638 
BIRDS OF NEW MEXICO 
looking birds should be watched closely, and the characteristic metallic 
chink of the Bobolink listened for.] 
RIO GRANDE MEADOWLARK: Sturnella migna hoopesi Stone 
Description. — Male: Length (skins) about 8-9 inches, wing 4.5-5, tail 2.5-3.1, 
bill 1.2-1.4, tarsus 1.5-1.7. Female: Length (skins) 7.7-8.1 inches, wing about 3.9- 
4.1, tail 2.5-2.8, bill 1.1-1.2, tarsus 1.4-1.6. Similar to the Western Meadowlark 
Map 54. Rio Grande Meadowlark 
Shaded areas mark general range. Triangles mark summer records 
(p. 639), but yellow of throat restricted , not encroaching on cheeks, jugular crescent 
wider, colors somewhat stronger, and the yellow very rich. 
Range. —Resident in Lower and Upper Sonoran Zones of southwestern United 
States and northern Mexico, from northern Arizona, central New Mexico, and 
central Texas south into Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Chihuahua, and Sonora. 
