26 
THE CONDOR 
Vol. XV 
General Distribution oe the Band-tailed Pigeon 
There has been more or less confusion in the popular mind as to the dis- 
tinctness of the Passenger Pigeon from the Band-tailed Pigeon. Both have been 
called Wild Pigeon. The two species, however, are very different, and as far as 
known the ranges of the two nowhere overlapped. The Passenger Pigeon ( Bcto- 
pistcs inigratorius) was restricted to the region east of the east base of the Rocky 
Mountains; the Band-tailed Pigeon {Cohimba fasciata) ranges from, and includ- 
ing, the Rocky Mountains westward to the Pacific Coast, though not of course 
continuously over the intervening desert areas. 
Recorded localities of occurrence of the Band-tailed Pigeon extend as far 
east as Boulder County, Colorado, and western Texas, south into Mexico, and 
north to Vancouver Island and the adjacent mainland of British Columbia. Rela- 
tively few of these localities, however, are breeding places ; many are of sporadic 
occurrences. So that the area outlined must not for a moment be thought of as 
supporting a pigeon population throughout its extent, either continuously or 
regularly. 
In a general way it may be said that at the north and at high altitudes the 
species is only a summer visitant. To be more explicit, the Band-tailed Pigeon 
summers in the Transition life zone, whether this be in the northern part of its 
range or at the south. In the latter case the high altitudes of the mountain ranges 
resorted to, result in the same temperature conditions as at lower levels to the 
northward. 
In winter the pigeon migrates to more southerly latitudes, or to lower alti- 
tudes. as the conditions make it necessary in order to reach a hearable winter cli- 
mate. Although recorded south along the Mexican Plateau, it is believed that 
practically all the birds breeding to the north of the Mexican boundary v/inter 
within the Uniffd States, concentrating at that season in the extreme southwest. 
From the data at hand pertaining to distribution, it seems probable that the 
pigeons of the Rocky IMountain region do not cross in migration to the Pacific 
slope, but winter with the locally bred contingent in suitable places near the Mex- 
ican line, in Arizona and New Mexico. In parallel fashion those pigeons ap- 
pearing in the valleys of California in winter come from the mountains adjacent 
and from the Pacific Coast district to the north, in Oregon, Washington and Brit- 
ish Columbia. 
Local Distribution 
The following facts bear upon the question of the source of at least part 
of the pigeons wintering in the valleys of California. The species occurs at 
Blaine, Washington (near the British Columbia boundary), from May 5 to Sep- 
tember 15 ( Dawson, 1909, p. 555) ; in southern Washington west of the Cascades 
it is present from May 15 to September (Cones, 1874, p. 386) ; and at the mouth 
of the Columbia River it is present from May to October (Beuclire, 1892, p. 122 ). 
In Washington County, Oregon, it is common in summer ( Anthony, in Bendire. 
1892, p. 123) : at Dayton. Yamhill County, Oregon, the pigeon arrives April 20 
and leaves the last of November (Hadley, in Woodcock, IQ02, p. 28) ; at Cor- 
vallis, Benton Countv, Oregon, it occurs from the first of April until the last of 
September (Woodcock, 1902, p. 28). 
From the above data it will be seen that north of the, northern boundary of 
California the Band-tailed Pigeon i.s wholly migratory. It seems inevitable that 
this northern bred contingent moves south into Californxa for the winter season. 
In other words the entire pigeon population of the Pacific Coast region concen- 
