Vol. XLVl 



1928 J Howell and van Rosskm, Red-winged Blackbirds. 155 



A STUDY OF THE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS OF 

 SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES.^ 



BY AETHUR H. HOWELL AND A. J. VAN ROSSEM. 



The nomenclatural status of the Red-winged Blackbirds of 

 eastern United States is at present somewhat in confusion, due 

 chiefly to the lack of adequate breeding specimens from critical 

 localities. Meams, in 1911,'' stated that the typical race {phoeni- 

 ceus) was the form breeding from South Carolina southward 

 through middle Florida; he therefore revived the name ■predatorms 

 for the northern race (formerly called phoeniceus), and relegated 

 floridanus (which was currently applied to the Florida race) to 

 synonymy. Our studies have demonstrated, however, that the 

 typical race (phoeniceus) is the form breeding throughout eastern 

 United States south to northern Florida, and that floridarvus is 

 restricted to the southern tip of the peninsula, thus leaving the 

 bird of middle Florida without a name. 



In the course of field work for the U. S. Biological Survey in 

 1926 the senior author collected a small series of breeding Red- 

 winged Blackbirds on Santa Rosa Island, Florida, which appeared 

 to represent an undescribed race. To this series, through the 

 cooperation of Mr. Francis M. Weston of Pensacola, Florida, we 

 have since added a number of specimens from the shores of Pensa- 

 cola Bay. 



The junior author, in connection with a revision of the genus 

 Agelaius, has recently examined large series of Redwings in fhe 

 principal collections in eastern museums and during his visit to 

 Washington it developed that the two authors had reached practi- 

 cally identical views with reference to the races of the Redwing 

 in Florida and the other Gulf States. It seemed desirable, there- 

 fore, to work out the problems in cooperation. 



Our decisions have been based entirely on breeding specimens, 

 and in the present discussion, wintering birds have been ignored. 



' Joint contribution from the Bureau of Biological Survey and the California 

 Institute of Technology. 

 «Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 24, p. 226, 1911. 



