-£i£lQiy oj
ROBERT GILL
CALIFORNIA
BIRDS
Vol.l, No. 2, 1970
CALIFORNIA BIRDS
Journal of California Field Ornithologists
Editors: Alan Baldridge, Virginia P. Coughran, Alan M. Craig,
Jean T. Craig, Pierre Devillers, Joseph Greenberg,
Clifford R. Lyons, Guy McCaskie, Thomas L. Rodgers
Membership Secretary: Marilyn Lyons
Volume 1, Number 2, June 1970
The American Redstart in California Guy McCaskie 41
The Identification and Distribution in California of the 47
Sphyrapicus varius Group of Sapsuckers Pierre Devillers
NOTES
Two Records of Grace’s Warbler in California Alan M. Craig 11
An Olivaceous Flycatcher in California G. Shumway Suffel 19
The Blue Jay in California Guy McCaskie 81
An Inland Record of the Black Oystercatcher Raymond Higgs 83
CORRIGENDUM 84
Membership dues and changes of address should be sent to Clifford R. Lyons,
Treasurer, 6424 Mt. Adelbert Dr., San Diego, California 92111. Classes of mem-
bership (all include subscription to California Birds): Patron, $1000; Life,
$150; Supporting, $20 annually; Contributing, $10 annually, Regular, $5
annually.
Manuscripts should be sent to Guy McCaskie, San Diego Natural History Museum,
Box 1390, San Diego, California 92112. Use of the Style Manual for Biological
Journals is suggested as a guide in preparing manuscripts.
Rare bird reports should be sent to Jon Winter, Secretary, Rare Bird Committee,
Point Reyes Bird Observatory, Mesa Rd., Bolinas, California 94924.
Cover design by Virginia P. Coughran
Printed quarterly in San Diego, California by Trade Printing Company, Inc.
CALIFORNIA
BIRDS
Volume 1, Number 2, 1970
THE AMERICAN REDSTART IN CALIFORNIA
Guy McCaskie
The American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), one of the most
abundant breeding species in the eastern portion of North America,
reaches as far west as the coast of southeastern Alaska and extreme
northeastern Oregon as a nesting bird. It winters primarily in Central
America and in the West Indies with numbers reaching the northern
portions of South America and southern Mexico, and part of the pop-
ulation is known to winter along the west coast of Mexico north to
Sonora. Its migration route is primarily across the Gulf of Mexico and
through the West Indies, with significant numbers using the east coast
of Mexico; the northwestern population is thought to migrate east of
the Rockies both during the spring and fall, and it is considered a rare
migrant in the southwestern United States.
The American Redstart is noted most frequently in three areas of
California. 1 . Most of the records are from the immediate vicinity of
the coast between Point Reyes, Marin County (one record for Hum-
boldt Bay, Humboldt County, is the only coastal record in California
north of this point) and Imperial Beach, San Diego County, an area
with many observers. I know of 21 2 fall and 30 spring records for this
region. The majority occur during the fall migration in the southern
portion of the region where numbers may be augmented by individ-
uals moving southwestward from the southern end of the Sierras. Of
the 1 2 winter reports for the coast region five birds were observed for
more than one or two days: Sebastopol, Sonoma County, between
24 February and 9 March 1963 (National Audubon Society, 1963);
Calif. Birds 1: 41-46, 1970 41
AMERICAN REDSTART IN CALIFORNIA
Carmel, Monterey County, between 11 January and 3 February 1964
(National Audubon Society, 1964), and between 2 December 1967
and 14 January 1968 (National Audubon Society, 1968); San Diego,
San Diego County, between 2 December 1962 and 20 April 1963
(pers. obs.), and between 25 January and 4 April 1964 (pers. obs.).
Some of these records indicate the American Redstart can successfully
winter along the coast of California, though it certainly does not do so
regularly or in any numbers.
2. American Redstarts are recorded regularly from some local-
ities* east of the Sierra Nevada. I know of 47 fall and 20 spring
records for this region. Since there are very few observers in this
area, the number of records would indicate the American Redstart
may be more common here than elsewhere in California. One or more
can usually be found at Deep Springs, Inyo County, in late May or
early June, or in September, and five have been recorded here on more
than one occasion in early September.
3. There are 17 fall, 28 winter, and nine spring records for
southeastern California, including the area around the Saltan Sea and
along the Colorado River. The majority of the winter records are from
the Salton Sea area where I have seen as many as seven individuals to-
gether during January. This indicates that the American Redstart may
be a regular winter visitor in this region. As this is an area with few
observers the species is probably every bit as common here as it is
along the coast. Records away from these three areas include one from
the Sierras and three from the coastal mountains, both areas with few
observers but ample habitat in which a single bird is hard to locate,
and three from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley region, where
there are observers on the lookout for this species. This may indicate
it does not often get into the Central Valley of California.
All of the 382 occurrences of the American Redstart known to
me through 1968 are summarized in Figure 1. Each occurrence is
plotted to show the time of the year it was found. To do this an
arbitrary year starting on 1 January was chosen and then broken down
to the standard 52 weeks. Each occurrence was plotted according to
the week of the year in which it was recorded (e.g., a bird seen on 1 7
January is indicated above the third week of the year). Individuals
known to have remained in one locality for more than one week were
removed from the lower portion of the figure and are indicated at
the top of the figure; this was done to prevent a false impression of
abundance during the winter period. The recorded occurrences of the
American Redstart were obtained from a number of sources. AD the
42
FIGURE 1. The seasonal distribution of American Redstart records in California.
43
AMERICAN REDSTART IN CALIFORNIA
individuals recorded in the four regional reports (Great Basin, Central
Rocky Mountain Region; Southwest Region; Middle Pacific Coast
Region; and Southern Pacific Coast Region) of Audubon Field Notes
Vol. 1, No. 1 through Vol. 23, No. 1 were used in addition to those
recorded in the referenced literature; all the individuals recorded in
my personal notes, and others reported to me by persons I felt re-
liable, were used; and all the unpublished specimen-supported records
deposited in the museum collections I have checked (California
Academy of Sciences, Los Angeles County Museum, Museum of
Vertebrate Zoology — Berkeley, San Bernardino County Museum, and
San Diego Natural History Museum) were incorporated in the figure.
Note that the peak of the spring migration is approximately
1 June, or about one month later than that expected for warblers
which normally migrate through California to the northwestern por-
tion of North America. As spring records of vagrant eastern warblers
in California also tend to occur in late May and early June, this sug-
gests that the American Redstarts occurring in California in spring
are also vagrants, and are not following a normal route from their
winter quarters to their nesting grounds. Individuals seen in April may
be birds that have wintered in California; late June and July records
are probably spring migrants that have become hopelessly lost.
The peak of fall migration for most western warblers, as well as
for the American Redstart, occurs in September. On the other hand,
fall records of eastern vagrants tend to occur much later in the year.
This suggests that some American Redstarts normally move south
through California during the fall, perhaps from the northwestern
part of the species’ range to the western coast of Mexico or even to
southern California for the winter.
Pulich and Phillips (1953) discussed the possibility of a desert
flight line centered on the Lower Colorado River Valley. If there is
such a flight line, however, it would have to include the whole of
southeastern California. Their 4 spring and 1 1 fall records for the
Nevada and Arizona side of the Colorado River all fall within the two
peaks indicated on Figure 1 . It is most likely their fall records per-
tain to birds that have moved south along the east side of the Sierras
and fanned out over the desert, and that their spring records pertain to
vagrants. The lush vegetation along the Colorado River Valley will
obviously attract and hold any migrant warbler in the area, and thus
we can expect more records from this area than from the surrounding
desert area.
44
AMERICAN REDSTART IN CALIFORNIA
SUMMARY
The American Redstart is apparently a regular and normal fall
migrant along the coast of California and along the east side of the
Sierras, fanning out over the deserts of southeastern California. It
appears to be a regular vagrant during the late spring rather than a nor-
mal west coast spring migrant and occurs in the same areas where it
occurs during the fall. A small number of American Redstarts reg-
ularly winter in the vicinity of the Salton Sea and possibly elsewhere
in southeastern California, and a few individuals have wintered along
the coast from San Francisco Bay southward.
REFERENCES
American Ornithologists Union. 1957. Check-list of North American
Birds, Fifth ed. Lord Baltimore Press, Baltimore.
Cardiff, E. E., and B. E. Cardiff. 1949. The Ovenbird and the Ameri-
can Redstart in Imperial Valley, California. Condor 51:44-45.
1953. Additional records for the American Redstart in the
Imperial Valley of California. Condor 55:279.
Grinnell, J., and A. H. Miller. 1944. The distribution of the birds of
California. Pac. Coast Avif. no. 27:1-608.
Huey, L. M. 1954. Notes from southern California and Baja California,
Mexico. Condor 56:51-52.
McCaskie, R. G., and R. C. Banks. 1964. Occurrence and migration of
certain birds in southwestern California. Auk 81:353-361.
National Audubon Society. 1963. Winter Season. Audubon Field
Notes 17:355.
1964. Winter Season. Audubon Field Notes 18:384.
1968. Winter Season. Audubon Field Notes 22:478.
Parker, M. D. 1944. American Redstart in southern California, Condor
46:298.
Pulich, W. M., and A. R. Phillips. 1953. A possible desert flight line of
the American Redstart. Condor 55:99-100.
Richardson, C. H., and A. J. Richardson. 1958. American Redstart in
Santa Barbara County, California. Condor 60:408.
1959. Confirmation of occurrence of the American Redstart in
coastal Santa Barbara County, California. Condor 62:408.
45
AMERICAN REDSTART IN CALIFORNIA
Root, R. B. 1962. Comments on the status of some western specimens
of the American Redstart. Condor 64:76-77.
Tenaza, R. R. 1967. Recent records of landbirds from South
Farallon Islands, California. Condor 69:579-585.
Wauer, R. H. 1962. A survey of the birds of Death Valley. Condor 64:
220-233.
1964. Ecological distribution of the birds of the Panamint
Mountains, California. Condor 66:287-301.
Yadon, V. 1963. American Redstart in the Monterey area of California.
Condor 65:332.
San Diego Natural History Museum , Balboa Park, San Diego, California.
