Perching Birds Chiefly Gray, Black, or Black and White. 



475. American Magpie (Pica pica hudsoma). L. 

 20. Ads. Bill black; scapulars, belly and most of 

 inner margins of primaries white; wings glossy blue 

 black, tail externally greenish; back and breast vel- 

 vety black. Notes. Cack, cack, also garrulous gabble 

 intermixed with whistling notes. (Bendire.) 



Range. — Western North America, east to the Plains, west to Cas- 

 cade and Sierra Ranges; breeds from northern New Mexico and 

 northern Arizona north to Alaska strays farther east in winter. 



476. Yellow-bellied Magpie (Pica nuttali). Simi- 

 lar to No. 475, but bill and eye-space yellow, smaller, 

 L. 18. Notes. A harsh, rasping, cac-cac-cac; and a 

 low, rich whistle, audible only at a short distance. 



Range. California, west of Sierra Nevada, "north to Red Bluff 

 and south to Santa Paula." (Grinnell.) 



493. Starling {Star mis vulgaris). L. 8.5; T. 2.5. 

 Ad. summer, Metallic green and purple spotted above 

 with buffy; bill yellow. Ad. winter. Similar, but 

 above heavily spotted with brownish buff; below 

 heavily spotted with white; bill blackish. Notes. A 

 long-drawn, two-noted whistle, the second lower; and 

 a chattering, metallic call when in flocks. 



Range.- Europe and northern Asia; accidental in Greenland: in- 

 troduced into New York City in 1890; now common, extending east 

 to New Haven, Connecticut, north to Ossining, New York, south to 

 Staten Island and Bayonne, New Jersey. 



495. Cowbird (Molotbrus ater). L. 7.9; W. 4.2. 

 Ad. cJ*. Head and neck coffee-brown, body greenish 

 black. Ad. 9. Brownish gray, throat lighter. Yng. 

 Like $. Notes. A metallic twitter, and by the male, 

 a long-drawn, glassy kluck-tse-e-e; and watery gurg- 

 ling notes uttered with spread wings and tail. 



Range. - United States' rare west of Rockies; breeds from Florida 

 and Texas north to New Brunswick and Little Slave Lake; we^t to 

 eastern Oregon, Nevada, and southeastern California; winters from 

 southern New Jersey, scuthern Illinois, Indian Territory, northern 

 Texas, and southeastern California, southward. 



495a. Dwarf Cowbird (M. a. obscurus). Similar to 

 No. 495, but smaller, L. 7.5; W. 4. 



Range. —Southwestern United States; from Gulf Coast of Texas 

 west along Mexican boundary to Arizona and Lower California: win- 

 ters south of United States. 



496. Red-eyed Cowbird (Callothrus robustus). 

 L. 9. Ad. cj\ Velvety bronze-black; wings and tail 

 shining blue-black. Ad. $. Dull black, wings and 

 tail with slight greenish reflections. 



Range. — Southern and eastern Mexico north, in spring, to Lower 

 Rio Grande, Texas. 



620. Phainopepla (Pbainopepla nitens). L. 7,;,. 



Crested. Ad. J\ Shining black; inner vanes of 

 primaries largely white, showing in flight. Ad. 9. 

 Dark gray, tail blacker, wing-coverts and quills nar- 

 rowly margined with whitish. Yng. Like ?. Notes. 

 Calls, commonest, like call of young Robin; male 

 has also a scold, a Meadowlark-like note and a 

 harsh ca-rach or ca-racack; song, a jumble of flute- 

 like tones and weak, squeaky notes. (Bailey. 1 



Range.— Mexico north to western Texas, southern Utah and south- 

 ern California; winters from Mexican be rder southward. 



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