Perching Birds Marked With Yellow or Orange 



497. Veriow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus 

 xanthocepkaius) , L. lo. Ad. ^. Black; head and 

 breast orange yellow; outer wing-coverts white, 

 black tipped, ^d. 9, Brownish, hne over eye, throat 

 and breast dull yellow, lower breast streaked with 

 white; ear-coverts rusty. Notes. Call, a hoarse chuck ; 

 song, a variety of hoarse grunting, guttural whistles; 

 usually uttered with appareut great effort and bodily 

 contortion. The young utter a rolling, whistling call. 



Range.— Western Noriti America, east lo Kansas, northern Illinois, 

 and norll) we stern Indiana; west to the Paciflc coast ranges; breeds 

 locally from Texas (f ) , New Mexico. Arizona, and Southern Californ- 

 ia north to the Hudson Gay region, and southern British Columbia; 

 winters from souttiwestern Louisiana, and California southward. 



501. Meadowlark [Stumella magna,) . L. 10.7; W. 

 4.8. /4ds. Above black varied with chestnut and buff; 

 below yellow, a black breast-crescent; bars on middle 

 tail-feathers fiisgd along shaft, yellow of throat not 

 spreading on to its sides. Noles. Calls, a nasal note 

 and a rolling twitter; song, a high life like whistle of 

 rarely more than eight or ten notes; without gurgles or 

 grace notes. 



Range,— Eastern North Aiuerlcd west to aboutLong, loa^ , north lo 

 New Brunswick atid Minnesota} winters (rom Massachusetts and Illinois 

 southward. 



50 1 a. Texas Meadowlark (5. m. hoopesi). Similar 

 to No. 501b, but yellow not spreading on to sides of 

 the throat. Notes. Resemble in character those of 

 No. 501. 



Range. — Not well determined; known from Corpus Christ!, Texas, 

 west along Mexican boundary to southern Arizona and northern Son- 

 era, Mexico. 



50 rb. Western Meadowlark {S. m.mgUcta). Sim- 

 ilartoNo. 501, but bars on middle tail-feathers usually 

 distinct, not confluent along shaft; yellow of throat 

 spreading on to its sides; general color paler. Notes. 

 Calls, a liquid chikk and a wooden, rolling b-r-r-r-r-r-r-r\ 

 song, rich, musical, flute-like with intricate gurgles 

 and grace notes; wholly unlike that of No. 501, 



501c. Florida Meadowlark {S. m. argutula). Sim- 

 ilar to No. 591, butsmaller and darker; W. 4.4. 



Range. — Floriaa and Gulf coast to Louisiana, 

 5 1 4. Evening Grosbeak [Hesperiphona vespertina) . 

 L. 8. j4d. (^. Brownish yellow; wings, tail, and 

 crown black; exposed part of tertials white, ^d, 9- 

 Dingy brownish gray, more or less tinged wilti yel- 

 lowish; throat and belly whitish; tail-coverts and tail- 

 feathers, on inner web, tipped with white. Notes. 

 Call, loud; song, short, but melodious, resembling that 

 of Robin or Black-headed Grosbeak. (Cooper.) 



R^uee.— Rocky Mountainreeion of British America, south, In win- 

 ter, lo the upper Mississippi Valley, rarely to Ohio and casually 

 through New York to New England, 



514a. Western Evening Grosbeak {H. v. montana). 

 C? not distinguishable from c? of No, 514; 9 niore bui^y, 

 especially below. 



Range,— Mountains of western ITnlted Stales from New Mexico 

 north to British Columbia. 



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