AMERICAN 1989 A sensonnljournnl devoledIo the birds of Ihe America• Published by the National Audubon Society AMERICAN BIRDS

Winter 1989 ... from the editor's desk Volume 43, No. 5 N ADDITIONTO BEING THE LAST ISSUE IN VOLUME43, THISIS THE Peter A. A. Berle firstissue to reach you in thenew decade. The 1980s were, President and Publisher in general,very goodto American Birdsand consequently J.P. Myers to you, our loyal readers. We saw progress,experimentation, a Senior Vice President for growth in readership.and publication of some really solid Science and Sanctuaries information for anyone interested in birds. Susan Roney Drennan Editor-in-Chief A review of a few statistics for this past decade indicates Vice President for that we've shown healthy expansion. In 1980, we published Science Information 9s0 total pages,247 of which were devotedto regionalreports. Victoria Leidner In 1989, of our total 1394 pagespublished. 404 of them com- Managing Editor prised regional reports. Kenn Kaufman Associate Editor In 1980, there were 1320 Christmas Counts involving Geoffrey S. LeBaron 32,000 participants.In the following decade,the countsthem- Christmas Bird Count Editor selvesincreased by more than 240 with increasedparticipation Ann R. Mesnikoff of more than 10,000 people. Absolutely remarkable numbers Administrative Assistant when one considersthe modest beginningsof the 25 pioneer Tyrone A. Horton birders who conducted the first Christmas Bird Counts on Circulation/BusinessManager ChristmasDay in 1900, at sites from ScotchLake, New Bruns- Harry C. LeGates, Jr. wick, to Pacific Grove, California. PublicationsBusiness Manager Chandler S. Robbins In the decadejust endedwe broughtyou more identification, Technical Editor distribution, behavior, and migration articles, a goodmany of Willet T. Van Velzen which were accompaniedby color and black-and-white illus- Editor trations.We startedsome much appreciatedcolumns like "The BreedingBird Censuses Practiced Eye", "Facts, Inferences, and ShamelessSpecula- Calvin L. Cink and Roger L. Boyd tions", and "American Birding". Our ICBP columns, covering Co-editors conservationtopics directly impacting bird populations, are WinterBird-Population Studies apparently just what birders crave.

ADVISORS In this issue, we introduce you to a new column that will Carl E. Bock parade under the headline "Birding for Fun" written by Paul Mary H. Clench R. Ehrlich, co-author of The Birder's Handbook. Paul is Amer- John Farrand, Jr. Frank B. Gill ica's foremost ecologist and no one has contributed more Thomas R. Howell broadly to that scienceor explained its larger implicationsto Frances C. James the world through his writing. Fortunately for us, he discov- Kenneth C. Parkes ered early on that birding is habit-forming and, by his own Roger Tory Peterson admission, he's hooked. I invite you to read his columns for Olin Sewall Pettingill, Jr. James V. Remsen unqualifiedpleasure; the profit in knowledgeand understand- Joseph R. Siphron ing will accrue quite without effort. Alexander Sprunt, IV Glen E. Woolfenden In the 1990s, we'd like to structure American Birds so that Dale A. Zimmerman it meets the needs of our readers. Let us know what you'd like AMERICANBIRDS is publishedfive times a year. to see in these pages. Editorial and business offices are located at 950 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10022 (212) 546-9191 Subscriptions,all in U.S. $: One year $27.50, Two With this issue we send the fondest best wishes for a Happy years$50. Canadaand Foreign$32.50, Libraries and New Decade from our entire staff and most of all GOOD Institutions$15., Spnng Issue (AutumnMigration), BIRDING in 1990. Summer Issue (Winter Season), Fall Issue (Spring Migration),Winter Issue (NestingSeason) all $5.00 each. Checks and money orders in U.S. $ only --Stay tuned!l! should be made payable to AMERICAN BIRDS. S.R.D. Second class postagepaid at New York, N.Y. and additionalPost Offices. Copyright¸ 1990 by The NationalAudubon Society Postmaster:Send address changesto AMERICANBIRDS, 950 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10022, ISSN 0004-7686. RETORTS, REFLECTIONS, AND THOUGHTFUL REFUTATIONS

I have been following with interest adapt and become fit to any change any of our help. If they can't adapt and trepidation the articles of J.P. in environment. Take for examplethe then they will die, but if they are able Myers in recent issuesof American crypticcolorations of mothsor to adapt there may be a new . Birds. that look like leaves and sticks;they At present we do not even know the I am aware that the format intended are all adaptedto escapefrom preda- probabilityof an beingable to to pique one's interest and also to be tors. Thus how can we be sure that adapt because we have not given a witty and informative. Alas, in my the tortoise will not devise some way sportingchance to evolution. Why not opinion the resultsare disappointing. of protectingitself from ravens?And leave our selfishnessand greed in Where does science enter the pic- how are we sure that our seabirds will trying to savethe lastjelly beans.Who ture? Surely Mr. Myers does not ad- not adapt to the so often unfortunate knows, perhaps we will end up with vocate the destruction of thousands of more. Sorry environmentalists. gulls and rovens without addressing the cause: if that is the cause, on the This is your page. To do with as Cin-Ty Lee explosion of bird numbers, i.e. the you please,We hope that you will Riverside, CA expansion of land fill dumps. Where be provoked, excited, energized, is the data? Surely he does not use and challengedby Pete Myers' col- hearsayevidence as the spur to con- umn, and we dedicate this spaceto trol. your insight, opinions, ideas, rec- I enjoyed your article "Gulls and But then is he really advocating ommendations, questions, com- what gulls eat" (Volume 43, Number control? Who knows?I am sure you plaints, challenges,and daydreams. 2). You almost got it right--up to the realize that evocative satire always in Write to Retorts, American Birds. conclusion. the end must make a clear definitive 950 Third Ave., New York, NY In the game of life, nature has the point. 10022. last laugh. Whatever happens in the Mr. Myers articles don't quite long run is natural. Most, if not all, work and in the end appear somewhat specieson earth today are doomed to oil spills in our oceans?Gulls have vacuous. extinction. Intrusion, rather than its adapted so well to our creations;they opposite, is the grand self-delusion. can often be found by the thousands Tony Lauro And favoring,for example,terns over on city dumps. Could a new species AmityviIIe, NY gulls is an aestheticdecision not an arise out of all our creations? ethical one. We do not condemn ants for being An example from my own experi- I enjoyedreading J. P. Myers's col- so sophisticatedthat they can build ence: Some years ago some enthusi- umn regardingthe extent to which we such magnificent underground struc- astswanted to bring the PeregrineFal- interfere with the processof nature. tures, sowhy shouldour technological con back to the SusquehannaValley He chosean excellent example which achievements be restricted in certain and, with great enterpriseand expec- is the present dilemma that exists be- areas?It is becauseof technologythat tations, attempted to raise some tween the desert tortoise and the raven we are still living here today. I cannot youngatop an old bridgepiling out in in the Mojave desertof southern Cal- think of many people,even naturelov- the middle of the fiver where,presum- ifornia. ers, who can survive out in the wil- ably, they would be safe. Unfortu- To save the tortoises, particularly dernesswithout any essential items. nately, for the birds and their attend- babies, ravens must be controlled or, Nature meant for ants to build cities, ants, the young were picked off by in other words, killed. Is it becauseof raise aphids, and become kings of the Great Horned Owls. The cries of out- beauty or awe that we want the tor- world, and similarly, nature rage were loud and fierce, and de- toise or any other endangeredspecies also meant for us to become kings of mands were made for the annihilation to live? Whatever the reason, above the animal kindgom and createthings of the owls. It seemed to me that the all, we just want to seeit in its natural that were once beyond any creatures owls have survived where the falcons habitat, or perhapswe are waiting for imagination. couldn't and have just as much a pioneeringscientist to discoversome When we interfere with nature's "right" there as any other species.It valuable medical use for the tortoise. process,we are in fact destroyingthe was just that some people preferred Plain selfishness,I say. If the tor- process of evolution (that's how we peregrinesto Great Horned Owls. I toise was meant to die, let it die. That got here, remember!).I am not in the am neutral on that one. is the way nature is supposedto go. least bit suggestingthat we carelessly I find that I try to annihilate dan- We would not even be here if some build cities all over our existing natu- delions(a pretty flower) and cultivate crazy maniac from outer space kept ral lands (I wouldn't even think of roses, but I realize that that is just the dinosaurs alive. that!). What I am trying to say is that prejudiceon my part and part of me Charles Darwin with his extraordi- we should, at least once in a while, nary ideas,wrote that in order for an allow the and plants of this organismto surviveit must be able to world evolve by themselveswithout Continuedon page 1382

