BULLOCK ORIOLE 413 



Late in May, 1915, Bullock Orioles at Snelling and Lagrange were 

 busily foraging for insects for their nestlings on the grass covered ravine 

 bottoms and hillsides. A male bird taken on May 26, 1915, at Mount 

 Bullion had some hard parts of grasshoppers in its gizzard. 



Brewer Blackbird. Euphagus cyanocephalus (Wagler) 



Field characters. — Slightly s-nialler than Eobin. Female about one-fourth smaller 

 than male. Male entirely black, the plumage with a distinct sheen ; iris white. Female 

 dull brownish black; iris dark brown. No contrasted color marks in either sex. Voice: 

 'Song' of male a wheezy tseur or tshee; both sexes utter a harsh tchick. 



Occurrence. — Common resident of the lowlands and foothills (Lower and Upper 

 Sonoran zones, sparingly Transition) on the west slope and in the vicinity of Mono 

 Lake (Transition) east of the mountains. Nests from Snelling up at least to the floor 

 of Yosemite Valley (4000 feet altitude) and also in vicinity of Mono Lake. In summer 

 and fall months ranges upward in mountains nearly to timber line. In winter abundant 

 in San Joaquin Valley. Forages largely on meadows and grasslands. Nests singly or 

 in small scattered colonies, but assembles in large flocks at other seasons of the year. 



The Brewer Blackbird is the most widely ranging species of blackbird 

 found in the Yosemite region. Although it remains at the lower levels for 

 nesting, after the young are reared it ranges wddely and is then apt to 

 be found almost anywhere from the plains of the San Joaquin Valley and 

 flats near Mono Lake up to the highest of the mountain meadows. The 

 alert and active demeanor of the bird, its generally fearless nature, and 

 its marked preference for foraging on open grasslands in plain view, all 

 serve to bring it to notice w^herever it may happen to be present. 



The male Brewer Blackbird is without any of the color adornments 

 which are borne by his red-winged and yellow-headed relatives. His one 

 distinctive mark is the yellowish white iris which makes him a ' ' white-eyed 

 blackbird." The female is much duller colored than her mate and lacks 

 the white of the iris, her eye being dark brown. The young birds in 

 Juvenal dress closely resemble the female parent. At no stage in their 

 existence do the birds of this species possess any streaks or contrasted 

 markings of any sort ; therefore females and young of the Brewer are 

 easily distinguished from those of the other blackbirds. 



The voice of this blackbird is very simple. The male's song is a single 

 whistled note, tseur or tshee. Adults and young of both sexes utter a call 

 note, tchick, analogous to the check of the Red-wing. This note is given 

 M^hen the birds are in flight, as well as when they are walking about on 

 the ground or perched on logs or fences. 



Nesting activities are instituted by the Brewer Blackbird in April or 

 early May, and in the latter month the young begin to appear abroad. 

 Near Lagrange, in 1919, broods of young were seen out of the nest and 

 foraging with their parents on May 8, and in Yosemite Valley a nest with 



