AVIAN COMMUNITIES 



Of the 259 species of birds that have been recorded in Jackson 

 County, 136 are represented by specimens and 14 species are docu- 

 mented by photographic records. There are 109 species included on 

 the basis of reliable sight records. Four species formerly occurring in 

 the county have been extirpated. Thus, I recognize a total of 255 

 species as definitely occurring in Jackson County. 



Of this total 133 definitely breed in the county, 15 probably breed, 

 and 13 species possibl}^ breed. (See Plan of the Species Accounts for 

 definitions of probably and possibly.) Thirty species are winter resi- 

 dents or regular winter visitors and 52 species are predominantly 

 transient. Another 12 are considered accidentals or stragglers, mostly 

 from east of the Cascade Mountains or from California. Three of the 

 four extirpated species, Chukar,^ Grey Partridge, and Bobwhite, 

 were introduced and were unsuccessful in the county. The fourth 

 species, Nuttall's Woodpecker, probably once bred in the Siskiyou 

 Mountains of Jackson County. 



Ten species have recently extended their breeding range into Jackson 

 County or have increased in abundance as breeding species or as 

 regular summer visitors. 



Green Heron Long-billed Marsh Wren 



Anna's Hummingbird Blue-gra}^ Gnatcatcher 



Allen's Hummingbird Tricolored Blackbird 



Black Phoebe Yellow-headed Blackbird 



Bank Swallow Black-throated Sparrow 



All of the 10 species definitely breed except the wren and blackbird 

 that probably breed, and the two hummingbirds and the sparrow 

 that are considered summer visitors. 



Most of the Jackson County avifauna is similar to that of the 

 Cascade Mountains and western valleys of Oregon. There are several 

 subspecies restricted in Oregon to the geographic area covered in this 

 paper (see Gabrielson and Jewett 1940). Lack of data at the sub- 

 specific level, however, precludes discussion of subspecies in this 

 paper. 



1 See Species Accounts for scientific names. 



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