1248 American Birds, Winter 1989 A good case can be made for the natural occurrence of Eurasian Siskins in North America, but femalescan easily be c fused with Pine Siskins #

Eurasian Siskins in North America- , istinguishingfemales from green-morphPine Siskins

lan A. McLa * n, Joseph Morlan, P. William Smith, Michel Gosselin, and StephenF. Bailey

Figure1. Dorsalview of thegreen-morph in Halifax, NovaScotia, early April 1986.Photo/L McLaren.

were clearly P•ne Sisk•ns in other at- suggestedthat it was probably a Pine ,siskin turned up at McLaren's tributes,and they were not widely re- Siskinbecause of its brightyellow un- NfeederMARCH in Halifax,26,1986, ANNova UNUSUAL Scotia. ported. The original Halifax bird dertail coverts,a feature lacking in It was dark grayish-greenon the back, (Figs. 1, 2) required more research Eurasian Siskins (Withzrby et al. with strong yellow wing and tail before finally being identified as an 1943). The photographsshow that the patches,a greenish-yellowrump, and example of the little-known green bird was definitely a green-morph tinged with yellow on the head and morph of the Pine Siskin. Pine Siskin, based on this and other underparts. Furthermore, it appeared Meanwhile, in late February 1987 characters discussed below. smaller and its bill seemed deeper an unusual siskin flew into a window Our purposes in writing this ac- than average among scoresof Pine of C. J. Ralph's house in Arcata, Cal- count are to review available infor- Siskins( pinus) coming to ifornia. The bird wasstunned briefly, mation on claimed occurrences of the the feeder.The local birding commu- but recovered. Ralph noticed its un- Eurasian Siskin in North America and nity was quickly alerted to a possible usual , but did not consider evaluatethe plausibilityof natural va- female Eurasian Siskin (C. ). that it might be a EurasianSiskin until grancy, to describeand analyze the Until April 28, it was studiedclosely Dave DeSantesaw the bird alongwith green morph of the Pine Siskin, and by many people, including some fa- another green individual severaldays to comparefield marks of this morph miliar with Eurasian Siskins in Eu- later. Both were then seenby several with those of the female Eurasian Sis- rope, and all seemed content with this interested people, none of whom kin, so that other observers will not initial identification. Its plausibility could recall seeing a Pine Siskin in be misled in future. seemedreinforced by news of an un- such bright plumage. One bird was usually large irruption of the species then trapped, measured a•d photo- Occurrences of Eurasian Siskins in into Great Britain that winter (seebe- graphed by Ralph (Fig. 3, 4), and re- North America low). leased. These birds generated much There are definite records of Eura- During its stay,three other greenish interest among California birders and sian Siskinsin North America (e.g., siskins appeared at feeders in Nova one of them was seenby Bailey and Fig. 5); only their natural occurrence Scotia--two in Halifax and one in Morlan on March 1, 1987. It became is in doubt (American Ornithologists' Yarmouth. However, photographs clear that the literature was inade- Union 1983). Ridgway (1901) states seen by McLaren show that the bird quate for certain identification of the that "although introduced, with other from Yarmouth and one from Halifax bird, although Morlan et al. (1987) Europeanbirds, into Oregon, there is

1268 AmericanBirds, Winter 1989 no record to the effect that this species has become naturalized," and the A.O.U. Check-list (A.O.U. 1983) also mentions its unsuccessful introduc- tion in Ohio. Tables I and 2 summa- rize all publishedNorth American re- ports known to us of Eurasian Siskins, excluding the two unsuccessfulintro- ductions. We are also aware of some other unpublished sightingsof pur- ported females:we regardthese as un- satisfactory. Data available on the legal impor- tation of birds into the United States compiled by Smith (Table 3) include moderate numbers of this speciesand other siskins compared with some other cagebirds.Thus. any or all the Eurasian Siskins in North America could have escaped from captivity. This is also true of other speciessuch asthe rarely imported Brambling(Ta- ble 3), whoseacceptance as a genuine vagrant is basedon its pattern of oc- currencein areasremote from proba- ble release of cagebirds.Of all the records, perhaps the sightings in Alaska and Newfoundland (Table 2) and the photograph from St. Pierre (Table 1) are geographically most suggestiveof wild vagrants. Figure2. Ventralvtew of thegreen-morph Pine Sisktn in HaltJar,Nova Scotia, early April Note that all but one confirmed 1986. Note the extensivelydeep-yellow tail patchesand yellowishon undertailcoverts. Eurasian Sisklns and the three uncon- Photoil. McLaren. firmed sightingsof malesare from the northeast coast or the Aleutians. Some of these reports come from densely populated areas where es- caped cagebirdsare more likely, but also where more birding is done. In- land reports, in contrast, all involve claimed females, and from details available to us we believe that most if not all of thesewere green-morph Pine Siskins(see below). This lack of con- firmed Eurasian Siskinsinland, where escapedcagebirds should be just as frequent as along the coast, strongly suggestsa pattern of vagrancy from Europe and Asia. There are other reasonswhy Eura- sian Siskinsmight arrive naturally in North America. The species breeds discontinuouslyover the boreal zone of the Palearctic west to Scotland, where it has increasedmarkedly since 1950 due to afforestation (Thom 1986). It has also nested in Ireland since the late 19th century and in southern England since the 1950s Figure$. Dorsalview of the green-morphPine Siskincaptured in Arcata.CA, in late (Sharrock 1976). Banding recoveries February1987. Note the whitishpinges of the lesserand greaterwmg coverts, the latter show that birds from and underlatnby extensivedeep yellow of thebases of flight feathers. Photo/C. J. Ralph. the mountains of central and eastern Europe often irrupt westward to

