A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 2 of 3

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  NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

  LAND BIRDS.

  VOL. II.




  [Illustration: RED-HEADED WOODPECKER.
                (Melanerpes erythrocephalus.)
                 Adult male.]




  A

  HISTORY

  OF

  NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS

  BY

  S. F. BAIRD, T. M. BREWER, AND R. RIDGWAY

  LAND BIRDS

  _ILLUSTRATED BY 64 PLATES AND 593 WOODCUTS_

  VOLUME II.

  [Illustration: sketch of nest with eggs]

  BOSTON
  LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY
  1905




  Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874,
  BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY,
  in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.




  Printers
  S. J. PARKHILL & CO., BOSTON, U. S. A.




  CONTENTS.


                                                    PAGE
  Family FRINGILLIDÆ. The Finches. (_Continued._)      1
    Subfamily SPIZELLINÆ. (_Continued._)               1
    Subfamily PASSERELLINÆ                            48
    Subfamily SPIZINÆ                                 58
  Family ALAUDIDÆ. The Larks                         135
  Family ICTERIDÆ. The Orioles                       147
    Subfamily AGELAINÆ                               148
    Subfamily ICTERINÆ                               179
    Subfamily QUISCALINÆ                             202
  Family STURNIDÆ. The Starlings                     228
  Family CORVIDÆ. The Crows                          231
    Subfamily CORVINÆ                                231
    Subfamily GARRULINÆ                              263
  Family TYRANNIDÆ. The Tyrant Flycatchers           306
  Family ALCEDINIDÆ. The Kingfishers                 391
  Family CAPRIMULGIDÆ. The Goatsuckers               398
    Subfamily CAPRIMULGINÆ                           398
  Family CYPSELIDÆ. The Swifts                       421
    Subfamily CYPSELINÆ                              423
    Subfamily CHÆTURINÆ                              427
  Family TROCHILIDÆ. The Humming-Birds               437
  Family CUCULIDÆ. The Cuckoos                       470
    Subfamily COCCYGINÆ                              470
  Family PICIDÆ. The Woodpeckers                     491
    Subfamily PICINÆ                                 492
  Family PSITTACIDÆ. The Parrots                     585
    Subfamily SITTACINÆ                              585

  INDEX TO THE PLATES.

  PLATES 27-56.




  NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.




FAMILY FRINGILLIDÆ.—THE FINCHES. (_Continued._)


GENUS SPIZELLA, BONAP.

  _Spizella_, BONAP. Geog. and Comp. List, 1838. (Type, _Fringilla
    canadensis_, LATH.)
  _Spinites_, CABANIS, Mus. Hein. 1851, 133. (Type, _Fringilla
    socialis_, WILS.)

  [Line drawing: _Spizella monticola._
                  871 ♂]

GEN. CHAR. Bill conical, the outlines slightly curved; the lower
mandible decidedly larger than the upper; the commissure gently
sinuated; the roof of the mouth not knobbed. Feet slender; tarsus
rather longer than the middle toe; the hinder toe a little longer than
the outer lateral, which slightly exceeds the inner; the outer claw
reaching the base of the middle one, and half as long as its toe.
Claws moderately curved. Tertiaries and secondaries nearly equal; wing
somewhat pointed, reaching not quite to the middle of the tail. First
quill a little shorter than the second and equal to the fifth; third
longest. Tail rather long, moderately forked, and divaricated at the
tip; the feathers rather narrow. Back streaked; rump and beneath
immaculate. Young streaked beneath.

This genus differs from _Zonotrichia_ principally in the smaller size
and longer and forked, instead of rounded tail.

Birds of the year of this genus are very difficult to distinguish,
even by size, except in _monticola_. The more immature birds are also
very closely related. In these the entire absence of streaks on a
plumbeous head point to _atrigularis_; the same character in a reddish
cap, and a reddish upper mandible to _pusilla_; a dusky loral spot
with dark streaks and generally a rufous shade on top of head, to
_socialis_. _S. breweri_, with a streaked head, lacks the dusky lore
and chestnut shade of feathers. _S. pallida_ generally has a median
light stripe in the cap, and a dusky mandibular line.

COMMON CHARACTERS. Interscapular region with black streaks.