Western Savannah Sparrow 357 
This genus, as here restricted, contains four species, including several 
subspecific forms. It ranges all over North America including Mexico, 
but only one form comes within our limits (see key, p. 355). 
Western Savannah Sparrow. 
Passerculus sandwichensis alaudinus. 
A.O.U. Checklist 542b—Colorado Records—Allen 72, p. 162 
(P. savanna); Henshaw 75, p. 254; Tresz 81, p.41; Allen & Brewster 
83, p. 161; Drew 85, p. 16; Beckham 88, p. 122; Morrison 89, p. 36; 
Lowe 92, p. 101; Cooke 97, pp. 18, 101, 165, 214; Keyser 02, pp. 266, 
274; Rockwell 08, p. 172; Henderson 09, p. 236. 
Description.—Male—Above brown, streaked with black, especially 
conspicuous in the centre of the back ; crown with a central stripe of 
pale buffy, and bright yellow superciliary stripes usually present, but 
varying in development; tail and wings dusky, edged with paler, but 
no distinct white ; below white, marked with conspicuous black stripes 
on the sides of the throat, flanks and across the breast. Length 4-75 ; 
wing 2-75; tail 1-85; culmen -40; tarsus -73. 
The sexes are alike ; young birds in the autumn have the edges of the 
feathers above much more rufous, and the chest and sides are also 
washed with the same colour, and the median buffy and superciliary 
yellow stripes are much less conspicuous and often obsolete. 
Distribution.—Western North America, breeding from Alaska to 
southern Mexico and from the Pacific nearly to the Mississippi; winter- 
ing in the southern part of its breeding range, from Arizona and 
southern California southwards to Guatemala. 
In Colorado this Sparrow is most abundant on migration, especially 
in the plains, where it is not known to breed ; it resorts, however, to 
the mountains, where it is a common summer resident and breeder up 
to timber line. It reaches the State early in April—Pueblo, April lst 
(Lowe), El] Paso co., exceptionally as early as March 19th (Aiken)— 
and remains as late as October 13th, but the late lingerers are chiefly 
young birds. 
The following are breeding localities recorded : Breckenridge (Carter), 
South Park (Allen, Tresz & Keyser), Wet Mountain Valley (Aiken), 
Mesa co. (Rockwell), On migration it is common at Denver (Henshaw 
& Morrison), El Paso and Lincoln cos. (Aiken), Pueblo (Lowe), 
Salida (Frey), Fort Garland (Henshaw), Fort Lyon and Fort Lewis 
(Morrison). 
Habits.—A_ terrestrial bird, frequenting both moist 
meadow lands as well as the arid plains. Keyser found 
it nesting abundantly in South Park where it is 