Volume 43, Number 5 1269 In the Faroe Islands there were seven recordsthrough 1983, all in May or in Septemberor October;it is thought to be more regularnow than formerly (Bloch and Sorensen1984). In Iceland there have been recent occurrences in spring and fall: over a dozen reports in the fall of 1980, mostly in early November (Peturssonand Skarpheth- insson 1982); and subsequentlytwo recordsin May 1982, one on October 15, 1983, and three in October 1984 (Peturssonand Olafsson 1984, 1985, 1986). There are also reports from weather ships on station west of the British Isles and south of Iceland: seven individuals on October 28, 1971, at 52ø30'N, 20*00'W (Tuck 1973), and one on October 30, 1975, at 57ø00'N, 20ø00'W (Casement 1977). In conclusion, we believe that there is a good case for the natural arrival Figure 4. Ventral view of the green-morphPine Siskin (right), togetherwith two normally of some some or all confirmed Eura- plumagedindividuals, captured at Arcata, CA, in late February 1987. Note the extensively sian Siskins in North America, and yellowrectrices and undertailcoverts of the green-morphbird. Photo/C. J. Ralph. for the transfer of the speciesfrom Appendix B of the A.O.U. Check-list coastalEurope and the British Islesin proven individual has ever been to the main list. fall (Septemberto November), return- proved to nest closer than 120 kilo- ing in spring(March to May). A major meters to its original breeding site in influx occurred in England and Ire- a consecutive year, and one bird is The Green-Morph of the Pine Siskin land during winter 1985-1986 (Daw- known to have wintered at two loca- son and Allsopp 1986a; Dawson and tions 2000 kilometers apart (Newton There have been few comments on Allsopp 1986b).However, bandingre- 1973). greenishPine Siskinsin the literature, covedes indicate that most of these Migrating or irrupting EurasianSis- generally in the context of discrimi- birds came from Scotland rather than kins can clearlymake long flightsover nating them from female Eurasian Scandinavia (R. Hudson, British water. At isolated locations such as Siskins.Ridgway (1901), possiblyre- Trust for Ornithology, in lit.). As with Fair Isle, between the Shetlands and ferring to this greenish plumage, other irruptive species,banding data Orkneys, it occurs annually in both states: "I have not been able to dis- suggestthat the Eurasian Siskin nei- springand fall (Hollaway and Thorne cover a single positive character ther breeds nor winters at the same 1981), with peaks as high as 235 on whereby the adult female and young locationin successiveyears. In fact no September20, 1984 (Riddiford 1984). [Eurasian Siskin] may be infallibly

Table 1. Recordsof Eurasian Siskin (all males) in North America confirmed by specimenor photograph(all of which have been personallyinspected by Smith) Locality Dates Comments Kittery, ME March 24, 1962 Trapped at bandingstation and kept cageduntil November 1962; no evidenceof prior captiv- ity (Borror 1963). SpecimenMCZ No. 262138. New Bedford, MA late March to at least At feeder.Generally ignored on presumptionit April 3, 1969 was an escapedcagebird; see Johnson (1969); photoson file MassachusettsAudubon Soc. Bloomfield, NJ February 11-27, 1983 At feeder. Publishedphoto in Black (1983) now in NJ Rare Bird Photo File of NJ Audubon Society Rockport, MA May 5, 1983 At banding station. Copies of publishedphotos by P. W. Smith (in Norris 1983) given to Massachusetts Audubon Soc. See also Nikula (1983). Reproducedhere as Fig. 3. Petite Miquelon, St. Pierre et June 23, 1983 Photographedby Alain Debrosse(Debrosse St. Miquelon and Etchcherry,MS; seealso TingIcy 1983). Etobicoke, ONT February 6 into March, At feeder. Photo in Weir (1988), who com- 1988 mented "its origins remained in doubt."

1270 American Birds,Winter 1989 plumage characteristicsof Pine Siskin 215 in the CAS are strongly dark when trying to identify European Sis- greenish(the AMNH specimenswere kin." The only field guidereference to sampleddifferently). In addition, two the plumage seemsto be that by Eck- among 120 in the BCPM and one of ert (in Farrand 1983), who notes that 160 Pine Siskins in the BMNH are some Pine Siskins "have little streak- quite greenish,although not so strik- ing on the underparts, an obvious ingly so asthe NMC, ROM, and MCZ greenishtinge above, and brighter and individuals. Thus it appears, to the more extensivewing and tail patches" extent that these collections are un- may '•resembleEurasian Siskins and biased,that only about one percentof can be misidentified." Pine Siskinsmight be classedas green Pine Siskinswere examined by Gos- morphs. There appear to be no sea- selin at the National Museum of Can- sonal or geographicalpatterns in the ada in Ottawa (NMC), by McLaren at Figure 5. A male Eurasian Siskin captured incidenceof this plumage. at the Norris bandingstation (Norris 1983) the Royal Ontario Museum in To- These greenish Pine Siskins look at Rockport,MA, May 5, 1983. Photo/P. ronto (ROM), the British Columbia like ordinary onesthat have lost their W. Smith. Provincial Museum in Victoria heavy brown streaks,revealing an un- distinguishedfrom $. pinus". Blake (BCPM), the Museum of Compara- derlying pattern of gray and yellow (1976), writing on the sightingin 1973 tive Zoology in Cambridge, Massa- that blend into greenhues overlaid by in Wisconsin (see Table 2), states: chusetts (MCZ), and the British Mu- a fainter remnant of the original "What is not apparently generally seum (Natural History) in Tring streaking.This may be interpretedas known is that, although the Pine Sis- (BMNH), and by Bailey at the Amer- an example of schizochroism, in kin usually has hen-feathered males, ican Museum of Natural History in which the phaeomelanin (brown) is once in a very long time it producesa New York (AMNH) and the Califor- reduced or absent while both eume- cock-leathered male." Such males, nia Academyof Sciencesin San Fran- lanin (black)and carotenoids(yellow) which in terms of other siskin species cisco(CAS). The specimentrays hold are retained (Campbell and Lack are more female-like, are here referred a strikingdiversity of .How- 1985). to as green morphs, although the plu- ever,only five individualsof some300 Male Pine Siskinsdistinguished by mage appearsto be restrictedto males. in the NMC, four of 330 in the ROM, Oberholser(1974) as a "gray phase" Ryan (1981) warns about "aberrant two of 400 in the MCZ and one of have the normal amount of yellowish

Table 2. Unconfirmedpublished reports of Eurasian Siskinsin North America. All are sight records,with no photographicevidence known to us.

