366 Birds of Colorado 



of chocolate and reddish-brown. Gale believed that 

 only one brood was raised, but Drew states that in San 

 Juan CO. a first brood is hatched in Baker's Park, at a 

 comparatively low elevation, and that the parents then 

 move up to timber line and raise a second brood. This 

 is confirmed by Anthony. 



Intermediate or Gambel's Sparrow. 

 Zonotrichia leuco'phrys gamheli. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 554a — Colorado Records — Allen 72, p. 157 ; 

 Aiken 72, p. 199 ; Ridgway 73, p. 182 (Z. I. intermedia) ; Henshaw 

 75, p. 261 ; Allen & Brewster 83, p. 101 ; Stone 84, p. 20 ; Drew 85, 

 p. 16 ; Beckham 85, p. 141 ; 87, p. 124 ; Morrison 87, p. 107 ; 89, p. 37 ; 

 Kellogg 90, p. 89 ; Lowe 92, p. 101 ; Cooke 97, p. 102 ; Henderson 03, 

 p. 108 ; 09, p. 237 ; Warren 06, p. 22 ; 09, p. 16 ; Oilman 07, p. 157 ; 

 Rockwell 08, p. 172. 



Description. — Closely resembling Z. leucophrys, but the white super- 

 ciliary stripe extending forward to the base of the bill, and the lores 

 grey like the chin ; the black crown-bands not extending so far down 

 between the eye and the base of the bill ; iris reddish-hazel, bill yellowish 

 with dusky tips, legs homy-brown. Length 6-10; wing 3-05; tail 

 2-65 ; culmen -47 ; tarsus -82. 



Distribution. — Gambel's Sparrow breeds in north-western North 

 America, from Alaska southwards to Montana ; migrating south in 

 winter through the western states to the middle of Mexico. 



In Colorado this subspecies is only known as a migrant, arriving 

 rather earlier than the White-crowned, and very quickly passing on 

 north to its breeding grounds. It reaches Colorado Springs about the 

 last week in March, and is common through April, while Aiken saw a 

 flock at Limon as late as the middle of May. In the fall they arrive as 

 early as September 8th, but chiefly pass through in October, and a large 

 proportion are young birds with chestnut crown-bands. Other 

 recorded localities are : Boulder co. (Henderson), Orchard, March 29th 

 (Warren), Denver, May 20th (Henshaw), Pueblo, arriving March 18th 

 (Lowe), common in October (Beckham), Baca co., April 27th to May 

 15th (Warren), La Plata co. (Oilman). 



There is evidence that this species occasionally winters in Colorado ; 

 Osbum states that in the winter of 1889 he found Yellow-crowned 

 mingled with this Sparrow on the Big Thompson near Loveland, and 

 there is a skin in the Aiken collection taken in El Paso co. on February 

 27th. Rockwell also reports that Sullivan has observed a few all through 

 the winter at Grand Junction, and that they often linger up to the 

 middle of December. 



