ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK 43 



and blurred; some have a few black wing and tail feathers in early 

 summer." 



Dwight (1900) adds the adult winter plumage is "acquired by a 

 complete postnuptial moult early in August. Easily distinguishable 

 from first winter dress by the jet black wings and tail. Adults are 

 less veiled, the brown deeper and the carmine more extensive often 

 covering the whole throat and breast and invading the abdomen and 

 the crown. A few black spots laterally replace the streaking of the 

 young bird. The wing edgings are whiter than those of the first 

 winter dress." 



The adult nuptial plumage is "acquired by a partial prenuptial 

 moult which involves the body plumage but not the wings nor the taU. 

 Distinguishable from the first nuptial by the black wings and worn 

 tail. The retained tertiaries and secondaries become much worn and 

 the terminal spots are gradually lost often leaving gaps in their place." 

 Forbush (1929) notes: "It seems possible that some birds may not 

 acquire highest plumage until the third year or even later." Charlotte 

 E. Smith writes Austin of a male she banded in first nuptial plumage 

 in 1961 that stUl had not attained full adult plumage in 1964 at the 

 age of four years. 



Hybrids with the black-headed grosbeak, Pheucticus melanocephalus 

 sometimes occur where the ranges of the two species meet. H. Roy 

 Ivor sent Taber the following notes on the plumages of two hybrid 

 young hatched on June 4, 1943, from the pairing of a male black- 

 headed grosbeak with a female rose-breasted grosbeak : 



"First out of egg: Head fairly good black with a few buff feathers; 

 nape the same ; back black and rich buff striping ; rump light cinnamon ; 

 upper tail coverts black with cinnamon tips; imder tail coverts white 

 tinged with buff at base ; tail same black as head ; three outer rec trices 

 on each side pure white on ventral surface; chin black with a few buff 

 feathers; breast very rich, almost mahogany brown caused by apricot 

 tinging the feathers, or rather, the color is a combination of these two 

 shades: the apricot is not mixed with the brown but a shade made up 

 of these two — the apricot is pure on the lower breast, forming a fairly 

 wide streak; abdomen white tinged with cinnamon; flanks cinnamon; 

 lesser and greater wing coverts a good black with whitish spots; pri- 

 maries brown and old with one fairly good black on right wing; 

 secondaries brown with one black on each wing. 



"The younger one similar except for the appricot streak on lower 

 breast which is more vivid and the abdomen is whiter. The head and 

 other plumage is not quite so far advanced; the chin is salmon with 

 a few buff and one or two black feathers. Apparently the molt so far 

 is somewhat more advanced and taking a shorter time than in the 

 rose-breast males. The upper mandible of the older is darker than 



