and culverts (Martin and Martin 1978). The breeding population of P. f. pallida now extends from southeastern New Mexico through the Edwards Plateau north to Comanche and Kiowa counties, Oklahoma (first Oklahoma breeding record in 2011; J. Gryzbowski pers. comm.) and east to southwestern Louisiana (first Louisiana breeding record in 1997; Cardiff 1997). A species with an increasing population or breeding range should produce more vagrants, a correlation demonstrated by Patten and Marantz (1996) and Veit (2000). Vagrancy of Cave Swallows in the United States and Canada nicely parallels the range expansion detailed above, with two records of vagrants in the 1960s, six in the 1970s, 21 in the 1980s, and 36 from 1990 to 1998, the vast majority along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico from eastern Louisiana to Florida and the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Nova Scotia (McNair and Post 2001). Late fall (principally November) incursions into the Great Lakes and Atlantic coast regions have been frequent since 1999 (Curry and McLaughlin 2000, Brinkley 2011). These events are linked to powerful cold fronts that are preceded by strong southwesterly winds that sweep across Texas (and often northern Mexico) and northeast toward the Great Lakes and Atlantic coast from southern Canada to New Jersey. Such pulses are often followed by records to the south, with some birds found during winter in the southeastern United States (Brinkley and Lehman 2003, Brinkley 2011). These movements can be massive, with 1000+ birds estimated in New York alone during November 2005 (Spahn and Tetlow 2006). Vagrant Cave Swallows to the west and due north of Texas have been far scarcer. West of Arkansas and Minnesota and east of the Rocky Mountains, the first was noted in late May 1991 in Garden County, Nebraska (Brown and Brown 1992). There were just two additional records of vagrants during the 1990s, both from Nebraska: late June 1995 and early July 1998 (Brogie 1998, Sharpe et al. 2001). Subsequent records from Nebraska are from July 2003 (Silcock 2003) and mid-May 2004 (Silcock 2004), while Oklahoma’s first record was of four in Tillman County in July 2001 (Grzybowski and Fazio 2004). The species was not recorded again in Oklahoma until 2009 and 2010 when groups of 30 or more were found in September in southwestern Oklahoma (V. W. Fazio and J. A. Grzybowski pers. comm.), not far from locations of current breeding. As of December 2014, the Oklahoma Bird Records Committee had not accepted a record of Cave Swallow from northern Oklahoma (J. A. Gryzbowski pers. comm.) The first Kansas record of the Cave Swallow came from Barton County during July 2001, with probable nesting noted there in 2009 332 NOTES Figure 1 . Cave Swallow at Prewitt Reservoir, Colorado, 17 July 2013. Note the throat unmarred by dusky (or white) markings, the shape of the dark crown (diagnostic of the Cave Swallow), and lightly marked undertail coverts. (Thompson et al. 2011). In total, Kansas has nine accepted records, six between 14 July and 2 August (Kansas Bird Records Committee 2013). The other three records include a pair building a nest and later found in the company of two juveniles from late May to late July, a single bird in early June, and another in late September. Only one record is from eastern Kansas, of a bird found in July. West of the Rocky Mountains, the earliest records involved one or more Cave Swal- lows at a Cliff Swallow colony in Tucson, Arizona, from 1979 through 1987 (Rosen- berg and Witzeman 1999), with a pair raising young there in 1983 (Huels 1984). Otherwise, Arizona has six records across the southern part of the state (Rosenberg and Witzeman 1999, Rosenberg et al. 2007, 2009, Arizona Field Ornithologists files), in August (2), October (1), and December (3), with four of them since 2003. Since 1987, California has accumulated ten records, December-August, all from Imperial County in the state’s southeastern corner, and all but four since 2008 (California Bird Records Committee 2007; www.californiabirds.org/cbrc_book/update.pdf). Finally, one truly exceptional record is of a Cave Swallow well photographed at Iona Island, near Vancouver, British Columbia, in November 2012 (Levesque et al. 2015). Our Colorado observation thus fits the pattern of vagrancy on the Great Plains, where records are concentrated from May to July. This pattern differs substantially from that elsewhere in North America. Vagrancy to the Atlantic coast and Great Lakes occurs mostly in late fall, to a lesser extent in spring. West of the Rocky Mountains, the few records are scattered throughout the year. We thank Chris Witt and Doug Faulkner, both of whom substantially improved an earlier version of this manuscript. Paul E. Lehman and Ross Silcock reviewed an earlier draft of the manuscript, improving it. We thank Mark Lockwood and Will Russell for help in confirming the Colorado Cave Swallow’s identification. We thank Joseph Grzybowski, J. Van Remsen, and Kurt Radamaker for their assistance in tracking down records. 333 NOTES LITERATURE CITED Bishop, L. B. 1910. Petrochelidon fulva pallida in Texas. Auk 27:459-460. Brinkley, E. S. 2011. The changing seasons: Bedfellows. N. Am. Birds 65:14-26. Brinkley, E. S., and Lehman, P. E. 2003. Changing seasons: Unabashed bonanza. N. Am. Birds 57: 14-21. Brogie, M. A. 1998. 1997 (ninth) report of the Nebraska Ornithological Union. Nebr. Bird Records 66:147-159. Brown, C. R., and Brown, M. B. 1992. First record of the Cave Swallow in Nebraska. Nebr. Bird Records 60:36-40 California Bird Records Committee (Hamilton, R. A., M. A. Patten, and R. A. Erick- son, eds.). 2007. Rare Birds of California. W. Field Ornithol., Camarillo, CA. Cardiff, S. W. 1997. Central southern region. Natl. Audubon Soc. Field Notes 51:880-883. Curry, R., and McLaughlin, K. 2000. The Cave Swallow invasion of 1999. Ontario Birds 18:13-26. Faulkner, D. 2014. The 69th report of the Colorado Bird Records Committee. Colo. Birds 48:163-179. Grzybowski, J. A., and Fazio, V. W. III. 2003. First observations of Cave Swallow in Oklahoma. Bull. Okla. Ornithol. Soc. 37:9-16. Huels, T. R. 1984. First record of Cave Swallows breeding in Arizona. Am. Birds 38:281-283. Johnson, R. F. 1960. The age of the Cave Swallow colonies in New Mexico. Condor 62:68. Kansas Bird Records Committee. 2013. 1990-2013 report of the Kansas Bird Records Committee; www.ksbirds.org/kos/kbrc_summary.htm Kosciuch, K. L., Ormston, C. G., and Arnold, K. A. 2006. Breeding range expansion by Cave Swallows ( Petrochelidon fulva) in Texas. Southwest. Nat. 51:203-209. Leukering, T. 2011. In the scope: Cave Swallow: Colorado’s stealthiest vagrant. Colo. Birds 45:236-242. Levesque, P. G., Fenneman, J., and Kennedy, J. 2015. First occurrence of the Cave Swallow in British Columbia. W. Birds 46:264-266. Martin, R. F., and Martin, S. R. 1978. Niche and range expansion of Cave Swallows in Texas. Am. Birds 32:941-946. McNair, D. B., and Post, W. 2001. Review of the occurrence of vagrant Cave Swal- lows in the United States and Canada. J. Field Ornithol. 72:485-503. Patten, M. A., and Marantz, C. A. 1996. Implications of vagrant southeastern vireos and warblers in California. Auk 113:911-923. Phillips, A. R. 1986. The Known Birds of North and Middle America, part I. A. R. Phillips, Denver, CO. Rosenberg, G. H., and Witzeman, J. L. 1999. Arizona Bird Committee report, 1974-1996: Part 2 (passerines). W. Birds 30:94-120. Rosenberg, G. H., Radamaker, K., and Stevenson, M. M. 2007. Arizona Bird Com- mittee report, 2000-2004 reports. W. Birds 38:74-101. Rosenberg, G. H., Radamaker, K., and Stevenson, M. M. 2009. Arizona Bird Com- mittee report, 2005-2009 records. W. Birds 42:198-232. Scott, W. E. D. 1890. Two species of swallow new to North America. Auk 7:264-265. Selander, R. K., and Baker, J. K. 1957. The Cave Swallow in Texas. Condor 59:345-63. Sharpe, R. S., Silcock, W. R., and Jorgenson, J. G. 2001. Birds of Nebraska: Their Distribution and Temporal Occurrence. Univ. of Nebr. Press, Lincoln. Silcock, W. R. 2003. Summer field report, June-July 2003. Nebr. Bird Review 71:106-127. 334 NOTES Silcock, W. R. 2004. Spring field report, March-May 2004. Nebr. Bird Review 72:38-58. Smith, P. W., Robertson, W. B., and Stevenson, H. M. 1988. West Indian Cave Swallows nesting in Florida, with comments on the taxonomy of Hirundo fulva. Fla. Field Nat. 16:86-90. Spahn, R., and Tetlow, D. 2006. Observations of the Cave Swallow incursion of November 2005. Kingbird 56:216-225. Strickler, S., and West, S. 2011. Cave Swallow (. Petrochehdon fulva), in The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, ed.), no. 141. Cornell Lab Ornithol., Ithaca, NY ; bna . birds . Cornell . edu/bna/species/1 4 1 . Thayer, J. E. 1914. The Coahuila Cliff Swallow (. Petrochehdon fulva pallida) in Texas. Auk 31:401-402. Thompson, M. C., Ely, C. A., Gress, B., Otte, C., Patti, S. T., Seibel, D., and Young, E. A. 2011. Birds of Kansas. Univ. Press of Kansas, Lawrence. Veit, R. R. 2000. Vagrants as the expanding fringe of a growing population. Auk 117:242-246. Accepted 24 August 2015 Cave Swallow Drawing by George C. West 335 NOTES TWO THRUSH SPECIES FEED THE SAME NESTLINGS LARRY SIEMENS, 22122 Old Alturas Road, Redding, California 96003; lsiemens 1 @juno . com I observed Townsend’s Solitaire (Myadestes townsendi) nestlings fed by both their parents and an American Robin (Turdus migratorius) on the same day. On 2 and 3 July 2015 at Leoni Meadows, south of Grizzly Flat, southeast of Placerville, El Dorado Co., California, at about 1250 m elevation, I observed a solitaire nest with five nestlings that appeared to be within a week of fledging. Shaded by tall Ponderosa Pines ( Pinus ponderosa), the nest was on the ground, surrounded by pine needles, in a south-facing dirt bank below a parking lot near the busy center of a Christian youth camp (Figure 1; see also this issue’s front cover). I saw only one robin, identified by plumage as a male, come to the nest at a time and I assume that it was the same bird. Both adult solitaires were often present in the nest area at the same time, though I observed only one at a time at the nest itself. I observed the robin at the nest during the early mornings before human traffic increased in the area. The parents fed the chicks regularly throughout the day and removed the fecal sacs. The robin brought insects held crosswise in the bill so the ends of the insects were showing on both sides. The solitaires brought food in the throat so I did not see what the parents were feeding the nestlings. On 3 July 20151 photographed the nest, the environment, and each species feeding the nestlings. The photographs of the adult birds at the nest were digiscoped (Figures 2 and 3). Figure 1. Situation of a Townsend’s Solitaire nest, in the shadowed spot between the two pines, below the distant pickup truck and near the center of photo. Photo by Larry Siemens 336 Western Birds 46:336-338, 2015 NOTES Figure 2. American Robin feeding the nestlings. Photo by Larry Siemens Figure 3. Townsend’s Solitaire feeding the nestlings. Photo by Larry Siemens 337 NOTES Apparent altruistic behavior in the form of alloparental care has been reported in at least 150 bird species (Riedman 1981). Many reports are of conspecific birds not genetically related to the young being cared for, but there are also many reports of interspecific feeding. Skutch (1999) wrote, “interspecific helping is sporadic and more or less accidental; no species of bird is known to regularly assist any other species in rearing its young. Never the less, so many incidents of this nature continue to be reported from all over the world that, I suspect, every species has occasionally helped every other species of more or less similar size and habits with which it has long been in contact.” Shy (1982) listed 140 cases of avian interspecific feeding, 14 of these in the family Turdidae. The American Robin has been reported feeding the nestlings of the Mourning Dove ( Zenaida macroura), Gray Catbird ( Dumetella carolinensis), Brown Thrasher ( Toxostoma rufum), House Finch ( Haemorhous mexicanus ) (all Shy 1982), and Eastern Bluebird ( Sialia sialis) (McNair and Duyck 1991). LITERATURE CITED McNair, D. B., and Duyck, B. 1991. Interspecific feeding among some oscines. Chat 55:9-11 Riedman, M. L. 1981. The evolution of alloparental care and adoption in mammals and birds. Q. Rev. Biol. 57:405-435 Shy, M. M. 1982. Interspecific feeding among birds: A review. J. Field Ornithol. 