46
IDENTIFICATION AND DISTRIBUTION IN
CALIFORNIA OF THE SPHYRAPICUS VARIUS
GROUP OF SAPSUCKERS
Pierre Devillers
INTRODUCTION
In his recent paper on avian hybridization, Short (1969)
recommended that the three sapsuckers, Yellow-bellied Sphyrapicus
varius, Red-naped S. nuchalis, and Red-breasted S. ruber be treated as
distinct species, thus opening a new chapter in a long controversy.
S. ruber was described as a new species in 1788 by Gmelin. Ridgway
was the first to suggest its subordination to S. varius in 1872 and
again in 1873 and 1874. In his “Birds of North and Middle America”
(1914) he returned to treating it as a distinct species. Meanwhile the
A.O.U. Check-list had retained the full species status in its three first
editions (1886, 1895 and 1910), changing to a racial treatment in the
fourth edition, in contrast with Ridgway’s own change of mind.
S. nuchalis, described by Baird in 1858, was subsequently treated as a
race of varius by most authorities, starting with Coues in 1872 and
Ridgway in 1873, but Ridgway included a note of warning in “Birds
of North and Middle America”, writing, “. . .1 believe that it would be
better to consider [ nuchalis ] as specifically distinct from S. varius .”
The main issue was already the interpretation of the “intermediates”
or “hybrids”. Grinnell (1901), for instance, claimed to see “continuous
intergradation” between S. varius and S. ruber through S. nuchalis, a
view opposed by Ridgway but one which presumably weighed heavily
in the later decision of the A.O.U. Clearly, arguments over specimens
could not lead anywhere, and careful study of the contacts between the
forms was required, a need which was partially filled by Howell (1952).
After studying in detail the contacts between the Red-breasted and the
Red-naped Sapsuckers and summarizing the very scanty information
available on the contacts between the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and
the other forms, Howell supported the then current treatment of the
A.O.U., considering the three forms as conspecific. Dickinson (1953),
Calif. Birds 1: 47-76, 1970
47
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
on the contrary, found convincing evidence for retaining ruber as a
distinct species in his analysis of British Columbia material. Apparently
little further progress was made in the field, but in 1969, Short, in the
course of a general reassessment of the taxonomic implications of
hybridization, applied his criteria to Howell’s information and thus
reversed the latter’s decision.
A result of the long treatment of the three forms as races of one
species, is the complete lack of information on identification in field
guides and a consequent confusion as to the status of the various
forms in several areas. In California, for instance, there is a widespread
belief that most birds are “intermediates”, resulting in reluctance of
field observers to make positive identification of these forms, finally
leading to ignorance of their comparative distribution and abundance,
and failure to recognize real hybrids or ascertain their frequency. Even
specimens are misidentified, sometimes in a manner that approaches
the unbelievable. It seems warranted, therefore, to summarize the
problems related to the identification of the three sapsuckers, their
distribution, and the frequency of hybrids.
Throughout the paper S. varius , S. nuchalis, and S. ruber are
considered as distinct species, as suggested by Short (op. cit.). This
treatment is also followed by McCaskie, Devillers, Craig, Lyons, Cough-
ran, and Craig in the California Checklist (1970). This choice will be
further explained in the paragraph devoted to the contacts between the
species.
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION
As a background to the discussion, an outline of the general
distribution is presented here, condensed from Howell (1952), the
A.O.U. Check-list (1957), Godfrey (1966), Griscom in Miller et al
(1957), and various other sources which are quoted where relevant.
Designations of the biomes are those of Shelford (1963), and are cap-
italized.
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker breeds in the southern half of the
trans-continental Boreal Coniferous Forest belt and in the Northern
Temperate Deciduous Forest of the eastern United States and Canada.
48
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
In the West its range extends to southern Yukon and includes north-
eastern British Columbia (Peace River Valley) and western Alberta
(east of the Rockies). Within this region it occurs in deciduous or
deciduous-coniferous stands, particularly where poplars and birches
are important constituents. It winters throughout the southeastern
United States and Central America, north to about 40 degrees
latitude, west to central Oklahoma (Sutton, 1967), eastern Texas,
eastern Coahuila, southern Durango, and southern Sinaloa. It is of
irregular occurrence in southern Arizona (Phillips, Marshall, and
Monson, 1964).
The Red-naped Sapsucker is characteristic of the Montane
Coniferous Forest region of western North America (excluding the
Sierra Nevada). It breeds north to southeastern British Columbia
and southwestern Alberta, west to the east slope of the Cascades and a
few points on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada, south to central
Arizona (Phillips et al, 1964) and the Mogollon Mountains of southern
New Mexico (Hubbard, 1965). Outside the range mapped by Howell,
it has been found nesting in the Black Hills of South Dakota by W.
and K. Eastman (Gammell and Huenecke, 1954; Gammell, 1956; no
supporting details). It breeds in forests containing aspen or aspen
mixed with conifers, more rarely in predominently coniferous forests.
It winters in southern California, most of Arizona (except the north-
west), southern New Mexico, the whole of Baja California, and the
northwestern part of the Mexican mainland.
The Red-breasted Sapsucker has two well differentiated races.
The northern race, S. ruber ruber, is practically limited to the Rainy
Western Hemlock Forest of the northern Pacific coast, occurring from
southeastern Alaska to southern Oregon, and extending east of the
Cascades at a few points in Oregon and Washington, as well as inland in
British Columbia to the Peace River Parklands. It winters in the coastal
part of its range. The southern race, S. ruber daggetti, breeds in a
small region of the southern part of the same biome in northwestern
California as well as in the Cascades of southern Oregon, the Sierra
Nevada, and the higher mountains of southern California. It is a bird
of aspen-ponderosa pine association, except in its restricted coastal
range. It winters at lower elevations throughout California and in
northwestern Baja California.
It is evident from this that the three species have different migrat-
ing habits, varius being a long distance migrant, nuchalis intermediate,
and ruber a short distance migrant, the northern race almost resident.
49
Red-naped Sapsucker S. nuchalis, presumed female, at nest hole in an aspen,
western Wyoming, July 1969. Photo by Herbert Clarke.
50
51
Red-breasted Sapsucker S. r. daggetti bathing in a small stream, Mt. Pinos, June, 1968. Photo by Herbert Clarke.
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
NATURE OF THE CONTACTS
This section is a summary of the information gathered by Howell;
its purpose is to further explain why the three forms are treated as
distinct species; in addition it will clarify views about prevalence and
significance of hybrids.
THE RACES OF RUBER
The two forms, ruber and daggetti, meet in southern Oregon
between Klamath Lake and the coast. Inland the replacement is rather
abrupt, but in the coastal region there is apparently progressive
intergradation which justifies the treatment of the two forms as con-
specific. All intermediates can thus be expected, both in the contact
area and in the winter range of daggetti.
CONTACTS OF VARIUS WITH THE OTHER TWO FORMS
Next to nothing was known about the possible contacts of the
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker with the other two species at the time of
Howell’s studies; he did not investigate them himself, and, as far as I
know, they have not yet been studied. This remains the main gap in
our knowledge of the complex and one which will have to be filled
before any reasonably certain conclusions can be drawn. The Yellow-
bellied and Red-naped Sapsuckers are presumed to come in contact in
western Alberta but the region has not been critically explored; it is
further assumed, because of the scarcity of possible hybrids in series of
birds taken on migration or in winter, that interbreeding is very limited
(Howell lists six possible hybrids). S. varius definitely comes in contact
with S. ruber ruber in northern British Columbia, in the Peace River
Parklands. Prior to Howell’s study there had been two observations
in that region, one (Swarth, 1922) including an apparent mixed pair
observed ( varius + varius x ruber ) and a lone hybrid collected, the
other (Cowan, 1939) a pair of typical ruber breeding within eight feet
and fifty feet, respectively, of two pairs of varius. I have been able to
trace only two recent observations, both merely indicating the pre-
sence of lone Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers in the known range of the Red-
breasted, north of Prince George (Rogers, 1968 and 1969). No hybrids
are known from the migration routes, but they could be confusingly
similar to nuchalis x ruber or nuchalis x daggetti hybrids, or even typical
52
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
nuchalis, as indicated by the specimen taken by Swarth, described by
Howell.
CONTACTS OF NUCHALIS AND RUBER
The ranges of S. nuchalis and S. ruber daggetti come in contact
along the eastern slope of the Cascade-Sierra ranges from southern Ore-
gon to central California. The overlap region is always very narrow.
The contact was studied in detail by Howell in Modoc County, extreme
northeastern California. He found the overlap region to be about
forty miles wide; at a point in the middle of this area, he found the
following repartition for a sample of forty -two individuals: eight
typical nuchalis, fourteen typical daggetti and twenty birds showing
some degree of intermediacy. (Of these, eleven are in the categories
labeled as close to one species but with traces of the other, which could
include some extreme variants of the pure forms in addition to true
hybrids.) Thus, even with the most severe criterion, more than
fifty per cent are typical birds. In central California, the contact
seems to take place almost without overlap and with very little inter-
breeding. In the Sierra Nevada daggetti occurs virtually alone; collect-
ing nine miles west of Benton produced ten daggetti and one hybrid,
in the Sweetwater Mountains nine typical daggetti, one typical nuchalis
(Howell, op. cit.). Just to the east, in the White Mountains, nuchalis
is the only form present and is common (Miller and Russel, 1956;
McCaskie, pers. comm.). The same situation prevails farther to the
southeast in the Spring and Sheep Ranges of Nevada where, however,
Johnson (1965) recorded two hybrids, very close to pur t daggetti, one
in each range; the Sheep Range bird was paired with a nuchalis female.
An individual daggetti with traces of nuchalis characteristics was
collected on 16 September 1964 in the Charleston Mountains
(Austin and Bradley, 1965). Still farther southeast, a lone S. r. daggetti,
apparently unpaired, was taken in the Hualapai Mountains (Arizona)
in July 1959 (Coppa, I960); nuchalis was breeding in the vicinity.
The northern race of S. ruber, S. r. ruber, meets S. nuchalis along
the Cascades from southern Oregon to central British Columbia (with
ruber to the west of nuchalis) and in the Cariboo Region of central
interior British Columbia (with ruber to the north of nuchalis)-, Howell
studied their contact at two points and in both cases found almost
no overlap, but instead an abrupt replacement of one form by the other.
