The Western Robin 
No. 150 
Robin 
[No. 150 Eastern Robin 
A. 0. U. No. 716. Planesticus migratorius migratorius (Linnaeus). 
Synonyms.— American Robin. Migrating Thrush. 
Description. — Adult male in spring and summer: Head black, interrupted by 
white of chin and white with black streaks (or nearly confluent black stripes) of throat; 
eyelids and a supraloral spot white; tail blackish, the outermost pair of rectrices broadly 
tipped with white (more broadly on inner web), the succeeding pair narrowly white- 
tipped; flight-feathers dusky, the edges of outer webs ashy; remaining upperparts 
grayish slate, sometimes light'y glossed with olivaceous; below,—breast, sides, upper 
belly, and lining of wings, cinnamon rufous (rich tawny to—in extreme cases—Sanford’s 
brown), the feathers of belly white-skirted in early spring; lower belly and crissum white, 
touched irregularly with slate. Bill yellow with blackish tip; feet black with yellow 
soles. Adult female in spring and summer: Similar to male, but dull; the black of 
head, especially, veiled by brownish. Adults in winter: Upperparts tinged with brown; 
the rufous feathers, especially on belly, with white skirtings. Immature in first fall 
plumage: Much like adult, but pileum olive-brown (of the same shade as back), finely 
streaked with black; throat white, more finely and sparingly streaked with blackish; 
white of belly and skirtings more extensive; the rufous of breast and sides clouded with 
pale slaty. Nestlings are streaked above, especially on back, with pale bully, and 
spotted with terminal black; below, throat and belly immaculate white; crissum chiefly 
dusky with mesial white streaks, the breast and sides more or less washed with pale 
tawny or ochraceous buff, and heavily spotted with black, the spots tending to fall into 
bars on the sides. Length of males about 254 (10.00); wing 129 (5.08); tail 95.3 (3.75); 
bill 19.8 (.78). 
Recognition Marks.— “Robin” size; cinnamon-rufous breast; the “corners” 
of the tail conspicuously white-tipped, as distinguished from P. m. propinquus. 
Nesting.— Does not breed in California. Nest and Eggs as in P. m. propinquus , 
save that eggs number 4 or 5, sometimes 6. 
Range of Planesticus migratorius. —North America, breeding from Cape San 
Lucas, the Mexican plateau, and the northern portion of the Gulf States north to the 
limit of trees. 
Range of P. m. migratorius. —Eastern and northern North America westward 
nearly to the Rocky Mountains and northwestward to valley of Kowak River, in 
Alaska; breeds from the southern Alleghenies, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa, etc., north¬ 
ward; winters in Gulf States; south irregularly across the Western States during 
migration. 
Supposed Occurrence in California.— Believed to be casual during migra¬ 
tions—imperfectly made out. 
Remark.— The situation regarding the Robin in the West is evidently more 
complicated than we used to suppose. The common stock, P. migratorius, was origi¬ 
nally, as in so many cases, divided in its northward advance by the tongue of the 
Cordilleras, the western element losing in its progress the white corners of the tail, and 
suffering to some extent a bleaching of the rufous. This latter tendency was disguised 
from our eyes by the frequent occurrence in winter of dark-breasted birds; but the 
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