53:370-393 Skutch, A. F. 1999. Helpers at Birds’ Nests: A Worldwide Survey of Cooperative Breeding and Related Behavior. Univ. of Iowa Press, Iowa City. Accepted 11 August 2015 Townsend's Solitaire Sketch by Bryce Robinson 338 NOTES NEW MONTEZUMA QUAIL RECORDS FROM CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO ISRAEL MORENO-CONTRERAS and ANA GATICA-COLIMA, Laboratorio de Ecologia y Biodiversidad Animal (LEBA), Departamento de Ciencias Quimico- Biologicas, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez, Anillo Envolvente del Pronaf y Estocolmo s/n, C.R 32300, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico; all03860@alumnos.uacj.mx, agatica@uacj.mx (current address of Moreno-C.: Museo de Zoologia “Alfonso L. Herrera,” Facultad de Ciencias, Uni- versidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, A.R 70-399, Mexico, DR., 04510, Mexico DIANA VENEGAS, Luis Estavillo 4334, Colonia San Juan Bautista, C.R 31300, Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico; quetzalita97@hotmail.com The Montezuma Quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) occurs widely from central Arizona, southern New Mexico, and western Texas to southern Mexico, inhabiting pine-oak forests, arid montane scrub, and temperate grasslands (AOU 1998). In Mexico, the species occurs as an uncommon to fairly common year-round resident in the interior from Sonora and Coahuila south across the highlands to Oaxaca (Howell and Webb 1995). It is uncommon to fairly common (in suitable habitat) at several localities in and near the Sierra Madre Occidental of western Chihuahua, including minor ranges to the east (Howell and Webb 1995, Navarro and Peterson 2007, BirdLife International and NatureServe 2014; Figure 1), but it may now be rare or extirpated locally in much of its historic range. We compiled Chihuahua records of the Montezuma Quail from published literature (Leopold and McCabe 1954, Howell and Webb 1995) and ebird.org. To put these records into historical and geographic context we also obtained specimen data from scientific collections cited in the Atlas of Mexican Bird Distributions (Navarro- Sigiienza 1994, Navarro-Sigiienza et al. 2003). We could not evaluate the validity of each of these records ourselves but relied instead on the judgment of those who published the records. Using the layers of potential distributions based on the program Genetic Algorithm for Rule-set Prediction from Navarro and Peterson (2007) and BirdLife International and NatureServe (2014), we generated a map in ArcGIS version 9.3 ( Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, CA). The analysis of status and distribution has been corroborated with multiple surveys in western Chihuahua from June 1998 through October 2014. Noteworthy distributional information is deposited at the Unidad de Cartografia Digital, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. We found 429 Montezuma Quail records for Mexico in the Atlas of Mexican Bird Distributions; of these, 85 are based on specimens from Chihuahua, from 22 locali- ties, taken from 1884 to 1959. These records define the species’ known distribution (Sierra Madre Occidental and nearby mountains). An exception is based on two birds (Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology) collected in north-central Chihuahua near San Pedro (30.77° N, 108.27° W) in May 1947. We doubt the accuracy of the data of a specimen (Delaware Museum of Natural History) supposedly taken about 45 km southeast of Ciudad Juarez at Rancho Blanco, Guadalupe Municipality (31.36° N, 106.20° W), far outside the estimated range, in June 1956. With respect to recent records, we found at eBird 37 records from 21 localities in Chihuahua, 1994 to 2014. These largely correspond in habitat with the older data (records primarily from oak-pine woodlands, occasionally from grasslands or other drier habitats). Two records, however, are from outside the previously known range in grasslands of Janos Municipality. Our new records (triangles in Figure 1; Table 1) include two localities outside the estimated range. In the Sierra La Escondida, Nuevo Casas Grandes Municipality, Gatica and Omar Torres observed one in an ecotone Western Birds 46:339-342, 2015 339 NOTES liro'w 108“0'W 105°0'W 102“0'W Figure 1. Distribution of the Montezuma Quail in Mexico as estimated by the Genetic Algorithm for Rule-set Prediction, including records from www.ebird.org (green circles), the atlas of the birds of Mexico (Navarro-Siguenza et al. 2003; yellow circles), and our new records (red triangles). Dark gray shading, Mexican distribution as modeled by Navarro and Peterson (2007); light gray shading, distribution mapped by BirdLife International and NatureServe (2014). between desert scrub and oak woodland with scattered meadows (Agave sp., Larrea tridentata, Opuntia sp., Mammillaria sp., and Quercus sp.) on 2 August 2006, and a dog captured another individual on 20 October 2007 (feathers deposited at the Coleccion Cientifica de Vertebrados, Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez [CHI-VER-189-08-06]). In the Sierra El Capulin, Ascension Municipality, Gatica noted another on 3 August 2012 in an oak forest. Apparently, all Chihuahua records (older and recent) are of subspecies C. m. mearnsi, although there are two records of C. m. montezumae from the Sinaloa- Chihuahua border (Navarro-Siguenza et al. 2003). The majority of records (older and recent) are from the Sierra Madre Occidental in western Chihuahua (municipalities of Casas Grandes, Madera, Temosachic, Urique, and Batopilas, among others; eBird 2015). In eastern Chihuahua, there is only one record from the Sierra Rica, in Area de Proteccion de Flora y Fauna Canon de Santa Elena near the town of Manuel Benavides (CEC 2014), but it lacks specific details. It is likely the Montezuma Quail is more common there than this single report suggests, given the records in nearby Big Bend National Park, Texas (Brennan 2007). More field work in eastern Chihuahua is needed to clarify status of the species there. The Montezuma Quail is typically associated with wooded habitats, although occasionally it reaches elevations below the level of woodland in west Texas (Brennan 2007). Elsewhere, a pair was seen in desert dominated by creosote bush ( Larrea 340 NOTES Table 1 — New Records of the Montezuma Quail in Western Chihuahua, Mexico Locality 0 Geographic coordinates Date Observer 1 . Vailecillo 28° 30.5' N, 108° 04.3' W June 1998 Venegas 2. Cerro El Diablo 29° 17.0' N, 108° 12.4' W November 1999 Venegas 3. Madera 29° 17.6' N, 108° 08.4' W 10 August 2002 Venegas 4. Sierra La Escondida fa 30° 31.1' N, 107° 45.8' W 2 August 2006, 20 October 2007 Gatica 5. El Oso 27° 19.2' N, 108° 02.1' W 17 March 2007 Venegas 6. Sierra El Capulin fa 30° 52.2' N, 107° 45.4' W 2 August 2012 Gatica 7. Teseachic 28° 53.7' N, 107° 27.3' W 2 August 2014 Venegas 8. Cumbres de Majalca 28° 48.0' N, 106° 29.8' W 18 October 2014 Venegas a Numbered as in Figure 1 . fa Outside previously estimated range. tridentata) along Interstate 25 near Lordsburg, Hidalgo County, New Mexico, on 30 July 1992 during a rainy season (Am. Birds 46:1163, 1992). In Nuevo Leon there is a record from an area of desert scrub on 26 July 2013 (N. Am. Birds 66:737, 2013). It is possible, therefore, that the species disperses to drier habitats (e.g., desert grasslands, desert scrub, and riparian corridors) during the rainy season, which in northwestern Chihuahua is usually from mid-June into October (Comision Nacional del Agua 2015, smn.cna.gob.mx/), as in the case of the record for Sierra La Escondida, Nuevo Casas Grandes Municipality. Since we expect that these birds are dispersing on foot, however, it is probable that the Montezuma Quail does not stray far from its preferred habitats. Stromberg (1990) observed a similar tendency in southeastern Arizona, where the species prefers north-facing slopes and thus is more likely to be near oak woodlands but occasionally reaches open grasslands 3 km from any tree. Because of its retiring behavior the Montezuma Quail might remain undetected for years even where it is a permanent resident. In Mexico, the Montezuma Quail is accorded “special protection” (SEMARNAT 2010, www.profepa.gob.mx/). It is severely affected by cattle grazing and forest clear- ing (Ehrlich et al. 1988, Stromberg 2000), and in Chihuahua livestock populations have grown in recent years (Carreon-Hernandez 2014), resulting in alarming habitat loss. The maintenance of grass cover is critical to this species because of its defensive behavior of hiding from predators. Hernandez (2004) reported that when the primary defense mechanism — camouflage and crouching — are jeopardized, Montezuma Quail appear to be susceptible to predation by raptors and canids as well as to mortality from vehicular collisions and inclement weather (Brennan 2007). According to Brennan (2007), development of a conservation and management strategy for the Montezuma Quail will require further study of the species’ life history, detection and monitoring of populations, basic research on population dynamics, and identifying potential habitat throughout the range. We thank S. O. Williams III and M. Stromberg for their helpful comments. We acknowledge all those who have taken the time through the years to report their Chihuahua observations via eBird. The manuscript was improved through comments by A. Navarro. We are grateful especially to the several biological collections that have granted access to data contained in the Atlas of Mexican Bird Distributions. This is contribution number 4 of “New Distributional Information on the Avifauna of Chihuahua.” 341 NOTES LITERATURE CITED American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American Birds, 7th ed. Am. Ornithol. Union, Washington, DC. BirdLife International, and NatureServe. 2014. Bird species distribution maps of the world. BirdLife International, Cambridge, England, and NatureServe, Arlington, VA. Brennan, L. A. 2007. Texas Quails: Ecology and Management. Texas A&M Univ. Press, College Station. Carreon-Hernandez, E. 2014. Cambio de uso de suelo: Un problema de conservation. Pastizal, in La Biodiversidad en Chihuahua: Estudio de Estado (CONABIO, ed.), pp. 326-329. CONABIO, Mexico, D. F. CEC. 2014. Conservation assessment for the Big Bend-Rio Bravo region: A bina- tional collaborative approach to conservation. Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Montreal, Quebec; www.cec.org/Storage/157/18534_conserva- tion-assessment-big-bend-r-o-bravo-region-binational-collaborative-approach-en. pdf. Ehrlich, P. R., Dobkin, D. S., and Wheye, D. 1988. The Birder’s Handbook. Simon & Schuster, New York. Hernandez, F. 2004. Characteristics of Montezuma Quail populations and habitats at Elephant Mountains Wildlife Management Area, Texas. Ph.D. thesis, Sul Ross State University, Alpine, TX. Howell, S. N. G., and Webb, S. 1995. A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, England. Leopold, A. S., and McCabe, R. A. 1954. Natural history of the Montezuma Quail in Mexico. Condor 59:3-26. Navarro-Sigiienza, A. G., 1994. Formation de una base de datos de aves de Mexico y elaboration del atlas de las aves de Mexico. Fac. Ciencias, Univ. Nacl. Autonoma Mex. Informe final del proyecto A002. SNIB-CONABIO, Mexico, D. F. Navarro, A. G., and Peterson, A. T. 2007. Cyrtonyx montezumae (codorniz Moct- ezuma) residencia permanente. Distribution potencial. Mus. Zook, Facultad de Ciencias, Univ. Nacl. Autonoma de Mexico, and Mus. Nat. Hist., Univ. Kans. www. conabio . gob . mx/inf or macion/ gis/layouts/cyrt_montgw . png [ 1 8 December 2014], Navarro-Sigiienza, A. G., Peterson, A. T., and Gordillo-Martinez, A. 2003. Muse- ums working together: The atlas of the birds of Mexico. Bull. Br. Ornithol. Club 123:207-225. Stromberg, M. R. 1990. Habitat, movements and roost characteristics of Montezuma Quail in southeastern Arizona. Condor 92:229-236. Stromberg, M. R. 2000. Montezuma Quail ( Cyrtonyx montezumae), in The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.), no. 524. Birds N. Am., Inc., Phila- delphia. Accepted 4 June 2015 342 NOTES ECCENTRIC PREFORMATIVE MOLT IN THE SPOTTED TOWHEE STEPHEN M. FETTIG, Migratory Bird Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, California 95825; stephen_fettig@fws.gov CHARLES D. HATHCOCK, Los Alamos National Laboratory, P. O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545; hathcock@lanl.gov Examination of wing-feather molt often provides information essential for aging birds in the hand (Mulvihill 1993, Pyle 1997b, 2008). Correctly aging birds is important for understanding the causal relationships between age-class survival rates and population changes (DeSante et al. 2005). For example, correctly aging birds facilitates understanding of climate effects on reproduction better than merely moni- toring population numbers because reproduction varies widely with annual weather patterns (DeSante and O’Grady 2000). Age-class information can also provide a clear measure of habitat quality without confounding effects such as population sources and sinks (Van Horne 1983) or misleading habitat-quality information based on relative abundance or population size (Pulliam 1988). Changes in bird populations often lag changes in the survival rate of an age class, while environmental changes often affect one age class immediately or after a short lag (Temple and Wiens 1989). Greenlaw (1996) reported that the preformative molt of the Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) consists of the replacement of body feathers, tail feathers, and secondary coverts while the remiges and primary coverts of the juvenile plumage are retained. In addition, Byers et al. (1997), writing about the Rufous-sided Towhee before its split into the Eastern Towhee ( P. erythrophthalmus ) and Spotted Towhee, reported the preformative molt also includes some or all of the rectrices. Pyle (1997b) corroborated earlier reports that the preformative molt includes all median and greater coverts, with the outermost greater covert occasionally retained, and the number of tail feathers replaced ranging from 0 to all 12. An eccentric molt is one that starts not at primary 1 (pi) but among the middle prima- ries, most commonly from p3 to p7, and proceeds distally (Pyle 1997b). Such eccentric molts commonly include the secondaries, beginning typically at a point from s2 to s5 and proceeding proximally. In some cases, eccentric replacement can be arrested before completion, but most often it proceeds through the outermost primary