At the Cascade location (where the replacement occurred on either
53
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
side of a burn 2.7 miles long), he noted 10 pairs in the contact area,
only one of which was mixed (female nuchalis with male ruber showing
slight traces of hybridization). At the Cariboo region location, be-
tween Quesnel and Williams Lake, he noted complete replacement of
one form by the other over 1 .5 miles (except for one ruber and one
intermediate found paired with nuchalis in the range of the latter,
among five pairs of pure nuchalis). In the replacement zone he found
two pairs of ruber, two pairs of nuchalis, one pair of intermediates,
and one pair involving an intermediate and a nuchalis.
Recently a pair of apparently pure nuchalis was found nesting
thirty miles north of Quesnel, well to the north of the contact studied
by Howell and within the range of ruber (Rogers, 1967). Together
with the recent observations of varius in the Prince George region, this
brings the three species within a fairly limited area.
CONCLUSIONS
Short (op. cit.) has proposed that contact areas be classified
either as “hybrid zones” if only hybrids occur in the area of hybrid-
ization, or as “zones of overlap and hybridization” if both parental
forms are present in the zone, as well as numerous hybrids. In the
latter case, the parental forms are actually sympatric, and Short
recommends treating them taxonomically as species. The number of
parental phenotypes that must be present to preclude the possibility
of their being the result of recombination is arbitrarily fixed by him
at not less than five per cent of the population.
It is clear from the previous discussion that the contacts between
S. ruber and S. nuchalis both qualify as “zones of overlap and hybrid-
ization”, justifying their treatment as distinct species. Indeed, the
contact between ruber and nuchalis involves very few hybrids, while
that between daggetti and nuchalis involves about fifty per cent hybrids
at most, well below the threshhold proposed by Short. The same
applies to the overlap between varius and ruber, as far as we know. On
the other hand, the criterion cannot be applied to the varius-nuchalis
relationship. The specimens from the wintering area constitute only
indirect and very poor evidence for limited interbreeding. A far more
convincing argument for holding them as distinct species is found in the
juvenile plumage and the timing of the moult. In these characters the
two forms certainly do not seem more closely related than nuchalis
54
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
and ruber are. Let us still emphasize, however, the need for a study
of the presumed overlap area.
IDENTIFICATION
From the foregoing it is clear that one should not expect a high
proportion of hybrids on the wintergrounds, and therefore the idea
that most sapsuckers are intermediate should certainly be discarded.
It remains true that the possibility of hybrids considerably complicates
certain aspects of the identification problem. Conversely, recording
possible hybrids away from their breeding grounds can be very interest-
ing in connection with the study of the migrations of the species, and
careful notes should be made of any bird presumed to be intermediate.
Descriptions of all the forms can be found in Ridgway (1914)
and Howell (1952); Bent (1939) discusses the juvenile plumages and
the progress to maturity. The discussion of identification in this
section is based on their accounts, on personal field notes, and particu-
larly on examination of the collection of the San Diego Natural His-
tory Museum (hereafter referred to as SDNHM), consisting of 21
varius, 102 nuchalis, and 62 ruber.
ADULTS
Adult Red-breasted Sapsuckers (males and females alike) are
separated at first glance (except from hybrids!) by their complete red
hood, including head, nape, and breast (fig. 11 & 12). It should be
noted, however, that the dark and pale head markings of the other
forms remain visible as an underlying pattern in S . r. daggetti and, to
a much lesser extent, in S. r. ruber. Most field guides depict
S. r. ruber, which accounts for the false impression that the daggetti
seen are “intermediates”. In fact, a long white or whitish moustache,
black lores, and a white postocular spot are normal features of S. r.
daggetti; this race has as much white on the back as S. nuchalis, or
slightly less. S. r. ruber differs from S. r. daggetti (see fig. 11) by its
deeper red and usually more extensive hood with the head pattern
very obscure, a blacker back with the white reduced to two very
narrow stripes, broken and often tinged with yellow, and deeper
yellow underparts. However, the two races do not normally occur
together, and they are too similar to allow reliable field identification
of possible strays, unless the bird is handled.
55
\
FIGURES 1 and 2. Male Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (left in each photograph)
and Red-naped Sapsuckers (right in each photograph). Note the extent of red on
the throat; in nuchalis, the black bordering line is interrupted, in varius it is not.
Also compare the color of the nape: white in varius, red in nuchalis. The greater
amount of white on the back of varius is also visible.
Specimen photographs by Alan M. Craig
The separation of varius and nuchalis is far more delicate, and in
some cases feasible only under extremely favorable conditions. When-
ever possible, any critical bird should be trapped and examined in the
hand. Both species have the same basic pattern: a red crown bordered
by black; black auriculars continuing in a black band on the sides of
the neck; a black nape interrupted by a white or red area; a red or
white throat bordered by black, which also forms a broad breast
patch; white underparts tinged with yellow; barred flanks; a black back
and black scapulars with a greater or lesser admixture of white or
whitish, either forming two distinct stripes or covering the entire back;
black wings barred with white on the flight feathers, and with a large
longitudinal white patch along the anterior part; a white rump; and a
black tail with white bars and spots.
56
FIGURES 3 and 4. Female Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (left in each photograph)
and Red-naped Sapsuckers (right in each photograph). Note the white throat
and chin of the former, while the latter has a red throat and a white chin.
Again, the white nape of varius and the red nape of nuchalis can be seen; al-
though the female varius has more white on the back than the female nuchalis,
both specimens show more white than the male nuchalis in fig. 2.
The most important character in separating the two species, irre-
spective of the sex of the bird, is the color of the nape (fig. 2 & 4).
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have the black nape line (the line that joins
the posterior crown to the upper back) interrupted by a white or
brownish-white area connected with the postocular stripe. In Red-
naped Sapsuckers the corresponding area is red. Unfortunately, it is
possible that this single character is not always reliable. I have not
found any individual in the SDNHM that did not show it, but Howell,
who has examined a larger number of specimens, claims that the nape
of varius is “rarely tinged lightly with red” and, worse, that for nuchalis
“in very rare instances the red of the nape is lacking”. Besides, the
red coloration is confined to the feather tips and could conceivably
disappear through wear (complete moult in late summer and fall,
partial moult about the head and throat early in spring - Bent, 1939).
57
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
Furthermore, even a small degree of hybridism could lead to the mod-
ification of such a single character. For all these reasons, it is not
possible to rely entirely on the color of the nape for positive identi-
fication, and further supporting characters will have to be sought.
Male nuchalis can be fairly easily separated by the following
additional characters: The throat is entirely red; the red covers the
posterior part of the black malar strip, thus interrupting it and actually
coming in contact with the white of the cheek; the red also extends
over the upper part of the breast patch (fig. 1); often the auricular
region is tinged with red. The white on the back is restricted to two
definite stripes converging posteriorly; these stripes are narrower than
those of varius (the stripes are chain-like, the white fine being in-
terrupted by black bars; however, in male nuchalis the individual
white elements tend to be long and narrow, looking like “drops” while
on those varius that show a “two striped” effect, the individual ele-
ments are short and broad, producing a ladder-like appearance); the
white is usually pure or tinged with yellowish (fig. 2).
At the other extreme, female varius (fig. 3) are easily determined
by their entirely white throat, without any red, bordered by a black
frame. Some individuals lack red on the crown also.
Male varius have a solid red throat, and differ from male nuchalis
primarily by the uninterrupted black frame that borders the throat, so
that the red does not come in contact with the white (fig. 1).
Additionally, they have more white on the back; either the white spot-
ting covers the back almost uniformly, or, if stripes are formed, they
are broad and have the ladder appearance explained above (fig. 2); the
white, at least in winter, is usually tinged with golden or bronzy
buff; it is slightly different from the color of nuchalis when the two
are compared directly.
Most female nuchalis have a white chin and a red throat (fig. 3),
or sometimes a white chin and upper throat with only the lower throat
red; this alone is sufficient to identify them. Unfortunately, a certain
number of birds show an almost entirely red chin and throat, and they
may be impossible to separate in the field from male Yellow-bellied
Sapsuckers except by the color of the nape. Such a bird is shown in
fig. 5 together with a male varius. Among 16 adult and 14 subadult
(i.e. brown breasted) nuchalis individuals labeled as female in the
SDNHM collection, 8 (3 adult and 5 subadult) have enough red in the
throat and chin for those parts to be called entirely red in the field;
3 of those (1 adult, 2 subadult) have interrupted black frames and
would simply pass for male nuchalis (which they might well be!),
58
FIGURE 5. This photograph illustrates the difficulty of separating some female
Red-naped from male Y ellow-bellied Sapsuckers. This particular female nuchalis
(below) has almost as red a throat as the male varius (above), and also has an un-
interrupted black malar strip; note, however, that the former shows a little whitish
near the base of the bill.
but 5 (2 adult, 3 subadult) have complete frames and could be called
male varius in the field except for their red napes. Here lies, as already
pointed out by Phillips and Marshall (1964), the main pitfall in field
identification of S. nuchalis and S. varius. For those birds with a com-
plete black frame around a solid red throat, the following guidelines
are suggested. Male varius will have a truly uniform red throat, while,
for female nuchalis, an admixture of white feathers will usually be
noted, particularly toward the chin, if the bird can be examined in
the hand or at very close range. Varius will in general have more white
on the back, the pattern being indicated above; most female nuchalis
have the same type of pattern as male nuchalis (narrow chain-like
stripes), but some show the ladder-like stripes of varius and a very few
do not even show any band pattern (fig. 4). Finally, it seems to me
somewhat unlikely (?) that the red nape would be lacking in such a
heavily pigmented female nuchalis , and it is not at all certain that
the combination of fully red throat and white nape does exist in pure
nuchalis females.
59
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
Any bird presenting what seems to be a combination of characters
between the two species should be very carefully described and, if
possible, photographed since very few possible hybrids are known.
