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Field
Guide IDs: BREEDING:
Arid brushy
canyons, riparian thickets, chaparral, open
woodland. 2, occ 3 broods. DISPLAYS:
Courtship: male
flutters on ground with extended trembling
wings. NEST:
Coarsely woven of
dried grass, forbs, lined with fine grass,
hair. EGGS:
Pale bluish-white,
unmarked. 0.8" (19 mm). DIET:
Insects;
seeds. CONSERVATION:
Winters s to s
Mexico, absent from e Mexico. Uncommon cowbird
host. Increased abundance this century with
creation of early successional stages following
logging, and growth of riparian thickets formed by
agricultural irrigation systems in arid regions.
However, seems to have disappeared from former
areas of range in face of encroaching
suburbanization. NOTES:
Forms interspecific
territories with Indigo Buntings; male song
repertoires often contain elements typical of both
species. Occ mixed pairs result in hybrids. Female
aggressively defends territory against other
females. Commonly flocks and moves to higher
elevations after breeding. Associates with Chipping
Sparrows and other finches during
migration. Fairly rare and
irregular migrant and rare summer resident,
occurring primarily in scrubby habitats near the
Dish. Absent as a breeder in some years, but in
years when this species is common and widespread
throughout the Peninsula, a few pairs are present.
Migrants probably occur occasionally in weedy or
brushy habitats elsewhere on campus. ESSAYS: Great
Plains Hybrids;
Interspecific
Territoriality;
Vocal
Development. REFERENCES:
Emlen et al., 1975;
Thompson 1976. |