Locality Dates Comments Cambridge,MA August. 1904 Male seenby William Brewster(1906) who thought that it had probablyescaped, although it was wary and unworn. Holyoke, MA March 14-April 26, 1972 A feeder bird "thought to be a female" described briefly and inconclusively(Bird News Western Mass. 13:30 [1972]). Kenosha, WI December 22, 1973 A female during a ChristmasCount, well described by DeBenedictisand Fiehweg (1974); seealso Janssen(1974). Large yellow tail flashesimply Pine Siskin. Buffalo, WI February 3-March 3, A poorly describedfemale at feeder,first thoughtto 1974 be a Cape May Warbler (Maier and Maier 1974)! This report was followedby one of an aberrant Pine Siskin (Woodcock 1974). Attu, AK June 4, 1978 A single-observersighting of a male, well described by T. J. Savaloja (Kesseland Gibson. unpubl. records).Noted in Roberson 1980. Terra Nova N.P., New- February 13, 1980 A single-observersighting of a male. well described foundland by Burrows (1980). Urbana, IL January 31-February 8, A "well described female" was listed as an "exotic" 1981 by Peterjohn (1981), and the record is discussed further by Peterjohnin Ryan alongwith refer- ence to a bird in Toledo, that "lacked sustantiat- ing details." Verona, NJ March 11-16, 1983 Male reported without dates (Black 1983) and as- sumed by Boyle et aL (1983) to be the same individual confirmedat Bloomfield(see Table 1). From interviews, Smith believesthis record un- confirmed. Halifax, N.S. March 26-April 28, 1986 Reportedas having "exhibitedfield marks of a fe- male EurasianSiskin" (Mactavish 1986), here identified as a Pine Siskin.

Volume 43, Number 5 1271 Table 3. Eurasian Siskins and some other birds imported into the United States, problem of distinguishingfemale Eur- 1969-1974. Data from Banks (1970), Banks and Clapp (1972), Clapp (1975), Clapp asian Siskinsfrom green-morphmale and Banks (1973a, 1973b), and Greenhall (1977). Pine Siskins. Total Size. The Eurasianspecies averages Species imported smaller than the Pine Siskins,but not Eurasian species much. Weights of Pine Siskins EuropeanGoldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) 4442 (Clench and Leberman 1978) and Common Rosefinch( Carpodacuserythrinus) 1 1695 Eurasian Siskins (Sellers 1986) are EurasianBullfinch {Pyrrhula pyrrhula) 844 seasonallyand diurnally variableand EurasianLinnet ( Cardueliscannabina) 398 Common Serin ( Serinus serinus) 379 showmuch overlap.Wing lengthsare EurasianSiskin ( Carduelisspinus) 272 often measureddifferently by Euro- Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) 190 pean (flattened wing) and North EuropeanGreenfinch ( Carduelis chloris) 116 Americanauthors (unflattened), so we Hawfinch (Coccothraustescoccothraustes) 24 measuredunflattened wing chord (in Brambling( Fringilla montifringilla) 2O millimeters)of the nine green-morph Neotropical species Pine Siskins in the NMC and ROM Hooded Siskin(Carduelis magellanica) 1142 Black-headedSiskin ( Carduelis notata) 159 (mean 72.8, S.D. 1.79, range 70.0- Black Siskin{ Carduelisatrata) 15 76.1) and the seven female Eurasian All species,all families2 3,737.636 Siskins from Europe in the ROM Psittacidae,Sturnidae, Ploceidae, Estrildidae only 2,910,162 (mean 68.9, S.D. 1.99, range 67.2- Some of thesemay be relatedspecies 72.5). it is clear that the two species Excludesca. 500,000 canariesnot reportedin 1968-1969 cannot be reliably discriminatedby size. pigment in the body plumage, and and probably are not a throwback to Bill size and shape. The Halifax thus may have only a faintly greenish an ancestralcock plumageof this spe- bird had a deep bill compared with cast(Fig. 6). Darker greenindividuals cies.It is perhapssignificant, however, most Pine Siskins(cf. Figs. 2 and 8). like the Halifax (Fig. 1) and Arcata that bright cock plumages of some Bill measurementsby McLaren may (Fig. 4) birds seem to have an extra other carduelines do appear to de- be more comparable inter se than dose of carotenoids,and thus are xan- velop partly through"turning oW' the those from the literature. Five female thochroistic as well as schizochroistic. bold brown immature streaking(as in and seven male Eurasian Siskins from This is evident in the deep yellow of most Loxia, Carpodacus, and Car- Europe(others were broken or gaping) their wing and tail patches.The extent duelis).One Newfoundlandspecimen in the ROM were compared with six and intensity of the patchesvary in- (MCZ 25615), however, is labeled as male and six female Pine Siskins cho- dependenfiy;thus the grayishbird on a female. It has a heavily streaked, sen at random. Although the bills of Figure 6 has very large wing patches, yellowish rump, and strongly yellow the PineSiskins appeared longer, their but these are the typical pale yellow wing and tail patches,but its back is exposedculmen length proved very of normal Pine Siskins. not as purely greenishas those of the similar to that of the EurasianSiskins, The green morph occurslargely or males examined. perhapsbecause of greater extension entirely in male Pine Siskins. All the It should also be noted that juvenile of the culmen onto the roof of the strikinglydark greenbirds in the mu- Pine Siskins may resemble green seum collectionsexamined by us are morph adultsin having yellow below, males.This sex bias may be the basis especially on the undertail coverts. for Blake's (1976) supposition that They differ from the greenmorphs in they represent"cock-feathered" rather usually having more extensiveyellow than the normal "hen-feathered ventrally, and in lacking the greenish male." They are very drab compared suffusionabove and the strongyellow to males of other carduelinefinches, patches on wings and tail. This plu- mage, which is illustrated in Scott (1987), may be lost before the birds migrate.

