ulars, the white spot at the base of the primaries 

 is larger, and the underparts of the body much 

 less strongly tinged with gray. In the white upper 

 tail coverts and the greater extent of white on 

 posterior scapulars and at the base of the primaries, 

 it is similar to L. I. gambeli, but the gray of the 

 upper parts is very much darker (quite as dark as 

 L. I. anthonyi), with much less white at the base 

 of primaries and on the lateral rectrices (Ridgway 

 1904). 



L. I. mearnsi may be readily distinguished 

 from nelsoni by its much darker upper parts, 

 more conspicuously white rump, shorter wing, 

 smaller amount of white on primaries, and much 

 smaller bill. 



Measurements: Wing length, av. 97.64 mm; 

 white on primaries 53.8% of wing length; tail 

 length av. 100.28 mm; white tip on outer tail 

 feather 28.1% of tail length; bill length, av. 27.60 

 mm; middle toe av. 13.20 mm; hind toe av. 9.92 

 mm. The only race with which meanisi integrades 

 is anthonyi to the north (Miller 1931). 



RANGE 



This shrike is a permanent resident on San 

 Clemente Island, off southwestern California 

 (American Ornithologists' Union 1957). 



RANGE MAP 



The range map on the following page shows 

 the location of San Clemente Island, this shrike's 

 total range. 



STATES/COUNTIES 



California: Los Angeles. 



HABITAT 



San Clemente Island, the southernmost of the 

 California Channel Islands, is approximately 34 

 km long and 2.4 to 6.4 km wide. The nearest 

 island, Santa Catalina, is about 34 km north. The 

 nearest point on the mainland is about 80 km to 

 the northeast. 



Goats were introduced not later than 1827, 

 and by 1840 had formed a dense population. By 

 1877, large numbers of sheep grazed there also 

 (Raven 1963). 



The island has been under jurisdiction of the 

 U.S. Navy since 1934, when all ranching presum- 

 ably terminated. 



The topography is dominated by a plateau 



with a steeply sloping east side and gently sloping 

 west side, covered with introduced grasses except 

 in places completely denuded by goats. Trees and 

 shrubs grow only on the bottoms and sides of the 

 canyons. On the east side, ironwood {Lyonotha- 

 mus), island oak (Quercus toinentella), and 

 lemonade bush {Rhus integrifolia) are the most 

 abundant species. The west side canyons are 

 mostly denuded, but have some growth of toyon 

 (Heteromeles), lemonade bush, and island cherry 

 [Prunus ilicifolia lyonii) (Stewart and Clow 1974). 

 Shrikes are found in washes, ravines and mesas, 

 where there are either scattered tall bushes such 

 as toyon and wild cherry, or low thorny scrub 

 and cactus patches (Grinnell and Miller 1944). 



The presence or absence of thorny bushes 

 seems to have little effect on determining the hab- 

 itat of American shrikes (presumably including 

 L. I. mearnsi). Impaling devices are so varied as to 

 be available in some form in almost any type of 

 habitat except entirely barren areas (Miller 1931). 



SHELTER REQUIREMENTS 



Dense tall brush or low tree growth is essential 

 for roosting and nesting in each territory, whether 

 breeding or wintering (Miller 1931). 



NESTING AND BEDDING 



In each territory there is a headquarters where 

 the roosting place or, if a breeding territory, the 

 nest is located. The headquarters provides good 

 lookout perches, feeding facilities, and some sort 

 of brushy growth for shelter at night. The requisite 

 for roosting places seems to be some support 

 above the ground within a screen of overhanging 

 branches. Roosts are marked by conspicuous fecal 

 deposits. 



For nesting, shrikes prefer dense bushes or 

 small, thickly grown trees at medium heights, 

 rarely less than 1 m or more than 7 m off the 

 ground (Miller 1931). Howell (1917) speaks of 

 nests of mearnsi placed about 0.6 m from ground 

 in a "certain kind of thorny bush." This state- 

 ment applies to the more barren parts of San Cle- 

 mente. Where there are canyons on the island, 

 Grinnell (1897) and Howell (1917) reported this 

 shrike nesting in bushes on the steep canyon sides. 

 Typical nests described by Grinnell (1897) and 

 Linton (1908) were composed of dry twigs, weed 

 stems, and grasses, thickly lined with rootlets and 

 sheep's wool, and well concealed in thick bushes. 



