592-] 



BIRDS OF OREGON 



DISTRIBUTION. General: Breeds from western Montana to northeastern Oregon and 

 south to Utah, southern Nevada, and northern New Mexico. Winters south into 

 Mexico. In Oregon: Breeds in Blue Mountains from Snake River Canyon west to 

 and including Grande Ronde Valley and south into Baker County, and probably 

 also in northern Malheur, Grant, and Wheeler Counties and into eastern Umatilla 

 County. Winters south into Nevada and California. (See Figure 2.0.) 



THE MOUNTAIN SONG SPARROW, a big pale race of song sparrows, is the 

 breeding bird of the northeastern section of Oregon, including Wallowa, 

 Union, and Baker Counties, and merges into fisherella in eastern Umatilla, 

 Wheeler, Grant, and northern Harney and Malheur Counties. Birds 

 breeding in the mountainous sections just south of the Malheur River 

 might be either this form or fisherella. Winter specimens from the south- 

 eastern part of the State may be either form. Two birds from Warner 

 Valley in the Gabrielson collection (Crump Lake, September 9, 192.9, and 

 Adel, October 2.3, 192.6) are the farthest west specimens we have. There 

 has been so much confusion among the races of song sparrows in this 

 State that it is almost impossible to untangle them without seeing the 

 specimens on which the numerous publications were based. Bendire 

 (1877) published winter records from Camp Harney as this race, and as 

 it still is found in winter in this territory we have no hesitation in accept- 

 ing this as the first Oregon record referable to this particular form. 



We have no actual nesting records on this race in our own notes, but 

 Cantwell (ms. notes, Biological Survey) reported a nest containing fresh 

 eggs at Paradise, Wallowa County, June 10, 1919, and commented that 

 young had been noted on the wing two days earlier. 



FIGURE 2.0. Distribution of breeding song sparrows in Oregon: i, Mountain Song Sparrow 

 (JAelospi%a melodia fallax^); x, Modoc Song Sparrow (M. m. fisherella); 3, Rusty Song Spar- 

 row (M. m. morphna); 4, Mendocino Song Sparrow (M. m. cleonensis}. 