Identification of Female Eurasian Siskins It is clear that some adult male Pine Siskins look like female Eurasian Sis- kins (cf. Fig. 1, 7). Fortunately,adult male Eurasian Siskins are easily dis- Figure 6. A gray-morph Pine Siskin in tingnished,although they do bear a Halifax, Nova Scotia,late April 1986. Note superficial resemblance to some neo- Figure 7..4 female Eurasian Siskin in that the yellowon wingsand tail is exten- tropical siskins. Svensson(1984) in- Coventry,England, February 1982. Note sive, but not strong in hue and that the dicates that male Eurasian Siskins are thepaler yellowwing markings compared back is only faintly greenish. Photo/I. identifiableas such by their first win- to the green-morphPine Siskin (Figs. 1- McLaren. 4). Photo/Alan Millward. ter. Thus we are faced only with the

1272 AmericanBirds, Winter 1989 measurementsoverlap, they represent largelyfrom the underlyingdeep-yel- a visibly different average bill shape, low bases of the secondaryfeathers due largely to the deeper base of the that show through the whitish and lower mandible in Eurasian Siskins often worn greatercovert margins (see and the very long, thin bills of some Fig. 3). Virtually all field guide illus- Pine Siskins(e.g., Fig. 8). trations of female Eurasian Siskins Although the culmen on the Eura- showtwo yellowishwing bars. Indeed, sian Siskin is commonly illustrated as both the median and greater coverts curved (as in Fig. 7), and that of the of adult female Eurasian Siskins have Pine Siskin as straight(as in Fig. 8), yellowish margins, although the for- this is not a reliable difference.Among mer may be coveredby scapularfeath- birds in the Museum of Vertebrate ers in perchedbirds. Also, the yellow- Zoology, University of California at ish margins of the greater coverts in Berkeley,culmens of 28/39 Eurasian female Eurasian Siskinsare generally Figure 8. A first-winter Pine Siskin in Hal- ifax, Nova Scotia, late April 1986. Note Siskins and 36/397 Pine Siskins were broader than those on green-morph the thin bill (comparewith Fig. 7}. Photo/ scored as curved. Furthermore, cur- Pine Siskins, although they may be I. McLaren. vature of the culmen may only be narrowed by wear. The yellowish evident when the bill is observed or bases of the secondaries in female Eur- skull in the latter. Therefore, length photographedfrom a strictly lateral asian Siskins do not extend much if was measuredfrom the anterior edge aspect. at all beyond the yellowish tips of the of the nostril to the tip of the bill. This Plumages.The strikingsimilarity of greatercoverts. In conclusion,the eye- averaged significantly greater (t = plumages between female Eurasian catching prominence of yellow on 4.06, d.f. 20, p < 0.01) in Pine Siskins Siskin and somegreen morphs of the their wings has a different basis in (mean 8.88, S.D. 0.36, range 8.5-9.7 Pine Siskin is the heart of the identi- female Eurasian Siskins and green- mm) than in Eurasian Siskin (mean fication problem. In our analyses,we morph Pine Siskins:two wing bars in 8.36, S.D. 0.26, range 7.9-9.0 mm). have been greatly aided by the com- the former, and deeper and more ex- Bill depth, however,was significantly ments of and the illuminating sketch tensive yellow at the bases of flight smaller (t = 9.36, d.f. 20, p < 0.001) (Fig. 9) by Lars Jonssonwho, unlike feathers in the latter. in Pine Siskins (mean 5.80 mm, S.D. two other European experts to whom 2. The yellow tail patchesof female 0.29, range5.3-6.4 mm) than in Eur- we submitted copies of slides,imme- EurasianSiskins are lessdeeply yellow asian Siskins (mean 6.31, S.D. 0.23, diately recognized that the Halifax and lessextensive than thoseof green- range 6.1-6.8 ram). Although these bird was not a Eurasian Siskin. morph Pine Siskins, in which they 1. The wing bars of Eurasian and may extend almost to the tip of the Pine siskinsare variably illustratedin tail medially (e.g., Figs. 2, 4). This is field guides and other references. probably a sexual difference, as male Those of Pine Siskins are often shown siskinsdo have more extensivedeep- as more modest and lessdeeply yellow yellow tail patchesthan females(Pyle than those of Eurasian Siskins. How- et al. 1987). ever, specimens of female Eurasian 3. Dorsal views of green siskins, Siskins seen by us generally do not while likely to attract attentionamong have suchbright wing markings. Lars a flock of Pine Siskins, are least dis- Jonsson(in lit.) judged, from photo- tinctive. Views of the underparts are graphsof the Halifax bird (Fig. 1, 2), more useful. Green morphs always that "the bright wing flashesof yellow lack the heavy, dark streaks usual in are absolutelytoo bright for a female brownish Pine Siskins,and some have [Eurasian] siskin." Furthermore, the almost no streaking below. When pattern of yellow differs. Both may present,the streaksappear broad and have variableamounts of yellow, with diffuse comparedwith thoseof female virtually none in some Pine Siskins, Eurasian Siskins,on which the streak- but prominent in our green morphs, ing of the flanks, especially poste- Figure 9. Sketch by Lars Jonssonof the on the basesof the primaries and se- riorly, is always broad, dark and green-morphPine Siskin in Halifax, Nova condaries and on the inner webs of sharp-edged(Fig. 10). Female Eura- Scotia, based on photographs(upper fig- the tertials. Field guide illustrationsof sian Siskins also have a larger un- ure), togetherwith that of a '?ypical"or Pine Siskins generally show one or streaked area on the lower breast and compositeadult j•male Eurasian Siskin two whitish wing bars with a yellow belly (Fig. 10). (lowerfigure). Note the followingfeatures flashat the baseof the outer primaries, The distribution of yellow on the on the Eurasian Siskin: more distinct up- and this is indeed the commonest ar- per wing bar; broader and whiter lower underparts differs in the two birds wing bar; less prominent wing flashes rangement. However, the margins of (Figs. 9, 10). Female EurasianSiskins (basesof secondaries);dark streakson un- the greater wing coverts may appear are vailably yellow on the upper dersidesmost prominent on flanks; less yellowishin Pine Siskins,especially in breast. The yellow is more extensive contrasting ear coverts (not always so); green morphs. Although the posterior and less bright in most green-morph stouterand more curved(not always) cul- wing bar may be slightly yellowish, Pine Siskins and often occurs on the men. this appearancein Pine Siskinsderives flanks.

