LAZULI BUNTING 125 



percentages of malicgrass, velvetgi*ass, filaree, and chickweed are 

 also recorded. 



L. L. Hargi"ave (1932) observed three pairs feeding on "oats in the 

 mUk" on July 18. He saw 10 birds in the same field on July 25 and 

 2 on August 1. 



A. H. Miller (1939) gives an interesting account of the foraging 

 habits of one individual. 



On August 3, 1939, Dr. Ernst Mayr and I watched a male Lazuli Bunting 

 {Passerina amoena) that had learned a handy method of feeding on grass heads. 

 The bird was first noted as it flew along the roadside in Strawberry Canyon, 

 Berkeley. It alighted on the barbed wire fence ahead of our car and began 

 feeding at once. Canary grass (Phalaris californica) grew to a height of 20 to 26 

 inches and thus extended above the lowest fence wire which was 18 inches above 

 the ground. This species of grass appears to have insuflScient rigidity to support 

 a bunting on the tips of the stems. The bunting flew laterally from the wire to 

 a distance of about one foot, seized a grass head in its bill and returned with it to 

 the wire, the grass stem bending over readily. The bird then lowered its bill to 

 the wire and clasped the compact seed head against the wire with its left foot. 

 In this position it picked out the seeds. When the head was well broken apart 

 and the seed supply depleted, the grass stem either slipped free or was allowed 

 to spring back to its normal position. Immediately the bird flew out for another 

 grass head, hovered and returned, and the feeding was continued. This activity 

 was seen at least six times in succession, the foraging taking place to either side 

 of the wire. The bunting seemed able successfully to gauge the distance to 

 which it could operate. Tall grasses no more than 15 inches away always were 

 taken. At no time did it fail through attempting to bend over a head that was 

 too short or one that was too far away. 



The fence for 100 feet passed through grass of similar height and maturity. 

 Undoubtedly the bird had lived in or about this vicinity during the current 

 summer and had developed, to its special advantage, this method of feeding from 

 the fence wire. 



Feeding behavior was observed by a number of the students at the 

 Hasting's Natural History Reservation. Hubbard saw a male fly 

 from a sycamore to the ground, catching a shoot of Avena barbata in 

 its bill on the way down and bending it to the ground. He held it for 

 about 10 seconds, then released it, flew about 3 feet in the air, caught 

 another shoot and pulled it toward the twig on which he landed. In 

 neither case did he succeed in feeding. On another occasion, a male 

 perched on three or four stems of Avena and bent them over. He 

 continued to sing, but between songs, he reached out and picked seeds 

 out of the flower cluster, holding them in his bill while he bit off the 

 awn, Bartholomew observed a lazuli perched in a dead rosebush 

 eating seeds of Avena barbata. The bird took seeds only from 

 brown stems, none from green ones which he could have reached 

 easily. Dalquist observed a male that was flying to catch insects. 

 First he flew vertically for several inches, then turned and lit on a 

 blue oak twig. Next he flew to a small madrone tree 6 feet away, 

 then back to the oak, each time for the purpose of catching an insect. 



