68 BULLETIN 17 9, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The Arkansas kingbird is a "a very rare victim" of the cowbirds 

 (Friedmann, 1929). 



Field marks. — Although the behavior of the Arkansas kingbird 

 is similar to that of the eastern kingbird, and although their ranges 

 somewhat overlap, there is no excuse for confusing the gray and' 

 yellow western with the black and white eastern species. The Arkan- 

 sas and Cassin's kingbirds are much alike in general appearance, 

 but the head of the former is lighter gray, the gray of the chest 

 is paler, less extensive, and less strongly contrasted with the white 

 chin of the latter, and the tail of the former is blacker than that 

 of Cassin's. But the most reliable field mark of the Arkansas king- 

 bird, which will distinguish it with certainty from any other king- 

 bird, is the conspicuously white outer web of the outer tail feather. 



Winter. — The Arkansas kingbird si>ends the winter in Central 

 America, from western Mexico to Nicaragua. Dickey and van Ros- 

 sem (1938) record it as a "fairly common migrant and winter visitant 

 in the foothills and mountains [of El Salvador], arriving late in the 

 fall and remaining until well along in the early summer. * * * 

 The limits in altitude were 800 to 7,200 feet." 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — ^Western North America, north to southern Canada. 



Breeding range. — The normal breeding range of the Arkansas king- 

 bird extends north to southern British Columbia (Clinton) ; and the 

 southern part of the Prairie Provinces, Alberta (Morrin) ; Saskatche- 

 wan (Last Mountain Lake) ; and Manitoba (Oak Point and Portage 

 la Prairie). East to southeastern Manitoba (Portage la Prairie) ; 

 Minnesota (Warren, Duluth, and Minneapolis) ; Iowa (West Okoboji 

 Lake and Ogden) ; Missouri (Columbia and Stotesbury) ; and eastern 

 Oklahoma (Tulsa and Okmulgee). South to Oklahoma (Okmulgee 

 and Norman) ; northern Texas (Wichita Falls and Vernon) ; northern 

 Chihuahua (Casas Grandes and ^Vhitewater) ; southern Arizona 

 (Tombstone, Huachuca Moimtains, and Baboquivari Mountains) ; and 

 northern Baja California (La Grulla) . West along the Pacific coast 

 from northern Baja California (La Grulla and Todos Santos Island) ; 

 to southwestern British Columbia (Chilliwack, Lillooet, and Clinton). 

 There are scattered casual breeding records as far east as Michigan 

 (Delton) and Ohio (Bono). 



Wiiiter range. — During the winter season this species is concentrated 

 chiefly in the western parts of Central America, north to Sonora 

 (Alamos) ; and south to southern Guatemala (Gualan, Amatitlan, and 

 Patulul) ; and El Salvador (Colima and Mount Cacaguatique) . Rec- 

 ords are lacking that would indicate any residence at this season in 

 the eastern part of these countries. 



