GUADALUPE JUNCO 1095 



tiroes, they even enter the houses, picking up anythinc; edible they can find. 

 Numbers boarded the schooner as we nearod the island, and made themselves 

 perfectly at home, roaming over every part of the vessel in search of food. * * * 

 A nest with eggs was found April 12 on * * * the highest point of the island * * *. 

 It was placed in a small crevice in the face of a rock. 



Before the introduction of terrestrial mammals the island had well 

 developed flora including many endemic forms (S. Watson, 1875), 

 and the junco undoubtedly became estabhshed and difTerentiated 

 under conditions that were originally very favorable. Within a few 

 years after Palmer's visit, however, the introduced goats had de- 

 stroyed most of the native flora; by 1906, barren conditions similar 

 to those of the present day had already been reached (Thayer and 

 Bangs, 1908). Nevertheless, despite the extensive destruction of 

 habitat and the depredations of house cats, the Guadalupe junco is 

 still plentiful and very tame. It is found on the northern half of the 

 island from the summit down to the shores. The birds inhabit the 

 remaining groves of pine (Pinus radiata) , oak (Quercus tomentella) , and 

 cypress (Cupressiis guadalupensis) at the higher elevations, and also 

 the now numerous stands of wild tobacco {Nicotiana glauca) in the 

 canyons and along parts of the shore. This latter plant, which the 

 goats do not eat, became established some time after 1932 and has 

 spread rapidly. It now provides food and cover for the resident 

 small birds and for the frequent stragglers that reach the island at 

 various times of year. Virtually all other shrubs, undergrowth, and 

 seedUngs have long since disappeared or are eaten as soon as they 

 are large enough to provide a mouthful for the innumerable goats. 



The extensive ecological changes that have taken place on Gua- 

 dalupe Island in the past 90 years have probably resulted in some 

 changes in the habits of the junco, and it is perhaps less tame now 

 than it was in the 19th century. Palmer's account has already been 

 quoted, and H. A. Gaylord (1897) mentions an attempt by a junco 

 to alight on the end of a gun that was pointed at it by a collector. 

 Howell and Cade (1954) found that in June 1953 the juncos showed 

 no alarm unless approached within about 6 feet, but the birds moved 

 away at closer range and could not have been caught in a butterfly 

 net or struck by a stick. Apart from this relative tameness, their 

 habits appear to be much like those of other juncos. The birds stay 

 on or near the ground most of the time, but they may be found in 

 the lower parts of the trees or, less abundantly, up in the tops. 



W. E. Bryant (1887) is the only ornithologist who has stayed on 

 Guadalupe Island during the early part of the breeding season of the 

 resident passerine birds. He arrived on Dec. 16, 1885, and remained 

 for 3/^ months. The biota of the island had already suffered from 

 the activities of man and his introductions, but no birds were yet 



