376 Birds of Colorado 



The female is of a lighter shade of slate, and the second pair of tail- 

 feathers are partially dusky, the third pair almost wholly so ; it is 

 also smaller — wing 2-90. Young birds have a distinct wash of brown 

 on the back. 



Distribution. — Breeding from Alaska to Maine and northwards also 

 south along the Alleghany mountains ; migrating south to the borders 

 of the United States from Florida to California. 



In Colorado the Slate-coloured Junco is a rather uncommon winter 

 visitor, almost always found associated with other species of the genus ; 

 it has been chiefly taken along the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains, 

 and hardly ever penetrates into the mountains themselves ; it was 

 noted by Trippe up to 8,000 feet. The earliest date for El Paso co. 

 in the Aiken collection is November 25th, but it is less abundant in 

 the early part of the winter than on the spring migration, when it has 

 been taken as late as April 25th. Other recorded localities are 

 Boulder co. (Henderson), Clear Creek co. (Trippe), Pueblo 

 (Beckham), Lamar, April 6th (Warren), Fort Lewis, January and 

 March (Oilman). 



Habits. — A well-known ^vmter bird in the east, but not 

 at all familiar in Colorado, where it is always met with 

 in flocks, mixed with the other Juncos. It has a cheery 

 Uttle chirp in \vinter, and in the north in its breeding 

 grounds a pleasant song, not so often heard. 



Shufeldt's Junco. Junco hyemalis shufeldti. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 567b— Colorado Records— Aiken 72, p. 200 

 (J. oregonus) ; Trippe 74, p. 144 ; Drew 81, p. 90 ; 85, p. 16 ; Beckham 

 85, p. 141 ; 87, p. 125 ; Morrison 89, p. 38 ; Lowe 94, p. 269 ; Coues 

 97, p. 95 ; Cooke 97, pp. 105, 215 (J. h. connectena) ; Henderson 03, 

 p. 236 ; 09, p. 237 ; Gihnan 07, p. 157 ; Warren 08, p. 23 ; 09, p. 16 ; 

 Rockwell 08, p. 172. 



Description. — Male — Head, neck, and chest very dark slaty-black, 

 very clearly marked oE from the sepia-brown of the back, the white 

 of the lower-breast and abdomen, and the cinnamon-pink of the sides 

 and flanks ; wings and six central tail-feathers dusky ; two outermost 

 pairs white, third pair partly white and partly black ; iris reddish-brown, 

 biU pinkish, dusky at tip ; legs light brown. Length 5-90; wing 3-15; 

 tail 2 -85 ; culmen -40 ; tarsias -80. 



The female has the black of the head replaced by a dull slate, and 

 the crown is washed with sepia-brown so as to obliterate the distinct 

 line of demarcation between the head and back. 