Volume 43, Number 5 1273 the patternof the wings:two yellowish in 1970. U.S. Fish & Wildl. Serv. Spec. wing bars and limited yellow at the Sci. Rep. I4•!dl. 164. CLAPP, R. B., and R. C. BANKS. 1973b. base of the flight feathersin Eurasian Birds imported into the United States Siskins, and two whitish wing bars in 1971. U.S. Fish & Wildl. Serv. Spec. with an extensive yellow primary Sci. Rep. Wildl. 170. patch on Pine Siskins.Yellow under- CLENCH, M. H., and R. C. LEBERMAN. tail coverts, if present, eliminate fe- 1978. Weights of 151 speciesof Penn- male Eurasian Siskin. Bedazzled ob- sylvania birds analysedby month, age and sex.Bull. CarnegieMus. Nat. Hist. serversshould try to obtain color pho- 5. tographsfor closeranalysis. DAWSON, I., and K. ALLSOPP. 1986a. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Recentreports. Brit. Birds 79:215-220. DAWSON, I., and K. ALLSOPP. 1986b. We thank staff at the British Columbia Recentreports. Brit. Birds 79:263-268. Provincial Museum, The British Museum DeBENEDICTIS, P., and B. FIEHWIG. (Natural History). the American Museum of 1974. A European Siskin on the Ke- Natural History, the Museum of Compara- noshaChristmas Count. PassengerPi- tive Zoology at Harvard University, the Mu- geon 36:38. seumof VertebrateZoology of the University FARRAND, J., Jr. (Ed.). 1983. The Au- of California at Berkeley,and the Royal On- tario Museum, for accessto collections. We dubon Society masterguide to birding. also thank Lars Jonsson for his useful com- Vol. 3. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. ments on the identification problem and his GREENHALL, M. 1977. Birds imported splendidsketch, Kenneth C. Parkes for val- into the United States in 1973 and 1974. U.S. Fish & 14•!d. Serv. Wildl. Figure 10. Ventral vie**'of specimensoJ a uable analysesof collectionsin the Carnegie Leaflet 511. green-morphPine Siskin (NMC 83635. Museum, Pittsburgh, Theodore Koundak- jian for analysingcollections in the Museum HOLLOWAY, J. F., and R. H. F. left} and a female EurasianSiskin (NMC IHORNE. 1981. The birds of Fair Isle. 45425, righO.Note the extensiveyellowish of VertebrateZoology, C. J. Ralph and Alan Shetland Times, Lerwick. on the underpartsof the former and its Millward for their photographs. and Dan Gibson and A. Debrossefor unpublishedin- JANSSEN, R. B. 1974. Western Great confinementto the upper breast on the fomarion, and Dave DeSantefor alertingus Lakes Region.Am. Birds 28:641-645. latter. Photo/M. Gosselin. to the Arcata birds. JOHNSON, G. W. 1969. Spotting out-of- LITERATURE CITED placebird is great thrill. New Bedford The undertailcoverts of mostgreen- (MA} SundayStandard-Times 61, No. morph Pine Siskins (including both AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS' 16:51. the Halifax and Arcata birds) are yel- UNION. 1983. Check-list of North MACTAVlSH, B. 1986. Northeastern lowish, a feature not found on any American birds. Sixth Edition. Allen Maritime Region.Am. Birds 40:442- specimensof female Eurasian Siskins, Press, Lawrence, Kansas. 446. some of which do have a little yellow BANKS, R. C. 1970. Birds imported into MAIER, L., and M. MAIER. 1974. Eu- the United States in 1968. L.S. Fish • ropean Siskin? at Buffalo. Passenger immediately behind the legs. How- Wildl. Serv. Spec.Sci. Rep. Wildl. 136. Pigeon 36:158. ever, yellow undertail covertsare not BANKS, P,. C., AND R. B. CLAPP. 1972. MORLAN, J., S. F. BAILEY, and R. A. always noticeable on specimens of Birds imported into the United States ERICKSON. 1987. Middle Pacific green-morphPine Siskins.Thus, yel- in 1969. U.S. Fish & l•¾1dl.Serv. Spec. Coast region.Am. Birds 41:322-327. low undertail coverts, if they can be Sci. Rep. Wildl. 148. NEWTON, I. 1973. . Taplinger seen, exclude the Eurasian Siskin: but BLACK, I. H. 1983. Winter field notes - Publ. Co.. New York. regionno. 2. Rec. N.J. Birds 9:35-36. NIKULA, B. 1983. Northeastern mari- their absencedoes not infallibly sig- BLAKE, C. H. 1976. Siskinplumages. Am. time region.Am. Birds 37:844-849. nify this species. Birds 30:770. NORRIS, R. T. 1983. Banding report: 4. Although green-morphPine Sis- BLOCH, D., and S. SORENSEN. 1984. Eurasian Siskin in Rockport, Massa- kins may have more contrasting ear Yvirlit yvir Foroya Fuglar.FOroya Sku- chusetts. Bird. Ohs. E. Mass. 11:172- patchesthan do female Eurasian Sis- laborkagrunnur, Torshavn. 173. kins (cf Figs. 2, 7) this is not a con- BORROR, A. C. 1963. European Siskin OBERHOLSER, H. C. 1974. The Bird (Carduelis spinu•) in Maine. Auk sistent or easily observed difference. Life of Texas. 2 vols. University of 80:201. Texas Press,Austin, Texas. 1063 p. We find no other differences in facial BOYLE, W. J., R. O. PAXTON, and D. PETER JOHN, B. G. 1981. Middlewestern or dorsal plumage that might assist A. CUTLER. 1983. Hudson-Delaware prairie region.Am. Birds 35:304-307. discrimination in the field. region.Am. Birds 37:283-287. PETURSSON, G., and E. OLAFSSON. In conclusion,close study of bright BREWSTER, W. 1906. lhe birds of the 1984. Sjaldg Fuglar a lslandi 1982. green-morph Pine Siskinsshould dis- Cambridge region of Massachusetts. Bliki 3:15-44. Mere. Nuttall Ornhhol. Club, No. 4. tinguish them from possiblevagrant PETURSSON, G., and E. OLAFSSON. BURROWS, R. 1980 Possible European 1985. Sjaldgfir Fuglar a Islandi 1982. (or escaped)female Eurasian Siskins. Siskin?Osprey 11:33-34. B!iki 4:13-39. Most important, the large yellow tail CAMPBELL, B., and E. LACK. 1985 A PETURSSON, G., and E. OLAFSSON. and wing patchesthat may first draw Dictionaryof Birds.Buteo Books. Vet- 1986, Sjaldgfir Fuglar a lslandi 1982. attention to a green-morphPine Sis- million, North Dakota. B!iki 5:19-46. kin at the same time eliminate the CASEMENI, M. B. 1977. Landbird sum- PETURSSON, G., and K. H. SKAR- possibilityof female Eurasian Siskin. mary. Sea Swallow26:15-37. PHEIHINSSON. 1982. Sjaldg fir Fug- CLAPP, R. B. 1975. Birds imported into lar a lslandi 1980. Natturufroethisto- In contrast, real female Eurasian Sis- the United States in 1972. L:S. Fish & finn Islands,Reykjavik. kins are not so brightly marked and Wildl. Serv. Spec.Sci. Rep. Wildl. 193. PYLE, P., S. N. G. HOWELL, R. P. YU- could easily be overlooked among CLAPP, R. B., and R. C. BANKS. 1973a. NICK, and D. F. DeSANTE. 1987. Pine Siskins. The best field mark is Birds imported into the United States Continuedon page 1381

