A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 1 of 3Baird, Spencer Fullerton
Science
A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 1 of 3
Baird, Spencer Fullerton
Birds -- North America
SP. CHAR. _Adult male_ (No. 40,680, May 1, 1865, Dr. E. Coues). Whole
upper parts, including ear-coverts and sides of neck, ash-gray; small
cuneate streaks over the crown, coalesced laterally into a broad
stripe on each side, with larger cuneate streaks on the interscapular
region, and inconspicuous linear streaks on upper tail-coverts, black.
Two conspicuous white bands across the wing, formed by the tips of
middle and secondary coverts; secondaries passing externally into
light ash. Lateral tail-feather entirely white, except about the basal
third of the inner web (the dusky running some distance toward the end
along the edge), and a broad streak covering most of the terminal
fourth of the outer web, which are clear dusky; the next feather has
the outer web exactly the same, but almost the basal half of the inner
is dusky; on the next the white is confined to an oblong spot (not
touching the inner edge) on about the terminal third, while the outer
web is only edged with white; the rest have no white at all. A
superciliary stripe extending about .20 of an inch behind the eye
(that portion behind the eye white), the lower eyelid, maxillæ, chin,
throat, and jugulum pure gamboge-yellow. Rest of lower parts,
including lining of wing, pure white; the sides conspicuously streaked
with black; lores, and a few obsolete streaks along the junction of
the ash and yellow, dusky. Wing, 2.60; tail, 2.20; bill (from
nostril), .30; tarsus, .60. _Adult female_ (40,685, May 24). Similar
to the male, but colors duller, and markings less sharply defined.
Wing, 2.45; tail, 2.00. _Young_ (36,992, August 11). Above
brownish-gray _without streaks_. Beneath ochraceous-white, obsoletely
streaked along the sides. Yellow superciliary stripe not well defined,
and only a tinge of yellow on the jugulum, the throat being
grayish-white. Wings and tail nearly as in the adult. The young in
autumnal plumage is similar, but the yellow occupies its usual area;
it is, however, much duller, as well as lighter, than in the adult.
HAB. Fort Whipple, near Prescott, Arizona. Belize, British Honduras
(var. _decora_).
This species is most closely related to _D. adelaidæ_, from Porto
Rico; but in the latter the yellow beneath extends back to the
crissum, covering even the sides; there are also no streaks on the
sides or back; the proportions, too, are quite different, the wings
and tail being scarcely three fourths as long, while the bill and feet
are much the same size, the tarsi even much shorter. A specimen (No.
41,808 ♂) from Belize, Honduras, differs so essentially from the Fort
Whipple specimens, that it is, beyond doubt, entitled to a distinctive
name. The differences between these two very well marked races can
best be expressed in a table, as follows:—
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account