and s6 (Pyle 1997b). In 2010, Los Alamos National Laboratory began operating a constant-effort bird-banding station in fall migration with the objective of tracking the age classes and populations of birds using the site. This station is located in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, within the Pajarito Wetlands complex in Pajarito Canyon, 3.7 km west of New Mexico State Route 4, and is operated one day per week for 10 weeks each year from the second week of August to the middle of October. The dominant plants of these 3.4 ha of wetlands comprise Narrowleaf Cottonwood ( Populus angustifolia), Narrowleaf Willow (Sa/ix exigua ), and Broadleaf Cattail {Typha latifolia ); those of the adjacent uplands Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa), Pinyon Pine {P. edulis) and One-seed Juniper ( Juniperus monosperma). On 2 October 2014, we captured, banded, and released a male Spotted Towhee showing evidence of an incomplete eccentric preformative molt, which we had never previously observed. An incompletely pneumatized skull implied the bird was in its year of hatching. Primaries 7-9 on the right wing were darker than the other primaries and had been replaced, while primaries 1-6 were distinctly brown and were retained juvenile feathers. Primary coverts 8-9 on the right wing are blacker than the inner primary coverts and had been replaced (Figure 1). Primaries 7-8 on the left wing were darker than the other primaries and had been replaced, while primaries 1-6 and 9 were distinctly brown in comparison and were retained juvenile feathers. Western Birds 46:343-346, 2015 343 NOTES Figure 1. Right wing of Spotted Towhee captured at the Pajarito Wetlands, New Mexico, 2 October 2014, showing primaries 7-9 contrastingly darker on the outer web than the inner primaries. The two outer primary coverts are also contrastingly darker than the inner primary coverts. Photo by Stephen M. Fettig Primary covert 8 (second from the outermost) on the left wing was blacker than the other primary coverts and had been replaced (Figure 2). Secondaries 4-6 on both the right and left wings were replaced whereas secondaries 1-3 had been retained from the juvenile plumage. The secondary coverts, tertials, and alulae were all replaced. Rectrices were all retained. Since loss and regrowth of the outer primaries and inner secondaries in the observed nearly symmetrical pattern is unlikely due to a loss of feathers in a brush with a preda- tor or to other injury, we interpreted the nearly symmetrical pattern observed as an example of eccentric molt partially replacing the juvenile plumage. In the passerines, the preformative molt is typically partial with only the head and body feathers being replaced (Pyle 1997b). The eccentric pattern of replacement of the outer primaries and inner secondaries in this molt is relatively uncommon, at least in the United States. Pyle (1997a) reported molt data on 288 species of passerines, in 46 of which some or all individuals replace the primaries and secondaries in the eccentric pattern during the preformative molt. He called for more observations, especially in live birds. Pyle (1998) discussed hypotheses for the adaptive value of eccentric molts with respect to exposure to bright sunlight, abrasive vegetation, and distance of migra- tion. Willoughby (1991) suggested an eccentric primary molt may be of adaptive value to first-cycle birds exposed to abrasive vegetation, as in the case of the Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps), Yellow-breasted Chat ( Icteria uirens), Passerina buntings, and several wrens, thrashers, and sparrows. On the basis of variations within the tyrannid flycatchers, Pyle (1998) suggested that species migrating short distances are likely to change fewer remiges in the preformative molt that do those migrating longer 344 NOTES Figure 2. Left wing of Spotted Towhee captured at the Pajarito Wetlands, New Mexico, 2 October 2014, showing primaries 7 and 8 contrastingly darker on the outer webs than primary 9 and the inner primaries. One of the two visible outer primary coverts is also contrastingly darker than the inner primary coverts. Photo by Stephen M. Fettig distances. Since the Spotted Towhee often inhabits dry, abrasive habitats on or near the ground and migrates a relatively short distance, if at all, it seems reasonable to expect that an eccentric primary molt should occasionally be found in this species. Johnson et al. (2013) reported finding eccentric molt patterns in 3 of 27 Eastern Towhees in formative plumage examined in Louisiana. Similarly, at the Pajarito Wetlands, we observed an eccentric molt pattern in 1 of 30 Spotted Towhees in formative plumage (Table 1). We know of no previous report of a Spotted Towhee having undergone an eccentric preformative molt. This research was funded by the Environmental Protection Program through Los Alamos National Security, LLC, operator of the Los Alamos National Labora- tory under contract DE-AC52-06NA25396 with the U.S. Department of Energy. We express our sincere thanks to Bruce Panowski, Lyndi Hubbell, David Keller, Brent Thompson, Kelsee Hurshman, Audrey Smith, Maria Musgrave, Emily Phillips, and Kelly Hutchins for their assistance. We especially thank Peter Pyle and Dan Small for their helpful comments and suggestions on an earlier draft of this paper. LITERATURE CITED Byers, C., Curson, J., and Olsson, U. 1997. Sparrows and Buntings: A Guide to the Sparrows and Buntings of North America and the World. Houghton Mifflin, New York. 345 NOTES Table 1 Numbers of the Spotted Towhee Captured at the Pajarito Wetlands, Los Alamos County, New Mexico 0 Year Hatching-year birds Older birds 2010 4 3 2011 0 3 2012 10 4 2013 6 3 2014 10 5 “Over 10 weeks from the second week of August to the middle of Octo- ber, 1 day per week. Recaptures excluded. DeSante, D. F., Nott, M. P., and Kaschube, D. R. 2005. Monitoring, modeling, and management: Why base avian management on vital rates and how should it be done? Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-191:795-804. DeSante, D. F., and O’Grady, D. R. 2000. The Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program 1997 and 1998 report. Bird Populations 5:49-101. Greenlaw, J. S. 1996. Spotted Towhee ( Pipilo maculatus ), in The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.), no. 263. Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia. Johnson, E. I., Wolfe, J. D., and Mooney, D. 2013. An eccentric preformative molt in Eastern Towhees. N. Am. Bird Bander 38:25-27. Mulvihill, R. S. 1993. Using wing molt to age passerines. N. Am. Bird Bander 18:1-10. Pulliam, H. R. 1988. Sources, sinks, and population regulation. Am. Nat. 132:652- 661. Pyle, P. 1997a. Molt limits in North American passerines. N. Am. Bird Bander 22:51-88. Pyle, P. 1997b. Identification Guide to North American Birds, part I. Slate Creek Press, Point Reyes Station, CA. Pyle, P. 1998. Eccentric first-year molt patterns in certain tyrannid flycatchers. W. Birds 29:29-35. Pyle, P. 2008. Identification Guide to North American Birds, part II. Slate Creek Press, Point Reyes Station, CA. Temple, S. A., and J. A. Wiens. 1989. Bird populations and environmental changes: Can birds be bio-indicators? Am. Birds 43:260-270. Van Horne, B. 1983. Density as a misleading indicator of habitat quality. J. Wildlife Mgmt. 47:893-901. Willoughby, E. J. 1991. Molt of the genus Spizella (Passeriformes, Emberizidae) in relation to ecological factors affecting plumage wear. Proc. W. Found. Vert. Zool. 4:247-286. Accepted 25 September 2015 346 BOOK REVIEWS Owls of North America and the Caribbean, by Scott Weidensaul. 2015. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 333 pp., 334 color photographs, 43 maps. Clothbound, $40.00. ISBN 978-0-547-84003-1. With the possible exception of hummingbirds, no avian group is more popular than owls. Perhaps for this reason, the number of owl books that have appeared in recent decades is mind boggling. Some are quite good; far too many are unexcep- tional. The best have been produced by owl specialists who are excellent researchers but not necessarily great writers. Thus I had high expectations when I learned that Scott Weidensaul had written a new owl book. Not only is he an experienced owl researcher, he’s a talented nonfiction writer. His nearly 30 books include The Ghost with Trembling Wings: Science, Wishful Thinking and the Search for Lost Spe- cies (2002, North Point Press), Of a Feather: A Brief History of American Birding (2007, Harcourt), and Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds (1999, North Point Press). The last was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and is my favorite among his titles. Weidensaul begins Owls of North America and the Caribbean with an 18-page introductory chapter that includes a how-to guide to using the book, a brief treat- ment of owl ecology and topography, and a detailed explanation of which topics are covered in the species accounts (see below). His geographic scope is Canada, the continental United States, Bermuda, Mexico, and the West Indies, within which 39 owl species breed according to the 7th edition of the AOLJ Check-list and its supplements through 2014. Weidensaul notes that two Old World taxa have strayed to Alaska, the Oriental Scops-Owl ( Otus sunia ) and the Northern Boobook ( Ninox japonica), but wisely does not include species accounts for these vagrants. A very useful addition to the book is a link to a downloadable album of 86 vocalizations of the 39 species and an annotated list that briefly describes each vocalization (e.g., territorial song, alarm call, food-begging call) and gives the location where the sound was recorded. The vocalizations were obtained from the Macaulay Library of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and range from one to six per species. The introductory chapter concludes with an interesting discussion of owl taxa that went extinct in all or parts of the West Indies since humans came on the scene. Following the species accounts are the acknowledgments, a brief glossary, a general bibliography, and an index that allows one to find every place where a species is mentioned in the text. Nearly 90% of the book is devoted to the species accounts, which summarize the birds’ size (body length, wingspan, and body mass), longevity, systematics and tax- onomy (including subspecies), etymology, distribution (including a multicolored range map), plumage characters, vocalizations, habitat, breeding biology, behavior, and conservation status, and end with a list of references. Each account provides interesting tidbits about ecology, the latest thoughts on classification and nomenclature, and brief summaries of pertinent journal articles, many of them recent. Just as important, we learn what is not known about the basic biology of many owls, which turns out to be quite a bit. The accounts also include color photographs, which range in number from one for a couple of the poorly known pygmy-owls ( Glaucidium sanchezi and G. griseiceps) to 19 for the Snowy Owl ( Bubo scandiacus). Without exception the photographs are excellent, and the captions that accompany them are informative. Weidensaul writes in an engaging style, and the book is well designed and nearly free of typographic errors. A few things I expected to find but didn’t are minor issues but perhaps worth noting. For example, left unstated is the fact that the hoot of a male Flammulated Owl (Psiloscops flammeolus) is similar to that of a male Long- eared Owl ( Asio otus), which can lead to misidentifications of both species during nocturnal surveys. Also not mentioned is the astounding case of a female Burrowing Western Birds 46:347-350, 2015 347 BOOK REVIEWS Owl ( Athene cunicularia) that was banded at a nest with eggs in Arizona in April 2003 and recaptured at a nest with young 1860 km away in Saskatchewan three months later (G. L. Holroyd et al., Wilson J. Ornithol. 123:378-381, 2011), thus documenting double brooding, serial polyandry, and long-range dispersal during the breeding season in one fell swoop. Last, in the Northern Saw-whet Owl ( Aegolius acadicus) account one gets the impression that the species breeds almost exclusively in coniferous forests. Yet some of the highest densities of nesting birds have been documented in riparian willows and tree farms of poplars surrounded by shrubsteppe desert in Idaho and Oregon, respectively. I noticed only one mistake and one typo, both of them quite trivial. In the bibliography my name was left off the paper that describes a Flammulated Owl nest in a hollow below ground (K. M. Smucker and J. S. Marks, J. Raptor Res. 47:421-422, 2013). That this anecdote was mentioned at all, however, more than makes up for the omission. Similarly, the typo is likely to be noticed only by someone with my first name: it's Jeffrey pine, not Jeffery pine (p. 306). I point these out not as nit-picky criticisms but as examples of how hard one has to work to find any fault with a book such as this one, which has no weaknesses. In summary, my expectations for Owls of North America and the Caribbean were met, and then some. It's a wonderful book that will be a valuable contribution to the burgeoning literature on owls. Anyone with more than a passing interest in nocturnal raptors will enjoy it immensely. Jeffrey S. Marks Peterson Reference Guide to Seawatching, by Ken Behrens and Cameron Cox. 2013. