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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 .

In summary, there are three associations of vegetation in Coahuila and each has characteristic birds. Gross climate and topography, through their influence on vegetation, are the prime factors in the distribution and kinds of birds in the State. Some birds of central and southern M?xico reach southeastern and southwestern Coahuila. Representatives of the Gulf Coastal Plain in Tamaulipas and Nuevo Le?n as well as migrants of the eastern flyway occur in northeastern Coahuila. Most of the species that occur in Coahuila seem to be associated with western North America. The aridity of western Coahuila restricts, to a large extent, the diversity of the breeding populations of its avifauna. Xeric conditions surrounding some of the higher mountains are barriers to movement of some species.

ORIGIN OF BREEDING BIRDS OF COAHUILA

Probably beginning in the late Pliocene and ending in the Ice Age the refrigeration of climate in the Northern Hemisphere initiated a period of southward withdrawal of birds from the northern part of North America. Some members of the avifauna of Coahuila probably reached the State in this time. When the continental deserts were formed, or reformed, many tropical and subtropical Middle American species were forced to leave Coahuila. Species associated with arid conditions found their way there. Many representatives of the Old World element also seem to have found their way to the State during the refrigeration of climate in the Northern Hemisphere. The separation of North and South America in the greater part of the Tertiary that deterred mammals from intercontinental colonization seemingly did not hinder birds. Some South American species moved northward into M?xico, all the way north to Coahuila.

The avifauna of Coahuila today is a mixture of the several mentioned elements. Of the breeding populations, 43 per cent breed in the western rather than the eastern United States, 6 per cent breed in the eastern rather than the western United States, 30 per cent breed in both the eastern and western United States, 20 per cent are restricted to the Republic of M?xico, and the southern parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, and 1 per cent is endemic to the Republic of M?xico.

It is instructive to consider also the origin of avifaunal elements at the level of Family. According to Mayr most North American families and subfamilies clearly originated in the Old World, in South America, or from a North American element that developed in the partial isolation of North America in the Tertiary. Three other elements, the Panboreal, the Pan-American, and the Pantropical are represented by some North American families and subfamilies. Because of the obscurity of the place of origin of certain groups, an additional unanalyzed element must be recognized.

The Caprimulgidae and Picidae probably originated in North America . Although the Psittacidae are Pantropical in distribution, indications are that they probably originated in the Old World . The Phasianidae, Turdidae , and Sylviidae seem to have originated in the Old World . However, Mayr considered these groups to have had a secondary center of proliferation in North America, and I thus consider these groups to have a North American origin. Mayr considered the Trochilidae, Tyrannidae, and Icteridae Pan-American in distribution; however, he suggested that they probably originated in South America, and I here treat them as South American in origin. No representatives of the Pan-American element that probably originated in North America have been recorded from Coahuila nor have members of the Panboreal element been recorded in the State. According to my analysis, representatives of families of birds known to breed in Coahuila and those that probably breed there thus seem to have been derived historically from the following sources:

Old World 24.7% North America 37.0% South America 24.0% Unanalyzed 14.3%

Mayr gave examples of analysis by geographic origin of the breeding species of several districts of North America. For instance, at Yakutat Bay in southeastern Alaska the South American element of breeding passerine species was 3 per cent, the North American element 39 per cent, and the Old World element 58 per cent whereas at Sonora, M?xico, the South American element of breeding passerine species was 27 per cent, the North American element 52 per cent, and the Old World element 21 per cent. The breeding avifauna of Coahuila is thus in line with Mayr's analysis, resembling that of Sonora to a considerable degree at the taxonomic level of Family.

ACCOUNTS OF SPECIES

Dickerman saw two Great Blue Herons in a marshy area at San Marcos on May 4, 1954. Van Tyne and Sutton noted the Great Blue Heron "near Boquillas , along the R?o Grande, on May 10 and 15...."