As an illustration to this discussion, color drawings can be found
in various field guides. The Red-breasted Sapsucker is very satisfac-
torily shown by Crosby in Godfrey (1966), by Eckelberry in Pough
(1957), and by Peterson (1961), but all have chosen the race ruber for
a model (as apparently did Singer in Robbins et al, 1966). Both sexes
of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker are well represented by Crosby in
Godfrey, although the black frame around the throat is perhaps nor-
mally broader than shown, and by L. Agassiz Fuertes in Forbush and
May (1953); a good picture of a male is given by Singer in Robbins
et al. Satisfactory drawings of Red-naped Sapsuckers are not frequent,
but Eckelberry shows a male in Pough; however, the red of the throat
is more extensive than shown.
IMMATURES
The juvenile plumage of all species is strikingly different from the
adult plumage, appearing mostly brown, with the red areas lacking,
the white areas much obscured, the black head and breast pattern
replaced by brown. The tail and wings are similar to those of adults.
This plumage is replaced by a slow progressive moult. The three
species are very similar to each other at that stage and their identifica-
tion requires great care. Since nuchalis is somewhat intermediate in
appearance between varius and ruber, we will discuss successively
the nuchalis-varius and ruber-nuchalis identification problems.
The timing, sequence, and manner of the moult is of decisive
importance in the identification of the first two species. Howell hints
that the progress might be faster in nuchalis when he writes, “Moult
is apparently as in S. v. varius, but adult plumage is sometimes attained
by late fall and always by early spring at the latest.” The varius
material in the SDNHM is insufficient to draw definitive conclusions,
but immature plumaged birds have been collected in September (1),
October (5), December (1), February (1), and on 15 March (1); none
has a uniformly red crown, and the March bird, a male, still has very
little red in the throat. The nuchalis material is much more extensive.
Twelve birds are in almost complete juvenile plumage; they were taken
between 26 July and 2 September; four of them have partially red
60
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
crowns and some red on the throat (2 females: 26 August, 2 September;
2 males: 18 and 20 August); two (males, 6 August) have some red on
the throat but none on the crown. Two birds collected on 3 and
30 August are intermediate, already showing a lot of the adult
pattern, including a red nape, as well as some red on the crown and
the throat. The other immatures (22 birds) show a completely adult-
like plumage except for a brown, scalloped breast, and sometimes
some brown in the malar stripe; they were collected in August (1),
September (6), October (10), and early November (5). Only four
specimens showing signs of immaturity were collected at a later date;
two of them have a lot of black in the brown breast (male, 1 6 January
and female, 28 December); a 5 February female might be hybrid, as is
almost certainly the fourth bird, collected on the same date at the
same place.
Thus, except on the breeding grounds, immature nuchalis can be
expected to show much of the adult plumage, particularly the red areas,
so that their identification is not different from that of adults; indeed,
all the birds we have examined, except the twelve in nearly full juvenile
plumage, show the red nape. Confusing females have already been
included in the previous section under the label subadult. On the
contrary, immature varius are much slower in developing, and individ-
uals can be seen during most of the fall and winter with little or no
red in the crown and throat; it is useful to discuss their characters in
detail.
At any stage, the pattern of the crown is the most diagnostic
feature of varius. At first the entire crown is dark brown, dotted
with fine, sharp, very conspicuous, pale brown to golden or whitish
spots, sometimes slightly elongated (fig. 6 & 8); often there is also a
scattering of black spots. Later, scattered red feathers appear ran-
domly throughout the crown, adding to the variegated effect; the
red feathers cover more and more of the crown, but the light dotting
remains apparent until the crown is solidly red. Conversely, juvenile
nuchalis has a uniform dark brown crown, slightly darker than varius,
sometimes with faint, paler brown spots, but rather diffuse and in-
conspicuous (fig. 8); often there is a uniform red suffusion, particularly
near the bill and on the forehead. Soon, it seems that a solid red
patch develops from the same area and includes progressively the
whole crown; some of our birds show a partially red crown: the red
region covers only the anterior crown, but there are no isolated red
feathers appearing elsewhere.
61
FIGURE 6. Three immature Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. Note the spotted crown
and spangled back. The bird in the center is the California specimen (lower
Colorado, 18 December 1938).
The light stripes of the head pattern are usually broader in
varius than in nuchalis, and less sharply defined, giving a more frosty
appearance; this is very difficult to evaluate and somewhat subjective.
The supposed darker chin and throat of nuchalis (Howell) does not
hold. (fig. 7).
Almost all our varius have a very yellow belly and the breast
is yellowish buff-brown with heavy, sharp, dark brown scalloping. Ju-
venile nuchalis have a more uniform breast, brown with fine, indistinct
scalloping; the belly is much less yellow. This corresponds to the
descriptions of Ridgway and Howell, but it probably represents
different stages of plumage. One varius in the collection, #22691
collected in Georgia in October, has hardly any yellow on the belly and
an indistinctly scalloped breast; it is indistinguishable in that respect
from juvenile nuchalis and may be representative of juvenile varius.
Also, many nuchalis that have progressed beyond the complete
juvenile plumage have the belly as yellow and the breast as distinctly
scalloped as varius ; note, however, that in that case they have fully
developed red areas.
62
FIGURES 7 and 8. Two December immature Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (two
lower birds in each photograph) are compared with an August juvenile Red-
naped Sapsucker (upper bird in each photograph). The California varius is in the
center. Note the uniform brown cap of nuchalis, and its relatively unpatterned
back. The heavy scalloping of the breast of varius can be seen. It is evident in
these figures as well as in fig. 6 that the California bird has the characters of
varius. In addition, the new white feathers of the throat of this bird can be
seen in fig. 7.
FIGURES 9 and 10. August juvenile Red-naped Sapsucker (left in each photo-
graph) and Red-breasted Sapsucker (right in each photograph). The latter has
obscure face striping and a darker, more uniform breast. The specimen shown
represents S. ruber daggetti L
The backs of all our immature varius are extremely striking,
being entirely spangled with deep golden or very deep buff offset by
black (fig. 6 & 8). The material available does not permit judging
whether the juvenile bird is similar, but Bent describes a young bird,
not fully grown, taken 25 July as boldly spotted with grayish or yellow-
ish white on black. The back of juvenile nuchalis is a dull dark brown
to black with white spotting, obscured on the upper back, and not
tinged with buff or yellow, except sometimes on the lower part of
the stripes (fig. 8); in first winter plumage, when the adult type back
is acquired, it is not as extensively spangled nor as deeply colored as
in varius; again in that case, the red areas are present.
According to Howell an occasional S. nuchalis is pale enough to
be indistinguishable from a dark S. varius. However, we think that the
pattern of the crown, at least, should make identification possible at
any stage of plumage.
64
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
Juvenile Red-naped and Red-breasted Sapsuckers (fig. 9 & 10)
are also fairly similar. Ruber has a darker head and breast, more sooty,
and its breast is even more uniform, almost lacking any scalloping;
better, the striping of the head of ruber is much obscured, reduced to
a whitish moustache and frequently a dull white postocular spot
(in daggetti ). Usually the pileum, throat, and breast are washed with
reddish, in which case identification is very easy. At any rate, the timing
of the moult of ruber is very similar to that of nuchalis, or even faster,
so that the adult plumage can usually be recognized at a very early
age, simplifying the identification considerably. Birds away from the
breeding grounds should pose no problems.
Very few color drawings of immature sapsuckers can be found in
field guides; the bird shown by Peterson corresponds somewhat to
nuchalis, while Singer’s (in Robbins et al) is a combination of varius
and nuchalis.
DISTRIBUTION IN CALIFORNIA AND BAJA CALIFORNIA
The distribution of the different forms within the two states is
still imperfectly known, because of the lack of specific data from
field observers, and the resulting necessity to rely on collected material
which is by nature a very small and incomplete sample of the popula-
tions involved. This section is based mainly on the distributional
checklists of Grinnell (1928) and Grinned and Mider (1944), the
studies of Howed (1952), and an examination of the SDNHM codection.
The latter involved the reassessment of several specimens. Ad the
specimens of the codection were discussed with Jean T. Craig, and she
concurred with the identification of the critical individuals, namely
S. varius (#31656), S. nuchalis x S. varius (#14286) and S . r. ruber x
S. nuchalis (#31652) from Bard, along the lower Colorado, S. r. ruber
from San Diego County (#30061) and the various hybrids S. ruber x
S. nuchalis mentioned later. Our determinations were made by com-
parison with the local material only. The most important specimens
(#31656, #30061, #31652) were examined by Alan M. Craig who
agreed with their interpretation. Finady, #31656 and #30061 were
sent to Dr. Allan R. Phillips who very kindly accepted to examine them.
The Red-breasted Sapsucker breeds in the coastal district south
to Mendocino County, in the entire Sierra Nevada and in the connect-
ing mountainous area in the extreme northern part of the state
(extending east to the Warner Mountains). Isolated populations are
found on the highest mountains of southern California, Mt. Pinos,
65
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
San Gabriel, San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains, and also on
Mt. Palomar. As far as we know, the fact that the bird breeds on
Palomarhas not been published before. Arthur G. Morley (pers. comm.)
has records of the species in Palomar State Park throughout the sum-
mer, from May (March in 1970) to September. His records date back
to 1957. He obtained positive evidence of nesting twice; he observed
a bird feeding young in an alder on 26 June 1966 (altitude 4600
feet) and he examined a fledgling found in a campground on 1 3 July
1970. All this information was generously supplied by Mr. Morley
from his personal notes, together with ample details supporting the
identification. I have seen the species, myself, on Palomar, but at a
slightly different location from that of A. G. Morley’s observations, on
14 April 1968. In winter, it occurs throughout the state but only
very rarely in the southeast. Grinnell and Miller (op. cit.) mention
only one record for the Mojave and Colorado Deserts. In Baja Calif-
ornia it is recorded only from the western slope, south to Rosario.
San Diego County and Baja California specimens in the SDNHM are
from September 20 to February 17. Local sight records extend to
early March (PD).
The only race included in the avifaunas of the states by Grinnell
(1928) and Grinnell and Miller (1944) is daggetti. AsHowell indicated,
Grinnell somewhat arbitrarily assigned all northern California breeders
to this race; actually, a line cannot be drawn to separate precisely the
ranges of the two races, and the northern part of the state belongs
to the region of intergradation. Birds referrable to S. r. ruber can,
however, occur in winter. A specimen taken five miles northeast of
Lakeside, near San Diego, on 9 November 1957 (SDNHM #30061)
is exactly similar to the ruber material in the collection, which is
entirely from Oregon. The red color is of the same depth and intensity,
the red hood as extensive, and the back is identical, very black with
greatly reduced and very yellow stripes. There are no white edgings to
the outer tail feathers. The specimen shows a little more white than
average on the extreme upper back. We feel that it belongs to the
southern population of ruber, showing intergradation with daggetti.
