Western Savannah Sparrow 357 



This genus, as here restricted, contains four species, including several 

 subspecific forms. It ranges all over North America including Mexico, 

 but only one form comes within ovir limits (see koy, p. 355). 



Western Savannah Sparrow. 

 Passerculus sandwichensis alaudinus. 



A.O.U. Checklist 542b— Colorado Records— Allen 72, p. 162 

 (P. savanna) ; Honshaw 75, p. 254 ; Tresz 81, p. 41 ; Allen & Brewster 

 83, p. 161 ; Drew 85, p. 16 ; Beckham 88, p. 122 ; Morrison 89, p. 36 ; 

 Lowe 92, p. 101 ; Cooke 97, pp. 18, 101, 165, 214 ; Keyser 02, pp. 266, 

 274 ; Rockwell OS, p. 172 ; Henderson 09, p. 236. 



Description. — Male — Above bro%vn, streaked with black, especially 

 conspicuous in the centre of the back ; crown with a central stripe of 

 pale buffy, and bright yellow superciliary stripes usually present, but 

 varying in development ; tail and wings dusky, edged with paler, but 

 no distinct white ; below white, marked with conspicuous black stripes 

 on the sides of the throat, flanks and across the breast. Length 4-75 ; 

 wing 2-75; tail 1-85; culmen -40; tarsus '73. 



The sexes are alike ; young birds in the autiman have the edges of the 

 feathers above much more rufous, and the chest and sides are also 

 washed with the same colour, and the median buffy and superciliary 

 yellow stripes are much less conspicuous and often obsolete. 



Distribution. — Western North America, breeding from Alaska to 

 southern Mexico and from the Pacific nearly to the Mississippi ; winter- 

 ing in the southern part of its breeding range, from Arizona and 

 southern California southwards to Guatemala. 



In Colorado this Sparrow is most abundant on niigration, especially 

 in the plains, where it is not known to breed ; it resorts, however, to 

 the mountains, where it is a common summer resident and breeder up 

 to timber line. It reaches the State early in April — Pueblo, April 1st 

 (Lowe), El Paso co., exceptionally as early as March 19th (Aiken) — 

 and remains as late as October 13th, but the late lingerers are chiefly 

 young birds. 



The following are breeding localities recorded : Breckenridge (Carter), 

 South Park (Allen, Tresz & Keyser), Wet Mountain Valley (Aiken), 

 Mesa CO. (Rockwell), On migration it is common at Denver (Henshaw 

 & Morrison), El Paso and Lincoln cos. (Aiken), Pueblo (Lowe), 

 SaUda (Frey), Fort Garland (Henshaw), Fort Lyon and Fort Lewis 

 (Morrison). 



Habits. — A terrestrial bird, frequenting both moist 

 meadow lands as well as the arid plains. Keyser found 

 it nesting abundantly in South Park where it is 



