PRIBILOF SNOW BUNTING 1675 



Greenland: 12 records, May 25 to July 24; 6 records, Juno 15 to 

 Juno 25. 

 Hudson Bay: 9 records, June 22 to July G. 

 Keewatin: S records, Juno IS to July 4. 

 Mackenzie: 4 records, June 18 to July 22. 

 Quebec: 6 records, June 20 to July 3. 



PLECTROPHENAX NIVALIS TOWNSENDI Ridgway 



Pribilof Snow Bunting 

 Contributed by David Freeland Parmelee 



Habits 



This subspecies is identical in color to the nominate race and differs 

 only in size, being larger bodied and notably larger billed. It is 

 believed to be resident over much of its range, which consists of a 

 rather limited land area scattered over a vast body of water, the 

 Bering Sea. As its numbers may fluctuate considerably from time to 

 time at any one place and the birds gather in flocks in winter, some 

 limited migratory movement apparently takes place within the breed- 

 ing area. When flocks of the nominate race and of McKay's buntings 

 migrate to or through its range in winter, it is possible to find all three 

 buntings in proximity. 



Ira N. Gabrielson and Frederick C. Lincoln (1959) present the 

 following summary of tho available information on its movements 

 and life cycle: 



It is a permanent resident of the Pribilofs where between June 4 and 24, many 

 nests and eggs have been taken from the elevated parts of the islands. Dall 

 (Dall and Bannister 1S69) was the first American to list it from the Pribilofs, 

 but it is quite certain that Russian observers had reported it long before that time. 



Harrold found it common on Nunivak with young ready to leave the nest by 

 July 1 (Swarth 1934), and Gabrielson found it common on the same island on 

 July 10 and 11, 1940, and on July 14, 1946, collecting specimens on both visits. 



It is also a common resident throughout the Aleutians where it has been noted 

 by all observers since Dall (1874) reported a nest on June 20, 1873 at Attu. 

 Murie and his parties found nests on Kiska on June 4 and on Agattu on June 12 

 and 14, while Wetmore found them obviously nesting on Unalaska and at Mor- 

 zhovoi Bay in 1911. Krog (1953) found them nesting in considerable numbers 

 on Amchitka. Beals has found them regularly throughout the seasons on Unimak 

 and Sanak Islands and around Cold Bay, and he states that they were common 

 on the Shumagins in May 1944. There are specimens in the National Museum 

 from Dolgoi Island taken by Murie on May 24, 1937, one from Nagai in the 

 Shumagins taken by Townsend on June 24, 1893, and the first one from Little 

 Koniuji, taken by T. H. Bean on July 16, 1880. Gabrielson saw three birds and 

 collected an adult on Chowiet Island in the Semidis on June 18, 1940; and secured 

 specimens at Frosty Peak on June 21, 1940, and at King Cove on June 13, 1946. 



