134 THE GAMBEL SPARROW. 



No. 53. 



GAMBEL'S SPARROW. 



A. O. U. No. 554a. Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii (Nuttall). 



Synonyms. — Intickmi'Diatic-ckownivd SpakK(.iw. I ntick mediate Sparrow. 



Description. — Adults: Crown pure white, becoming gray behind; lateral 

 crown-stripes meeting in front, and post-ocular stripes, jet black, separated by 

 white stripe continuous with lore; remainder of head, neck all around, and entire 

 underparts slaty gray, darkest on nape, whitening on chin and belly, with a 

 tawny wash on flanks and crissum ; back and scapulars brown (burnt umber) 

 edged with gray ; rump and upper tail-coverts tawny olivaceous ; wings and tail 

 fuscous, the tertials dark-centered with edgings of bay and white ; middle and 

 greater coverts tipped with white, forming two inconspicuous wing-bars; rectrices 

 with brown shafts and tawny edgings, bill reddish brown above, saffron yellow 

 below, with tip of ma.xilla black. Young of the year have the black of head 

 replaced by light chestnut, and the white by ochraceo-fnscous or gray ; in general 

 darker and browner above than adult. Length 6. 50-7. GO (165-180); wing 3.07 

 (78) ; tail 2.76 (70) ; bill .42 (10.7) ; tarsus .89 (22.5). 



Recognition Marks. — Sjiarrow size; broad white crown and jet black lateral 

 stri])es strongly contrasting ; slightly larger and general coloration lighter than in 

 Z. I. nuttalli: wliite crown-stripe broader. 



Nesting. — ^As next; not known to breed in Washington but probably does so. 



General Range. — Western North America, breeding from Montana, eastern 

 Oregon, etc., northward between coast mountains of British Columbia and Alaska 

 and the interior plains to the lower Mackenzie and Anderson River Valleys, thence 

 westward thruout .\laska to the coast of Bering Sea ; in winter southward across 

 western United States into Mexico and Lower California, straggling eastward 

 across the Great Plains. 



Range in Washington. — .Vbundant spring and fall migrant on the East-side, 

 possibly summer resident ; doubtless migrant west of Cascades, but no specimens 

 taken. 



Migrations. — Spring: .A^pril 20-May 20. Wallula, April 24, 1905 ; Chelan, 

 April 24, 1896; Brook Lake, June 7, iqo8. 



Authorities. — Fringilla gambelii Nuttall, Man. Orn. U. S. & Canada, 2d 

 Ed., I, 1840, S56. Z. ganibcli intermedia Brewster, B. N. O. C. VIL 1882, p. 

 227. D'. Sr.^D^ Kk. J. 



Specimens. — LI. of W. C. P. 



IT IS probably safe to say that during the height of their spring migra- 

 tions, viz., April 15th to May 15th, these birds exceed in numbers all the 

 other sparrows of eastern Washington combined. Indeed, on certain occa- 

 sions, it would seem that they are more numerous than all other birds com- 

 bined. And this altho they dO' not move in great flocks in the open, like 

 Redpolls, but flit and skulk wherever there is show of cover. Wayside 

 thickets, spring draws, and the timl>ered l)anks of streams are favorite places. 

 The more isolated the cover the more certain it is to be held as a Zonotrichian 



