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
_Female_, yellowish beneath; two stripes on the top of the head, and
the upper parts throughout, except the back of the neck and rump, and
including all the wing-feathers generally, dark brown, all edged with
brownish-yellow, which becomes whiter near the tips of the quills. The
sides sparsely streaked with dark brown, and a similar stripe behind
the eye. There is a superciliary and a median band of yellow on the
head. Length of male, 7.70; wing, 3.83; tail, 3.15.
HAB. Eastern United States to the high Central Plains. North to
Selkirk Settlement, and Ottawa, Canada; and west to Salt Lake Valley,
Utah, and Ruby Valley, Nevada (RIDGWAY); Cuba, winter (CABAN.);
Bahamas (BRYANT); Jamaica (GOSSE, SCL., Oct.; MARCH, Oct., and in
spring); James Island, Galapagos, Oct. (GOULD); Sombrero, W. I.
(LAWRENCE); Brazil (PELZELN); Yucatan.
A female bird from Paraguay (Dec., 1859) is undistinguishable from the
average of northern ones, except by the smaller size. Specimens from
the western plains differ from those taken near the Atlantic Coast in
having the light areas above paler, and less obscured by the grayish
wash so prevalent in the latter; the ochraceous of the nape being very
pale, and at the same time pure.
HABITS. The well-known and familiar Bobolink of North America has, at
different seasons of the year, a remarkably extended distribution. In
its migrations it traverses all of the United States east of the high
central plains to the Atlantic as far to the north as the 54th
parallel, which is believed to be its most northern limit, and which
it reaches in June. In the winter it reaches, in its wandering, the
West Indies, Central America, the northern and even the central
portions of South America. Von Pelzeln obtained Brazilian specimens
from Matogrosso and Rio Madeira in November, and from Marabitanas,
April 4th and 13th. Those procured in April were in their summer or
breeding plumage, suggesting the possibility of their breeding in the
high grounds of South America. Sclater received specimens from Santa
Marta and from Bolivia. Other specimens have been reported as coming
from Rio Negro, Rio Napo, in Brazil, Cuba, Jamaica, Porto Rico,
Paraguay, Buenos Ayres, etc.
In North America it breeds from the 42d to the 54th parallel, and in
some parts of the country it is very abundant at this season. The most
southern breeding locality hitherto recorded is the forks of the
Susquehanna River, along the west branch of which, especially in the
Wyoming Valley, it was formerly very abundant.
Mr. Ridgway also observed this bird in Ruby Valley where, among the
wheat-fields, small companies were occasionally seen in August. He was
informed that, near Salt Lake City, these birds are seen in May, and
again late in the summer, when the grain is ripe.
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