10 BIRDS OF NORTH CAROLINA 



game protection in recent years, and that by so doing she is jeopardizing her future 

 bird life, which indeed means the giving of hostages to fortune. 



In bringing these remarks to a close, we wish to express our profound appre- 

 ciation for the splendid services rendered to the cause of wild-life protection in 

 North Carolina by Dr. R. H. Lewis, who, as president of the State Audubon 

 Society from 1903 until the present time, has always given the various phases of 

 the Audubon work his most carefully considered advice and support, and without 

 whose encouragement and cooperation this book could not have been prepared and 

 offered for publication to the State Geological and Economic Survey. 



LIFE ZONES AND BIRD DISTRIBUTION 



BY 0. S. BRIMLEY 



The natural distribution of wild animal life as it appears on the globe is pri- 

 marily dependent on climatic conditions. After extended studies in this interesting 

 field of research, well recognized areas, known technically as "regions," "zones," 

 and "faunas," have been described by scientists as being inhabited each by its 

 characteristic life. Without attempting even to outline the data upon which these 

 divisions have been based, we will merely name the four life zones represented in 

 North Carolina, and call attention to some of the species of birds by which they 

 are inhabited. (For further study of the general aspects of this subject, students 

 are referred to the writings of Merriam, Bailey, and Nelson, published by the 

 Biological Survey of the United States Department of Agriculture.) 



In North Carolina the Canadian Zone occupies only the tops of the higher 

 mountains; the Alleghanian or Transition includes those portions of the mountain 

 region between 2,500 and 4,500 feet of elevation; the Carolinian or Upper Austral 

 covers the central region of the State and the lower mountain valleys; and the 

 Lower Austral or Austro-riparian extends over the eastern and southeastern por- 

 tions of the State. Each of these life zones is characterized by the presence of cer- 

 tain birds during the breeding season, as well as by characteristic mammals, reptiles, 

 and amphibians. 



The Canadian Zone. This is the most northern of the life zones that enter 

 North Carolina, where it occupies only the tops of the higher mountains, above 

 4,000 or 4,500 feet elevation. The following are birds which in the breeding season 

 are found in this zone and not elsewhere in the State : Golden-crowned Kinglet, Red- 

 breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Pine 

 Siskin, Crossbill, Raven, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, and Golden 

 Eagle. The Carolina Junco is found in this zone and also in higher portions of 

 the Alleghanian. 



The Alleghanian or Transition Zone includes that portion of the mountain 

 region below 4,000 or 4,500 feet and above about 2,500 feet elevation. The prin- 

 cipal characteristic breeding birds in this region are as follows: Wilson's Thrush, 

 Bewick's Wren, Cairns's Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Chestnut-sided 

 Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, Canadian Warbler, 