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 624 pages, over 900 color photographs. Hardback, $35.00. ISBN 978-0-547-23739-8. Seawatching, as authors Ken Behrens and Cameron Cox define it, is the “challeng- ing act of identifying waterbirds in flight.” The birds are in motion. They are frequently distant and typical field marks may not be useful. More often than not there are no landmarks to orient the observer. And the best conditions for seawatching are often harrowing, when storms blow flocks and normally pelagic species close to shore. But seawatching can also be mind-blowing. Imagine 2000 Sabine’s Gulls flying through your field of view, or over 1,000,000 Short-tailed Shearwaters streaming past, or the moment a Great-winged Petrel chances by a tourist-choked promontory in southern California. If you do not have the physical or financial strength to regularly join pelagic excursions, your best bet for encountering ocean-going species is from shore with a spotting scope. Digesting even a small portion of the wealth of information provided in the Peterson Reference Guide to Seawatching will doubtlessly enhance your time searching the water, from land or boat. Seawatching, the book, is focused on eastern waterbirds, 111 species in total from 13 families, treating waterfowl, loons, grebes, shearwaters and petrels, storm-petrels, the Magnificent Frigatebird, boobies and the Northern Gannet, cormorants, the Anhinga, pelicans, skuas and jaegers, alcids, and gulls, terns, and the Black Skimmer. While the book covers only those species that occur with regularity in the eastern U.S. and Canada, the overlap with the West is significant, as nearly 70% of the species treated occur with regularity in the Pacific Ocean. For example, the Surf, Black, and White-winged scoters are treated, as are the Common, Pacific, and Red-throated loons, and the three jaeger species. However, the alcids and tubenoses covered are only those regularly recorded in the east and do not include western species (with the exception of the Manx Shearwater and Wilson’s Storm-Petrel). While the occur- rence in the west of many of the species treated in Seawatching is enough to justify 348 BOOK REVIEWS its inclusion in many western birders’ libraries, a full volume dedicated to western waterbirds would be nice. Unfortunately, this is not in the works. The purpose of Seawatching is two-fold: to teach waterbird identification by tech- niques beyond simple field marks (e.g. , by observing flight style and species association) and to inspire more birders to take up seawatching. The book begins with a 20-page introduction that touches on migration and conservation and includes a two-page spread on bird topography. Most of the introduction is dedicated to laying out and defining the authors’ set of identification techniques, including relative size, structure, flight style and flock structure, overall coloration, and associations (e.g., Northern Pintails are typically in large monospecific flocks) in order to prepare the reader for the species-identification section of the book. If a lot of the authors’ philosophy on waterbird identification sounds similar to hawk watching, it is because Behrens and Cox have also spent a good deal of time doing just that and draw comparisons to Hawks in Flight. The bulk of the book (over 500 pp.) is filled with species accounts arranged in a taxonomy suggested by Howell et al. (2009) in Birding that “emphasizes utility and stability over precise taxonomic relationships”; one that would help beginners without hampering advanced birders. Each group begins with a one- or two-page introduc- tion on the family, including an overview of the biology, taxonomy, range, and molt similarities of the species within each family, and briefly mentions additional species not covered in the text (e.g, they do not treat the Ancient Murrelet because of its rarity on the east coast). The introduction to the dabbling ducks contains a valuable seven-step process for identifying flocks even at distance. Each species then receives a two- to five-page treatment, with the more common and confusing pairs/groups receiving more discussion (for example, scoters combine for 21 pages). Within each account, a brief summary of the species is provided, leading into a discussion of size, structure, flight style, flocking behavior, appearance (including, where relevant, differences in plumages by season, age, and sex), and, perhaps most helpful, similar species. Also included is a map showing migration routes and seasonal ranges, although this is limited to the eastern U.S. and Canada. But what really catches the eye is the photos in each account. Pick this book up if for no other reason than the sheer volume of photos (900+1). It is easy to get lost just turning the pages. The authors provided most of the photos, but nearly 100 photographers are credited. The intent is to show what birds look like under field conditions, but a book of strictly distant flocks and silhouettes would not be as attractive as the mix of full-frame, medium-distance, and silhouette shots Sea- watching actually contains. Some of the photos are full-page, jaw-dropping crushes (first-cycle Bonaparte’s Gull, p. 441). Some are wonderful compositions (a Razorbill flying past a lighthouse, p. 268; King Eiders flying through snow, pp. 166-167). Some capture chance encounters (a Brown Booby catching a flying fish, p. 344; Black Terns exchanging food, p. 515). But the real value lies in the hundreds of photos of mixed flocks (especially of ducks), where the authors point out the keys to identification and occasionally quiz the reader. There are nearly 40 such quizzes, involving finding and identifying certain species within a mixed flock or aging/sexing individuals (“What ages are the Little Gulls?”). The answers, with often lengthy explanations, are in an appendix. While the quality of the majority of the photos is good, a few choices for full-page reproduction should have been left at a half page or smaller, as they are not fully in focus or appear overcropped and pixelated (e.g., Surf Scoter, p. 175; Manx Shearwater, p. 305; Magnificent Frigatebird, p. 329; Wilson's Storm-Petrel, p. 321). Though discussing similar species at length, the authors manage to keep the writing fresh. The Harlequin Duck tends to “pop its head up and down” like “an anxious turtle.” The Great Skua is a “stovepipe with wings.” Long-tailed Jaegers are “playful,” but they “haunt the migratory footsteps of Arctic Terns.” Parasitic Jaegers “will mark 349 BOOK REVIEWS a victim from a distance ... and pummel it.” If the photos do not carry you out over the breaking waves, the language will. The book closes with a glossary, an extensive and up-to-date bibliography, and an appendix entitled “Where to Watch,” which describes nearly 47 popular watch sites from South Padre Island, Texas, to Whitefish Point, Michigan, to Cape Spear, Newfoundland. Each site description includes a summary of the location, timing of migration, and species occurrences but is really relevant only to travelers to the east coast. Who knew that people “seawatched” along the Mississippi River? While not specifically focused on western birds, the overlap in coverage is good, and the techniques in Seawatching are usable in any location where waterbirds are in flight. Whether you are a seasoned veteran with a salt-encrusted tripod at Point Pinos or a beginner curious about the group of people staring out at the open ocean in La Jolla (with no whales in sight), this book hopes to “capture some of the simple joy of being outside . . . and looking at birds” and will be a book you return to time and again. Justyn Stahl THANKS TO WESTERN BIRDS’ REVIEWERS AND ASSOCIATE EDITORS Peer review is a critical step in the publication of a scientific journal. I thank the following people for their generosity in taking the time to provide this essential service sustaining the scientific quality of Western Birds for volume 46: George F. Barrowclough, Peter Bloom, Russell Bradley, M. Ralph Browning, Bruce E. Beyers, G. Vernon Byrd, David A. Cimprich*, Alan Contreras, Jon L. Dunn", Kimball L. Garrett, T. Luke George, James J. Giocomo, Melanie F. Guigueno, Ralph J. Gutierrez, Les Gyug, Lauren B. Harter, Steven C. Heinl*, Steve N. G. Howell, David J. T. Hussell, Juan Diego Ibanez- Alamo, Todd Katzner, David J. Krueper, Jeffrey L. Lincer, Mark W. Lockwood, Michael C. Long, Mark B. Mendelsohn, Joel E. Pagel, Peter Pyle*, Kurt Radamaker, Leslie Robb, Michael A. Schroeder, Steve Shunk, Dan Small, Mark R. Stromberg, Bridget J. Stutchbury, David Vander Pluym, Greg Wann, Sartor O. Williams III, and Christopher C. Witt. Asterisks designate reviewers who reviewed more than one paper. I must thank also our associate editors, Kenneth P. Able, Daniel S. Cooper, Doug Faulkner, Thomas Gardali, Daniel D. Gibson, Robert E. Gill, Paul E. Lehman, Ronald R. LeValley, and Dan Reinking, plus featured-photo editor John Sterling, who also serve as reviewers of the manuscripts whose review they coordinate. Western Birds is not possible without their dedication. Doug Faulkner has stepped down after nine years of valuable service, as has Paul Lehman after five. Thank you, Doug and Paul, for all your work on behalf of Western Birds and WFO. I’m very happy to welcome as new associate editors Matthew J. Baumann of New Mexico and Daniel R. Ruthrauff of Alaska — I look forward to working with you and benefiting from your expertise. And I thank Dan Gibson, Ginger Johnson, Peter LaTourrette, and Tim Brittain for continuing in their roles as vital players in our team producing Western Birds. Philip Unitt 350 FEATURED PHOTO HYBRIDIZATION BETWEEN THE DUSKY GROUSE AND SHARP-TAILED GROUSE RYAN P. O’DONNELL, U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, 2255 N. Gemini Drive, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001; Ryan.ODonnell@aggiemail.usu.edu Hybridization between the Dusky Grouse (Dendragapus obscurus ) and Sharp- tailed Grouse ( Tympanuchus phasianellus ) has been rarely documented. The only published record from the wild is of one collected at Osoyoos, British Columbia, in 1906 (Brooks 1907, Lincoln 1950). There is one record of this hybridization between captive birds (McCarthy 2006). On 7 April 2013, Stephanie Cobbold and I found a suspected hybrid of this pairing at Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area, Cache County, Utah. The bird was running through the sagebrush, with its tail held high, showing bright white undertail coverts. The tail was the most obvious indication of hybrid parentage: the rectrices were similar to those of a Dusky Grouse, with black vanes tipped with gray; the under- tail coverts approached the pure white of Sharp-tailed Grouse, but some of them had the distinct banding of a Dusky Grouse. The broad gray tips to the rectrices indicate the Dusky Grouse parent was of the nominate southern subspecies D. o. obscurus, resident in Utah, as the northern subspecies lack extensive gray tips to the rectrices. The pattern of the tail on the bird we observed closely matched that described by Brooks (1907:168), although he specified the outer rectrices as having “diminishing tips of grayish white” and the undertail coverts as “almost immaculate.” Brooks’ bird was found in the range of one of the northern subspecies of the Dusky Grouse, D. o. richardsonii, which has a smaller and less distinct band of gray at the end of the rectrices. The bird featured on this issue’s back cover had an overall yellowish tone similar to that of a Sharp-tailed Grouse. The flanks were intermediate between the two parental species (unlike the bird described by Brooks, which he said looked like a Sharp-tailed Grouse below), the feathers having white tips but light mottled sandy bases, whereas the Dusky Grouse has gray bases. Body feathers hid most of the wing, but the tertials seemed closer to the white and sandy brown patterning of a Sharp-tailed Grouse. The outer vanes of the primaries were more heavily marked than in a Dusky Grouse but lacked the distinct banding or spotted pattern of a Sharp-tailed Grouse. The nape and upper back resembled those of a Dusky Grouse more than they did a Sharp-tailed Grouse, being mostly slaty gray. A small area of yellow skin, found in both species, was visible over the eye and was also mentioned in Brooks’ description. The bill appeared intermediate in structure. The facial pattern was overall closer to that of a Sharp-tailed Grouse, with yellowish-brown auriculars bordered by indistinct white stripes. Although several of these features, such as white undertail coverts and more extensive white in the scapulars, could be explained instead by partial leucism in a pure Dusky Grouse, each is consistent also with hybrid Sharp-tailed Grouse parentage, and other traits support Sharp-tailed Grouse parentage to the exclusion of leucism, including the overall yellowish tone to the plumage and the bill structure. Because this bird was not captured, we have no detail about its size, but the hybrid reported by Brooks was intermediate in size between the parent species. Shortly after I took this photograph, the bird flushed, and flew off through the sagebrush. I am not aware of any attempts to relocate it. A male Dusky Grouse has been seen displaying among a lek of Sharp-tailed Grouse about 40 km north of where I photographed this bird (Adam Brewerton and Frank Howe, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, pers. comm.). That male Dusky Grouse attempted to copulate with a Sharp-tailed Grouse while the Sharp-tailed Grouse was Western Birds 46:351-352, 2015 351 FEATURED PHOTO caught in