Dr. Phillips (in litt.) also assigns it to ruber but remarks that he, as
well, could compare it only with Oregon material, and that the bird
may represent the middle part of a cline. He adds that he has two
probable migrants, taken in Humboldt County in October and Febru-
ary, which are still darker red and may represent birds from British
Columbia. The San Diego bird is shown in fig. 1 1 , between specimens
of ruber and daggetti.
66
FIGURE 1 1 . Red-breasted Sapsuckers. The lower specimen is typical of
daggetti and the upper one of ruber (Oregon population). Note on the latter
the lack of white on the back and on the remiges. The bird in the center is
from San Diego County and approaches ruber.
The Red-naped Sapsucker breeds in the Warner Mountains where
it is, by far, the dominant species. It also occurs, mixed with the
Red-breasted and hybridizing with it, in neighboring areas to the west
(Howell, 1952). Farther south it is a common breeder in the White
Mountains (Miller and Russel, 1956; McCaskie, pers. comm.). A few
pure birds might breed in the Sweetwater Mountains and adjacent
areas of the east slope of the Sierra Nevada (Howell, 1952). It winters
along the lower Colorado, in the Mojave and Colorado deserts, the
coastal region south of about 35° of latitude, and sparingly over the
entire peninsula of Baja California. It is everywhere the only or the
dominant form, except on the Pacific slope of southwestern Calif-
ornia, where it is rarer than daggetti. SDNHM specimens from southern
California or Baja California have been taken between early October
and early February; local sight records extend to early March (PD).
There is a scattering of winter records from the area west of the Sierran
divide and north of the 35th parallel. Those listed by Grinnell and
Miller include one from Shasta County, five from the west slope of the
Sierra Nevada and four from the coastal district between Marin and
Santa Cruz Counties (some of those may pertain to migrants). More
67
FIGURE 12. A hybrid sapsucker, taken along the lower Colorado (center) is
compared to a Red*naped Sapsucker (below) and a Red-breasted Sapsucker of
the ruber race (above), the presumed parental forms. Note the great reduction
of white on the back of the hybrid, which points to the black-backed ruber rather
than to daggetti.
recently, winter records have been published (without supporting
details) from the San Francisco Bay area (South San Jose, 20 January
1966, reported by D. D. McLean; Chase and Chandik 1966) and, more
remarkably, from Mendocino County (Westport, 6 and 20 December
1954, seenby R. Coy; Cogswell and Pray, 1955).
Hybrids between the two species have been taken in summer in
the overlap region, as mentioned earlier. The record of a hybrid,
feeding young in the San Gabriel Mountains, far outside the contact
area (McCaskie, 1964) should be disregarded (G. S. Suffel, pers. comm.).
Wintering intermediates between nuchalis and daggetti are mentioned
by Howell from “southern California” and Santa Cruz Island; he refers
a specimen from Crescent City (northern coast), 29 November 1915,
to nuchalis x ruber ruber. In the SDNHM collection, we recognize
as daggetti x nuchalis hybrids, a bird from Dehesa, San Diego County
(#3 1 644, male, 15 February 1919), and one from the Pinta Mountains,
Kern County (#11719, male, 4 November 1907). An individual taken
near Lakeside, San Diego (#30058, 10 October 1957) is a hybrid of
68
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
mchalis with either ruber or daggettl An intermediate from the
lower Colorado is, in our opinion, a ruber ruber x mchalis hybrid; the
white spotting of the back is reduced to very little (#31652, female,
vicinity of Bard, 31 December 1916). It is shown in figure 12 between
typical examples of mchalis and r. ruber. A second hybrid is more
difficult to assess, but may have the same origin (#31661, female, 23
October 1924, one mile north of Potholes). A few other individuals
of either nuchalis or daggetti show “traces” of the other form but
are very difficult to judge since they may be extreme variants.
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is not known to occur regularly
in California or Baja California. One occurrence has been reported in
the state: Pasadena, 19 July 1950 (Davis & Howell, 1951). The record
was not accepted by McCaskie and coworkers (1970), because it per-
tained to a mummified specimen the origin of which clearly remains
in doubt. The bird is an adult female, with a few red feathers in the
throat indicating a probable degree of hybridism.
The species can, however, be expected in the two states, at
least occasionally, since it has been recorded irregularly in the
Tucson area of Arizona (Phillips et al, 1964, mention its occurrence
in seven different winters, beginning in 1940, with several in 1952-
53), and, at least casually, to the Arizona bank of the lower Colorado
(Phillips et al, op. cit.).
In the SDNHM collection, specimen #31656, an immature female
collected two miles north of Bard on the west side of the Colorado
near Yuma, on 18 December 1938, by Laurence M. Huey, shows the
characters of typical varius. The bird is illustrated in figure 6 with
two Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers in similar plumage and in figures 7 and
8 with a Yellow-bellied and a juvenile Red-naped Sapsucker. In addi-
tion, the following description was made of the specimen:
Chin and upper throat white. Dark brown moustaches. Lower
throat and upper breast gray-brown. Middle breast heavily
scalloped with dark brown on light brown. Belly and undertail-
coverts pale yellow. Flanks brown, scalloped with blackish.
Cheek brown and black. Whitish stripe behind eye. Crown dark
brown, with fine, sharp, pale brown spotting, four red feathers
and some black spots towards the rear. Upper back mostly
golden buffy with black spotting. Lower back showing two broad
golden buffy “ladders” with a narrow black line separating them.
White band on closed wing (coverts). Primaries black, barred with
white. Tertials broadly edged with white. Tail black; the inner
webs of the middle pair of rectrices are barred black and white;
the lateralmost rectrices have white dots on both webs.
The spotted crown with a few scattered red feathers is charac-
teristic of varius; the coloration and pattern of the back and of the
69
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
underparts fall well within the limits of variation of that form. The lack
of adult characters around the head is very unlikely for nuchalis at
the late date this bird was collected (Dec. 18). Dr. Phillips compared
this individual with his material and concurs with the identification.
He writes (in litt.) that “this bird is a perfectly typical [Sphyrapicus
varius ] varius, and a good basis for its inclusion in the California list”
(Dr. Phillips does not subscribe to recognizing three species of varius
without further field evidence). He also points out that the bird has
several new white feathers in the lower throat, including one with a
black terminal spot; this region is always red in nuchalis. Those
feathers, particularly the black tipped one, are visible on the photo-
graph (fig. 7).
A female in the SDNHM collection, #14286, taken three miles
north of Bard, on 5 February 1931, by L. M. Huey, has a white throat
except for red patches in each lower corner, widely separated. The
nape has a fair admixture of white (to what extent is difficult to
judge on a specimen), the white stripes of the head are very broad,
and, as mentioned before, the bird has a complete brown breast at the
late date of 5 February. We consider this bird almost certainly a hybrid
nuchalis x varius.
A second female, #14285, taken on the same day at the same
place, cannot be positively assigned but could also be of mixed
ancestry. The red of the throat is more limited than usual, being
restricted to a narrow band on the lower quarter of the throat. The
breast is brown with little black.
Finally, for the sake of completeness, the following observation
from the San Diego area is related. The main reason to present it, is
that only an accumulation of material, pertaining to probable or certain
typical birds, and particularly to birds that exhibit possible hybrid
characters, will permit drawing useful conclusions. A very few records
will not throw much light on the status of the form within our bound-
aries, because of the complexity of a situation that may involve un-
recognizable hybrids. In addition, this record will illustrate some of the
difficulties involved in field identification.
On 20 December 1969 at Imperial Beach, just south of San
Diego, Xenia Devillers located a sapsucker and drew my attention to it.
The woodpecker was working low on the trunk of a eucalyptus tree
with its back to the observers. It resembled a Red-naped Sapsucker,
but, at first inspection, the complete lack of red on the nape was very
striking; suspecting that the bird could be a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker,
I took the following description of it:
70
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
Forehead and crown bright red bordered with black; black stripe
running down the middle of the nape interrupted by a very
narrow white gap just below the crown. Black stripe through eye
to the sides of the neck. Chin and throat bright red bordered by a
broad black band. Rest of head and neck whitish. Upper breast
brownish; rest of underparts yellowish; flanks marked with dark
gray “V”s on a yellowish ground color. Center of the back, black.
On either side, a broad band, buff or pale brown, barred with black.
Coverts black with a broad white band near the edge of the wing.
Secondaries black with large white dots. Primaries black with fine
terminal white edges. Rump white. Tail black.
The bird was kept under observation for about half an hour as
it worked in. a small group of eucalyptus trees located in an old over-
grown garden. The general area is residential with eucalyptus-
bordered lanes, the trees bearing numerous marks of sapsucker presence.
Several attempts at relocating the bird later both by the writer and by
other observers failed. Long, careful scrutiny at less than thirty feet,
with 7x50 binoculars, and in good light (bird at eye-level), showed
beyond any doubt that there was not a trace of red on the nape and
that the narrow interruption in the black stripe was white. Consider-
able attention was also given to the chin in order to eliminate the
possibility of a female nuchalis, and no white feather could be found.
We are unfortunately confronted with a bird with a full red
throat and a complete black frame, which is the most difficult type.
However, in addition to the very significant white nape, the complete
lack of white in the throat and the wideness of the black frame are
characters of male varius. The pattern of the back with very broad and
ladder-like pale stripes is also indicative, although it is not extreme and
could easily be matched by a female nuchalis. In addition, the buff
coloration is of varius type. A completely brown breast at this late date
is unlikely in nuchalis; on the other hand, it is early for varius to have
complete red areas on crown and throat. The evidence seems to point
towards a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in transitional plumage, but
the possibility of a hybrid or of an extreme variant nuchalis (female)
cannot be entirely eliminated.
I hope these notes will encourage observers to study sapsuckers criti-
cally, particularly along the lower Colorado and in the San Diego area;
I feel confident the near future will produce more records of varius.
