INDIGO BUNTING 103 



Robbins, 1958), North Carolina (Pearson, Brimley, and Brimley, 

 1959), Alabama (Inihof, 1962), Mississippi (Burleigh, 1944), Louisiana 

 (Lowery, 1955), and northern Florida (Sprunt, 1954). For the West 

 Indies, Bond (1961) mentions specifically winter records between 

 October 10 and May 8 on the Bahama Islands, Cuba, Isle of Pines, 

 Swan Island, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. He suggests, however, that 

 the species winters "chiefly in Central America." On Cuba it is 

 regarded as "another bird of spring and autumn passage" (Barbour, 

 1923). On several occasions indigos have been noted in California 

 in wmter (Williams, 1961; Wilbur, 1963). 



The bulk of the indigo population appears to winter "from Jalisco 

 [Mexico], Guanajuato, San Luis Potosi to central Panama, casually to 

 Venezuela" (Friedmann, Griscom, and Moore, 1957). The southern- 

 most record for the species appears to be in Columbia where de 

 Schauensee (1964) states that it is casual, being recorded in northern 

 Choc6 and Magdalena in January and February. 



For the Monserrate area of Chiapas, Mexico, Edwards and Lea 

 (1955) state: "In the mesquite-grown fields we often encountered 

 flocks of this species near, or mixed with, small flocks of Guiraca 

 caerulea, from March 26 to April 1." Loetscher (1955) describes 

 mdigos in Veracruz as being of regular but local and uncommon 

 occurrence during the winter along the coastal plain. From sea 

 level up to about 4,000 feet it is locally common diu-ing migration. 



Accounts of the species in Guatemala are many. In that country 

 it is conmion in small flocks especially in brushy meadows, open coun- 

 try, forest edge, and second growth. Tashian (1953) notes that 

 indigos were "especially abundant at BeUa vista where they were 

 usually observed in large mixed flocks of which Lesser Goldfinches 

 formed the nucleus." Baepler (1962) took specimens at 7,600 feet 

 elevation in scrub oak and in an oak thicket at 6,900 feet. Land 

 (1962, 1963) records them up to 6,000 feet, and states that "three 

 specimens taken in late November were molting. Males taken up 

 to February 15 were at least partly in winter plumage." Ned 

 Dearborn (1907) states that Guatemalan birds were very common all 

 winter, at least up to 4,000 feet. He says that "At Finca Chapulco, 

 near Los Amates, these birds were daily feeding on the ground in the 

 door yard. Often they were found in company with Sporophila 

 among the weeds that flourish along the railroad." 



J. Van Tyne (1932) mentions this species as wintering at Uaxactun 

 in 1931 "in large flocks in the open grassy clearing. Flocks of scores 

 were constantly to be seen feeding on grass seed. They came 

 especially to the mule corral to pick up waste grain * * *." He 

 banded 99 bu-ds and recorded 120 repeats in about a month. The 

 birds were quite tame and banding operations indicated that they 