a trap. It seems likely that the bird featured on this issue’s back cover was the product of a similar pairing, a male Dusky Grouse with a female Sharp-tailed Grouse, rather than the converse. Sharp-tailed Grouse mate in leks and Dusky Grouse do not, so a male Dusky at a lek might be able to copulate with a visiting female Sharp- tailed Grouse. It seems less likely that a female Dusky Grouse would be attracted to a Sharp-tailed Grouse lek. Although hybridization within genera is more common than between genera, it is perhaps not that remarkable that these species would hybridize, given that Den- dragapus and Tympanuchus are each other’s closest relatives (Gutierrez et al. 2000, Drovetski 2002). The ranges of these two species overlap broadly from northern Utah and Colorado to Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Given the close relationship and extent of overlap of their ranges, it is perhaps surprising that there have not been more reports of this hybrid combination in the over 100 years since Brooks (1907) first described one. These species are generally segregated by habitat use, as the Sharp-tailed prefers open grassy sites for leks and shrubby areas for nesting and the Dusky is typically found in forests of conifers or mixed aspens and conifers, but Dusky Grouse do display at the edge of and in open areas, often near the top of a hill and in sagebrush. The scarcity of documented hybridization between these species could also be due to a failure to report such hybrids when found. I thank Adam Brewerton, Jack Connelly, Scott Gardner, Frank Howe, Mike Schro- eder, Timothy Taylor, and Mike Wolfe for sharing their thoughts on this bird, Paul Higgins for providing reference photos, and Michael Guttery and Andy Kleinhesselink for reviewing drafts of the manuscript. LITERATURE CITED Brooks, A. 1907. A hybrid grouse, Richardson’s + Sharp-tail. Auk 24:167-169. Drovetski, S. V. 2002. Molecular phylogeny of grouse: Individual and combined per- formance of W-linked, autosomal, and mitochondrial loci. Syst. Biol. 51:930-945. Gutierrez, R. J., Barrowclough, G. F. and Groth, J. G. 2000. A classification of the grouse (Aves: Tetraoninae) based on mitochondrial DNA sequences. Wildlife Biol. 6:205-211. Lincoln, F. C. 1950. A Ring-necked Pheasant x Prairie Chicken hybrid. Wilson Bull. 62:210-212. McCarthy, E. M. 2006. Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. 352 WESTERN BIRDS, INDEX, VOLUME 46, 2015 Compiled by Daniel D. Gibson acadicus, Aegolius acadicus, 129 Acan this flammea, 25, 44, 163, 291-298 horrtemarmi, 163, 225, 228, 318, 321 Accentor, Siberian, 146 Accipiter cooperii, 199 gen til is, 109 striatus, 109, 199 Acridotheres cristatellus, 320 Acrocephalus schoenobaenus, 141 Actitis hypoleucos, 112 macularius, 112, 201 aculeata, Sitta carolinensis, 278-290 adastus, Empidonax traillii, 133 Aechmophorus occidentalis, 104, 196 Aegolius acadicus, 129 funereus, 128 Aeronautes saxatalis, 202-203 Aethia cristatella, 121 psittacula, 39, 120-121, 310-311 pusilla, 121 pygmaea, 121 Agelaius phoeniceus, 159, 211 Aimophila ruficeps, 209 Aix sponsa, 99, 194 alascensis, Buteo jamaicensis, 109-110 Calcarius lapponicus, 42, 149 Certhia americana, 138 Lagopus lagopus, 103 Troglodytes pacificus, 138 Alauda aruensis, 135 alba, Lagopus lagopus, 102 Albatross, Black-footed, 104 Laysan, 104 Salvin’s, 104 Short-tailed, 104, 302-303 albertaensis, Larus californicus, 123 albidus, Accipiter gentilis, 109 aleuticus, Ptychoramphus aleuticus, 120 alexandrae, Lagopus lagopus, 102- 103 aliciae , Catharus minimus, 143 Allealle, 119 alle, Alle alle, 119 americana, Bucephala clangula, 35, 101 Lulica americana, 110 americanus, Mergus merganser, 102 Ammodramus sauannarum, 210 amoenus, Regulus satrapa, 139 Amphispiza bilineata, 210 Anas acuta, 34, 99, 195 americana, 33, 99, 195 clypeata, 34, 99, 195 crecca, 34, 100, 195 cyanoptera, 99, 195 diazi, 195 discors, 33, 99, 195 falcata, 99 formosa, 100, 301 fuluigula, 218 penelope, 33, 99 platyrhynchos, 33, 99, 195 querquedula, 99, 218 rubripes, 11, 99, 321-322 strepera, 33, 99, 195 zonorhyncha, 99 anatum, Lalco peregrinus, 132 annectens, Passerella iliaca, 154 Anser albifrons, 32, 97 erythropus, 91 fabalis, 97 serrirostris, 97 anthonyi, Butorides uirescens, 108 Anthus ceruinus, 148-149 gustaui, 147 hodgsoni, 147 rubescens, 42, 149, 208, 263 spragueii, 22 trivialis, 147 Antrostomus arizonae, 217 uociferus, 129, 217 Apus apus, 130 pacificus, 130 Aquila chrysaetos, 76-80, 110, 201 Archilochus alexandri, 203, 326-330 colubris, 130, 222 arcticola, Calidris alpina, 116 Eremophila alpestris, 136 arctolegus, Agelaius phoeniceus, 159 Ardea alba, 107, 198 cinerea, 107 herodias, 107, 198 Ardeola bacchus, 108 Arenaria interpres, 37, 114 melanocephala , 114 arizonae, Spizella passerina, 153 arra, Uria lomvia, 119 artemisiae, Molothrus ater, 159 Artemisiospiza nevadensis, 210 Asio fammeus, 40, 128, 202 Western Birds 46:353-371, 2015 353 INDEX otus, 68-70, 128 Astudillo-Sanchez, Evelyng K., see Greeney, H. F. Athene cunicularia, 202 atkhensis, Lagopus muta, 103 atra, Fulica atra, 110 atricapillus , Accipiter gentilis, 109 auduboni, Setophaga coronata, 152 Auklet, Cassin’s, 120 Crested, 121 Least, 121 Parakeet, 39, 120-121, 310-311 Rhinoceros, 121 Whiskered, 121 Auriparus flaviceps, 206 aurocapilla, Seiurus aurocapilla, 150 Avocet, American, 111, 201 Aythya a f finis, 34, 100, 195 americana, 100, 195 collaris, 34, 100, 195 ferina, 100 fuligula, 100, 218-219, 301, 318 marila, 34, 100 valisineria, 100, 195 badia, Prunella montanella , 146 baileyae , Poecile gambeli, 137 banksi, Setophaga petechia, 152 barrouianus, Larus hyperboreus, 40, 125 Bartels, Matt, see Merrill, R. J. Bartramia longicauda, 113 baueri, Limosa lapponica, 114 Bean-Goose, Taiga, 97 Tundra, 97 bendirei, Loxia curvirostra, 163 Benedict, Lauryn, see Meyer, A. beringiae, Limosa fedoa, 114 bewickii, Cygnus columbianus, 98, 280 Bittern, American, 107 Yellow, 107 Blackbird, Brewer’s, 159, 211 Red-winged, 159, 211 Rusty, 159 Yellow-headed, 159, 211 Bluebird, Eastern, 207 Mountain, 143, 207, 273-275 Western, 207 Bluetail, Red-flanked, 142 Bluethroat, 142 blythi, Sylvia curruca, 140 Bobolink, 158-159 bochaiensis, Luscinia cyane, 142 Bombycilla cedrorum, 149, 208 garrulus, 149 Bonasa umbellus, 102, 219 Boobook, Northern, 129 Booby, Brown, 106, 308 borealis, Cypseloides niger, 129 Lanius excubitor, 134 Somateria mollissima, 101 Botaurus lentiginosus, 107 Botello, Alejandro, see Moreno- Contreras, I. Brachyramphus brevirostris, 120 marmoratus, 120 perdix, 120, 319 brachyrhynchus, Larus canus, 39, 123 Brake, Anthony J., and McHugh, Yvonne E., Possible tool use by a Williamson’s Sapsucker, 89-91 Brambling, 159-160 Brant, 33, 97 Branta bernicla, 33, 97 canadensis, 98, 194 hutchinsii, 33, 97-98, 194, 217 Braun, Clait E., and Williams, Sartor O. Ill, History and status of the White- tailed Ptarmigan in New Mexico, 233-243 brewsteri, Empidonax traillii , 133 Sula leucogaster, 106 Brooks, Tayler, see Mlodinow, S. G. brooksi, Coccothraustes vespertinus, 164 brunneonucha , Leucosticte arctoa, 160-161 Bubo scandiacus, 128 virginianus, 127-128, 202, 271-272 Bubulcus ibis, 107-108, 198 Bucephala albeola, 35, 101, 195 clangula, 35, 101 islandica, 101 Bufflehead, 35, 101, 195 Bullfinch, Eurasian, 162 Bunting, Gray, 156 Indigo, 158, 317, 321 Lark, 210, 321 Lazuli, 158, 211 Little, 156 McKay’s, 150, 320 Painted, 24, 211, 322 Pallas’s, 156-157 Pine, 156 Reed, 157 Rustic, 156 354 INDEX Snow, 150 Yellow-breasted, 156 Yellow-browed, 156 Yellow-throated, 156 Bushtit, 315 Buteo albonotatus, 14, 199-200, 220, 319 jamaicensis, 109-110, 200 lagopus , 36, 110 lineatus, 309 platypterus, 14, 309, 319 regalis , 200-201 swainsoni, 109, 199 Buteogallus anthracinus, 14, 199, 228-229 Butorides virescens , 108, 198 caerulescens, Chen caerulescens, 97 Setophaga caerulescens, 152 cafer, Colaptes auratus, 131 Calamospiza melanocorys, 210, 321 Calcarius lapponicus, 42, 149 ornatus, 315 pictus, 150, 225 calendula, Regulus calendula, 139 Calidris acuminata, 115 alba, 37, 116 alpina, 37, 116 bairdii, 116 canutus, 115 falcinellus, 115 ferruginea, 115, 220 fuscicollis, 118 himantopus, 16, 115 maritima, 116 mauri, 38, 118, 201 melanotos, 118, 201 minuta, 116, 118 minutilla, 37, 118, 201 ptilocnemis, 37, 116 pugnax, 115, 310 pusilla, 118 pygmea, 115-116 ruficollis, 116, 310 subminuta, 115 subruficollis, 118, 310 temminckii, 115 tenuirostris, 115 uirgata, 115 californicus, Haemorhous purpureus, 162 Larus californicus, 123 Pelecanus occidentalis, 107 Podiceps nigricollis, 104 Callipepla gambelii, 196 squamata, 196 Calonectris leucomelas, 319 calurus, Buteo jamaicensis, 109 Calypte anna, 130 costae, 130, 222, 314 campicola, Geothlypis trichas, 151 Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus, 207 canadensis, Aquila chrysaetos, 110 Falcipennis canadensis, 102 Grus canadensis, 36, 110 canorus, Cuculus canorus, 127 Canvasback, 100, 195 caparoch, Surnia ulula, 128 Cappello, Caroline D., see McNeil, S. E. Caprimulgus indicus, 129 Caracara, Crested, 18, 224, 320 Caracara cheriway, 18, 224, 320 Cardellina canadensis, 153 pusilla, 42, 153, 209 rubrifrons, 225 Cardinal, Northern, 210, 322 Cardinalis cardinalis, 210, 322 sinuatus, 211, 225 carlottae, Pinicola enucleator, 162 carolinensis, Anas crecca, 34, 100 Pandion haliaetus, 108 Sitta carolinensis, 278-290 carolinus, Euphagus carolinus, 159 Carpodacus erythrinus, 162 Carter, Harry R., Parker, Michael W., Koepke, Josh S., and Whitworth, Darrell L., Breeding of the Ashy Storm-Petrel in central Mendocino County, California, 49-65 cassinii, Haemorhous cassinii, 162-163 Pyrrhula pyrrhula, 162 Vireo cassinii, 134 Catbird, Gray, 146 Cathartes aura, 108, 198 Catharus fuscescens, 143 guttatus, 42, 143, 207 minimus, 143 ustulatus, 143, 207 Catherpes mexicanus, 206 caudacutus, Hirundapus caudacutus, 129 caurina, Melospiza melodia, 154 caurinus, Limnodromus griseus, 38, 118 Turdus migratorius, 146 caurus, Tympanuchus phasianellus, 103 ' celata, Oreothlypis celata, 150 355 INDEX centralasiae, Bombycilla garrulus, 149 Centrocercus minimus, 217 Cepphus columba, 39, 120 grylle, 120 Cerorhinca monocerata, 121 Certhia americana, 138, 206 Chaetura pelagica, 129 uauxi, 129 Chamaea fasciata, 320 Charadrius alexandrinus, 112 dubius, 112 hiaticula, 112 mongolus, 111 montanus, 15, 322 morinellus, 112, 309 semipalmatus, 36, 112 vociferus, 112, 201 Chat, Yellow-breasted, 209 Chen caerulescens, 97, 194, 301 canagica, 32, 97, 228, 301 rossii, 97, 194 Chickadee, Black-capped, 137 Boreal, 137-138 Chestnut-backed, 137 Gray-headed, 138 Mountain, 137 Chiff chaff, Common, 140 chilcatensis, Passerella iliaca, 154 Chlidonias leucopterus, 126 niger, 126 Chloris sinica, 164 chloropus, Gallinula chloropus, 110 Chondestes grammacus, 153, 210 Chordeiles acutipennis, 129, 202 minor, 129, 202 Chroicocephalus Philadelphia, 122 ridibundus, 122, 220, 311 cincinatus, Phalacrocorax auritus, 36, 106 Cinclus mexicanus, 139 cinnamomea, Tringa solitaria, 113 Circus cyaneus, 36, 109, 199 cismontanus, Junco hyemalis, 156 Cistothorus palustris, 139, 206-207 Clangula hyemalis, 101 Coccothraustes coccothraustes, 164 uespertinus, 164 Coccyzus americanus, 127, 244-255 Colaptes auratus, 131-132, 203 Colibri thalassinus, 222 Collared-Dove, Eurasian, 126, 202, 222, 312, 322 Colon, Melanie R., Holden, Ronnisha S., Morrison, Michael L., McFarland, Tiffany M., and Mathewson, Heather A., Golden- cheeked Warbler: New maximum longevity record, 261-262 coloratus, Calcarius lapponicus, 149 Columba livia, 126, 202 columba, Cepphus columba, 39, 120 columbarius, Falco columbarius, 40, 132 columbianus, Cygnus columbianus, 33, 98 Poecile hudsonicus, 138 Columbina inca, 202, 222 passerina, 222, 322 Condor, California, 228, 319 confinis, Pooecetes gramineus, 153 Contopus cooperi, 132, 204 pertinax, 314 sordidulus, 132, 204 cooperi, Contopus cooperi, 132 Coot, American, 110, 201 Eurasian, 110 Coragyps atratus, 219 Cormorant, Brandt’s, 106 Double-crested, 36, 106, 198 Neotropic, 12, 196-197 Pelagic, 36, 106-107 Red-faced, 36, 106 cornutus, Podiceps auritus, 104 coromandus, Bubulcus ibis, 108 Coruus brachyrhynchos , 135, 205 caurinus, 135 corax, 41, 135 cryptoleucus, 205 couesi, Calidris ptilocnemis, 37, 116 Cowbird, Bronzed, 212, 225 Brown-headed, 159, 212 Crane, Common, 14, 110-111 Sandhill, 36, 110 crecca, Anas crecca, 34, 100 Creeper, Brown, 138, 206 cristatus, Lanius cristatus, 134 Crossbill, Red, 163, 212 White-winged, 163 Crow, American, 135, 205 Northwestern, 135 Cuckoo, Common, 127 Oriental, 127 Yellow-billed, 127, 244-255 Cuculus canorus, 127 optatus, 127 Curlew, Bristle-thighed, 114 Eskimo, 113 Far Eastern, 114 356 INDEX Little, 113 Long-billed, 114, 201 curonicus, Charadrius dubius, 112 curtatus , Pipilo maculatus, 153 cyaneus, Circus cyaneus, 109 Cyanocitta cristata, 20 stelleri, 135, 205 Cygnus buccinator, 11, 98 columbianus, 33, 98, 301 cygnus, 98-99 Cynanthus latirostris, 222-223 Cypseloides niger, 129 Cyrtonyx montezumae, 339-342 dauurica, Muscicapa dauurica, 141 decaocto, Streptopelia decaocto, 126 DeCicco, Lucas H., see Hajdukovich, N. R. deglandi, Melanitta fusca, 35, 101 Delichon urbicum, 137 Dendragapus fuliginosus, 103 obscurus x Tympanuchus phasianellus, 351-352 Dendrocopos major, 131 Dendrocygna autumnalis, 11, 228 bicolor, 11, 218 Dickcissel, 24, 158, 211, 318, 321 Dickerman, Robert W., Haemorhous cassinii uinifer is valid, 66-68; Is the Long-eared Owl dimorphic?, 68-70 ~ difficilis, Empidonax difficilis, 133 Dipper, American, 139 discolor, Setophaga discolor, 152 dixoni, Lagopus muta, 103 Dolichonyx oryzivorus, 158-159 domesticus, Passer