BIRDS OF YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 



131 



COWBIRD (Molothrus ater): 7-8 

 in. Whole body glossy black except 

 head, neck, and breast chestnut-brown; 

 eye dark; short conical bill; fest black. 

 Female: Smaller than male; grayish- 

 brown; throat and sides of head lighter; 

 faintly streaked. Has habit of fre- 

 quently pointing its beak directly up- 

 ward. Lays its eggs in the nests of other 

 birds. 



Frequents lowlands where meadows 

 and pastures are situated near tracts of 

 willows and cottonwoods. Inhabits 

 chiefly the Lower and Upper Sonoran 

 life-zones but occasionally enters the 

 Transition zone. C. V. to the Yosemite 

 region. Commonly seen in Yosemite 

 Vallev. 



COWBIRD 



WESTERN TANAGER 



TANAGERS: Family Thraupidae 



WESTERN TANAGER (Piranga 

 ludouiciana): 6 "4 -7 in. Most of head 

 scarlet; wings black with yellowish bars; 

 upper back and tail black; rest of body 

 yellow. Female: Above olive-green or 

 brownish-gray, tinged with yellow; be- 

 low dull yellow; wings and tail brown- 

 ish rather than black; whitish wing- 

 bars ; hint of scarlet on head and throat. 

 Metallic call tuweet tuweet or prit-it 

 prit-it, often given repeatedly. 



Frequents fairly open coniferous for- 

 ests with associated broad-leaved trees. 

 Principally in the Transition and Cana- 

 dian life-zones in summer. Widespread 

 M. S. V. in the Yosemite region, ob- 

 served as far east as Merced Lake. 

 Common on the floor of Yosemite Val- 

 ley and at Mariposa Grove. (See 

 cover.) 



FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC.: 



Family Fringillidae 



BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK 



(Pheucticus mclanocephalus) : 6/2-754 

 in. Head black; neck, rump, breast, and 

 sides brownish-orange running to yel- 

 low on belly; wings with white patch 

 and two white wing-bars; white marks 

 in outer tail feathers; large, stubby bill. 

 Female and immature: Head dark 

 brown with whitish stripe over each eye 

 and similar or orange band through 



BLACK-HEADED 

 GROSBEAK ^.-. 



