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UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Volume 11, No. 8, pp. 443-516 August 1, 1959

Birds From Coahuila, M?xico

BY EMIL K. URBAN

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS LAWRENCE 1959

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Institutional libraries interested in publications exchange may obtain this series by addressing the Exchange Librarian, University of Kansas Library, Lawrence, Kansas. Copies for individuals, persons working in a particular field of study, may be obtained by addressing instead the Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. There is no provision for sale of this series by the University Library which meets institutional requests, or by the Museum of Natural History which meets the requests of individuals. However, when individuals request copies from the Museum, 25 cents should be included, for each separate number that is 100 pages or more in length, for the purpose of defraying the costs of wrapping and mailing.

Vol. 1. Nos. 1-26 and index. Pp. 1-638, 1946-1950.

Index. Pp. 651-681.

Vol. 5. Nos. 1-37 and index. Pp. 1-676, 1951-1953.

Index. Pp. 625-651.

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Volume 11, No. 8, pp. 443-516 August 1, 1959

Birds From Coahuila, M?xico

EMIL K. URBAN

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS LAWRENCE 1959

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS, MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Editors: E. Raymond Hall, Chairman, Henry S. Fitch, Robert W. Wilson

Volume 11, No. 8, pp. 443-516 Published August 1, 1959

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Lawrence, Kansas

PRINTED IN THE STATE PRINTING PLANT TOPEKA, KANSAS 1959

Birds From Coahuila, M?xico

BY EMIL K. URBAN

INTRODUCTION

The following account is a summary of the present knowledge of the birds of Coahuila. Some 500 specimens from Coahuila in the Museum of Natural History at the University of Kansas are the basis for this report; these are supplemented by records of birds previously listed from the State.

In Coahuila, habitats vary from those characteristic near tree-line to those of the floors of the low deserts. Because of the variety of habitats, many kinds of birds are present in the State; at least 312 living named kinds of 249 species have been recorded. Possibly another 100 species will be reported after further studies have been made there. At least 154 of the species listed in this paper probably breed in Coahuila. The bird fauna in the State includes species characteristic of eastern North America and of western North America, species that range from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, and species found only, or mostly, in M?xico.

I thank Professor E. Raymond Hall, Doctor Richard F. Johnston and Doctor Robert M. Mengel for their kind help, and Doctor Harrison B. Tordoff for first suggesting this study to me. Unless otherwise stated, the nomenclature in this paper is that of the A.O.U. Check-list Committee . Catalogue numbers are those of the Museum of Natural History at the University of Kansas. In so far as known to me, all birds recorded in the literature from Coahuila are listed below. In a few instances the only support for occurrence is the ascription of a given kind to Coahuila by Friedmann, Griscom, and Moore , and/or the A.O.U. Check-list Committee ; when this is so the entire entry is inclosed within brackets. In the accounts beyond, an asterisk indicates that the kind breeds in Coahuila; two asterisks indicate probable breeding in the State.

LIST OF COLLECTORS

Persons who have obtained specimens of birds from Coahuila for the Museum of Natural History are as follows:

Albert A. Alcorn Joseph Raymond Alcorn Sydney Anderson Rollin Harold Baker James Sheldon Carey Peter Stanley Chrapliwy W. Kim Clark Robert William Dickerman John R. Esther James Smith Findley John Keever Greer John William Hardy Gerd H. Heinrich William McKee Lynn Jack M. Mohler Roger O. Olmstead Robert Lewis Packard Robert Julian Russell William J. Schaldach, Jr. Harrison Bruce Tordoff South Van Hoose, Jr. Olin Lawrence Webb

GAZETTEER OF LOCALITIES IN COAHUILA

The following place-names were used to record the localities of Coahuilan birds now specimens in the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History. Each place-name is followed by its location in degrees and minutes of latitude and longitude, respectively.