The Gadwell is not an uncommon spring migrant; Olmstead saw it 10 mi. E Hacienda La Mariposa on March 30, 1952, and Baker observed it 8 mi. N and 4 mi. W M?zquiz on March 30, 1952. Friedmann, Griscom, and Moore recorded the Gadwell from Coahuila.

There are several sight records of the Red-tailed Hawk. Olmstead saw one 16 mi. S Boquillas, 1600 feet, on March 6, 1952; Dickerman saw a Red-tailed Hawk 16 mi. E and 18 mi. N Ocampo on May 7, 1954, one 20 mi. S Ocampo on April 4, 1954; and an immature at Saltillo on January 17, 1954.

The Broad-winged Hawk is rare in Coahuila. No. 32628, if a migrant, was retarded from moving northward by the loss of its right foot and distal one-third of its tarsus. Packard reported this specimen as the first record of the species in Coahuila.

Swainson's Hawk is not common in Coahuila. The size of the testes of No. 32022, the adult plumage, and the date on which it was obtained suggest that it was a breeding bird. Friedmann, Griscom, and Moore reported that this species breeds as far east as Durango and Chihuahua. Findley saw a Swainson's Hawk 2 mi. S and 3 mi. E San Juan de Sabinas on June 22, 1952.

No. 31596 is the first recorded specimen of the Prairie Falcon from Coahuila. The bird was heavily parasitized by worms in the mesenteries and seems to be an adult. Although its nuchal collar, as in immatures, is washed with pale cinnamon-buff, its thighs are not heavily marked with dark brown spots. The superciliary lines have blackish rather than brownish streaks, and the scapulars do not have four or five dark bars .

The sizes of the testes and of the largest ova of birds labeled with reference to Cuatro Ci?negas indicate breeding activity.

The Turkey in Coahuila is restricted to the northern section of the State. Miller remarked that the population of Turkeys in the Sierra del Carmen was sparse and did not range above 7500 feet into the highest pine-oak and Douglas fir areas. Baker saw Turkeys 4 mi. W Hacienda La Mariposa, 2300 feet, on March 23, 1952. William Schaldach, Jr., noted 30 Turkeys "just west of Rancho San Ger?nimo" on April 9, 1950. Aldrich and Duvall indicated several localities in northern Coahuila where the Turkey occurs or occurred.

In Coahuila the Killdeer seems to be uncommon. Van Tyne and Sutton remarked that it nested in Brewster County, Texas. The species probably nests in northern Coahuila as well; the lengths of the testes of No. 31023 support this view.

The Long-billed Curlew is not common in Coahuila. Dickerman obtained both the specimens from 8 mi. E and 2 mi. S Americanos out of a flock of 35. Sutton and Burleigh noted the Long-billed Curlew "near San Pedro ... January 29."

The Greater Yellowlegs is an uncommon spring and probably fall migrant in Coahuila. No. 31024 is the first record of this species in Coahuila.

Van Hoose reported a small breeding colony of American Avocets 8 mi. E and 2 mi. S Americanos "on a large grassy playa traversed by rows of creosote ." No. 31432 was taken from a nest containing four partly-incubated eggs. Van Hoose also reported that four eggs in a second nest contained well-developed, downy young.

The Band-tailed Pigeon is locally common in Coahuila. Miller remarked that the Band-tailed Pigeon "was unaccountably rare in 1953" in the Sierra del Carmen, and said that a specimen was taken on August 7 in Vivoras Canyon. Burleigh and Lowery wrote that "small flocks were seen each day ... on the summit of Diamante Pass, but only on one occasion was a pair noted." Dickerman saw 10 Band-tailed Pigeons 20 mi. S Ocampo, 6000 feet, on April 4, 1954. The enlarged testes of No. 32035, and an egg in No. 32036 show that the species breeds in central Coahuila.

Miller took a male White-winged Dove on April 23 "at the mouth of Boquillas Canyon at about 4900 feet" and remarked that this bird might either be a straggler or a representative of a normal breeding population . On January 29 and 30, Sutton and Burleigh saw White-winged Doves several times in southern Coahuila along the highway from Saltillo to San Pedro.

