26 Saunders, Birds of Gallatin Co., Mont. [jan~ 



A PRELIMINARY LIST OF THE BIRDS OF GALLATIN 

 COUNTY, MONTANA. 



BY ARETAS A. SAUNDERS. 



Gallatin County lies in what has been termed south-central 

 Montana. Its southern extremity is formed by the juncture of 

 the Montana-Idaho State line with the western border of the 

 Yellowstone National Park. From here it extends north to 

 Lombard on the upper Missouri River, including practically the 

 entire drainage of the Gallatin River, the lower portions of the 

 Madison and Jefferson Rivers and a small portion of the upper 

 Missouri River. The eastern boundary of the county practi- 

 cally coincides with the main divide between the Yellowstone 

 and Missouri River drainages, except in the northeastern part of 

 the county where it includes, in Brackett and Flathead Creeks, 

 a small part of the Yellowstone drainage. 



This territory extends from an elevation of 4,000 feet on the 

 Missouri River to nearly 11,000 feet in some of the higher peaks 

 of the Gallatin and Madison ranges. It includes many types of 

 country but in the main may be divided into two large divisions, 

 the valleys and the mountains. There are three main valleys in 

 the county, the Gallatin and Three Forks Valleys in the north- 

 western part and what is known as the East Flathead Valley in 

 the northeastern part. 



The Gallatin Valley extends from the northern and western 

 mountain slopes, north along the Gallatin River and its tribu- 

 taries to about the vicinity of Logan. It is the most productive 

 grain-growing region of Montana and consists principally of broad 

 wheat fields crossed by many irrigating ditches. The common 

 breeding birds of these fields are the Killdeer, Western Meadow- 

 lark, Bobolink, and Western Vesper and Savannah Sparrows. 

 About the clusters of buildings other species such as the Arkansas 

 Kingbird, Barn and Cliff Swallows, Western House Wren and 

 Mountain Bluebird are abundant. Along the larger streams are 

 cottonwood groves which attract such species as the Kingbird, 

 Western Wood Pewee, Least Flycatcher, Cassin's Purple Finch, 