Acebuches.--28?17', 102?56'. Americanos.--27?12', 103?14'. Australia.--26?18', 102?18'. Bella Uni?n.--25?26', 100?51'. Boquillas.--29?11', 102?55'. Castill?n.--28?21', 103?33'. Cuatro Ci?negas.--26?58', 102?04'. Diamante.--25?22', 100?54'. Don Martin.--27?32', 100?37'. Fort?n.--28?48', 101?41'. General Cepeda.--25?22', 101?28'. G?mez Far?as.--24?58', 101?02'. Hermanas.--27?13', 101?13'. Iglesias.--27?34', 101?20'. Jaco.--27?50', 103?55'. Jim?nez.--29?04', 100?42'. La Babia.--28?33', 102?03'. La Gacha.--28?09', 101?31'. La Mariposa.--28?12', 101?49'. La Ventura.--24?48', 100?38'. Las Delicias.--26?10', 102?49'. Las Margaritas.--28?42', 101?14'. Mesa de Tablas.--25?14', 100?24'. M?zquiz.--27?53', 101?32'. Nava.--28?25', 100?46'. Ocampo.--27?22', 102?26'. Paila.--25?38', 102?09'. Parras.--25?25', 102?12'. Piedras Blanca.--29?02', 102?33'. Piedras Negras.--28?43', 100?32'. Sabinas.--27?52', 101?07'. Saltillo.--25?26', 101?00'. San Antonio de las Alazanas.--25?16', 100?37'. San Buenaventura.--27?06', 101?32'. San Francisco.--27?37', 102?37'. San Ger?nimo.--28?30', 101?48'. San Isidro.--27?33', 102?27'. San Juan de Sabinas.--27?55', 101?17'. San Lorenzo.--25?28', 102?12'. San Marcos.--26?41', 102?07'. San Miguel.--29?14', 101?22'. San Pedro de las Colonias .--25?45', 102?58'. Santa Teresa.--26?27', 101?21'. Tanque Alvarez.--27?56', 102?38'. Torre?n.--25?33', 103?27'. Villa Acu?a.--29?19', 100?56'.

For mountain ranges, the approximate center of the highland of each range is used as the point of reference.

Pico de Jimulco.--25?08', 103?16'. Sierra del Carmen.--29?00', 102?30'. Sierra de la Encantada.--28?25', 102?30'. Sierra de Guadalupe.--25?13', 101?32'. Sierra del Pino.--28?15', 103?03'. Sierra de la Madera.--27?03', 102?30'.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE KNOWN BREEDING BIRDS OF COAHUILA

Topography and Climate

Coahuila lies in the broad northern end of M?xico, immediately east of the center of the continental mass. The mountains of Coahuila, which are part of the Rocky Mountain-Sierra Madre Oriental Axis, extend in a north-south direction and divide the lower lands into two areas, a larger one, a part of the Central Plateau, to the westward and a smaller one, a part of the Gulf Coastal Plain, to the northeastward. Most of the mountains of Coahuila do not exceed 6000 feet in elevation. A few peaks such as in the Sierra del Carmen, Sierra del Pino, Sierra de la Madera, Sierra Encarnaci?n, and Sierra de Guadalupe, are more than 9000 feet high, and some more than 10,000 feet in elevation occur near the southeastern border of the State in the Sierra Madre Oriental. The Gulf Coastal Plain of northeastern Coahuila ranges from 700 feet to 1800 feet. The desert plains of the Mesa del Norte to the west of the Sierra Madre Oriental Axis are higher, more rugged, and more dissected than those of the Coastal Plain and are marked by scattered desert ranges, buttes, low hills, and knobs.

Most of Coahuila is arid. Rainfall is moderate on the Coastal Plain and is low west of the central mountains. Baker and Muller give good summary discussions of the topography and climate of Coahuila, and the reader is referred to these for further details.

Biotic Communities

Baker stated that "the biotic communities of Coahuila might be divided in accordance with the three physiographic areas of the State: the Gulf Coastal Plain, the mountains, and the desert plains of the Mesa del Norte." Goldman and Moore listed three biotic provinces in Coahuila: the Chihuahua-Zacatecas Biotic Province, in the western half of the State; the Tamaulipas Biotic Province, in the northeastern part of the State; and the Sierra Madre Oriental Biotic Province, in the southeastern part of the State. Merriam noted that definable portions of the Lower Sonoran Life-zone, the Upper Sonoran Life-zone, the Transition Life-zone, and the Canadian Life-zone can be distinguished in Coahuila. In my study of the distribution of the avifauna of Coahuila, I found that the three biotic provinces listed by Goldman and Moore as major headings and Merriam's life-zones as supplements are the most satisfactory divisions.

In Coahuila, the Coastal Plain and the R?o Grande Plain lie in the path of the northernmost trade winds; they account for the more humid eastern slopes of the mountains of the northeastern part of the State . Nevertheless, the northeastern section of the State is semi-arid and can be placed in the Lower Sonoran Life-zone. The vegetation consists mainly of thorny shrubs and small trees with a liberal admixture of yuccas, agaves, and cacti, and closely resembles that of southern Texas, northern Nuevo Le?n, and northern Tamaulipas .

