SONG SPARROW! ALASKAN 1533 



Distribution 



Range. — Northeastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho south to 

 southern California. 



Breeding range. — The Modoc song sparrow breeds from northeastern 

 Oregon, east of the Cascade Range and west of the Blue Mountains 

 (The Dalles, Pendleton; intergrades with M. m. merrilli in southern 

 interior Washington, and with M. m. montana in central Baker 

 County, Oregon), and extreme southwestern Idaho (Weiser, Jordan 

 Creek) south to south-central Oregon (Medford), north-central and 

 central eastern California (Hayfork, Red Bluff, Mohawk, Olancha), 

 and western Nevada (Santa Rosa Mountains, Fish Lake Valley). 



Winter range. — Winters throughout the breeding range and south 

 to western and southern California (Laytonville, Hayward, El Monte, 

 Calipatria); rarely to northern Sonora (Caborca) and southern 

 Arizona (Tucson). 



MELOSPIZA MELODIA (Wilson) 



Song Sparrow: Alaskan Subspecies* 

 Contributed by Val Nolan Jr. 



Habits 



The sLx races grouped for the purposes of this life history have in 

 common the facts that they breed only in Alaska and that they are 

 largely birds of the ocean beaches. Two of the races, kenaiensis 

 and caurina, are migratory to some extent and breed, in part, on the 

 mainland, whereas the other four races are almost exclusively island 

 inhabitants and are resident. Otherwise the life histories of these 

 six subspecies are probably much alike. Information referable to a 

 particular race is so indicated. 



Two additional races that breed both in Alaska and in British 

 Columbia, inexpectata and rufina, are treated separately, because of 

 the differences in their habitats, which are sometimes "inland localities 

 several miles from salt water * * *," according to George Willett 

 (1928). The same experienced observer states that the other Alaskan 

 races (recognized at the date he wrote) "appear to be strictly beach 

 birds, nesting and feeding within a few yards of the beach." 



Gabrielson and Lincoln in their work (1959) on Alaskan birds 

 write: 



♦The following subspecies are discussed in this section: Melospiza melodia 

 maxima Gabrielson and Lincoln, M . m. sanaka McGregor, M. m. amaka Gabrielson 

 and Lincoln, M. m. insignis Baird, M. m. kenaiensis Ridgway, and M. m. caurina 

 Ridgway. 



