FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC.: GAMBEL SPARROW 755 
GAMBEL SPARROW: Zonotrichia g£mbeli (Nuttali) 
Description. — Male: Length (skins) 5.8-6.5 inches, wing 3-3.3, tail 2.6-2.9, 
bill .4. Female: Length (skins) 5.7-6.4 inches, wing 2.9-3.2, tail 2.6-2.9, bill .4. 
Similar to the White-crowned Sparrow but lores without black, white line over 
eye extending to bill. (See p. 752; Fig. 132.) 
Range. —Breeds in Boreal Zones from limit 
of trees in northwestern Alaska and northern 
Mackenzie (rarely outside the mountains south 
of Great Slave Lake) south to Montana, Oregon, 
and coast mountains of southwestern Alaska; 
winters in southern British Columbia, Oregon, 
California, Utah, Arizona and southern Texas 
south to San Luis Potosi, Mazatlan, Lower Cal¬ 
ifornia, and outlying islands; casual eastward in 
migration to Texas, Kansas, Iowa, and Minnesota. 
State Records. —The Gambel Sparrow is a 
relative of the White-crowned Sparrow and 
represents those individuals that breed far north 
in the western part of North America from about 
central Montana, north to Alaska and northern 
Mackenzie. Though nesting so far north, migrants of this form enter New Mexico 
not much later in the fall than the migrants of leucophrys, that have come only from 
Colorado. They come to Mesilla Park in vast numbers about September and stay 
till early May, Merrill says. [A specimen was taken, November 3, 1916, at Silver 
City (Kellogg); it was abundant, November 23-Deccmber 9, 1916, on the Rio 
Grande Bird Reserve (Elephant Butte); it was noted in the winter of 1915-16, and 
was abundant in December, 1916, on the Carlsbad Bird Reserve (Willett).) Exact 
information is lacking as to the relative numbers of the two forms in New Mexico 
during the winter, at which season both are common, but it seems probable that 
gambeli is the more abundant. This species not only descends to the low valleys as 
at Carlsbad (Willett), and Fort Thorn (Henry), but is also found at Albuquerque, 
5,000 feet, December 25, 1902 (Harman), and was reported from Fort Bayard, 
6,040 feet, January 2, 1908 (Rockbill), Las Vegas Hot Springs, 6,700 feet, December 
12, 1882 (Batchelder), and well up in the mountains, where it was taken February 8, 
1904, at 8,000 feet near Arroyo Seco (Surber). 
There is no doubt but that gambeli moves north in the spring earlier than leu¬ 
cophrys and the birds taken, May 1,1904, at Rinconada (Surber), and noted, May 15, 
1915, at State College (Merrill), probably represent nearly its final departure from 
the State.—W. W. Cooke. 
General Habits. —Zonotrichias, largely in immature plumage, 
were singing everywhere in the weeds of the river valley at Glenwood 
early in November, 1906, and one shot proved to be gambeli . 
At Blanco, Mr. Birdseye found them “everywhere abundant in the 
cottonwoods, willows, Bigelovia y and other brush. Several were caught 
in mouse traps baited with wheat, oats, and oatmeal, November 15 
to 20, 1908” (MS). 
They were also abundant in thickets in and about fields at Garfield, 
the middle of November, 1909. Whole flocks were sometimes seen by 
Major Goldman, the birds sitting quietly or chattering in low tones, 
From Handbook of Western Birds 
Fig. 133. Gambel Sparrow 
