146 YOSEMITE NAIURE NOTES 



IDENTIFICATION KEY 



Descriptions are of male birds in breeding plumage unless othervvibc noied. To aid iu the idea- 

 tification, the birds are segregated as follov%s: 



INDEX TO KEY CHARACTERS 



I. Categories based on color (including black and white) 



(1) Birds with conspicuous reddish or scarlet markings 



(2) Birds with conspicuous orange, chestnut, or rusty markinas 



(3) Birds with conspicuous yellow or greenish-yellow markings 



(4) Birds with conspicuous blue markirigs 



(5) Birds with conspicuous black markings 



(6) Birds with conspicuous while in tail, wings, or both 



II. Categories based on characteristics other than color 



(7) Birds with line over, under, through, or near the eye 



(8) Birds with collar-band or breast-patch 



(9) Birds with eye-ring 



(10) Birds with forked tail 



(11) Birds with crest or plume 



(12) Woodpeckers and other climbers 



(13) Birds that hold the tail erect 



(14) Birds that bob or teeter 



(15) Ducks and duck-like birds 



The bird seen should be placed under the most appropriate of these headings. A decision as 

 to size is the next step. The size of the bird is compared with the length of a junco, about 6 inches, 

 Brewer's blackbird, about 10 inches, or crow, about 18 inches. It follows that the observer should, 

 at the start, know or soon become acquainted with these key birds. 



Since it is often difficult to determine size (length from tip of bill to tip of tail) of the bird 

 in the field, the observer may need to check the identification in two or more size groups. The 

 lengths cited throughout are approximate. 



Birds not easily identified or that fit readily into a number of categories are sometimes described 

 in two or more of the categories listed above. Birds easily identified are described but once. De- 

 scriptions of birds in the key are not complete. As a check on identification refer to the more 

 detailed descriptions in the text. 



Hummingbirds, hawks, and owls do not appear in the key. These birds are easily recognized 

 as to group, hence reference can be made directly to the descriptions of species and each account 

 read until identification is made. Certain of the rare Yosemite species have been omitted from the key. 



I. CATEGORIES BASED ON COLOR (INCLUDING BLACK AND WHITE) 



(1) BIRDS WITH CONSPICUOUS REDDISH OR SCARLET MARKINGS 



A. About size of Junco (fi in.) 



Body reddish: tail slightly forked; tips of bill crossed; chunky— RED CROSSBILL 

 Head, rump, breast red; tail forked— PURPLE. IIOUSE, OR C.ASSINS FINCH 

 Bodv dark brown; back of head light gray; wings and rump pinkish; high Sierra — 

 SIERRA NEVADA ROSY FINCH 



B. Intermediate between Junco (6 in.) and Brewer's Blackbird (10 in.) 

 Head reddish; body yellow; wings and tail black— WESTERN TANAGER 

 Head, throat, breast red; woodpecker— YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER 

 Red patch on wing-bend, otherwise black— RED-WINGED BL.-XCKBIRD 

 Foreparts and rump rose-red; white wing-bars; tail forked; high Sierra — PINE 



GROSBEAK 



(2) BIRDS WITH CONSPICUOUS ORANGE, CHESTNUT, OR RUSTY MARKINGS 



A. About size of Junco (6 in.) 



Crown rusty; black line through eye; breast not streaked — CHIPPING SP.VRROW 

 Tail rusty; long, slender, slightly curved bill; white breast — CANYON WREN 

 Tail rustv; slender legs and beak; nervous twitching of wings: breast spotted — 

 HERMIT THRUSH 



B. Intermediate between Junco (6 in.) and Brewer's Blackbird (10 in.) 



Crown reddish-brown; tail yellowish-green; throat and belly white — GREEN-TAILED 



TOWHEE 

 Under parts orange except yellow belly; head black; white in black wings and tail; 



bill thick— BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK 

 Sides reddish-brown; head black; below white; eye orange — SPOTTED TOWHEE 

 Tail rusty: bill thick; breast spotted— FOX SPARROW 



C. About size of Brewer's Blackbird (10 in.) 



Chestnut patch in middle of belly: plume tipped forward — CALIFORNIA QUAIL 

 Throat and sides with chestnut; long, slender plume tipped backward or upright; 



mountains— MOUNTAIN QUAIL 

 Rusty toward base of tail; white tips to tail feathers; white in slender wings; vocifer- 

 ous— KILLDEER 

 Tail orange-brown; wings bluish in male; black 'Ines on face — SP.\RROW HAWK 

 Breast orange; above dark brown; bill yellow— ROBIN 

 Breast brownish-orange with black band— VARIED THRL'SH 



D. Intermediate between Brewer's BIpckbird MO in.) and ("row (18 in.) or lareer 

 Lining of wings and under surface of tail orange: rump white — RED-SH.AFTED 



FLICKER 

 Tail rusty; soaring flight— RED-TAILED HAWK 



