COOPER ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA NUMBER 17 A DISTRIBUTIONAL LIST OF THE BIRDS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA BY ALLAN BROOKS and HARRY S. SWARTH CONTRIBUTION NO. 423 FROM TBE MUSEUM OF VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNI.1 BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA Published by the Club September 15, 1925 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA NO. 17 PLATE I QUEEN CHARLOTTE SAW-WHET OWL. YOUNG AND ADULT Edited by JOSEPH GRINNELL and HARRY S. SWARTH at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Cniversity of California NOTE Pacific Coast Avifauna No. 17 is the seventeenth in a series of publications issued by the Cooper Ornithological Club for the accommodation of papers w-hose length prohibits their appearance in THE CONDOR. For information regarding either series of Cooper Club publications address W. Lee Chambers, Business Manager, Drawer 123, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles County, California. CONTENTS Introduction . ......... _....... ...................... ... ............................................................ 5 _4cknowledgments ........ .._................._ ........................................................................... 7 Previous ornithological work in British Columbia . ....... .. .............................. _.. 9 Life zones and fauna1 areas . ............. ...................................................................... 17 Birds of British Columbia ......... ....... .................................................................... 23 Introduced species .._..............................._ ................................................................... 125 Hypothetical list . ....................................................................................................... 127 List of birds ascribed to British Columbia on unsatisfactory grounds ...................... 130 Bibliography _......_.._........................................, ............................................................ 132 Index .................................................... ....................................................................... 14.5 PLATES I. Queen Charlotte Saw-whet Owl __._.__________..........................................Frontispiece II. Map of life zones of British Columbia .._..__........__._....................... Facing page 17 INTRODUCTION A list of the birds of British Columbia was written by John Fan&, Curator of the Provincial Museum, Victoria, about 1889. The senior author of the present pub- lication recalls having had it submitted to him by Fannin for corrections and additions. Fannin’s “Check-List, of British Columbia Birds” appeared in 1891. These two papers comprised the first lists of the birds of the entire province of British Columbia. The much earlier publication of J. K. Lord (1866) covers only such species as were personally collected or observed by that author. Fannin’s 1891 list includes 307 species and subspecies; in the present publication 409 species and subspecies are catalogued, exclusive of introduced species. The territory covered by the present distributional list is that contained within the political boundaries of the province of British Columbia; the list includes all of the bird species now known to occur within the province. Practically, however, we have been obliged to exclude from consideration the extreme northeastern corner of the province, that portion lying east of the Rocky Mountain divide (see zone map, plate II). There is a dearth of definite information regarding the birds of that section, either published or within our own personal experiences; nothing has been written upon the ornithology of that immense region. The area referred to, roughly triangular in shape, is, in its southern portion, a northwestern extension of the Great Plains region, of entirely different fauna1 affinities from any other part of British Columbia. There is no doubt that investigation there would disclose the presence of many species, mostly eastern birds, that are not included in this list. The northern extremity of this terra incognita forms part of the great sub-Arctic forest. The plan of treatment of the present list is essentially that of certain previous publications in the Pacific Coast Avifauna series (A Distributional List of the Birds of Arizona, by Harry S. Swarth, 1914; A Distributional List of the Birds of Cali- fornia, by Joseph Grinnell, 1915). I n cataloging the species, the order, and, for the most part, the nomenclature of the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-List; has been adopted. Following the accepted name of each species is a list of the synonyms by which it has been known in literature covering occurrence in British Columbia. Then follows a statement of the “status” of the bird, that is, a brief outline of the manner of occurrence, as exact, it is to be hoped, as the present state of our knowl- edge permits. In the most important features of the distribution of each species au- thorities are given for the statements made, these referring sometimes to publications (all listed in the appended Bibliography), sometimes to specimens in collections, some- times (“MS”) to unpublished notes of different individuals. 6 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No.. 17 _ The bibliography contains the titles of such publications as have been consulted by the authors in connection with the work in hand. The main criterion for the in- clusion of a title is, of course, that the book or paper relates definitely to the ornithology of British Columbia, but certain additional restrictions have also been observed. Thus, no book of a general nature is included unless containing data not previously pub- lished. No popular or semi-popular, or sporting, books or papers are included. There is a long list of such publications, including colonizing propaganda, accounts of big game shooting, and travels, containing more or less casual reference to birds in various parts of British Columbia. I nc 1usion of such titles would have trebled the size of the bibliography, rendered difficult reference to titles of more importance in the present connection, and added little to the value of this list of titles.” Work upon the manuscript of this list was concluded December 31, 1923. No records published since that date have been utilized, nor any titles of later date included in the bibliography. Finally, it may not be amiss to insert here a word of explanation in regard to the authorship of this list and its effect upon the treatment of certain species. This is a joint production, of two individuals, who, although generally in agreement as to the status of species, found themselves occasionally clinging to different opinions. In such cases compromises were effected, or, as in several instances, fairly thorough studies of certain species were instituted which served to bring us into agreement, sometimes to the modification of the previous views of both. This is the explanation of the ap- pearance here of certain bird names in apparent contradiction to the usage of one or the other of the authors in other papers. In some such cases we were glad to avail ourselves of the A. 0. U. Check-List, as arbiter, despite the manner in which we have (in the chapter on life zones and fauna1 areas) maligned some parts of that generally excellent work. ALLAN BROOKS, HARRY S. SWARTH. *For an excellent bibliography of pub1icatiol.s relating to travel and exploration in British Columbia, as well as to other classes of books and parers, see Water Pauers of British Columbia, by Arthur V. White (Com- mission of Conservati& Ottawa, Canada, 1919, pp. l-644, many plate;, maps, and charts). ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The preparation of this publication was accomplished almost entirely at the XIuseum of Vertebrate Zoology: to the facilities offered by the Museum is due, more than to any other one factor, the production of the finished contribution. Field work carried on by the junior author for the Museum in various parts of British Columbia furnished him with the necessary background for a proper understanding of the prob- lems involved, while the specimens and field notes thus acquired formed an important part of the material upon which the list is based. The senior author spent many months at the Museum studying these same collections. All expenses involved in the preparation of this list have been met by the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, as part of the Museum’s program in furthering the study of the vertebrate life of western North America. Other institutions and individuals have responded most cordially to requests for aid of various sorts, and it is a pleasure here to acknowledge the assistance thus con- tributed. To the Commission of Conservation, Ottawa, through Mr. James White, Deputy Head, we are indebted especially for the maps upon which are based the “dis- tribution maps” produced herewith, and also for certain publications and information. To the Forestry Branch, Department of the Interior, Ottawa, we are indebted / for photographs used in our chapter on “Life Zones and Fauna1 Areas.” From the Victoria Memorial Museum, Ottawa, through Mr. P. A. Taverner, Ornithologist, we received the loan of many specimens. Mr. Taverner freely ac- corded us his assistance in gaining information from the collections in his charge, he loaned us certain manuscript notes of Wm. Spreadborough, field collector for the Victoria Memorial Museum, and he also aided in putting us in touch with other in- dividuals and with other departments of the Canadian Government where assistance and information were forthcoming. From the Provincial Museum, Victoria, British