1274 American Birds, Winter 1989 WHERE HAVE ALL THE BIRDS GONE? Essayson the Biologyand Conservationof BirdsThat Migrate to the AmericanTropics John Terborgh "Thingsare going wrong with ourenvironment," writes John Terborgh, "even the parts of it thatare nominallyprotected. If we waituntil all theanswers are in, we mayfind ourselvesin a muchworse predicamentthan if we hadtaken notice of theproblem earlier." Terborgh's warnings are essential readingfor all who care about migratory birds and our natural environment. By scrutinizing ill-planned urbanand suburbandevelopment in the UnitedStates and the tropicaldeforestation of Centraland SouthAmerica, he summarizesour knowledgeof the subtlecombination of circumstancesthat is devastatingour bird populations. Cloth: $45.00 ISBNO-691-08531-5 Revised edition A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF PUERTO RICO AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Herbert A. Raffaele From a review of the first edition: 'q'his well-written book is the firstcomprehensive guide to thebirds of PuertoRico and the VirginIslands. All species,including winter visitors...are de- II scribedand illustrated .... Asidefrom being a finefield guide,the bookcontains useful summaries of thebiogeography of theregion and the ecologyof avianpopulations .... A majorcontribution is Raffaele'spresentation of a wealthof hithertounpublished informationon the naturalhistory of the region'sbirds." II mJarnesW. Wiley,Ibis 25 color plates, 16 b&w plates. 7 maps. Paper: $15.95ISBN 0-691-02424-3 Cloth: $39.50ISBN 0-691-08554-4

Second edition A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF II PANAMA WITH COSTA RICA, NICARAGUA, AND HONDURAS Robert S. Ridgelyand John A. Gwynne, Jr. The secondedition of the popularA Guide to the Birds of Panamanow includesinformation on CostaRica, Nicaragua, and Honduras.The illustrationcoverage has been substantially expanded:approximately 200 new specieshave been added, 16 newplates are included, and three of theoriginal plates have been replacedby improvedversions. Throughout, changes have been madeto accommodatethe explosionin knowledgeof the birdsof Panamaand nearby areas and of neotropicalbirds in general. 48 color plates, 53 line drawings. Cloth: $49.50 ISBN0-691-08529-3

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Volume43, Number5 1391 CONTENTS WINTER 1989, VOLUME 43, NUMBER $

1240 ß.. from the editor's desk The Nesting Season June l--July 31, 1989 1241 ThePracticed Eye- Buteos of thewinter fields Kenn Kaufman 1285 Atlantic ProvincesRegion 1245 Facts, Inferences,and ShamelessSpeculations-Denials and Delusions Bruce Mactavish J.P. Myers 1288 New EnglandRegion Wayne R. Petersen 1291 QuebecRegion 1248 Retorts, Reflections,and Thoughtful Refutations YvesAubry, Michel Gosselinand Readers' Column Richard Yank 1294 Hudson-DelawareRegion 1249 Birding for Fun-Enjoying being a non-expert Robert O. Paxton, Paul R. Ehrlich William J. Boyle,Jr. and David A. Cutler 1251 American Birding-SanPedro Morning 1299 Middle Atlantic CoastRegion Peter Dunne Henry T. Armistead 1303 SouthernAtlantic CoastRegion Giants of the Past: (Spring 1989 Report) 1254 William Vogt: a man ahead of his time Harry E. LeGrand, Jr. Roger Tory Peterson 1307 Florida Region Richard T. Paul 1256 William Vogt: a pilgrim on the road to survival 1310 Ontario Region David CameronDuffy Ron D. Weir 1314 AppalachianRegion GeorgeA. Hall 1258 ICBP: Statusand conservationof wading birds in the Everglades 1317 WesternGreat LakesRegion G. ThomasBancroft Daryl D. Tessen 1320 MiddlewesternPrairie Region 1266 The Mexican field guideis now in Spanish Bruce G. Peterjohn Roger Tory Peterson 1326 Central SouthernRegion Jerome A. Jackson 1268 EurasianSiskins in North America- distinguishingfemales from green-morphPine 1330 Prairie ProvincesRegion Siskins Bernard Gollop Ian A. McLaren, JosephMorlan, P. William Smith, Michael Gossdin,and 1332 Northern Great Plains Region StephenF. Bailey GordonBerkey 1334 SouthernGreat PlainsRegion 1275 Large-billedTern in New Jersey:North America's first confirmedoccurrence JosephA. Grzybowski RichardKane, P. A. Buckleyand Jerry Golub 1337 Texas Region Greg W. Lasley and Chuck Sexton 1277 RegionalReports Pictorial Highlights 1342 Northern Rocky Mountain- Intermountain Region 1280 The ChangingSeasons--Summer 1989 Thomas H. Rogers Kenn Kaufman 1345 Mountain West Region Hugh E. Kingery 1374 Letters to the editor 1349 SouthwestRegion Arizona- David Stejskaland 1378 Birders' Bookshelf Gary H. Rosenberg New Mexico- John P. Hubbard 1354 AlaskaRegion 1380 Announcements M. E. lsleib and T. G. Tobish, Jr 1358 NorthernPacific Coast Region 1384 Indices: Volume 43- 1989 Jim Johnson and Bill Tweit 1362 Middle PacificCoast Region 1391 Marketplace StephenF. Bailey, Richard A. Erickson and DavM G. Yee Front coverphotograph: Great Egret (Casmerodiusalbus). Photograph/Tom J. Ulrich. 1366 SouthernPacific Coast Region Back coverphotograph: Two White Ibis (Eudocimusalbus) in the Florida Keys. Guy McCaskie Photograph/ArleneSpagna. 1370 Hawaiian IslandsRegion RobertL. Pyle 1372 West Indies Region Robert L. Norton I NATIONAL'• UDU•BON','•O•CtET• '3 FAMILY PORTRAI TS Number One

CHICKADEES,THOSEDIMINUTIVE,ENERGETICACROBATS oftwig and bough, enliven the forests, woodlots, and suburbs ofNorth America. Evenon the coldest of winter days, their unmistakable chik-ka-dee-dee, chik-ka-dee addsanote of joy to the woods. Winter groups ofchickadees--accompanied bytit- mice,nuthatches, woodpeckers, andothers•make the rounds of neighborhood birdfeedersand feeding spots every day, ar- rivingat eachfeeder with the impactof a CHICKADEES travelingcircus. Five kinds of chickadees I Chestnut-backed Chickadee 2. Boreal Chickadee are common and widespreadin North 3. Black-cappedChickadee 4. Mountain Chickadee 5. Carolina Chickadee America,and all partsof theUnited States Paintingby JOHN DAWSON savethe desertSouthwest have at leastone.