domesticus, 164 Dotterel, Eurasian, 112, 309 Dove, Common Ground-, 222, 322 Eurasian Collared-, 126, 202, 222, 312, 322 Inca, 202, 222 Mourning, 127, 202 Oriental Turtle-, 126 White-winged, 126, 202, 312, 319, 322 Dovekie, 119 Dowitcher, Long-billed, 118, 201 Short-billed, 38, 118 Duck, American Black, 11, 99, 321-322 Black-bellied Whistling-, 11, 228 Eastern Spot-billed, 99 Falcated, 99 Fulvous Whistling-, 11, 218 Harlequin, 11, 35, 101 Long-tailed, 101 Mexican, 195 Mottled, 218 Ring-necked, 34, 100, 195 Ruddy, 102, 195 Tufted, 100, 218-219, 301, 318 Wood, 99, 194 Dumetella carolinensis, 146 Dunlin, 37, 116 Eagle, Bald, 36, 108 Golden, 76-80, 110, 201 Steller’s Sea-, 108-109 White-tailed, 108 Egret, Cattle, 107-108, 198 Chinese, 107 Great, 107, 198 Intermediate, 107 Little, 107 Snowy, 198 Egretta eulophotes, 107 garzetta, 107 thula, 198 tricolor, 107 egretta, Ardea alba, 107 Eider, Common, 101 King, 35, 101, 302 Spectacled, 100 Steller’s, 100 Elanus leucurus, 14, 199 elegans, Emberiza elegans, 156 elgasi, Anser albifrons , 97 Emberiza aureola, 156 chrysophrys, 156 elegans, 156 leucocephalos, 156 pallasi, 156-157 pusilla, 156 rustica, 156 schoeniclus, 157 uariabilis, 156 Empidonax alnorum, 133, 314, 320 difficilis, 133 flaviuentris, 132-133, 224, 314 fulvifrons, 224 hammondii, 133, 204 minimus, 18, 133, 204 oberholseri, 133, 204 occidentalis, 204 traillii, 133, 204 uirescens, 224 wrightii, 204 357 INDEX Empidonomus varius, 314 Eremophila alpestris, 135-136 ericrypta , Melospiza georgiana, 155 erythrogaster, Hirundo rustica, 136-137 euborius, Catharus guttatus, 143 Eudocimus albus, 13 eunomus, Turdus naumanni, 144-145 Euphagus carolinus, 159 cyanocephalus, 159, 211 evermanni, Lagopus muta , 103 exilipes, Acanthis hornemanni, 163 Falcipennis canadensis, 102 Ealco columbarius, 40, 132, 203 mexicanus, 203-204 peregrinus, 40, 132, 203 rusticolus, 18, 40, 132 sparverius, 132, 203 subbuteo, 132 tinnunculus, 132 Falcon, Peregrine, 40, 132, 203 Prairie, 203-204 fannini, Ardea herodias, 107 fasciatus, Picoides dorsalis, 131 Faulkner, Douglas W. , Colorado Bird Records Committee Report: 1986-2013, 216-232 Feenstra, Jon, Book review: Facing Extinction, 86-87 Fenneman, Jamie, see Levesque, P G. Fettig, Stephen M., and Hathcock, Charles D., Eccentric preformative molt in the Spotted Towhee, 343-346 Ficedula albicilla, 142 narcissina, 142 Fieldfare, 145 Finch, Asian Rosy-, 160-161 Black Rosy-, 218 Cassin’s, 66-68, 162-163 Gray-crowned Rosy-, 43, 161, 218 House, 162, 212 Purple, 25, 162 flammea, Acanthis flammea, 44, 163 flammeus, Asio flammeus, 40, 128 flammula , Pinicola enucleator, 161-162 flava, Eremophila alpestris, 135-136 Flicker, Northern, 131-132, 203 Flycatcher, Acadian, 224 Alder, 133, 314, 320 Ash-throated, 133, 204 Asian Brown, 141 Brown-crested, 224 Buff-breasted, 224 Cordilleran, 204 Dark-sided, 141 Dusky, 133, 204 Dusky-capped, 20 Gray, 204 Gray-streaked, 141 Great Crested, 20, 133 Hammond’s, 133, 204 Least, 18, 133, 204 Narcissus, 142 Olive-sided, 132, 204 Pacific-slope, 133 Scissor-tailed, 20, 134, 315, 320 Spotted, 141 Sulphur-bellied, 224 Taiga, 142 Variegated, 314 Vermilion, 204 Willow, 133, 204 Yellow-bellied, 132-133, 224, 314 Fratercula cirrhata, 39, 121-122 corniculata, 39, 121, 311, 319 Fregata magnificens, 106 sp., 308 Frigatebird, Magnificent, 106 frigatebird (sp.), 308 Fringilla montifringilla, 159-160 frontalis, Haemorhous mexicanus, 162 Fulica americana, 110, 201 atra, 110 Fulmar, Northern, 35, 105 Fulmarus glacialis, 35, 105 fulva, Branta canadensis, 98 furcata, Oceanodroma furcata, 106 fuscatus, Phylloscopus fuscatus, 140 Gad wall, 33, 99, 195 Gallinago delicata, 38, 118, 201 gallinago, 118 solitaria, 118-119 stenura, 118 gallinago, Gallinago gallinago, 118 Gallinula chloropus, 110 galeata, 201 Gallinule, Common, 201 gambelii, Zonotrichia leucophrys, 43, 155 gambelii, Anser albifrons, 97 Garganey, 99, 218 garzetta, Egretta garzetta, 107 Gatica-Colima, Ana, see Moreno- Contreras, I. 358 INDEX Gavia adamsii, 104 arctica , 103-104, 219, 318 immer, 35, 104 pacifica, 104 stellata, 11, 103 Geococcyx calif ornianus, 202 Geothlypis Philadelphia, 151, 316 tolmiei, 151, 208 trichas, 151, 208 Gibson, Daniel D., and Withrow, Jack J., Inventory of the species and subspecies of Alaska birds, second edition, 94-185 glacialis, Picoides pubescens, 131 Glareola maldivarum, 119 Glaucidium gnoma, 128 glaucoides, Larus glaucoides, 123 Gnatcatcher, Black-tailed, 207 Blue-gray, 207, 315 Godwit, Bar-tailed, 71-75, 114, 310, 319, 322 Black-tailed, 114 Hudsonian, 16, 114, 309-310, 319 Marbled, 114 Goldeneye, Barrow’s, 101 Common, 35, 101 Golden-Plover, American, 15, 111 European, 111 Pacific, 36, 111 Goldfinch, American, 163, 212 Lawrence’s, 228 Lesser, 212 Gomez de Silva, H., see Moreno- Contreras, I. Goose, Cackling, 33, 97-98, 194, 217 Canada, 98, 194 Emperor, 32, 97, 228, 301 Greater White-fronted, 32, 97 Lesser White-fronted, 97 Ross’s, 97, 194 Snow, 97, 194, 301 Taiga Bean-, 97 Tundra Bean-, 97 Goshawk, Northern, 109 gracilis, Melospiza lincolnii, 155 Grackle, Common, 24, 159, 318 Great-tailed, 211, 318 graellsii , Larus fuscus, 125 Grasshopper-Warbler, Middendorff’s, 141 Grebe, Eared, 104, 196 Horned, 104 Pied-billed, 104, 196 Red-necked, 104 Western, 104, 196 grebnitskii, Carpodacus erythrinus, 162 Greeney, Harold F., Hamilton, Chris E., Astudillo-Sanchez, Evelyng K., Wethington, Susan M., Hough, Eric R., Ripplinger, Christina M., and Schmidt, Krista K., Nest-site selection of the Black-chinned Hummingbird in southeast Arizona, 326-330 Greenfinch, Oriental, 164 Greenshank, Common, 113 grinnelli, Glaucidium gnoma, 128 Regulus calendula, 139 griseonucha, Leucosticte tephrocotis, 43, 161 Grosbeak, Black-headed, 158, 211 Blue, 158, 211 Evening, 164 Pine, 161-162 Rose-breasted, 158, 211, 317-318 Ground-Dove, Common, 222, 322 Grouse, Dusky x Sharp-tailed, 351-352 Gunnison Sage-, 217 Ruffed, 102, 219 Sharp-tailed, 103 Sharp-tailed x Dusky, 351-352 Sooty, 103 Spruce, 102 Grus canadensis, 36, 110 grus, 14-15, 110-111 Grzybowski, Joseph A., see Long, A. M. Guillemot, Black, 120 Pigeon, 39, 120 Gull, Black-headed, 122, 220, 311 Black-tailed, 122-123, 311 Bonaparte’s, 122 California, 123 Franklin’s, 122 Glaucous, 16, 40, 125 Glaucous-winged, 39, 125 Great Black-backed, 125 Heermann’s, 123 Herring, 39, 123 Iceland, 123, 125, 220, 311 Ivory, 122, 311 Kelp, 220-221 Laughing, 122, 311 Lesser Black-backed, 125, 311, 322 Little, 122 Mew, 16, 39, 123 Ring-billed, 123, 202 Ross’s, 122 359 INDEX Sabine’s, 122 Slaty-backed, 16, 125, 220, 311 Western, 123, 220 guttatus, Catharus guttatus, 42, 143 gutturalis, Hirundo rustica, 137 Gymnogyps cahfornianus , 228, 319 Gyrfalcon, 18, 40, 132 Haematopus bachmani, 36, 111 ostralegus, 111 Haemorhous cassinii, 66-68, 162-163 mexicanus, 162, 212 purpureus, 25, 162 Hajdukovich, Nicholas R., DeCicco, Lucas H., and Tomkovich, Pavel S., Western North American records of Eurasian Bar-tailed Godwits, 71-75 Haliaeetus albicilla, 108 leucocephalus, 36, 108 pelagicus, 108-109 Hamilton, Chris E., see Greeney, H. F. harlani, Buteo jamaicensis, 109 Harrier, Northern, 36, 109, 199 Hathcock, Charles, D., see Fettig, S. M. Hawfinch, 164 Hawk, Broad-winged, 14, 309, 319 Common Black, 14, 199, 228-229 Cooper’s, 199 Ferruginous, 200-201 Harris’s, 199, 220, 319 Red-shouldered, 309 Red-tailed, 109-110, 200 Rough-legged, 36, 110 Sharp-shinned, 109, 199 Swainson’s, 109, 199 Zone-tailed, 14, 199-200, 220, 319 helleri, Troglodytes pacificus, 138 Helmitheros uermiuorum, 320 Heron, Black-crowned Night-, 108, 198 Chinese Pond-, 108 Gray, 107 Great Blue, 107, 198 Green, 108, 198 Tricolored, 107 Yellow-crowned Night-, 13 hesperis , Corvus brachyrhynchos, 135 heuglini, Larus fuscus, 125 Himantopus himantopus, 111 mexicanus, 201 himantopus, Himantopus himantopus, 111 Hirundapus caudacutus, 129 Hirundo rustica, 136-137, 206 Histrionicus histrionicus, 11, 35, 101 hoactli, Nycticorax nycticorax, 108 Hobby, Eurasian, 132 holboellii, Podiceps grisegena, 104 Holden, Ronnisha S., see Colon, M. R. Hoopoe, Eurasian, 130 hooueri, Setophaga coronata, 42, 152 hornemanni, Acanthis hornemanni, 163 Hough, Eric R., see Greeney, H. F. House-Martin, Common, 137 hudsonicus, Numenius phaeopus, 37, 114 Poecile hudsonicus, 137-138 hudsonius, Circus cyaneus, 36, 109 Hummingbird, Allen’s, 17, 319 Anna’s, 130 Black-chinned, 203, 326-330 Broad-billed, 222-223 Broad-tailed, 203 Costa’s, 130, 222, 314 Ruby-throated, 130, 222 Rufous, 130, 203 White-eared, 223 Hydrocoloeus minutus, 122 Hydroprogne caspia, 125-126 hyemalis, Junco hyemalis, 155 Hylocharis leucotis, 223 Hylocichla mustelina, 143 Ibis, Glossy, 219 White, 13 White-faced, 198, 308-309 ibis, Bubulcus ibis, 107 Icteria virens, 209 Icterus bullockii, 159, 212 cucullatus, 227 galbula, 218, 321 parisorum, 212 pustulatus, 227 spurius, 159, 318 Ictinia mississippiensis, 199 iliaca/zaboria, Passerella iliaca, 317 iliacus, Turdus iliacus, 145 incanus, Catharus ustulatus, 143 inornata , Tringa semipalmata, 113 Uria aalge, 38, 119 insignis, Melospiza melodia, 154 insularis, Passerella iliaca, 43, 154 interfusa, Passerina caerulea, 158 intermedia , Mesophoyx intermedia, 107 interpres, Arenaria interpres, 37, 114 interstinctus, Falco tinnunculus, 132 360 INDEX isleibi, Falcipennis canadensis, 102 Ixobrychus sinensis, 107 Ixoreus naeuius, 42, 146 Jaeger, Long-tailed, 16, 38, 119 Parasitic, 16, 38, 119 Pomarine, 119 japonica, Gallinago solitaria, 118-119 Ninox japonica, 129 japonicus, Anthus rubescens, 149 Coccothraustes coccothraustes, 164 Otus sunia, 127 Jay, Blue, 20 Gray, 135 S teller’s, 135, 205 jotaka, Caprimulgus indicus, 129 jouyi, Ardea cinerea, 107 Junco, Dark-eyed, 155-156, 210 Junco hyemalis, 155-156, 210 Jynx torquilla, 130 kaiurka, Cepphus columba, 120 kamtschaticus, Corvus corax, 41, 135 Dendrocopos major, 131 kamtschatkensis, Buteo lagopus, 110 Pinicola enucleator, 162 kamtschatschensis, Larus canus, 123 kawarahiba, Chloris sinica, 164 kenaiensis, Melospiza melodia, 154 Kennedy, Jeremiah, see Levesque, P. G. kennicottii, Megascops kennicottii, 127 Kestrel, American, 132, 203 Eurasian, 132 Killdeer, 112, 201 Kingbird, Cassin’s, 204 Eastern, 134 Thick-billed, 224 Tropical, 133, 314 Tropical/Couch’s, 314-315, 320 Western, 133-134, 204 Kingfisher, Belted, 130, 203 Kinglet, Golden-crowned, 139 Ruby-crowned, 139, 207 Kiskadee, Great, 224 kiskensis, Troglodytes pacificus, 138 Kite, Mississippi, 199 White-tailed, 14, 199 Kittiwake, Black-legged, 16, 39, 122 Red-legged, 16, 39, 122 Knot, Great, 115 Red, 115 Koepke, Josh S., see Carter, H. R. kumlieni, Larus glaucoides, 123 lagophonus, Bubo uirginianus, 127-128 lagopodum, Delichon urbicum, 137 Lagopus lagopus, 102-103 leucura, 103, 233-243 muta, 103 laingi, Accipiter gentilis, 109 Lanius cristatus, 134 excubitor, 134 ludouicianus, 204 Lapwing, Northern, 111 Lark, Horned, 135-136 Sky, 135 Larus argentatus, 39, 123 californicus, 123 canus, 16, 39, 123 crassirostris, 122-123, 311 delawarensis, 123, 202 dominicanus, 220-221 fuscus, 125, 311, 322 glaucescens, 39, 125 glaucoides, 123, 125, 220, 311 heermanni, 123 hyperboreus, 16, 40, 125 marinus, 125 occidentalis, 123, 220 schistisagus, 16, 125, 220, 311 lathami, Poecile cinctus, 138 latifascia, Emberiza rustica, 156 leucocephalos, Emberiza leucocephalos, 156 leucopareia, Branta hutchinsii, 33, 97-98 Leucophaeus atricilla, 122, 311 pipixcan, 122 leucophrys, Zonotrichia leucophrys, 155 leucoptera, Loxia leucoptera, 163 leucorhoa, Oceanodroma leucorhoa, 106 Leucosticte arctoa, 160-161 atrata, 218 tephrocotis, 43, 161, 218 leucura, Pinicola enucleator, 161 Leukering, Tony, see Mlodinow, S. G. Levesque, Paul G., Fenneman, Jamie, and Kennedy, Jeremiah, First occurrence of the Cave Swallow in British Columbia, 264-266 lilfordi, Grus grus, 110-111 limicola, Rallus limicola, 110 Limnodromus griseus, 38, 118 scolopaceus, 118, 201 Limosa fedoa, 114 361 INDEX haemastica, 16, 114, 309-310, 319 lapponica, 71-75 , 114, 310, 319, 322 limosa, 114 lincolnii, Melospiza lincolnii, 155 littoralis, Leucosticte tephrocotis, 161 Locustella lanceolata, 141 ochotensis, 141 Long, Ashley M., Mathewson, Heather A., Robinson, Dianne H., Grzybowski, Joseph A., and Morrison, Michael L., Black-capped Vireo breeding habitat in north- central Texas, 256-260 longicauda , Toxostoma rufum, 146 longipennis, Sterna hirundo, 126 Longspur, Chestnut-collared, 315 Lapland, 42, 149 Smith’s, 150, 225 Loon, Arctic, 103-104, 219, 318 Common, 35, 104 Pacific, 104 Red-throated, 11, 103 Yellow-billed, 104 Lophodytes cucullatus, 102, 195 Lovich, Jeffrey E., Golden Eagle mortality at a wind-energy facility near Palm Springs, California, 76-80 Loxia curvirostra, 163, 212 leucoptera, 163 lugens, Motacilla alba, 147 Luscinia calliope, 142 cyane, 142 sibilans, 142 svecica, 142 lutescens, Oreothlypis celata, 150-151 luteus, Colaptes auratus, 131-132 Lymnocryptes minimus, 118 magnus, Aegolius funereus, 128 Magpie, Black-billed, 41, 135 Mallard, 33, 99, 195 mandti, Cepphus grylle, 120 marginella, Zenaida macroura, 127 marila, Aythya marila, 100 Marks, Jeffrey S., Book Review: Owls of North America and the Caribbean, 347-348 Martin, Common House-, 137 Purple, 136 Mathewson, Heather A., see Long, A. M., see Colon, M. R. maxima, Melospiza melodia, 154 McFarland, Tiffany M., see Colon, M. R. McHugh, Yvonne E., see Brake, A. J. McNeil, Shannon E., Tracy, Diane, and Cappello, Caroline D., Loop migration by a western Yellow- billed Cuckoo wintering in the Gran Chaco, 244-255 Meadowlark, Eastern, 211 Western, 159, 211 mearnsi, Zenaida asiatica, 126 Megaceryle alcyon, 130, 203 Megascops kennicottii, 127 Melanerpes