168 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 73 



Winter: Uncommon to locally common winter resident in the Northern High- 

 land. Rare to uncommon winter resident elsewhere. During the winter of 

 1977-78, the movement of this bird into the Valley was among the largest on 

 record. Exceptionally large flocks (200 individuals) were noted, primarily 

 north of St. Croix Falls. These large numbers remained through mid-De- 

 cember. After that time, the number of individuals decreased considerably. 



Habitat: This species primarily uses extensive stands of Lowland Coniferous 

 Forest where white spruce is the predominant tree species. Also occasionally 

 observed in mixed coniferous-deciduous forest and Jack Pine Barren. 



Green-tailed Towhee (Pipilo chlorura) 

 Status: Accidental, one record. 



Record: Garber (1965) reported the observation of one bird at Prescott, 

 Pierce County, on 10 May 1964. 



Rufous-sided Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) 

 Status: Regular migrant and nesting species. 



Migration: Uncommon migrant throughout the Valley, common in the 

 Northern Highland. Spring migrants arrive in the Western Upland 

 25-30 April and the Northern Highland 1-5 May. Peak migration occurs 

 5-15 May. Peak fall migration occurs 10-25 September and departure by 

 15 October (latest— 8 December 1971, Washington County). 



Nesting Season Distribution: Uncommon nesting species throughout the 

 Valley. Jackson (1943) reported that rufous-sided towhees were common at 

 Solon Springs, Douglas County, 28 July to 6 August 1919. Goddard (1972) 

 reported a density of 19.3 pairs per 40 ha in the Kinnickinnic River Valley, 

 Pierce County. Breeding Bird Survey data (Table 8) suggest that the rufous- 

 sided towhee occurs in relatively low numbers in the Western Upland and 

 Central Plain and is common in the Northern Highland. 



Habitat: Primarily a species of edge situations. Typical breeding habitat in- 

 cludes semi-open stands of Northern Hardwood Forest (Western Upland). 

 Typical vegetation of these habitats includes second-growth bur oak, tremb- 

 ling aspen, sugar maple, green ash, and basswood. In the Northern High- 

 land, this species becomes particularly numerous in mixed stands of jack 

 pine and oak. 



Savannah Sparrow {Passerculus sandwichensis) 

 Status: Regular migrant and nesting species. 



Migration: Common spring and fall migrant throughout the Valley. Spring 

 migrants arrive in the Western Upland 10-15 April and the Northern High- 

 land about 20 April (earliest— 30 March 1967, Burnett County). Peak spring 

 migration through the Valley occurs 20 April to 10 May. Peak fall migration 