Burleigh and Lowery reported seeing a small flock of Thick-billed Parrots on the summit of Diamante Pass. Dickerman, in his field notes, wrote that at a place 13 mi. E San Antonio de las Alazanas, 9345 feet, a large flock of about 300 birds was in a spruce-fir-pine-aspen association.

The Yellow-billed Cuckoo was seen also by Findley 2 mi. S and 3 mi. E San Juan de Sabinas on June 22, 1952, and by Dickerson at Torre?n on July 2, 1955. The sizes of the testes of the birds from 12 mi. N and 12 mi. W Jim?nez and the date on which they occurred there indicate that the birds possibly were breeding.

Miller heard several Roadrunners calling at Boquillas Canyon in the Sierra del Carmen, where he obtained two females. Burleigh and Lowery stated that the species proved to be "unexpectedly scarce" and was noted but once by them on April 22 when a single bird was observed in "the open desert west of Saltillo." Sutton and Burleigh noted that the Roadrunner was not common anywhere in southern Coahuila; they obtained one female at San Pedro on January 29. The size of the largest ovum of No. 32040 indicates that this species breeds in Coahuila.

No. 32039, obtained by Harrison B. Tordoff in a cypress woods along the shore of a lagoon, provides the first record of the Groove-billed Ani in Coahuila. The size of its largest ovum and the date indicate breeding by this species in Coahuila.

Miller collected seven Flammulated Owls in the pines and oaks at 7000 feet in Carboneras Canyon and said that these owls were common there. Nos. 31600 and 31581 are suffused with cinnamoneous pigmentation, but represent the grayish phase, as described by Ridgway . Van Hoose previously recorded Nos. 31600 and 31581 from Coahuila.

Although there are no records in Coahuila of specimens of Burrowing Owls north of 3 mi. S and 9 mi. E Cuatro Ci?negas, this owl probably occurs in the northern section of the State. The records of Burrowing Owls from the southern part of Brewster County, Texas , suggest such occurrence. No. 31602 was shot in a prairie dog colony; No. 32043 was captured in a steel trap. Baker saw Burrowing Owls 7 mi. S and 4 mi. E Bella Uni?n, 7200 feet, on June 25, 1952.

The size of the testes of No. 31446 and an enlarged oviduct and an ovum of No. 31447 indicate breeding by the Poor-will in Coahuila.

Van Hoose wrote that nighthawks were heard and seen frequently 3 mi. N and 4 mi. E San Francisco. Blake said that the Common Nighthawk breeds in Sonora, Chihuahua, Tamaulipas, and Durango; the size of the testes of No. 31443 indicates the possibility of breeding by this species in the State.

The presence of an egg in the oviduct of No. 32045 and the dates on which Nos. 31442, and 32044-32046 were obtained indicate breeding by this species in Coahuila.

Burleigh and Lowery found the White-throated Swift to be common at "the summit of Diamante Pass and on the nearby ridges." Miller saw the species from 4800 feet up to the crest of the Sierra del Carmen. Several White-throated Swifts were seen flying overhead at Pico de Jimulco on April 5.

Miller stated the Black-chinned Hummingbird was common in the desert area at the base of the mountains of the Sierra del Carmen, and that Marsh, on July 25, obtained this hummingbird "near Piedra Blanca ." Burleigh and Lowery obtained a female in an arroyo about twenty miles west of Saltillo on April 22.

Miller indicated that the Broad-tailed Hummingbird was fairly common in the Sierra del Carmen. According to Burleigh and Lowery this species is not uncommon in the pine woods bordering the summit of Diamante Pass; they saw the bird between 4900 and 10,000 feet.

The Blue-throated Hummingbird occurs between 5000 and 9950 feet in Coahuila. Miller remarked that it was found in canyon bottoms, "whether at 7500 feet among the rocky slopes, oaks, and white pines ... or at 5000 feet in the madrone, maples, elms, and basswoods...." No. 32668, was obtained in a Douglas fir-pine-aspen association at 9950 feet.

