Spencer Fullerton Baird - A History of North American Birds, Land Birds. Volume 2

Spizella , Bonap. Geog. and Comp. List, 1838. (Type, Fringilla canadensis , Lath.)

Spinites , Cabanis, Mus. Hein. 1851, 133. (Type, Fringilla socialis , Wils.)

Spizella monticola.

871♂

Gen. Char. Bill conical, the outlines slightly curved; the lower mandible decidedly larger than the upper; the commissure gently sinuated; the roof of the mouth not knobbed. Feet slender; tarsus rather longer than the middle toe; the hinder toe a little longer than the outer lateral, which slightly exceeds the inner; the outer claw reaching the base of the middle one, and half as long as its toe. Claws moderately curved. Tertiaries and secondaries nearly equal; wing somewhat pointed, reaching not quite to the middle of the tail. First quill a little shorter than the second and equal to the fifth; third longest. Tail rather long, moderately forked, and divaricated at the tip; the feathers rather narrow. Back streaked; rump and beneath immaculate. Young streaked beneath.

This genus differs from Zonotrichia principally in the smaller size and longer and forked, instead of rounded tail.

Birds of the year of this genus are very difficult to distinguish, even by size, except in monticola . The more immature birds are also very closely related. In these the entire absence of streaks on a plumbeous head point to atrigularis ; the same character in a reddish cap, and a reddish upper mandible to pusilla ; a dusky loral spot with dark streaks and generally a rufous shade on top of head, to socialis . S. breweri , with a streaked head, lacks the dusky lore and chestnut shade of feathers. S. pallida generally has a median light stripe in the cap, and a dusky mandibular line.

Common Characters. Interscapular region with black streaks. Rump and lower parts without streaks (except in young). Wing with two narrow light bands (indistinct in atrigularis ).

A.Crown different from the sides of the head, a plain light superciliary stripe. Young with crown and breast streaked.

a. Crown rufous and plain in adult; in young, grayish and with streaks.

1. S. monticola.Crown bright rufous, undivided medially; a dusky spot on lore; wing-bands sharply defined, pure white. A black spot on breast; jugulum tinged with ashy. Bill black above, yellow below. Length, 6.25; wing, 3.00. Hab. Whole of North America; north of the United States only, in summer.

2. S. pusilla.Crown dull rufous, indistinctly divided medially; lores entirely whitish; wing-bands not sharply defined, pale brown. No black spot on breast; jugulum tinged with buff. Bill entirely light brownish-red.

Wing, 2.70; tail, 2.80; bill, from forehead, .37. Hab. Eastern Province United States … var. pusilla .

“Similar, but colors clearer, and bill more robust.” Hab. Peten, Guatemala … var. pinetorum . 1 1 Spizella pinetorum , Salvin, Pr. Z. S. 1863, p. 189. (“Similis S. pusillæ , ex Amer. Sept. et Mexico, sed coloribus clarioribus et rostro robustiore differt.”)

3. S. socialis.Crown bright rufous, not distinctly divided, generally plain. Forehead black, divided medially with white. Streak of black on lore and behind eye. Rump pure bluish-ash. Bill blackish, lower mandible paler.

Auriculars deep ash, in strong contrast with pure white of the superciliary stripe and throat; breast without ashy tinge. Dorsal streaks broad. Wing, 2.80; tail, 2.30. Hab. Eastern Province of United States … var. socialis .

Auriculars lighter ash, less strongly contrasted with the white above and below; breast strongly tinged with ash. Dorsal streaks narrow. Wing, 3.00; tail, 2.90. Hab. Western Province of United States, and table-lands of Mexico … var. arizonæ .

b. Crown light grayish-brown, with distinct black streaks; young differing in streaked. Egg deep blue, with black streaks and dots (precisely as in socialis ).

4. S. pallida.

Crown divided medially by a distinct pale stripe; whitish superciliary stripe, and blackish post-ocular streak sharply defined. A dusky sub-maxillary streak. Nape ashy in contrast with the crown and back. Wing, 2.50; tail, 2.40. Hab. Plains of United States, from the Saskatchewan southward … var. pallida .

Crown without a distinct median stripe. Markings on side of head not sharply defined. No dusky sub-maxillary stripe, and nape scarcely different from crown and back. Wing, 2.50; tail, 2.60. Hab. Middle and western Provinces … var. breweri .

B.Crown not different from the sides of head; no light superciliary stripe.

5. S. atrigularis.Head and neck all round, and rump, uniform dark ash, gradually fading into white on the abdomen; wing-bands indistinct; bill light brownish-red. Ad. Lores, chin, and upper part of throat black. Juv. without black about the head. (Eggs unknown.) Hab. Adjacent portions of Mexico and southern Middle Province of United States (Fort Whipple, Arizona, Coues; Cape St. Lucas, Xantus).

Fringilla monticola , Gm. Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 912. Zonotrichia monticola , Gray, Genera. Spinites monticolus , Cabanis, Mus. Hein. 1851, 134. Spizella monticola , Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 472.—Coues, P. A. N. S. 1861, 224 (Labrador).—Cooper & Suckley, 203 (Washington Ter.).—Dall & Bannister, Tr. Ch. Ac. I, 1869, 285.—Cooper, Orn. Cal. 1, 206.—Samuels, 317. Passer canadensis , Brisson, Orn. III, 1760, 102. Fringilla canadensis , Lath. Index, I, 1790, 434.—Aud. Orn. Biog. II, 1834, 511; V, 504, pl. clxxxviii.—Max. Cab. Jour. VI, 1858, 280. Emberiza canadensis , Sw. F. B. Am. II, 1831, 252.—Aud. Syn. 1839.—Ib. Birds Am. III, 1841, 83, pl. clxvi. Spizella canadensis , Bon. List, 1838.—Ib. Conspectus, 1850, 480. Fringilla arborea , Wils. Am. Orn. II, 1810, 12, pl. xii, f. 3. Moineau du Canada , Buffon, Pl. Enl. 223, f. 2. “ Mountain Finch ,” Lath. Syn. II, I, 265.

Spizella monticola.

Sp. Char. Middle of back with the feathers dark brown centrally, then rufous, and edged with pale fulvous (sometimes with whitish). Hood and upper part of nape continuous chestnut; a line of the same from behind the eye, as well as a short maxillary stripe. Sides of head and neck ashy. A broad light superciliary band. Beneath whitish, tinged with fulvous; the throat with ashy; a small circular blotch of brownish in the middle of the upper part of the breast; the sides chestnut. Edges of tail-feathers, primary quills, and two bands across the tips of the secondaries, white. Tertiaries nearly black; edged externally with rufous, turning to white near the tips. Lower jaw yellow; upper black. Young bird streaked on throat and breast, as well as on crown. Length, 6.25 inches; wing, 3.00.