[536] BIRDS OF OREGON 



Jewett being June 17 and 2.0 (Multnomah County) and June 18 (Umatilla 

 County). Patterson (ms.) gave dates of May 10 to June 8 for the southern 

 Cascades. 



Western Evening Grosbeak: 



Hesperiphona vespertina brooks i Grinnell 



DESCRIPTION." Bill large, swollen, depth at base greater than length of bird toe 

 with claw, wing long, pointed, more than five times as long as tarsus; tail short, 

 emarginate; feet small and weak; tarsus little if any longer than culmen. Adult male: 

 forehead and superciliary bright yellow; crown, wings, and tail black, wings with 

 large white patches; rest of upper parts olive, grading through yellowish green to 

 yellow on rump; under parts greenish yellow, becoming lemon yellow on under 

 wing and tail coverts. Adult female: prevailing color yellowish or yellowish brown; 

 throat bordered by dusky; whitish patch on wings. Young: similar to female, but 

 duller and markings less defined. Male: length (skins) 6.70-7.30, wing 4.18-4.59, 

 tail 2.. 50-1. 87, bill .78-. 89, width of bill at base .49-. 60. Female: length (skins) 

 6.50-7.30, wing 4.10-4.40, tail 1.40-1.78, bill .74~.83, width of bill at base .51-. 57." 

 (Bailey) Nest: A slight structure 15 to 50 feet from the ground, usually in a conifer, 

 composed of sticks and roots, lined with finer roots. Eggs: 3 or 4, clear green, 

 blotched with brown. 



DISTRIBUTION. General: Breeds in mountains from central British Columbia and 

 Montana, south to Sierras of California and mountains of Arizona and New Mexico. 

 Winters in lowlands of its breeding area. In Oregon: Common permanent resident 

 that spends summer in mountains and may appear in any section during winter. 

 We have records for practically every county except those lying along Columbia 

 between The Dalles and Umatilla. 



THE WESTERN EVENING GROSBEAK, with its yellow and black plumage 

 and heavy pale-green bill, is not an uncommon sight anywhere in Oregon. 

 The first published record we can find for the State is in Audubon's Orni- 

 thological Biography (1838), in which he listed it as abundant at The 

 Dalles, May 2.7, 1836. Since that time, many writers have referred to it 

 in various sections of the State, so that from the standpoint of literature 

 it is one of our better known birds. In the winter and spring, the birds 

 are most abundant in the lowlands, although we have records in Mult- 

 nomah County for every month. While in the towns and cities, the birds 

 feed extensively on mountain-ash, box-elder and maple seeds, often re- 

 feed extensively on mountain-ash, boelder and maple seeds, often re- 

 maining in a given spot as long as the food supply holds out and then 

 moving to another locality. In the summer, they are found in the moun- 

 tains, their characteristic metallic cry identifying them, either far over- 

 head or when feeding in the trees about the edges of mountain meadows. 

 In common with the crossbills and other species that feed largely on 

 coniferous seeds, the grosbeaks can often be found about the salt logs, 

 eating the salt with evident relish. When feeding, they are tame and 

 unsuspicious, usually allowing a close approach if no sudden movements 

 are made. This, together with the bizarre appearance of the huge bills, 