“VAGRANCY” IN THE SPHYRAPICUS VARIUS COMPLEX
The consideration of “extralimital” records in this group is par-
ticularly interesting, because of their connection with the hybridi-
71
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
zation phenomenon. Four forms with very different migratory habits
come in contact and hybridize. Since the migration mechanisms are
in all probability under genetic control, it is to be expected that they
will be strongly affected by hybridization. Hybrid individuals will in-
herit the migratory behavior of either of the parent species, or perhaps
some combination of both, if such a thing is possible. We can thus
expect to find hybrids in the winter range of either of the parent
species, and this could, of course, include birds which are pheno-
typically (at least as far as external appearance is concerned) identical
to the other parent species, although genetically of mixed ancestry.
Such birds would appear as “pure” individuals having straggled from
their normal range. Many of the extralimital occurrences of sapsuckers
can probably be explained by such a mechanism. One can argue that
innumerable “vagrant” records also exist in species that do not hybrid-
ize in this manner. However, those involve mostly birds on migration
which can be assumed to have defective orientation mechanisms. They
are not usually found wintering much closer to or much farther from
the breeding range of the species than normal individuals. The “vag-
rant” sapsuckers, on the contrary, are mostly seen in winter, in areas
which are well outside the winter range of the species they resemble,
but inside that of another form. The journey involved may be much
longer, or much shorter, than that normally performed by the species.
It is notable, furthermore, that among those “extralimital” individuals
there appears a number of clear hybrids.
S . r. ruber, an almost sedentary form, is recorded from Arizona
(three records, October to February, Phillips, et al, 1964); in addition,
an “occasional intermediate towards nuchalis has been taken” (Phillips,
et al, op. cit.). From southern California there are the San Diego bird
(#30061), approaching ruber, and the lower Colorado ruber x nuchalis
(#31652 and possibly #31661) mentioned before.
S. r. daggetti, a short distance migrant, has straggled to Arizona,
(two records, Sacaton, 9 February 1910, and lower Colorado, 23
January 1953 - Phillips et al, 1964); a bird identified as a hybrid
daggetti x nuchalis was collected in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on 13
March 1962 (Niles, 1966).
S . nuchalis has been found in Guatemala, according to Griscom
(1932), hundreds of miles south of its normal range, but in the range of
varius; I have not seen the original Salvin and Godman record, also
quoted by the A.O.U. and have no idea of its validity. Records from
San Luis Potosi and Yucatan are mentioned in passing by Howell
(1953), but I do not know the basis of his statement, and the records
72
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
have not been included in the A.O.U. checklist (1957), or in the Mexi-
can Checklist of Miller et al. (1957) A scattering of records from
California, west of the Sierran divide and north of the 35th parallel,
are north of the normal wintering range, but in the range of S. ruber :
Particularly significant is the Westport record (Cogswell and Pray,
1955).
S. varius is irregularly found in Arizona and probably to southern
California. It is difficult to decide whether this constitutes the north-
western limit of the normal winter range (the bird having been over-
looked in northwestern Mexico), or whether the range as outlined by
Howell is correct, in which case all the Arizona-California records
could pertain to a genetically mixed stock. It should be noted that
such birds would not have to be scattered throughout the wintering
range of the other parent species, since they could parallel the habits of
a local population, which might occupy a limited portion of the winter-
ing range. The large number of birds involved in the Arizona
records (in the winter of 1952-53, in the Tucson area, varius out-
numbered nuchalis, G. Monson, 1953) however, supports the idea that
the region is within the normal wintering range of the Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker.
Certainly, a very interesting pattern could be revealed by careful
observation of “extralimital” sapsuckers and particularly of probable
hybrids on their wintering grounds. As pointed out by Howell, those
may be particularly difficult to identify, since many could be matched
by extreme types of individual variation within the typical population.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am greatly indebted to Suzanne I. Bond for permission to study
the collection of the SDNHM, and for assistance in that study, includ-
ing the sending of specimens. I am obliged to Dr. Allan R. Phillips for
his kindness in examining those specimens and his extremely useful
comments. Alan M. Craig generously accepted to illustrate the paper
and examined the critical specimens. I am particularly grateful to
Jean T. Craig for her collaboration in analyzing the entire specimen
collection, fruitful discussions on identification and invaluable help in
bringing the manuscript to its final form.
73
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
SUMMARY
The general distribution of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphy-
rapicus varius, Red-naped Sapsucker S. nuchalis and Red-breasted Sap-
sucker S , ruber is briefly outlined. The information gathered by Howell
about their contact and hybridization is summarized and the more
recent scattered observations concerning these matters are added. The
reasons to treat the three forms as distinct species are discussed.
The identification problem is considered in detail, using the San
Diego Natural History Museum (SDNHM) collection as a reference.
Adult Red-breasted Sapsuckers can be easily identified by their red
hood, with or without white and black head markings. Red-naped
Sapsuckers are very similar to Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers but have a
red patch in the middle of the nape. In addition, male nuchalis have
an extensive red throat patch, overlapping the malar stripe, while female
varius have a completely white throat. Usually, female nuchalis have
a white chin and a red throat but some have the throat entirely red,
and are very similar to male varius. In juvenile plumage, varius can
best be told from nuchalis by its spotted crown ( nuchalis has a uniform
crown); ruber is characterized by indistinct head striping and often a
reddish suffusion over the hood. At later stages Red-naped and Red-
breasted Sapsuckers show very rapidly the red areas of the adult
plumage; Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, on the contrary, are very slow in
acquiring those marks; a scattering of red feathers on the crown is
typical of them. Additional characters are discussed in the text, both
for adults and for immatures, and this summary should by no means
be used as a “key”.
The distribution in California and Baja California is summarized
from standard sources, recent literature, and with the help of the .
SDNHM collection. The Red-breasted Sapsucker is fairly widespread
as a breeder in the mountainous and northern areas, wintering every-
where, except in the desert. The Red-naped Sapsucker is a very local
breeder in extreme eastern California, wintering in southern California
and in Baja California. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, not previously
recorded from either state, is represented by a specimen in the SDNHM
collection, an immature female taken in December along the lower
Colorado. An individual of the northern race of ruber, from San Diego
County, is described; the race had not been recorded from the two
states. Several hybrid ruber x nuchalis, nuchalis x daggetti and par-
ticularly one varius x nuchalis found in the SDNHM collection are
mentioned.
74
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
Finally, extralimital records in the group are discussed and it is
argued that many result from the interbreeding between the forms.
LITERATURE CITED
American Ornithologists’ Union. 1957. Check-list of North American birds.
Fifth ed. Amer. Omithol. Union, Baltimore.
Austin, G. T. and W. G. Bradley. 1965. Bird records from southern Nevada.
Condor 67 :445-446.
Bent, A. C. 1939. Life histories of North American woodpeckers. Order
Piciformes. U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 174.
Chase, T., Jr. and T. Chandik. 1966. Winter season. Middle Pacific coast region.
Audubon Field Notes 20:453-458.
Cogswell, H. L. and R. H. Pray. 1955. Winter season. Middle Pacific coast
region. Audubon Field Notes 9:280-284.
Coppa, J. B. 1960. Sapsuckers breeding in the Hualapai Mountains, Arizona.
Condor 62:294.
Cowan, I. McT. 1939. The vertebrate fauna of the Peace River district of
British Columbia. Occ. Papers Brit. Columbia Prov. Mus. 1:1-102.
Davis, J. and T. R. Howell. 1951. A record of Sphyrapicus varius varius for
California. Condor 53:102,
Dickinson, J. C., Jr. 1953. Report on the McCabe collection of British Col-
umbian birds. Bull. Mus. of Comp. Zool. 109:123-209.
Forbush, E. H. and J. B. May. 1953. A natural history of American birds of
eastern and central North America. Bramhall House, New York.
Gammell, A. M. 1956. Nesting season. Northern Great Plains region. Audubon
Field Notes 10:390-392.
Gammell, A. M. and H. S. Huenecke. 1954. Nesting season. Northern Great
Plains region. Audubon Field Notes 8:350-352.
Godfrey, W. E. 1966. The birds of Canada. Nat. Mus. of Canada Bull. 203.
Biol. Series 73.
Grinnell, J. 1901. Two races of the Red-breasted Sapsucker. Condor 3:12.
Grinnell, J. 1928. A distributional summation of the ornithology of Lower
California. Univ. of Calif. Publ. in Zool. 32:1-300.
Grinnell, J. and A. H. Miller. 1944. The distribution of the birds of California.
Pacific Coast Avifauna no. 27.
Griscom, L. 1932. The distribution of bird life in Guatemala. Bull. Amer. Mus.
Nat. Hist. 64:1-439.
Howell, T. R. 1952. Natural history and differentiation in the Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius j. Condor 54:237-282.
Howell, T. R. 1953. Racial and sexual differences in migration in Sphyrapicus
varius. Auk 70:118-126.
Hubbard, J. B. 1965. The summer birds of the forests of the Mogollon
Mountains, New Mexico. Condor 67:404-415.
Johnson, N. K. 1965. The breeding avifaunas of the Sheep and Spring Ranges
in southern Nevada. Condor 67 :93-123.
McCaskie, G. 1964. Breeding season. Southern Pacific coast region, Audubon
Field Notes 18:534-536.
McCaskie, G., P. Devillers, A. M. Craig, C. R. Lyons, V. P. Coughran and J. T.
Craig. 1970. A checklist of the birds of California. Calif. Birds 1:4-28.
Miller, A. H., H. Friedmann, L. Griscom and R. T. Moore. 1957. Distributional
check-list of the birds of Mexico, part 2. Univ. of Calif. Press, Berkeley.
75
SAPSUCKER IDENTIFICATION & DISTRIBUTION
Miller, A. H. and W. C. Russel. 1956. Distributional data on the birds of the
White Mountains of California and Nevada. Condor 58:75-77.
Monson, G. 1953. Winter season. Southwest region. Audubon Field Notes
7:228-230.
Niles, D. M. 1966. Additional distributional records from New Mexico.
Condor 68:213-214.
Peterson, R. T. 1961. A field guide to western birds. Houghton Mifflin Co.,
Boston.
