548 
BIRDS OF NEW MEXICO 
feathers, narrowly barred with blackish; underparts dull whitish, brownish on flanks, 
chest usually lightly streaked. Young in juvenal plumage: Unmarked, except for 
inconspicuous dusky bars on back. 
Range. Breeds mainly in arid Transition and Sonoran Zones from southern 
British Columbia (cast of Cascades), west-central Alberta, southwestern Saskat¬ 
chewan, and western North Dakota south to western Iowa (casually), central Texas, 
San Luis I otosi, Zacatecas, and Lower California; winters in the southern part of 
its United States range and in Mexico. 
State Records.— Judging from the number of records the Rock Wren is one 
of the commonest birds in New Mexico. It breeds throughout the State east to 
the Guadalupe Mountains (Bailey); Sacramento and White Mountains (Hollister); 
Capitan Mountains to 7,500 feet (Gaut); Santa Rosa and Cuervo (Bailey); near 
Las Vegas at 8,000 feet (Mitchell); near Koehler Junction (Kalmbach); and 
undoubtedly on the Sierra Grande (Howell). It breeds normally from about 
8,000 feet, Tres Picdras (Gaut); and Hondo Canyon, down to 4,600 feet at Santa 
Rosa (Bailey); 5,000 feet at Carlisle (Barrcll); and 5,000 feet at Shiprock (Gilman). 
It breeds most commonly at 6,000-7,500 feet. A family was seen August 18, 1904, 
at 9,600 feet on Comanche Creek in the Red River Valley (Bailey). A few were 
seen August 9, 1905, on the summit of Mount Taylor, over 10,000 feet (Hollister); 
one was noted August 13, 1903, almost at the top of Pecos Baldy, 12,500 feet 
(Bailey); [they were common on peaks above timberline in the Sangre de Cristo 
Range, June 18-19, 1924 (Ligon).] 
<lilteS Vary "' ic,el - v >' e S 8 s were found April 28, 1885, at Silver City 
(Marsh); and on June 26, 1903, near the head of the Conchos River some 10 miles 
northwest of Cabra Springs. Young were being fed in two nests near Santa Rosa 
up to May 30, 1903; one brood came out at the next, camp, Agua Nigra, June 6 , 
and a fourth brood was found the same day with tails fairly well grown (Bailey). [A 
finished nest was found, June 26, 1921, in the deserted Pecos Pueblo (Jensen). 
} °:r w I ere s l en M *y 1() . 1916, at 6,200 feet at Chloride; July 3, 1917, young almost 
feathered at 5,500 feet, 12 miles northeast of Hillsboro; July 4 , 1917 feathered 
young in the Black Range, 8 miles northwest of Hillsboro (Ligon)); while young 
were still in the nest, August. 25, 1903, near Pecos (Bailey) 
in the San m' 21 , 1906, on Mount Taylor at 11,300 feet 
in the San Mateo Mountains; others September 6 , 1904, at about 9,000 feet in the 
San Juan Mountains, and October 18, 1906, at 9,000 feet in the Mogollon Moun¬ 
tains above Willow Creek (Bailey). s u 
The species does not usually winter in northern New Mexico, but in 1882 it 
was seen as late as December 22 at Las Vegas (Batchclder). It probably som^ 
sScitWHunnV SOU ! r rl: ,f f e State in the Mountains (Merrill); 
descend to a mu 1 ’ Z ^ whltcr il docs ™t "em to 
escend to a much lmver altitude than the lowest part of the breeding range except 
m the lower Rio Grande Valley, where it was noted November 23 2 0 
Krf^rw °Vd hec ;f badBird 
in January, it was noted in the winfer ioik ime r i 
December 1 Q 1 K- “ , ter ot 1916-1916 [and was common in 
23-dTcX t “ de ““ ™ •'<"»*« 
*£ 1 ** ; Uit noted in the spring of 1884 at Silver City was on March 11 
(Marsh), and at Las Vegas in 1902 on April 12 (Atkins).-w! W Cooke 
