From Opus

Photo by ron conely
Long Beach, California, USA, August 2004

Myiarchus cinerascens

[edit] Identification

19-20cm. Pale gray throat and breast, pale yellow underparts, brownish-olive upperparts, pale wing bars and tertial edges. Brown tail with rusty edges. Bill dark and slim

The sexes are similar

[edit] Distribution

Breeds from Washington and Wyoming south to southwestern United States, east to Texas.

Rare vagrant on Atlantic Coast in late fall (mostly November and December) with records in nearly all eastern states and provinces, when it is the only Myiarchus likely to occur.

Winters in southern California and Arizona southward to Costa Rica.

[edit] Taxonomy

Polytypic. Consists of two subspecies.

[edit] Subspecies¹

• M. c. cinerascens:

• breeds western United States and western Mexico; winters to northern Costa Rica

• M. c. pertinax:

• breeds Baja California Sur (south of latitude 29°)

[edit] Habitat

Rocky canyons to 5500 ft, hillsides, low mixed oak and pine forest, oak woodland, transitional chaparral and hedgerows.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Breeding

Three to four eggs are laid in a nest which is built in a tree cavity or similar natural or man-made hole.

[edit] Diet

The diet includes insects.

[edit] Vocalistion

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. Wikipedia
3. BF Member observations

• List of references

[edit] External Links

• A thread discussing the identification of this species is here. [[1]]