Phillips, A., J. Marshall and G. Monson. 1964. The birds of Arizona. Univ.
of Arizona Press, Tucson.
Pough, R. H. 1957. Audubon western bird guide. Doubleday & Co., Garden
City, New York.
Ridgway, R. 1914. The birds of North and Middle America. U. S. Nat. Mus.
Bull. 50, pt. 6.
Robbins, C. S., B. Bruun and H. S. Zim. 1966. Birds of North America.
Golden Press, New York.
Rogers, T. H. 1967, 1968 and 1969. Nesting season. Northern Rocky Mountain-
inter-mountain region. Audubon Field Notes 21:587-590; 22:628-632;
23:675-679.
Short, L. L., Jr. 1969. Taxonomic aspects of avian hybridization. Auk 86:
84-105.
Shelford, V. E. 1963. The ecology of North America. 2nd ed. Univ. of Illinois
Press, Urbana.
Sutton, G. M. 1967. Oklahoma birds. Univ. of Oklahoma Press, Norman.
Swarth, H. S. 1922. Birds and mammals of the Stikine River region of northern
British Columbia and southeastern Alaska. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool.
24:126-314.
APPENDIX
Date and locality of collection of the specimens illustrated:
Fig. 1, left, male varius, 21 February 1930, Texas; right, male nuchalis,
19 February 1938, Nevada. Fig. 2, left, male varius, 5 March 1933, Georgia;
right, male nuchalis, 19 February 1938, Nevada. Fig. 3, left, female varius,
28 March 1930, Georgia; right, female nuchalis, 27 April 1878, Colorado. Fig.
4, left, female varius, 20 April 1916, Wisconsin; right, female nuchalis, 27
April 1878, Colorado. Fig. 5, below, female nuchalis, 25 July 1903, Colorado;
above, male varius, 1 October 1891, New York. Fig, 6, immature varius; above,
female, 26 October 1928, Georgia; center, female, 18 December 1938, California;
below, male, 5 October 1927, Georgia. Fig. 7, and 8, above, juvenile male
nuchalis, 1 August 1917, Modoc County, California; center, immature female
varius, 18 December 1938, California; below immature female varius, 18
December 1924, Georgia. Fig. 9 and 10, left, juvenile female nuchalis,
19 August 1917, Modoc County, California; right, juvenile daggetti, 14 August
1885, San Bernardino Mountains, California. Fig. 11, above, ruber, 2 November
1913, Oregon; center, ruber, 9 November 1957, San Diego County, California;
below, daggetti, 5 December 1926, Baja California. Fig. 12, above, ruber, 2
November 1913, Oregon; center, female nuchalis x ruber, 31 December 1916,
California; below, male nuchalis, 19 February 1938, Nevada.
11 av. de IViseau bleu, 1150 Bruxelles, Belgium; presently, AMES
Dept., Univ. of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California 92037.
76
NOTES
TWO CALIFORNIA RECORDS OF GRACE’S WARBLER
The summer range of Grace’s Warbler Dendroica graciae extends as far
north and west as southern Nevada. In Nevada it is recorded as a fairly common
summer resident in the Sheep Range (Johnson, 1965) and it has also been ob-
served by Jaeger (1927) and Austin (1969) during the nesting season in the
Spring Mountains (although both Johnson, and Jaeger himself, have questioned
the earlier observation). These two localities are within sixty and thirty miles,
respectively, of the California border. D. g. graciae, the race which breeds in the
United States, is a fairly long distance migrant; definite winter records of this
race in Mexico range from Tepic, Nayarit to Amecameca, State of Mexico and
Tres Marias, Morelos (Webster, 1961). Considering its normal range and migratory
habits, one may expect Grace’s Warbler to stray into California occasionally.
The first known occurrence of Grace’s Warbler in California was a female
collected near Imperial Beach, San Diego County by Guy McCaskie on 29
October 1966. I have examined the specimen, San Diego Natural History
Museum #36047, and compared it with other Grace’s Warblers in this collection.
On 8 September 1968, Martin Terschuren mist netted another individual of
this species on Point Loma, San Diego County. I banded, photographed, and
released this bird, which is shown in the accompanying photograph. The color
slide from which this photograph was made shows a yellow supercilium
(becoming white behind the eye), a yellowish spot below the eye, and a yellow
chin, throat and breast. A color slide of this bird is deposited in the San Diego
Natural History Museum.
Grace’s Warbler Dendroica graciae photographed on Point Loma, San Diego,
California on 8 September 1968.
77
NOTES
Grace’s Warbler has rarely been recorded away from pines, though as
Webster (1961) has pointed out, it must occur outside of this habitat during
migration. The Imperial Beach bird was foraging in an isolated grove of tamarisks
(Tamarix sp .) surrounded by open farmland. The Point Loma bird was caught in
a residential area where there are numerous mature pines of several species.
The bird found near Imperial Beach appears to be an exceptionally late
fall migrant. Phillips, Marshall and Monson (1964) cite only one record of Grace’s
Warbler beyond 27 September in Arizona, that of a bird taken by Coues at
Prescott on 29 October 1864. According to Ligon (1961), this species has not
been recorded in New Mexico later than 6 October. There are two published
December records for the United States. Both are sight records and neither
appears to have been documented with a photograph or a detailed description,
although in both cases the observers involved are considered competent (R. H.
Wauer, pers. comm.). One was recorded by Clyde and Lois Harden on the Zion
National Park, Utah, Christmas Bird Count 21 December 1965(“all week at feed-
er, studied at 10 ft.” - Audubon Field Notes 20:352, 1966). The second was
also seen in Zion National Park, by Barbara A. Lund “in December” 1966
(AFN 21:444, 1967).
LITERATURE CITED
Austin, G. T. 1969. New and additional records of some passerine birds in
southern Nevada. Condor 71:75-76.
Jaeger, E. C. 1927. Birds of the Charleston Mountains of Nevada, Occ. Papers
Riverside Jr. Coll. 2:1-8.
Johnson, N. K. 1965. The breeding avifaunas of the Sheep and Spring Ranges in
southern Nevada. Condor 67:93-124.
Ligon, J. S. 1961. New Mexico birds. Univ. of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.
Phillips, A., J. Marshall, and G. Monson. 1964. The birds of Arizona. Univ. of
Arizona Press, Tucson.
Webster, J. D. 1961. A revision of Grace’s Warbler. Auk 78:554-566.
Alan M. Craig , 712 Tarento Drive, San Diego, California 92106.
78
NOTES
AN OLIVACEOUS FLYCATCHER IN CALIFORNIA
An Olivaceous Flycatcher Myiarchus tuberculifer was discovered in the extensive
grove of old date palms at Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley National Monu-
ment, Inyo County, California, on the afternoon of 23 November 1968. Furnace
Creek Ranch is an isolated oasis with abundant water and vegetation and is sur-
rounded for many miles in all directions by dry rocky hills and sterile alkaline
flats. As such, it concentrates wandering birds, and a number of “vagrants” have
been found there in recent years.
This flycatcher was first noticed by Bruce Broadbooks, who was attracted by
the combination of small size, comparable to that of a phoebe Sayomis sp., and
light yellow underparts. By the time Ralph Mancke and the writer saw the bird a
flash of rust in the tail and wings made it an obvious Myiarchus. It called repeat-
edly with a plaintive “peeur” note similar to that of Olivaceous Flycatchers in
Arizona. This call, in combination with the medium gray throat, led us to identify
it as an Olivaceous Flycatcher. While I was securing permission to collect the bird
it was shown to Xenia and Pierre Devillers, and to Guy McCaskie. They concurred
with the identification, primarily on the basis of the plaintive descending call,
with which they were familiar from previous experiences in either Mexico or Ari-
zona.
The bird was studied off and on during a period of about an hour as it moved
among the fronds of the tall palms. The following description is drawn from my
notes and those of GMcC and PD:
A small Myiarchus, clearly smaller than an Ash-throated Flycatcher
M. cinerascens, for it was hardly larger than the accompanying House
Finches Carpodacus mexicanus. Upper parts brownish or brownish-
olive; the top of the head appeared a little darker than the rest of the
upper parts. Throat and breast mouse gray, rather dark, contrasting
sharply with the fairly bright yellow belly and crissum. A trace of
rusty color was visible in the wings and tail. Bill black and small for
a Myiarchus. When the bird was collected it was noted that the
mouth lining was yellowish orange or buffy orange.
The specimen was stored in a freezer in the Death Valley Museum at Furnace
Creek Ranch for about a month, then taken to the Los Angeles County Museum
of Natural History, where it is f 66519. When prepared it was found to be a male
with little fat and small testes. The identification was confirmed by Dr. James
Northern, who compared it with the extensive material from North and Central
America deposited in the Los Angeles County Museum.
The species is widespread in Mexico, Central America, and parts of South
America. In the United States it is a summer visitor from southeastern Arizona
(Baboquivari Mountains on the west) to southwestern New Mexico (San Luis
Mountains) (A.O.U. Check-list, 1957). It has been recorded east to western Texas
(Chisos Mountains) (Wauer, pers. comm, to GMcC), and west to Sells, Pima
County, Arizona (Phillips et al., The Birds of Arizona, 1964). A straggler was
collected in Bent County, Colorado, on 11 May 1883 (Thome, Auk 6:276, 1889).
In Arizona it has been recorded as early as 31 March and as late as 13 October
(Phillips et al., op. cit.); the other records within the United States fall between
these extremes. The record from Furnace Creek Ranch is the first for California,
79
NOTES
and is more than a month later than the previous latest date for the United States.
G. Shumway Suffel, 1105 North Holliston Avenue, Pasadena, California 91104.
[At the request of the editors. Dr. J. Northern kindly agreed to re-examine
and describe the tail pattern of the specimen to provide further printed support
for its identification. He indicated (pers. comm.) that each rectrix was mostly
dark with only a narrow, though very definite, rufous edging, 1.0 to 1.5 mm in
width, on the outer vane, and a very slight inconspicuous buffy edging on the inner
vane; the outer rectrix had no pale edgings.