Migrant birds from the eastern flyway and less commonly migrants from western North America pass through northeastern Coahuila. The following breeding birds seem to be associated with this province: Harris' Hawk, Bobwhite , Scaled Quail , Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Groove-billed Ani, Green Kingfisher, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker , Ladder-backed Woodpecker , Vermilion Flycatcher , Cave Swallow, Gray-breasted Martin, Black-crested Titmouse , Carolina Wren, Long-billed Thrasher, Curve-billed Thrasher , Blue-gray Gnatcatcher , Hutton's Vireo , Bell's Vireo , Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Summer Tanager , Olive Sparrow, Cassin's Sparrow, and Black-throated Sparrow .

Birds of central or southern M?xico reach the southern part of Coahuila; the Thick-billed Parrot, Hooded Yellowthroat, and Rufous-capped Atlapetes are examples. A boreal forest on the higher slopes of the mountains of southeastern Coahuila is suitable for certain northern birds such as Goshawks, Pine Siskins, and Brown Creepers. Some species of birds ordinarily associated with western North America are present in Coahuila only in its southeastern part; striking examples of disjunction in range thus occur. Probably sometime in the past these birds were distributed throughout most of Coahuila. When this area became arid, these species disappeared from all of Coahuila except from the high mountains in the southeastern part. For example, Steller's Jay and the Scrub Jay are absent in the Sierra del Carmen of northwestern Coahuila but do occur in southeastern Coahuila.

Migrants of the eastern flyway as well as migrants associated with western North America pass through this section of Coahuila. The following breeding birds are associated with this province: Goshawk, Band-tailed Pigeon, Thick-billed Parrot, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker , Pine Flycatcher, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Vermilion Flycatcher , Steller's Jay, Scrub Jay, Mexican Chickadee, Black-crested Titmouse , Cactus Wren , Robin, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher , Hutton's Vireo , Bell's Vireo , Hartlaub's Warbler, Summer Tanager , Pine Siskin, Rufous-capped Atlaptes, and Black-throated Sparrow .

The large desert restricts the movement of birds considerably. Major results of this include isolation of certain populations and absence of others in the boreal islands. For example, Miller noted that the "dispersal of conifer-belt birds to and from the Sierra del Carmen, although not as difficult as to well separated islands , is nevertheless a formidable matter to accomplish across the great deserts of Texas, Chihuahua, and Coahuila." Miller noted also that the avifauna of the Sierra del Carmen, due to its insularity, is unbalanced and stated that "as a consequence of unbalance, species that are present show ecologic extension and unusual numerical relations." At least in this type of environment, an extension or expansion of the ecologic habits of the related types takes place when some species are absent.

This isolation influences local variation among some of the birds found in Coahuila. Niches elsewhere usually occupied by certain species, absent here, are occupied by other species. These other species thus enjoy an ecologic freedom and can expand their niches in the absence of related types of similar ecologic scope. For example, Miller reported that Hairy Woodpeckers occurred only casually in the Sierra del Carmen and that the Ladder-backed Woodpecker has spread out and seems to occupy the niche or niches usually characteristic of the Hairy Woodpecker. Changes usually thought of as of subspecific character seem to be taking place between the Ladder-backed Woodpeckers of the Sierra del Carmen and of other areas, possibly because the Ladder-backed Woodpecker in the Sierra del Carmen is extending its ecologic sphere more than in areas where the Hairy Woodpecker exists. Restriction in dispersal due to geographic isolation has probably hindered gene flow, thus allowing rapid local adaptation, recognizable in variation at the infraspecific level. Miller listed other birds that have expanded their ecologic scope; his work should be referred to for further details.

The following birds are associated with this province: Black Vulture, Scaled Quail , Turkey, Elf Owl, Green Kingfisher, Hairy Woodpecker , Ladder-backed Woodpecker , Wied's Crested Flycatcher, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Vermilion Flycatcher , Black-crested Titmouse , Cactus Wren , Curve-billed Thrasher , Blue-gray Gnatcatcher , Hutton's Vireo , Summer Tanager , and Black-throated Sparrow . Several kinds of birds, such as the Band-tailed Pigeon, occur in the "pine islands" in this province rather than on the desert floor.

There remain several kinds of birds that are not especially associated with any one or two of the above-named provinces. These birds are widely distributed and vary geographically without corresponding to the Biotic Provinces. Examples of these species are: Black Phoebe , Violet-green Swallow , Black-eared Bushtit , White-breasted Nuthatch , Brown-throated Wren , Crissal Thrasher , and Rufous-crowned Sparrow .

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