478 Birds of Colorado 



Sage-Thrasher. Oroscoptes montanus. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 702— Colorado Records— Allen 72, p. 147 ; 

 Trippe 74, p. 228 ; Henshaw 75, p. 149 ; Scott 79, p. 91 ; Drew 81, p. 86, 

 85, p. 15 ; Allen & Brewster 83, p. 153 ; BeckJiam 85, p. 140 ; Morrison 

 88, p. 71 ; McGregor 97, p. 39 ; Cooke 97, pp. 18, 119, 221 ; Henderson 

 03, p. 108 ; 09, p. 240 ; Warren 06, p. 24 ; 08, p. 25 ; 09, p. 17 ; Gilman 

 07, pp. 42, 194 ; Rockwell 08, p. 177. 



Description. — Adult — Above pale earthy -brown, with indistinct 

 darker mesial streaks on the head ; wings and tail duskier -brown, 

 the former with pale whity edgings to the feathers, those of the coverts 

 forming indistinct wing-bands ; three pairs of outer tail-feathers tipped 

 with white ; below white, tinged with buffy on the sides and posteriorly ; 

 a blackish malar streak and a series of triangular black spots on the 

 breast and flanks ; iris lemon-yellow, bill dusky, paler towards the base 

 of the lower mandible ; legs homy, olivaceous in the flesh. Length 

 7-75; wing 3-80; tail 3-50; culmen -75; tarsus 1-15. 



The sexes are alike, and the young birds are very similar, but a little 

 browner and less grey, and with the streaks on the under-side less 

 sharply defined. 



Distribution. — Breeding throughout the drier portions of western 

 North America from eastern British Columbia to western Texas, and 

 from north Dakota to the interior of southern California ; in winter 

 south to northern Mexico and lower California. 



The Sage-Thrasher is a not imcommon siunmer resident tliroughout 

 Colorado, from the plains to about 9,000 feet, wherever arid conditions 

 and the accompanying sage-brush are to be met with. It is chiefly 

 found at moderate elevations, but has been noticed breeding at Dillon, 

 about 9,000 feet, in Summit co., by Carter. It arrives from the south 

 about the middle of April (10th to 15th in El Paso co., Allen & Brewster) 

 and leaves again in October. Other breeding records are : Fort 

 Garland (Henshaw), Snake River in Routt co. (Warren), and between 

 Cortez and Navajo Springs (Gilman). It is more abvmdant in the 

 south and west, but is reported as far north as Boulder (Henderson). 



Habits. — ^This bird is nearly always associated with 

 the dreary, arid sage-bush plains, where, sitting on the 

 top of some low bush, with its beautiful low warbling 

 song, it makes a pleasant contrast to the surrounding 

 desolate waste. 



The nest is a bulky, inartistic structure of coarse twigs, 

 lined with grasses and fine rootlets, and is placed some- 

 times in a low sage bush, sometimes in a larger thorny 



