1022 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 237 part 2 



often frequent brushy stream bottomlands, but they usually avoid 

 open grasslands. 



Spring. — Most white-winged juncos winter in the lower elevations 

 of the Black Hills or farther south in the foothills of the Kocky 

 Mountains. With the first warm weather of early spring, they begin 

 moving back to their breeding grounds. At banding stations in the 

 Rapid City region, this movement is evident early in March. The 

 following two observations are probably evidence of migration. On 

 Mar. 18, 1956, a color-banded individual that had been part of a 

 flock wintering at 3,500 feet elevation on the west edge of Rapid 

 City was observed at another feeding station 13 miles northwest of 

 the point of banding and at an elevation of 4,500 feet. In January 

 1963, I banded 19 juncos, retrapping 9 of them later the same month 

 but only 2 after the first of March. Meanwhile, an apparently 

 different group moved through during March, and in the third week 

 of March I banded 10 new individuals, some of which remained for 

 a few days and were trapped again. 



R. B. Rockwell and A. Wetmore (1914) collected two specimens 

 near Golden, Colo., on April 11. 



Territory. — Each male white-winged junco apparently establishes 

 and defends a breeding territory of a few acres, which it advertises 

 by a well-developed spring song. Although some winter flocks tend 

 to remain together well into April, two males were noted in fidl song 

 on Mar. 4, 1956. One of these sang from several perches in pines, 

 covering a territory at least 200 yards in diameter. I am uncertain 

 whether the size of the territory is limited chiefly by the pressure of 

 other males on neighboring territories, or by the maximum distance 

 the male wants to move away from the nest, but suspect that it is 

 the latter, as I have never observed a singing male driving another 

 from his territory. 



Courtship. — During many hours of watching white-winged juncos 

 in the spring, I have never seen behavior I would consider of definite 

 courtship pattern. Territorial singing is of course conspicuous at 

 this time, and pairs of birds frequently can be seen feeding together. 

 No specific activities, however, appear to precede pairing and 

 copulation. 



Nesting.— W. H. Over and G. M. Clement (1930) found 29 nests 

 during several seasons of field work in the central Black Hills. Of these 

 six were under logs, four under exposed tree roots, three under rock 

 ledges, and several had used artificial nesting sites. One location, 

 used several seasons, was the roof plate of a busy blacksmith shop, 9 

 feet above ground, approached from under the eaves; one nest was in 

 an old gallon syrup can and another in an old tomato can, both dis- 

 carded in the pine forest. Several nests were found in and around a 



