Russet-Backed Thrush iiiyiondihi nstiiiata) 



Length : 7j4 inches. 



Among thrushes having tlic top of head and tail nearly the same color as the 

 hack, this one is distingui>hed hy its tawny eye-ring and cheeks. The I'acific coast 

 Mihspecies is russet hrown ahove. while the other suhspecics is the olive-hacked 

 thrush. The remarks helow a])ply to the species as a whole. 



Kange. — 1 '.reeds in the forested parts of .Alaska and Canada and south of Cali- 

 fornia. Colorado, Michigan. Xew Wnk, West \ irginia ( mountains ), and Maine; 

 winters from Mexico to South .America. 



Hahits and I'xonomic Status. — This is one of a small gnnip of thrushes the 

 members of which are hy many ranked hrst among American songbirds. The sev- 

 eral members resemble one another in size, plumage, and habits. While this thrush 

 is very fond of fruit, its partiality for the neighborhood of streams keeps it from 

 frequenting orchards far from water. It is most troublesome during the cherry 

 .season, when the young are in the nest. From this it might be inferred that the 

 young are fed on fruit, but .such is not the case. The adults eat fruit, but the nest- 

 lings, as usual, are fed mostly upon insects. Beetles constitute the largest item of 

 animal food, and ants come next. Many caterpillars also are eaten. The great 

 bulk of vegetable food consists of fruit, of which two-fifths is of cultivated varie- 

 ties. Where these binU live in or near gardens or orchards, they may do consid- 

 erable damage,. but they are too valuable as insect destroyers to be killed if the 

 fruit can be protected in any other way. 



Black Flycatcher; Phainopepla iPhaiuopepia nitens) 



Length, about 7j./. inches. The glossy black color and marked crest of the 

 male, and the brownish gray of the female, also crested, distinguish this species. 



Range: Breeds from central California. Nevada. L'tah. and southwestern 

 Texas southward ; winters from southern California southward. 



Though a distant relative of the cedar bird, the phainopepla differs niarkedlv 

 from that species both in appearance and habits. It is known to few, for it lives 

 chiefly in the desert country of the southwest, though it is not wholly a stranger 

 in the parks and gardens of that region. When flying, the white wing-patch 

 becomes conspicuous and distinguishes the bird from all others. In the fall it is 

 not unusual to find it in loose flocks the members of which are drawn temporarily 

 together perhaps by the abundance of some favorite food. Like the cedar bird, 

 it is essentially a berry eater, and in California sometimes makes free of the 

 cherry crop. Its chief dependence, however, is the mistletoe, the mucilaginous 

 berrie§ of which delight it, as also do those of the juniper and pepper. Its par- 

 tiality for mistletoe is probably the bird's worst trait, as it distributes the seeds 

 of this pernicious parasite to the detriment of many fine oaks and sycamores. 

 It eats many insects, principally ants, and has the habit of perching on a tall 

 shrub, from which it sallies forth after flying insects, thus simulating a flycatcher. 

 It is this habit which has given the bird its common name. The phainopepla has 

 a variety of call notes and a very pleasant song. 



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