Rare Birds 



Submissions of sightings of rare species should be made immediately, while details of the 

 observations are fresh. Submissions for these species require a Rare Bird Report Form. This form, 

 tound in Appendix G, also appears on the iVIontana Natural Heritage website at it tp:// 

 [,n, 'A. i^y^.A, ,_..',: .: - aud may be submitted electronically, or printed and mailed to; Montana 



Bird Distribution, Montana Audubon, RO. Bo.\ 595, Helena, Montana 59624. 



The Rare Bird Report Form must be submitted for the following observations: 



■ Rare birds (species with fewer than 20 obser\ation records for the state); 



• Out-of-range species; 



• The first state breeding record for a species; and 



■ The first overwintering rect)rd for a species. 



The Montana Bird Records Committee was established in 199 1 to review rare and unusual sightings. 

 Only rare bird records accepted by the Montana Bird Records Committee are included in the database 

 and are presented in this publication. 



For indi\'iduals submitting a rare bird sighting, the observer should describe onh- what was .K'tualh' 

 witnessed. Seldom is it possible to obser\ e all details of a birei's anatomy or behax'ior. The report 

 shoulci be completed as soon as possible following the observation, while details are fresh. Although 

 the main emphasis should focus on describing the species under consideration, it is also helpful to note 

 how similar species were eliminated. Drawings or photographs assist greath' in determining species 

 identificaticMi and should be included uith the report. All rare bird records are archived at the Montana 

 Audubon office, including confirmation drawings anci photographs. 



Sensitive Species and Subspecies 



Specific details are requested for all sightings of threatened, endangered, and other species of 

 concern (TES), as well as species where supplemental information is being collected (SI) (see Appcndi.x 

 A). Details requested include information on location, habitat, number of indi\ idiials, behavior at time 

 of observation, etc., especiallv observations indicating evidence of breeding 



For all TES, SI, and subspecies observations, the precise location of a record is particularly important. 

 Therefore, a description of the location of all records is requested (i.e., Sixtecnmile Creek west of 

 Ringling, Buffalo Lake; east side of Douglas Mtn in the Beartooth Range; Hwy 191, 7 miles east of 

 Hilger; etc. ). Nesting information on these species is also critical. Nesting records should include the 

 specific location of the nest(s), number of individuals observed, and a general habitat description. 



Maps for subspecies of three species appear directly after each of the three species' maps. For 

 example, following the Northern Flicker map, maps for both the Red-shafted and the Yellow-shafted 

 flicker subspecies are presented. In order to increase our understanding of how these subspecies are 

 distributed in the state, records need to be collected for observations of these and other subspecies. In 

 addition to the three species with accompanying subspecies maps, two other species and their associated 

 subspecies of interest are listed in Appendix B. 



Observations of these species can be entered online or can be reported on the quarter-latilong 

 report form found in Appendix H and submitted by mail. Multiple lines may be used for descriptions 

 of the requested information, if necessary. 



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