formicivorus, 81-82, 223 uropygialis, 18 Melanitta americana, 35, 101 fusca, 35, 101 perspicillata, 35, 101 melanocephalus, Pheucticus melanocephalus, 158 melanuroides, Limosa limosa, 114 meligerus, Troglodytes pacificus, 138 Melospiza georgiana, 24, 155, 210 lincolnii, 155, 210 melodia, 43, 154-155, 210 Melozone fusca, 209 Merganser, Common, 102, 195 Hooded, 102, 195 Red-breasted, 35, 102 merganser, Mergus merganser, 102 Mergellus albellus, 101-102, 318, 322 Mergus merganser, 102, 195 serrator, 35, 102 meridionalis, Cathartes aura, 108 Merlin, 40, 132, 203 Merrill, Ryan J., and Bartels, Matt, Ninth report of the Washington Bird Records Committee (2008- 2010), 299-325 merrilli, Melospiza melodia, 154-155 meruloides, Ixoreus naeuius, 42, 146 Mesophoyx intermedia, 107 Meyer, Aran, Warning, Nathanial, and Benedict, Lauryn, Direct removal of fecal sacs by Rock Wrens, 267-270 Meyers, Martin, Nevada Bird Records Committee Report for 2013, 8-27 middendorffii, Anser fabalis, 97 migratorius, Turdus migratorius, 146 Mimus polyglottos, 146, 207 minima, Branta hutchinsii, 98 minor, Chordeiles minor, 129 362 INDEX Loxia curuirostra, 163 Mlodinow, Steven G., and Leukering, T., Colorado’s first accepted record of the Cave Swallow, 331-335; and Leukering, Tony, Brooks, Tayler, and Moore, Nick, Apparent hybrid Downy Woodpecker x Hairy Woodpecker in Colorado, 2-7 Mniotilta varia, 150, 208, 315, 320-321 Mockingbird, Northern, 146, 207 modesta, Ardea alba, 107 Molothrus aeneus, 212, 225 ater, 159, 212 monilis, Patagioenas fasciata, 126 montanus, Junco hyemalis, 155-156 Moore, Nick, see Mlodinow, S. G. Moorhen, Common, 110 Moreno-Contreras, Israel, Gomez de Silva, Hector, Torres-Vivanco, Adrian, Villalpando-Navarrete, Nohemi, and Botello, Alejandro, Avifauna of Juarez Municipality, Chihuahua, Mexico, 190-215; and Gatica-Colima, Ana, and Venegas, Diana, New Montezuma Quail records from Chihuahua, Mexico, 339-342 morinella, Arenaria mterpres, 114 Morrison, Michael L., see Long, A. L., see Colon, M. R. Motacilla alba , 147 cinerea, 147 tschutschensis, 146-147 Murre, Common, 38, 119 Thick-billed, 119, 310 Murrelet, Ancient, 120 Kittlitz’s, 120 Long-billed, 120, 319 Marbled, 120 Scripps’s, 310 Scripps’s/Craveri’s, 310 Scripps’s/Guadalupe, 310 Xantus’s, 310 Muscicapa dauurica, 141 griseisticta, 141 sibirica, 141 striata, 141 Myadestes townsendi, 143, 336-338 Myiarchus cirierascens, 133, 204 crinitus, 20, 133 tuberculifer, 20 tyrannulus, 224 Myiodynastes luteiventrls, 224 Myna, Crested, 320 naeuius, Ixoreus naevius, 146 nanus, Catharus guttatus, 143 narcissina, Ficedula narcissina, 142 nearctica, Aythya marila, 34, 100 nebulosa, Strix nebulosa, 128 Needletail, White-throated, 129 neglecta, Sturnella neglecta, 159 nelsoni, Lagopus muta, 103 Picoides pubescens, 131 Sitta carolinensis, 278-290 neumanni, Muscicapa striata, 141 Nighthawk, Common, 129, 202 Lesser, 129, 202 Night-Heron, Black-crowned, 108, 198 Yellow-crowned, 13 Nightjar, Gray, 129 nigricans, Branta bernicla, 33, 97 Ninox japonica, 129 nivalis, Plectrophenax nivalis, 150 nubilosus , Onychoprion fuscatus, 125 Nucifraga Columbiana, 135 Numenius americanus, 114, 201 borealis, 113 madagascariensis, 114 minutus, 113 phaeopus, 37, 114 tahitiensis, 114 Nutcracker, Clark’s, 135 Nuthatch, Pygmy, 27 3-27 5 Red-breasted, 138, 206 White-breasted, 206, 278-290 Nyctanassa violacea, 13 Nycticorax nycticorax, 108, 198 nycticorax, Nycticorax nycticorax, 108 occidentalis, Aechmophorus occidentalis, 104 Branta canadensis, 98 Certhia americana, 138 Coccyzus americanus, 127 Larus occidentalis, 123 Oceanodroma furcata, 106 homochroa, 49-65, 308, 319 leucorhoa, 106 ochracea, Spizella arborea, 153 ochroleucus. Troglodytes pacificus, 139 ocularis, Motacilla alba, 147 O’Donnell, Ryan P., Hybridization between the Dusky Grouse and Sharp-tailed Grouse, 351-352 Oenanthe oenanthe, 142 363 INDEX oenanthe, Oenanthe oenanthe , 142 olivaceus, Regulus satrapa, 139 Vireo olivaceus, 135 Onychoprion aleuticus, 40, 125 fuscatus, 125, 221 Oporornis agilis, 22 oreganus, Junco hyemalis, 155 Oreoscoptes montanus, 207 Oreothlypis celata, 150-151, 208 luciae, 208 peregrina, 150, 316, 321 ruficapilla, 151, 208 virginiae, 208 orientalis , Streptopelia orientalis, 126 Oriole, Baltimore, 218, 321 Bullock’s, 159, 212 Hooded, 225 Orchard, 159, 318 Scott’s, 212 Streak-backed, 225 ornata, Emberiza aureola, 156 osculans, Haematopus ostralegus, 111 Osprey, 108, 198-199 Otus sunia, 127 Ovenbird, 150, 315 Owl, Barn, 202 Barred, 17, 128 Boreal, 128 Burrowing, 202 Great Gray, 128 Great Horned, 127-128, 202, 271-272 Long-eared, 68-70, 128 Northern Hawk, 128, 313-314, 319, 322 Northern Pygmy-, 128 Northern Saw-whet, 129 Oriental Scops-, 127 Short-eared, 40, 128, 202 Snowy, 128 Western Screech-, 127 Oxyura jamaicensis, 102, 195 Oystercatcher, Black, 36, 111 Eurasian, 111 pacifica, Calidris alpina 37, 116 pacificus, Anthus rubescens, 42, 149 Apus pacificus, 130 Perisoreus canadensis, 135 Troglodytes pacificus, 139 Pagophila eburnea, 122, 311 pallescens, Stercorarius longicaudus, 38, 119 pallidiceps, Bombycilla garrulus, 149 pallidissimus, Larus hyperboreus, 125 palmarum , Setophaga palmarum , 152 Pandion haliaetus, 108, 198-199 Pandolfino, Edward R., and Pieplow, Nathan D., Comparison of vocalizations of four U.S. subspecies of the White-breasted Nuthatch, 278-290; see Zamek, S. Parabuteo unicinctus, 199, 220, 319 Parker, Michael W., see Carter, H. R. Parkesia motacilla, 22 noveboracensis, 150, 208 Parula, Northern, 316 Tropical, 225 parvipes, Branta canadensis, 98 Passer domesticus, 164, 212 Passerculus sandwichensis, 42, 153, 210 Passerella iliaca, 43, 153-154, 317 Passerina amoena, 158, 211 caerulea, 158, 211 ciris, 24, 211, 322 cyanea, 158, 317, 321 Patagioenas fasciata, 126 pealei, Falco peregrinus, 40, 132 pekinensis, Alauda arvensis, 135 Apus apus, 130 Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, 107, 198 occidentalis, 13, 107 Pelican, American White, 107, 198 Brown, 13, 107 peninsularis, Lagopus Ieucura, 103 Perisoreus canadensis, 135 perobscurus, Accipiter striatus, 109 Petrel, Ashy Storm-, 49-65, 308, 319 Cook’s, 105 Fork- tailed Storm-, 106 Hawaiian, 307-308 Leach’s Storm-, 106 Mottled, 105, 307, 318-319 Murphy’s, 307 Providence, 105, 303-306 Petrochelidon fulva, 206, 224, 264-266, 331-335 pyrrhonota, 41, 136, 206 Peucaea cassinii, 209-210 Pewee, Greater, 314 Western Wood-, 132, 204 Phainopepla, 208, 320 Phainopepla nitens, 208, 320 Phalacrocorax auritus, 35, 106, 198 brasilianus, 12, 196-197 pelagicus, 35, 106-107 penicillatus, 106 364 INDEX urile, 35, 106 Phalaenoptilus nuttallii, 202 Phalarope, Red, 38, 119 Red-necked, 38, 119 Wilson’s, 119, 201 Phalaropus fulicarius, 38, 119 lobatus, 38, 119 tricolor, 119, 201 Pheucticus ludovicianus, 158, 211, 317-318 melanocephalus , 158, 211 Phoebastria albatrus, 104, 302-303 immutabilis, 104 nigripes, 104 Phoebe, Black, 133, 204, 314 Eastern, 133, 204, 320 Say’s, 133, 204 Phoenicurus phoenicurus, 142 phoenicurus, Phoenicurus phoenicurus, 142 Phylloscopus borealis, 140 collybita, 140 examinandus, 140 fuscatus, 140 inornatus, 140 proregulus, 140 sibilatrix, 140 trochilus, 140 Pica hudsonia, 41, 135 Picoides arcticus, 131 dorsalis, 131 pubescens , 2-7, 131, 203 scalaris, 203 uillosus , 2-7, 131 Pieplow, Nathan D., see Pandolfino, E. R. Pigeon, Band-tailed, 126 Rock, 126, 202 pileolata, Cardellina pusilla, 42, 153 Pinicola enucleator, 161-162 Pintail, Northern, 34, 99, 195 pinus, Spinus pinus, 163 Pipilo chlorurus, 209 erythrophthalmus, 217-218 maculatus, 153, 209, 343-346 Pipit, American, 42, 149, 208, 263 Olive-backed, 147 Pechora, 147 Red-throated, 148-149 Sprague’s, 22 Tree, 147 Piranga ludoviciana, 158, 210 olivacea, 158 rubra, 210 Pitangus sulphuratus, 224 platyrhynchos, Anas platyrhynchos, 33, 99 Plectrophenax hyperboreus, 150, 320 nivalis, 150 Plegadis chihi, 198, 308-309 falcinellus, 219 Plover, American Golden-, 15, 111 Black-bellied, 111 Common Ringed, 112 European Golden-, 111 Lesser Sand-, 111 Little Ringed, 112 Mountain, 15, 322 Pacific Golden-, 36, 111 Semipalmated, 36, 112 Snowy, 112 plumbea, Oceanodroma furcata, 106 plumbeus, Psaltriparus minimus, 315 Pluvialis apricaria, 111 dominica, 15, 111 fulva, 36, 111 squatarola, 111 Pochard, Common, 100 Podiceps auritus, 104 grisegena, 104 nigricollis, 104, 196 podiceps, Podilymbus podiceps, 104 Podilymbus podiceps, 104, 196 Poecile atricapillus, 137 cinctus, 138 gambeli, 137 hudsonicus, 137-138 rufescens, 137 polaris, Emberiza pallasi, 156-157 PolioptUa caerulea, 207 , 315 melanura, 207 pollicaris, Rissa tridactyla, 39, 122 polyglottos, Mimus polyglottos, 146 Polysticta stelleri, 100 Pond-Heron, Chinese, 108 Pooecetes gramineus, 153, 210 Poorwill, Common, 202 Porzana Carolina, 110, 201 Pratincole, Oriental, 119 principalis, Corvus corax, 135 Progne subis, 136 Protonotaria citrea, 315-316 Prunella montanella, 146 Psaltriparus minimus, 315 Ptarmigan, Rock, 103 White-tailed, 103, 233-243 Willow, 102-103 Pterodroma cookii, 105 365 INDEX inexpectata, 105, 307, 318-319 sandwichensis, 307-308 solandri, 105, 303-306 ultima, 307 ptilocnemis, Calidris ptilocnemis, 116 Ptychoramphus aleuticus, 120 Puffin, Horned, 39, 121, 311, 319 Tufted, 39, 121-122 Puffinus bulled, 105 carneipes, 105 creatopus, 105 gravis, 105, 308 griseus, 35, 105 puffinus, 105, 308 tenuirostris, 105 pugetensis, Zonotrichia leucophrys, 155 purpureus, Haemorhous purpureus, 162 pygmaea, Aethia pygmaea, 121 Pygmy-Owl, Northern, 128 Pyrocephalus rubinus, 204 pyrrhonota, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, 41, 136 Pyrrhula pyrrhula, 162 pyrrhulina, Emberiza schoeniclus, 157 Pyrrhuloxia, 211, 225 Quail, Gambel’s, 196 Montezuma, 339-342 Scaled, 196 quarta , Calidris ptilocnemis, 116 Quiscalus mexicanus, 211, 318 quiscula, 24, 159, 318 Rail, Virginia, 110 Rallus limicola, 110 Raven, Chihuahuan, 205 Common, 41, 135 reai, Loxia curvirostra, 163 Recurvirostra americana, 111, 201 Redhead, 100, 195 Redpoll, Common, 25, 44, 163, 291-298 Hoary, 163, 225, 228, 318, 321 Redshank, Spotted, 15, 113 Redstart, American, 151, 208 Common, 142 Redwing, 145 Regulus calendula, 139, 207 satrapa, 139 Rhodostethia rosea, 122 richardsoni, Aegolius funereus, 128 ridgwayi, Oreothlypis ruficapilla, 151 Ringgenberg, Brandi, and Winker, K. , Indications that the Common Redpoll is double brooded in Alaska, 291-298 Riparia riparia, 41, 136, 206 riparia, Riparia riparia, 41, 136 Ripplinger, Christina M., see Greeney, H. F. Rissa brevirostris, 16, 39, 122 tridactyla, 16, 39, 122 Roadrunner, Greater, 202 Robin, American, 146, 207, 336-338 Rufous-backed, 20 Rufous-tailed, 142 Siberian Blue, 142 Robinson, Dianne H., see Long, A. M. robusta, Motacilla cinerea, 147 rodgersii, Fulmarus glacialis, 35, 105 Rosefinch, Common, 162 roselaari, Calidris canutus, 115 Rosy-Finch, Asian, 160-161 Black, 218 Gray-crowned, 43, 161, 218 ruber, Sphyrapicus ruber, 131 rubida, Oxyura jamaicensis, 102 rubiginosa, Setophaga petechia, 42, 152 Rubythroat, Siberian, 142 rufescens, Poecile rufescens, 137 Ruff, 115, 310 ruficollis, Egretta tricolor, 107 rufina, Melospiza melodia, 154 rustica, Hirundo rustica, 136 Rynchops niger, 222 Sage-Grouse, Gunnison, 217 salicicola, Catharus fuscescens, 143 Salpinctes obsoletus, 206, 267-270 sanaka, Melospiza melodia, 43, 154 sanctijohannis, Buteo lagopus, 36, 110 Sanderling, 37, 116 Sandpiper, Baird’s, 116 Broad-billed, 115 Buff-breasted, 118, 310 Common, 112 Curlew, 115, 220 Green, 112 Least, 37, 118, 201 Marsh, 113 Pectoral, 118, 201 Purple, 116 Rock, 37, 116 Semipalmated, 118 Sharp-tailed, 115 366 INDEX Solitary, 112-113, 201 Spoon-billed, 115-116 Spotted, 112, 201 Stilt, 16, 115 Terek, 112 Upland, 113 Western, 38, 118, 201 White-rumped, 118 Wood, 113 Sand-Plover, Lesser, 111 sartdwichensis, Passerculus sandwichensis , 42, 153 Sapsucker, Red-breasted, 131 Red-naped, 203 Williamson's, 89-91, 203 Yellow-bellied, 18, 130-131, 203, 314, 319 satrapa, Tyrannus melancholicus, 133 saturata, Upupa epops, 130 saturatus, Bubo virginianus, 127 Contopus sordidulus, 132 Saxicola torquatus, 142 Sayornis nigricans, 133, 204, 314 phoebe, 133, 204, 320 saga, 133, 204 Scaup, Greater, 34, 100 Lesser, 34, 100, 195 Schmidt, Krista K., see Greeney, H. F. Schneider, Ken R., Hypermelanistic American Pipit returns to winter in central California, 263 Scops-Owl, Oriental, 127 Scoter, Black, 35, 101 Surf, 35, 101 White-winged, 35, 101 Screech-Owl, Western, 127 Sea-Eagle, Steller’s, 108-109 Searcy, Adam, Book review: The Warbler Guide, 186-187 Seiurus aurocapilla, 150, 315 Selasphorus platycercus, 203 ru/us, 130, 203 sasin, 17, 319 semiater, Sayornis nigricans, 133 semidiensis, Troglodytes pacificus, 41, 138 septentrionalis, Picoides villosus, 131 septentrionalium, Anas cyanoptera, 99 serripennis, Stelgidopteryx serripennis, 136 serrirostris, Anser serrirostris, 97 Setophaga americana, 316 auduboni, 209 caerulescens, 152, 317, 321, 322 castanea, 24, 317 chrysoparia, 261-262 citrina, 208 coronata, 42, 152, 209 discolor, 24, 152 dominica, 317 fusca, 317 graciae, 209 magnolia, 151, 316-317 nigrescens, 209 palmarum, 152 pensylvanica, 152, 317 petechia, 42, 152, 208-209 pinus, 24, 209 pitiayumi, 225 ruticilla, 151, 208 striata, 152, 317, 321 tigrina, 151 toumsendi, 152, 209 virens, 152 Shearwater, Buller’s, 105 Flesh-footed, 105 Great, 105, 308 Manx, 105, 308 Pink-footed, 105 Short-tailed, 105 Sooty, 35, 105 Streaked, 319 Shedd, Jackson D., Acorn Woodpecker predation on the Western Fence Lizard in northern California, 81-82 Shoveler, Northern, 34, 99, 195 Shrike, Brown, 134 Loggerhead, 204 Northern, 134 Sialia currucoides, 143, 207, 273-275 