BOTTERI'S SPARROW 975 



Although pme seed forms only a minor item in the food of any of 

 the races of ^4. aestivalis, Brooke Meanley (1959) goes into some detail 

 of its consumption in the pine forest management areas of Central 

 Louisiana: "Dm'ing years of a bumper pine seed crop (about every 

 fifth year) pine mast is available in great quantities from October to 

 January. Artificial or direct seeding * * * iQ February and March 

 supplements the native food supply. But in the artificial or direct 

 seeding of cut-over lands Bachman's Sparrow is not an important 

 depredating species. Damage to pine seed is inconsequential because 

 of the relatively small nimibers of this sparrow (one pair per two 

 acres in optimum nesting habitat), non-flocking habits, and absence 

 from large open grasslands." 



In winter this race withdraws from the northern part of its breeding 

 range and is confined within a territory south of a line drawn from 

 northeastern Texas to central western Mississippi, south to south- 

 eastern Texas and the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi. 



Distribution 



Range. — Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana south to the Gulf of 

 Mexico. 



Breeding range. — 'The Illinois Bachman's sparrow breeds from 

 southeastern Missouri (Ink), northeastern Ilhnois (Philo, La Grange), 

 and central Indiana (Crawfordsville) south to southeastern Oklahoma 

 (Bethel), central Texas (Giddings, Buffalo Bayou), and south central 

 Louisiana (Baton Rouge). 



Winter range. — Winters from northeastern Texas (Dallas), south- 

 eastern Oklahoma (McCurtain County Game Refuge), and central 

 western Mississippi (Edwards) south to southeastern Texas (Silsbee), 

 south central Lomsiana (Baton Rouge), and southern Mississippi 

 (Gulf port). 



Casual records. — Casual in northeastern Kansas (Wyandotte 

 County) and central northern Oklahoma (Alva). 



AIMOPHILA BOTTERII (Sclater) 



Botteri's Sparrow 

 Contributed by Gale Monson 



Habits 



Botteri's sparrow is a Mexican bird whose distribution barely 

 reaches into the United States in extreme southern Texas and south- 

 eastern Arizona. It was first described by P. L. Sclater in 1857 in 

 the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, from a specimen 

 supposedly taken near the Mexican city of Orizaba, state of Vera- 



646-737 — 68 — pt. 2 25 