This tail pattern is characteristic of M. tuberculifer (Ridgway, Birds of North
and Middle America, part 4, p. 642, 1907) and clearly eliminates Nutting’s Fly-
catcher M. nuttingi, the only other North American Myiarchus likely to straggle
to California that has the combination of orange mouth lining, whistled call, and
small size. Indeed, M. nuttingi, which has wandered to Arizona and northern Baja
California, has essentially rufous rectrices, with only a narrow central dark stripe
(Lanyon, Condor 63:426, 1961); besides, nuttingi has a shorter less plaintive
whistle. The orange mouth lining alone was sufficient to eliminate Ash-throated
Flycatcher M. cinerascens and Wied’s Crested Flycatcher M. tyrannulus: the latter,
as well as Great Crested Fly catcher M. crinitus, is also much larger. Note that the
tail pattern also eliminates the totally unlikely M. yucatanicus (Lanyon, American
Museum Novitates 2229: 3, 1965).
Dr. Northern indicated that the specimen had not been racially identified. On
the basis of “geographic probability” the northwestern form olivascens seems
likely, but it should be noted that a Baja California specimen, admittedly from
the extreme south, was referred to M. t. tresmariae (Phillips, Auk 66:92, 1949)
-PD]
80
NOTES
BLUE JAY IN CALIFORNIA
On 30 October 1963 Dr. John D. Goodman of the University of Redlands
heard a strange call outside his home in Igos, San Bernardino County, and upon
investigating found a Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata). This bird remained in and
around Igos, a small community along Mill Creek Canyon at 3900 ft. elevation in
the San Bernardino Mountains, until 20 April 1964. It was usually with a loose
mixed flock of Steller’s Jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) and Scrub Jays (Aphelocoma
coerulescens) frequenting the area, and often came to feeders maintained by the
local residents.
I saw this Blue Jay on 7 December 1963 and again on 7 February 1964.
On both occasions it was with Steller’s Jays and Scrub Jays that responded to
“squeaking”; however, it appeared to be more wary than its companions, and did
not come as close. On the first occasion I had the bird under observation for
about 30 minutes and obtained the following description:
About the size of a Scrub Jay, but appeared plumper, had a
slightly shorter tail, and had a crest. Top of the head, back, scap-
ulars and rump purple-blue. Wings blue, with black barring on the
secondaries and upper wing coverts, and a bold white bar at the
ends of the secondaries and greater secondary coverts. Most of tail
blue with black barring, but with extensive white on ends of outer
tail feathers. Side of face, to above the eye, and throat white; lores
black, and a black line extending backward from the eye. Face and
throat outlined by bold black collar extending from the bottom of
throat, around the edge of ear coverts, and up into the back portion
of crest on upper nape. Breast and flanks pale grayish-white fading
into white on belly and under tail coverts. Bill black. Legs and feet
blackish. Eye appeared dark.
The bird called on a few occasions, a clear high-pitched
“eeeeeef” that somewhat resembled the note of a Common Flicker
(Colaptes auratus).
The most striking characteristics of this jay were the white bars in the
wings, the white corners to the tail, and the bold black collar, all marks possessed
by none of the western jays. The blue of the upper parts was a very different
shade than that of any of the western jays, and it contrasted sharply with the
blue of the wings and tail.
A Blue Jay heard calling on the Chico State College campus, Chico, Butte
County, on 24 April 1950 by Dr. Thomas L. Rodgers (pers. comm.) appears to
be the only other record for California. This individual was collected the same
day and is deposited in the Chico State College bird collection.
Neither of the two jays had bands or other types of markings on them, and
the feathers showed no signs of captivity (an escapee will loose all signs of wear
once it molts). Goodman checked around the small community of Igos to see if
any of the residents had lost, or knew of anyone who had lost, a captive Blue Jay,
and received only negative responses. Rodgers checked with the local aviary
owner and found she had never had a Blue Jay. I have never seen a captive Blue
Jay outside a zoo in California, nor have I heard of any being kept here, though I
have seen other members of the Corvidae being held as pets. In the East Blue Jays
are frequently kept as pets, and the fact that there is no definite evidence that
either of these two birds was an escapee can never eliminate the possibility that
they had been transported to California where they escaped or were released.
The Blue Jay is normally considered a resident bird within its range in
eastern North America (A.O.U. Check-list, 1957). However, there is much
evidence that these birds migrate in the fall. Numbers in the thousands have been
81
FIGURE 1. The western edge of the Blue Jay’s range, and some localities west-
ward from which it has been reported during the fall and winter.
82
NOTES
reported moving at such localities as Cos Cob, Connecticut (Audubon Field Notes
16:13, 1962), Amherstburg, Ontario (A.F.N. 21:28, 1967), and others too num-
erous to mention. A check of records published during the past ten years indi-
cates that there is some movement towards the southwest in the fall. Fig. 1 shows
the western boundary of the breeding range, and also indicates localities west of
that boundary from which individuals have been reported. The westernmost of
these occurrences (all unchecked, and as they appear in Audubon Field Notes) are
one on Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, about 15 miles south of Spokane,
Washington, on 29 September 1968 (A.F.N. 23:84, 1969); one on Ravalli Refuge,
about 25 miles north of Missula, Montana, on 19 November 1968 (A.F.N. 23:84,
1969); one in Star, about 20 miles west of Boise, Idaho, during the winter of
1959-60 (A.F.N. 14:329, 1960); one in Cedar City, Utah, on 29 October 1966
(A.F.N. 21:63, 1967); one iri Albuquerque, New Mexico, between 7 December
1965 and 19 February 1966 (A.F.N. 20:447, 1966), and another there during the
winter of 1967-68 (A.F.N. 22:466, 1968); one in Big Bend National Park, Texas,
during the winter of 1967-68 (A.F.N. 22:466, 1968).
The California occurrences appear more likely to have been genuine strays
from the western edge of their breeding range rather than escapees when the fol-
lowing facts are considered:
1. Neither individual exhibited the characters of a recent escapee.
2. No Blue Jays were known to have been released, or lost, in the immed-
iate vicinity of either of the two localities.
3. One individual appeared in the fall and remained for the winter, a
pattern being set by other westward occurring individuals of this species. The
other occurred at the time of year when it would be expected to be moving from
its winter quarters to its normal range. Guy McCaskie, San Diego Natural History
Museum, Balboa Park, San Diego, California 92112.
AN INLAND RECORD OF THE BLACK OYSTERCATCHER
On the afternoon of 5 July 1969 I saw a Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus
bachmani) flying among the deciduous trees along Bear Creek about two miles
east of Shelter Cove, Humboldt County, California. This point is about twenty
miles upstream and is at an elevation of about 1400 feet; it is separated from the
nearby coast by a ridge with peaks reaching more than 3000 feet. The weather
was bright and clear for the week prior to the observation; thus the possibility of
the bird having become lost in the usually common coastal fog is unlikely.
The Black Oystercatcher is resident along the rocky coast between Alaska
and Baja California and is relatively uncommon along the Humboldt County
coast. There appear to be no previous records of this species away from the
coast, and even though this bird was but two miles inland, it more than likely
followed Bear Creek twenty miles upstream. Raymond Higgs, Point Reyes Bird
Observatory, Bolinas, California 94924.
83
CORRIGENDUM
CALIFORNIA CHECKLIST NOMENCLATURE CHANGES
We are grateful to Eugene Eisenmann, Chairman, A.O.U. Committee on
Classification and Nomenclature, for the following comments pertaining to the
nomenclature used in “A Checklist of the Birds of California” (Calif. Birds 1:
4-28):
“I note that your California species list adopts a number of changes from
the nomenclature of the last A.O.U. Check-list -of North American Birds. May I
point out a few others, involving purely nomenclatural (not taxonomic) consider-
ations, worth bearing in mind? Your list overlooked a few corrections made by
the last A.O.U. Check-list Committee shortly after the printing of the 1957
Check-list, which were embodied in the second printing and were published in
The Auk 79 (3): 493-494, 1962. Those pertinent that you did not catch were
the correction of the ending of the specific name of the Cape Petrel which should
be Daption capense and of the Bohemian Waxwing which should be Bombycilla
garrulus, and the correction of the English specific name by inclusion of a hyphen
in Red-winged Blackbird. If one follows the International Code of Zoological
Nomenclature the correct spelling of the specific name of the Wandering Tattler
should be Heteroscelus incanus. Further, the International Commission on Zoo-
logical Nomenclature has directed that the following changes in specific or generic
names be made (despite priority of some other name) : Eared Grebe - Podiceps
nigricollis; Common Snipe - Gallinago gallimgo; Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis.
“Let me say that I see no objection in local lists to following the A.O.U.
Check-list (with the official 1962 corrections) as published, and indeed that may
be the wisest course. But as long as your list deviated to a considerable degree, I
thought that it would be well to call attention to other purely nomenclatural
changes warranted by the International Code. In writing this let me make clear
that the present A.O.U. Check-list Committee has made no rulings on these poss-
ible changes.”
In addition, the family name “Ciconiidae” should be inserted between
American Bittern and Wood Stork.
The changes in the spelling of the scientific names of Cape Petrel, Bohemian
Waxwing and Wandering Tattler are required to make the specific names agree in
gender with the generic names ( Daption is neuter, Bombycilla is masculine and
Heteroscelus is a compound name to be considered masculine under Declaration
39 of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature). The changes
in the scientific names of Eared Grebe, Common Snipe and Cardinal are in
accordance with the following rulings of this Commission: Opinion 406 sup-
pressing caspicus and validating nigricollis, Direction 39 validating Gallinago and
rejecting Capella, and Opinion 784 validating Cardinalis and rejecting Richmon-
dena.
All of the suggested changes should be made in the California Checklist.
It should be stressed that these errors were an oversight on our part rather than
an intentional deviation from International Commission rulings. As Sir Lands-
borough Thomson so aptly stated in A New Dictionary of Birds, “. . .to regard
nomenclature as more than a means to an end is pedantry, and to take a min-
ority course in a matter of convention is merely a nuisance.”
While we are greatly indebted to Mr. Eisenmann for bringing these
corrections to our attention, we cannot agree that local lists should continue to
follow the A.O.U. Check-list strictly. To do so would be to ignore both tax-
onomic evidence brought to light in the last thirteen years and recently pro-
posed species criteria as well. Guy McCaskie, Pierre Devillers, Alan M. Craig,
Gifford R. Lyons, Virginia P. Coughran, Jean T. Craig.
84
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