mexicana, 207 sialis, 207 sibilans, Luscinia sibilans, 142 sibirica, Calidris falcinellus, 115 Muscicapa sibirica, 141 sibiricus, Lanius excubitor, 134 Siemens, Larry, Two thrush species feed the same nestlings, 336-338 simillima, Motacilla tschutschensis, 147 sinuosa, Passerella iliaca, 154 Siskin, Eurasian, 163 Pine, 163, 212 sitkensis, Dendragapus fuliginosus, 103 Picoides villosus, 131 367 INDEX Sitta canadensis, 138, 206 carolinensis, 206, 278-290 pygmaea, 27 3-27 5 Skimmer, Black, 222 Skua, South Polar, 119 Smew, 101-102, 318, 322 smithsonianus, Larus argentatus, 39, 123 Snipe, Common, 118 Jack, 118 Pin-tailed, 118 Solitary, 118-119 Wilson’s, 38, 118, 201 Solitaire, Townsend’s, 143, 336-338 solitaria, Tringa solitaria, 112 solitarius, Vireo solitarius, 134 Somateria fischeri, 100 mollissima, 101 spectabilis, 35, 101, 302 Sora, 110, 201 Sparrow, American Tree, 153 Black-chinned, 210, 225 Black-throated, 210 Brewer’s, 153, 210 Cassin’s, 209-210 Chipping, 153, 210 Clay-colored, 24, 153, 210 Fox, 43, 153-154, 317 Golden-crowned, 43, 155 Grasshopper, 210 Harris’s, 155 House, 164, 212 Lark, 153, 210 Lincoln’s, 155, 210 Rufous-crowned, 209 Sagebrush, 210 Savannah, 42, 153, 210 Song, 43, 154-155, 210 Swamp, 24, 155, 210 Vesper, 153, 210 White-crowned, 43, 155, 210 White-throated, 155 sparverius, Falco sparverius, 132 Sphyrapicus nuchalis, 203 ruber, 131 thyroideus, 89-91, 203 varius, 18, 130-131, 203, 314, 319 Spinus lauirencei, 228 pinus, 163, 212 psaltria, 212 spinus, 163 tristis, 163, 212 Spiza americana, 24, 158, 211, 318, 321 Spizella arborea, 153 atrogularis, 210, 225 breuieri, 153, 210 pallida, 24, 153, 210 passerina, 153, 210 sponsa, Anser albifrons, 32, 97 spurius, Icterus spurius, 159 Stahl, Justyn, Book Review: Peterson Reference Guide to Seawatching, 348-350 Stahlecker, Dale W. , Prolonged incubation and two clutches in a New Mexico Great Horned Owl nest: 2011-2012, 271-272 Starling, European, 146, 207-208 stegmanni, Charadrius mongolus, 111 stejnegeri, Anthus gustavi, 147 Melanitta fusca, 101 Saxicola torquatus, 142 Stelgidopteryx serripennis, 136, 205-206 stelleri, Cyanocitta stelleri, 135 Stercorarius longicaudus, 16, 38, 119 maccormicki, 119 parasiticus, 16, 38, 119 pomarinus, 119 Sterna hirundo, 126 paradisaea, 40, 126 Sternula antillarum, 17, 311-312 Stilt, Black-necked, 201 Black-winged, 111 Stint, Little, 116-118 Long-toed, 115 Red-necked, 116, 310 Temminck’s, 115 Stonechat, 142 Storm-Petrel, Ashy, 49-65, 308, 319 Fork-tailed, 106 Leach’s, 106 Streptopelia decaocto, 126, 202, 222, 312, 322 orientalis, 126 strigatus, Chondestes grammacus, 153 Strix nebulosa, 128 uaria, 17, 128 Sturnella magna, 211 neglecta, 159, 211 Sturnus vulgaris, 146, 207-208 subbuteo, Falco subbuteo, 132 subis, Progne subis, 136 suckleyi, Falco columbarius, 132 Sula leucogaster, 106, 308 368 INDEX Surf bird, 115 surinamensis, Chlidonias niger, 126 Surnia ulula, 128, 313-314, 319, 322 svecica, Luscinia svecica, 142 swainsoni, Vireo gilvus, 134 Swallow, Bank, 41, 136, 206 Barn, 136-137, 206 Cave, 206, 224, 264-266, 331-335 Cliff, 41, 136, 206 Northern Rough-winged, 136, 205- 206 Tree, 136, 205 Violet-green, 41, 136, 205 Swan, Trumpeter, 11, 98 Tundra, 33, 98, 301 Whooper, 98-99 Swift, Black, 129 Chimney, 129 Common, 130 Fork-tailed, 130 Vaux’s, 129 White-throated, 202-203 Sylvia curruca, 140 Synthliboramphus antiquus, 120 hypoleucus, 310 scrippsi, 310 scrippsi/craveri , 310 scrippsi/hypoleucus, 310 tabida, Grus canadensis, 110 Tachycineta bicolor, 136, 205 thalassina, 41, 136, 205 Tanager, Scarlet, 158 Summer, 210 Western, 158, 210 Tarsiger cyanurus, 142 Tattler, Gray- tailed, 113 Wandering, 37, 113 taverneri, Branta hutchinsii, 98 Spizella breweri, 153 Teal, Baikal, 100, 301 Blue-winged, 33, 99, 195 Cinnamon, 99, 195 Green-winged, 34, 100, 195 tenuissima, Sitta carolinensis, 278-290 tephrocotis, Leucosticte tephrocotis, 161 Tern, Aleutian, 40, 125 Arctic, 40, 126 Black, 126 Caspian, 125-126 Common, 126 Least, 17, 311-312 Royal, 221 Sandwich, 221-222 Sooty, 125, 221 White- winged, 126 texensis, Chordeiles acutipennis, 129 Thalassarche salvini, 104 Thalasseus maximus, 221 sandvicensis, 221-222 thalassina, Tachycineta thalassina, 41, 136 thayeri, Larus glaucoides, 123, 125 Thrasher, Brown, 21, 146, 315 Crissal, 207 Curve-billed, 21, 207 Sage, 207 Thrush, Dusky, 144-145 Eyebrowed, 144 Gray-cheeked, 143 Hermit, 42, 143, 207 Swainson’s, 143, 207 Varied, 42, 146 Wood, 143 Thryomanes bewickii, 207 tolmiei, Geothlypis tolmiei, 151 Tomkovich, Pavel S., see Hajdukovich, N. R. torquilla, Jynx torquilla, 130 Torres-Vivanco, Adrian, see Moreno- Contreras, I. Towhee, Canyon, 209 Eastern, 217-218 Green-tailed, 209 Spotted, 153, 209, 343-346 townsendi, Lagopus muta, 103 Myadestes townsendi, 143 Passerella iliaca, 43, 154 Plectrophenax nivalis, 150 Toxostoma crissale, 207 curvirostre, 21, 207 rufum, 21, 146, 315 Tracy, Diane, see McNeil, S. E. Tringa brevipes, 113 erythropus, 15, 113 flavipes, 113, 201 glareola, 113 incana, 37, 113 melanoleuca, 37, 113, 201 nebularia, 113 ochropus, 112 semipalmata, 113 solitaria, 112-113, 201 stagnatilis, 113 tristis, Phylloscopus collybita, 140 trivialis, Anthus trivialis, 147 Troglodytes aedon, 206 369 INDEX pacificus, 41, 138-139, 224-225 tschuktschorum, Calidris ptilocnemis, 116 tschutschensis, Motacilla tschutschensis, 146-147 tundrae, Charadrius hiaticula, 112 tundrius, Falco peregrinus, 132 Turdus iliacus, 145 migratorius, 146, 207, 336-338 naumanni, 144-145 obscurus, 144 pilaris, 145 rufopalliatus, 20 turned, Poecile atricapillus, 137 Turnstone, Black, 114 Ruddy, 37, 114 Turtle-Dove, Oriental, 126 Tympanuchus phasianellus, 103 x Dendragapus obscurus, 351-352 Tyrannus crassirostris, 224 forficatus, 20, 134, 315, 320 melancholicus, 133, 314 melancholicus/couchii, 314-315, 320 tyrannus, 134 uerticalis, 133-134, 204 vociferans, 204 Tyto alba, 202 umbelloides, Bonasa umbellus, 102 umbrina, Leucosticte tephrocotis, 161 unalaschcensis, Passerella iliaca, 43, 153 unicolor, Cinclus mexicanus, 139 Upupa epops, 130 Uria aalge, 38, 119 lomvia, 119, 310 ustulatus, Catharus ustulatus, 143 Vander Pluym, David, Book review: Field Guide to Birds of the Northern California Coast, 83-86 Vanellus uanellus, 111 uaria, Strix varia, 128 variegatus, Numenius phaeopus, 114 uauxi, Chaetura vauxi, 129 Veery, 143 vegae, Larus argentatus, 123 veliei, Contopus sordidulus, 132 velox, Accipiter striatus, 109 Venegas, Diana, see Moreno- Contreras, I. Verdin, 206 versicolor, Quiscalus quiscula, 159 Villalpando-Navarrete, Nohemi, see Moreno-Contreras, I. vinifer, Haemorhous cassinii, 66-68 Violetear, Green, 222 virens, Setophaga virens, 152 Vireo, Bell’s, 204, 315 Black-capped, 256-260 Blue-headed, 134, 205, 217, 315, 320 Cassin’s, 134, 205, 217 Philadelphia, 134-135, 315, 320 Plumbeous, 205 Red-eyed, 135 Warbling, 134, 205 Vireo atricapilla, 256-260 bellii, 204, 315 cassinii, 134, 205, 217 gilvus, 134, 205 olivaceus, 135 philadelphicus, 134-135, 315, 320 plumbeus, 205 solitarius, 134, 205, 217, 315, 320 viridigularis, Gavia arctica, 103-104 v-nigrum, Somateria mollissima, 101 vociferus, Charadrius vociferus, 112 vulgaris, Sturnus vulgaris, 146 Vulture, Black, 219 Turkey, 108, 198 Wagtail, Eastern Yellow, 146-147 Gray, 147 White, 147 Warbler, Arctic, 140 Audubon’s, 209 Bay-breasted, 24, 317 Black-and-white, 150, 208, 315, 320-321 Blackburnian, 317 Blackpoll, 152, 317, 321 Black-throated Blue, 152, 317, 321, 322 Black-throated Gray, 209 Black-throated Green, 152 Canada, 153 Cape May, 151 Chestnut-sided, 152, 317 Connecticut, 22 Dusky, 140 Golden-cheeked, 261-262 Grace’s, 209 Hooded, 208 Kamchatka Leaf, 140 Lanceolated, 141 Lucy’s, 208 370 INDEX MacGillivray’s, 151, 208 Magnolia, 151, 316-317 Middendorff’s Grasshopper-, 141 Mourning, 151, 316 Myrtle, 209 Nashville, 151, 208 Orange-crowned, 150-151, 208 Pallas’s Leaf, 140 Palm, 152 Pine, 24, 209 Prairie, 24, 152 Prothonotary, 315-316 Red-faced, 225 Sedge, 141 Tennessee, 150, 316, 321 Townsend’s, 152, 209 Virginia’s, 208 Willow, 140 Wilson’s, 42, 153, 209 Wood, 140 Worm-eating, 320 Yellow, 42, 152, 208-209 Yellow-browed, 140 Yellow-rumped, 42, 152 Yellow- throated, 317 Warning, Nathanial, see Meyer, A. Waterthrush, Louisiana, 22 Northern, 150, 208 Waxwing, Bohemian, 149 Cedar, 149, 208 Wethington, Susan M., see Greeney, H. L. Wheatear, Northern, 142 Whimbrel, 37, 114 Whip-poor-will, Eastern, 129, 217 Mexican, 217 Whistling-Duck, Black-bellied, 11, 228 Lulvous, 11, 218 Whitethroat, Lesser, 140 Whitworth, Darrell L., see Carter, H. R. Wigeon, American, 33, 99, 195 Eurasian, 33, 99 Willet, 113 Williams, Sartor O. Ill, see Braun, C. E. wilsonianus, Asio otus, 128 Winker, Kevin, see Ringgenberg, B. Withrow, Jack J., Notes on the birds of Chirikof Island, Alaska, 28-48; see Gibson, D. D. Woodpecker, Acorn, 81-82, 223 American Three-toed, 131 Black-backed, 131 Downy, 2-7, 131, 203 Gila, 18 Great Spotted, 131 Hairy, 2-7, 131 Ladder-backed, 203 Wood-Pewee, Western, 132, 204 Wren, Bewick’s, 207 Cactus, 207 Canyon, 206 House, 206 Marsh, 139, 206-207 Pacific, 41, 138-139, 224-225 Rock, 206, 267-270 Wrentit, 320 Wryneck, Eurasian, 130 Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, 159, 211 Xema sabini, 122 Xenus cinereus, 112 yakutensis , Phylloscopus trochilus, 140 Yellowlegs, Greater, 37, 113, 201 Lesser, 113, 201 Yellowthroat, Common, 151, 208 yukonensis, Bonasa umbellus, 102 Sayornis saya, 133 yunnanensis, Anthus hodgsoni, 147 zaboria, Passerella iliaca, 154 Zamek, Steve, and Pandolfino, Edward R., Interspecific feeding of Mountain Bluebird nestlings by a Pygmy Nuthatch, 273-275 Zenaida asiatica, 126, 202, 312, 319, 322 macroura, 127, 202 Zonotrichia albicollis, 155 atricapilla, 43, 155 leucophrys, 43, 155, 210 querula , 155 371 World Wide Web site: WESTERN BIRDS www. westernfieldornithologists . org Quarterly Journal of Western Field Ornithologists President: David E. Quady, 39 The Crescent, Berkeley, CA 94708; davequady@att.net Vice-President: Thomas A. Blackman, 4470 Orchard Ave., San Diego, CA 92107; obeach@cox.net Past-President: Edward R. Pandolfino, 1328 49th St., Sacramento, CA 95819; ERFfromCA@aol.com Treasurer/Membership Secretary: Suzanne Carota, 3476 Armourdale Ave., Long Beach, CA 90808; smcarota@gmail.com Recording Secretary: Liga Auzins, 12842 Safford East, Garden Grove, CA 92840; llauzins@y ahoo . com Directors: Jon L. Dunn, Daniel D. Gibson, Homer Hansen, Susan Kelly, Kurt Leuschner, Larry Modesitt, Frances Oliver, Diane Rose, Steve Rottenborn, W. David Shuford, Raymond VanBuskirk, Catherine P. Waters Editor: Philip Unitt, San Diego Natural History Museum, P. O. Box 121390, San Diego, CA 92112-1390; birds@sdnhm.org Assistant Editor: Daniel D. Gibson, 3705 Quartz Rd., Ester, AK 99725 Associate Editors: Kenneth P. Able, Matthew J. Baumann, Daniel S. Cooper, Thomas Gardali, Daniel D. Gibson, Robert E. Gill, Ronald R. Le Valley, Dan Reinking, Daniel R. Ruthrauff Graphics Manager: Virginia P. Johnson, 4637 Del Mar Ave., San Diego, CA 92107; gingerj5@juno.com Photo Editor: Peter LaTourrette, 1019 Loma Prieta Ct., Los Altos, CA 94024; petelat 1 @stanford . edu Featured Photo: John Sterling, 26 Palm Ave., Woodland, CA 95695; jsterling@wavecable.com Book Reviews: Lauren Harter, 2841 McCulloch Blvd. N. #1, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403; lbharter@gmail.com WFO Website: Timothy W. Brittain; webmaster@westernfieldornithologists.org Membership dues, for individuals and institutions, including subscription to Western Birds: Pa- tron, $1000; Life, $600 (payable in four equal annual installments); Supporting, $75 annually; Contributing, $50 annually; Family $40; Regular U.S. $35 for one year, $60 for two years, $85 for three years. Dues and contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Send membership dues, changes of address, correspondence regarding missing issues, and or- ders for back issues and special publications to the Treasurer. Make checks payable to Western Field Ornithologists. Back issues of Western Birds within U.S. $40 per volume, $10 for single issues, including shipping and handling. Outside the U.S. $55 per volume, $15 for single issues, including ship- ping and handling. Published 1 December 2015 ISSN 0045-3897 Montezuma Quail Photo by © Peter LaTourrette of Los Altos, California: Montezuma Quail ( Cyrtonyx montezumae) Davis Mountains State Park, Jeff Davis County, Texas, 18 April 2005. In this issue of Western Birds , Israel Moreno-Contreras, Ana Gatica-Colima, and Diana Venegas (pp. 339-342) outline the distribution of the secretive Montezuma Quail in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, which remains poorly explored ornithologically. The Montezuma Quail is not only widespread in the Sierra Madre Occidental of western Chi- huahua, it occurs in some isolated outlying ranges to the east, the Sierra El Capulin and the Sierra La Escondida. In eastern Chihuahua, there is only a single unspecific report from the Sierra Rica, in the Area de Proteccion de Flora y Fauna Canon de Santa Elena, calling for better exploration of that area, which lies just west across the Rio Grande from Big Bend National Park where the Montezuma Quail is resident. Back cover: “Featured Photos” by © Ryan P. O’Donnell of Flagstaff, Arizona: (center) hybrid Dusky Grouse (. Dendragapus obscurus) x Sharp-tailed Grouse ( Tympanuchus phasianellus ) at Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area, Cache Co., Utah, 7 April 2013, and © Paul Higgins of Roy, Utah: (top) Dusky Grouse in Weber Co., Utah, 10 March 2012, and (bottom) Sharp-tailed Grouse in Box Elder Co., Utah, 31 March 2012.