A supplementto AUDUBON, January 1990 A MATEDPAIR OF CHICKADEES STAYS TOGETHER aJJ year and in winterthey are likely to join others of theirkind to form a smallflock. CHICKADEES Thesewinter bands of chickadees--from three or four individuals up to adozen or more-- provide "safety innumbers." With more pears of eyes watching,the birds spot approaching hawks, lurking weasels, or other 11 predatorsmore quickly. Chickadees clamber about the branchesand outer twigs of trees in searchof insects,the stapleof theirdiet, even hanging upside Chickadeesnest m cavities•n ok[ down to reach the least- woodpeckerhole, or a natural hollow in a tree,or occasionally likelyspots. In winter a hrdhouseprovded for them.They theyhunt for insect oftenexcavate their

small but stout bills todig out a cavityin or for dormantin- '• ' soI'tdead wood. In manycases, bo•h sects in crevices in memberso/a pair eggsorpupa cases will work at

the bark, aswell asseeds hollow,but at least in somespecies the or berrieson occasion.They also kindlemll take chargeof budding come to suburban birdfeeders for the actual nest: a thtckcup-shaped sunflower seedsand suet. A chick- foundation4 soft matedais like BREEDING RANGE .plant fibers. adeedependent upon insects in BLACK-CAPPED stripsof/me bark, CHICKADEE milkweeddown, CAROLINA winterhas to findsomething to animalfur, and CHICKADEE leathers. BOnEAk CHICKADEE ,randqm. n the CHICKADEEMOUNTAIN CHESTNUT-BACKED Most kinds of CHICKADEE l• oritrisks starvation. chickadeeslay about half a ß • •.a,,•' [[ There,s a CHICKADEEhush on the frosty furrow dozeneggs per clutch, sometimes • -••• eatII whereeverythefrozenfew loamsecondslifts ,black, as many as ten II Anda filmon the brown hare s burrow or twelve. The ...... •.• 1[ unmarredbYa seeking track, eggsare white, [[ Andover the leafless uplands comes usuallywith fine .... II ech,,in•clear tome reddish-brown ....•,, [[ A voicefrom the edge of winter: markings. II "Chickadeedeedee! Chickadee!" • ...•tha HaskellClark

SPECIES SIZE/APPEARANCE HABITAT NEST VOICE FOOD BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE Length: 5.25" or mixed for- Whistled•ong, fee-bee or fee-bee- Parusatricapillus Very small,active; black est,riverside groves, resi- bee,is easilyimitated; chattering Commonover muchof the northernpart of the con- cap and throat, white dentialareas and parks notesincluding the trademark tinent. Shows little fear of humans and can even be cheeks,gray back, faint with largetrees. chick-a-dee;various fussing calls taughtto takefood from the hand. buff wash on sides. and high thin notes. CAROLINA CHICKADEE Length: 5" Opendeciduous wood- Parus carolinensts Otherwise, almost identi- lands,swamps, well- the firstand third noteshigh and Almostevery woodlot in the easternhalf of the cal to black-capped wooded residential areas. squeaky.Other callnoteslike United Stateshas either black-cappedor carolina chickadee. Most chickadees will thoseof black-cap,but a little chickadees--one or the other, but not both. higherand faster. nest •n a cavity in a IFour-noted nee-dee-see-bee,withChickadee diets BOREAL CHICKADEE Len•h: 5.25" Northern coniferous for- deadlimb, or in an Standard chick-a-deecallnote has consist of insects and Parus hudson•cus Very smallbird with black est,especially of , abandonedwood- a nasalor wheezingsound, as if insecteggs, seeds and "Boreal"means "of the north;" the northern wilder- throat,dull browncap, fir, or hemlock;some- peckerhole, lining it the birdhad caught a permanent small fruit. Will come nessof Canadaand Alaska is the stronghold of th.e sinallwhite cheekpatch, timesfeeding in nearby withfeathers, , cold;also gives a few soft readilyto birdfeeders boreal chickadee. browrash-grayback, stands of or willow. plantdown, and ani- warbled notes. for suet or sunflower brown wash on sides. mal fur. A idatedpair, seeds. MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE Length: 5.25" Mountain ,or however,may excavate Song consists of threeor fourde- Parusgambeli Small and active; black nearbyoaks; lowland riv- scendingwhistled notes; chick-a- Over muchof the arid countryof the West,big trees capand throat, white eye- erside trees such as cot- deehas more syllables than most arefound mostly in the mountains.That is where brow,white cheeks,gray tonwoods,especially in chickadees,and •s delivered in a the mountain chickadee lives. back,gray wash on sides. winter. theirownnestcavity. hoarse tone. CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE Length:4.75" Usuallyin humidconifer- Standard chick-a-deecallnote Parusrulescerts Very smalland active; ousor mixedforest; also with a morehusky tone than In the darkshadows of the dampforests in the darkbrown cap, black in residentialareas in thoseof its relatives;also a dry PacificNorthwest, the darkcolor pattern of the throat,white cheeks, oaksand eucalyptus. checkcheck and varioushigh chestnut-backedchickadee fits in perfectly. chestnutback, chestnut thin notes. or grayishsides. NATIO hAL AUDUBON S OCIETY 950 THIRD AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10022

) 1990Nanonal Audubon Soc,et¾ Content:American Btrds maga-ine Design:[h-enttel I•*yle Partners IS IT OOMMONOR IS IT FORSTtR'S?

SEE the Difference with Bausch (? Lomb. Seriousbirdin• demands the ability to determine the often subtle differences in bird features, even at closeran•e. •For instance thisForster's Tern(pictured here)willpresent difficultidentification for manybirders. •,•,To accomplish this,quality optics areessential. Bausch &Lomb binoculars offer thefinest optic;l systems availabl•.•l• The Custom'" series, desio•ed with leadin• naturalists and endorsedb.y the National Audubon Society, offers three models, .10x40, 8x36 and 7x26 compact. The Bausch& Lombhlnocular f•mily starts with the world famous "Elite" model available in 8x42 or 10x42. The Elite has set the stanJard'hyWhich all other binoculars will be me•sured.,•l•They are built to the most exact- in• tolerancesdemanded by serious birders, 'fully multi-coatedlenses featurin• close focus (to twelvefeet), and lon• eyerelief to accommodate eyeglasswearers. • BAUSCH & LOMB Since 1853 Whenitcomes tovision enanemen theworld thinsof Bausch OLomb. Photoby Greg R tlomel rl

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