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Slight Extension of Range of San Diego Titmouse

Authors
J. Eugene Law
Journal
Condor
Volume
18
Issue
2 (March-April)
Year
1916
Pages
81
Section
From Field and Study
Online Text

Slight Extension of Range of San Diego Titmouse

On December 19, 1916, at least two San Diego Titmice (Baeolophus inornatus murinus) were noted with a flock of Bush-tits (presumably Psaltriparus minimus minimus) among the junipers on the high mesa at the south edge of the Mohave Desert, the exact spot being approximately five miles south and four miles west of Hesperia, San Bernardino County, California. The mesa at this place is about 3800 feet altitude and less than a mile farther south drops off abruptly into Cajon Pass, through which there would be no physical barriers to the localities on the other (south) side of the western portion of the San Bernardino Range, regularly inhabited by this subspecies. The junipers end a half mile north of this record, where typical Lower Sonoran vegetation immediately replaces it. One of the two birds was taken, an adult female (no. 4587 Coll. J. E. Law) and has been pronounced “murinus” by J. Grinnell after comparison with the series of both “inornatus” and “murinus” in the California Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.

The weather was at this time, and had been recently, entirely normal, clear warm days and crisp frosty nights, and the birds seemed to be very much at home, as were the bush-tits. Flocks of the latter and at least one “murinus” were observed on the 80th. Unfortunately no bush-tits, were collected, for this is near the recorded desert limit of its range as well.

J. Eugene Law

Hollywood, California

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