Say's Phoebe occurs commonly in Coahuila. Miller obtained a female with an active brood patch in Boquillas Canyon of the Sierra del Carmen, and remarked that Marsh took a juvenile on September 2 at El Rinc?n. Sutton and Burleigh saw this phoebe several times in southern Coahuila and obtained a male "near San Pedro" on January 29. Burleigh and Lowery recorded this species as "a common breeding bird both on Diamante Pass and on the arid plateau around Saltillo." No. 32059 was a juvenile.

Amadon and Phillips obtained two Least Flycatchers at Las Delicias on August 12. Dickerman took No. 31470 in pine-oak vegetation.

Miller reported that the Western Flycatcher breeds in the Sierra del Carmen, from 6800 to 7500 feet. According to Miller, Friedmann, Griscom, and Moore , this subspecies has been recorded from Sierra Guadalupe. No. 31469 closely resembles, especially in measurements, the specimens of the Western Flycatcher from the Chisos Mountains of Texas as reported by Brodkorb .

Gonadal sizes indicate that the Violet-green Swallow breeds in the Sierra del Pino.

Burleigh and Lowery noted the Cliff Swallow "in small numbers about Saltillo and the nearby villages" where the species "showed evidence of beginning to nest in many of the houses...." They found Cliff Swallows also at the Chorro del Agua and Diamante Valley. According to Dickerman, Nos. 31585-31586 were from a colony, members of which were collecting mud at a stock tank.

The Mexican Jay is common in Coahuila. This species occupies various habitats in the State and has been collected at stations ranging from 2100 to 9950 feet.

Specimens of the Mexican Jay increase in size from northern Coahuila to southern Coahuila. The average length of the wings of Nos. 29425-29426 from Club Sierra del Carmen is 152 mm. whereas the average length of the wings of No. 32081 from 7 mi. S and 4 mi. E Bella Uni?n, of No. 31607 from 13 mi. E and 3 mi. S San Antonio de las Alazanas, and of No. 31654 from Sierra Guadalupe is 164 mm.

Miller indicated that the Mexican Jay breeds in the Sierra del Carmen. Burleigh and Lowery remarked that the species breeds at Diamante Pass. The sizes of the testes of Nos. 29425-29426, the size of the ovum of No. 29428, and the short tail of the immature female from 4 mi. N and 21 mi. W Cuatro Ci?negas are also evidence of breeding by this species in the State.

The sizes of the testes of Nos. 32088 and 31660, respectively, suggest breeding 2 mi. W Jim?nez and Sierra Guadalupe.

The Sage Thrasher seems to be a winter visitant to Coahuila. Miller, Friedmann, Griscom, and Moore recorded the species in November from 8 mi. S Cuatro Ci?negas.

Burleigh and Lowery stated that "the Robin apparently breeds rather sparingly on the higher ridges" in southeastern Coahuila. They collected a pair "in the open pine woods just below the summit of Diamante Pass" on April 15 and noted another at the Chorro del Agua on April 19.

The Aztec Thrush is rare in Coahuila. Van Hoose remarked that No. 31619, the skull of which was incompletely ossified, "represents the northernmost record for this species, which was previously unknown in Coahuila."

The Black-capped Vireo seems to breed as far south as central Coahuila. Miller reported this vireo as a summer resident in "the low catclaw-dominated scrub in the lower washes of Boquillas Canyon and its side valleys, at 4600 to 4800 feet" in the Sierra del Carmen. Dickerman found the Black-capped Vireo common on the dry scrub and oak hillside habitat 16 mi. E and 18 mi. N Ocampo.

The Black and White Warbler is an uncommon visitant or migrant in Coahuila. Miller remarked that Marsh took a fall migrant on September 1 in Chuperosa Canyon in the Sierra del Carmen. Burleigh and Lowery secured a female Black and White Warbler "in an orchard on the outskirts of Saltillo" on April 20 and a male "near the top of Diamante Pass on April 23."

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