A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 2 of 3Baird, Spencer Fullerton
Science
A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 2 of 3
Baird, Spencer Fullerton
Birds -- North America
SP. CHAR. Resembling _virginianus_, having, like it, the distinct
grayish edges to feathers of the dorsal region. Red lighter, however,
and the top of head, including crest, nearly pure vermilion, instead
of brownish-red. Black of the lores not passing across the forehead,
reaching only to the nostril. Wing, 4.00; tail, 5.00; culmen, .83;
depth of bill, .66; breadth of upper mandible, .38. (No. 49,757 ♂,
Camp Grant, 60 miles east of Tucson, Arizona).
_Female_ distinguishable from that of _virginianus_ only by more
swollen bill, and more restricted dusky around base of bill. _Young_:
bill deep black.
HAB. Cape St. Lucas; Camp Grant, Arizona; Tres Marias Islands (off
coast of Mexico, latitude between 21° and 22° north). Probably Western
Mexico, from Sonora south to latitude of about 20°.
In the features pointed out above, all specimens from Arizona and Tres
Marias, and of an exceedingly large series collected at Cape St.
Lucas, differ from those of other regions.
No specimens are in the collection from Western Mexico as far south as
Colima, but birds from this region will, without doubt, be found
referrible to the present race.
HABITS. There appears to be nothing in the habits of this form of
Cardinal, as far as known, to distinguish it from the Virginia bird;
the nest and eggs, too, being almost identical. The latter average
about one inch in length, and .80 in breadth. Their ground-color is
white, with a bluish tint. Their markings are larger, and more of a
rusty than an ashy brown, and the purple spots are fewer and less
marked than in _C. virginianus_.
The memoranda of Mr. John Xantus show that in one instance a nest of
this bird, containing two eggs, was found in a mimosa bush four feet
from the ground; another nest, with one egg, in a like situation; a
third, containing three eggs, was about three feet from the ground; a
fourth, with two eggs, was also found in a mimosa, but only a few
inches above the ground.
GENUS PIPILO, VIEILLOT.
_Pipilo_, VIEILLOT, Analyse, 1816 (AGASSIZ). (Type, _Fringilla
erythrophthalma_, LINN.)
[Line drawing: _Pipilo fuscus._
5559 ♂]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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