In message <9502092358.AA10237 at mx5.u.washington.edu> writes:
> If you go up the Manastash Canyon Road (starts in the lowlands southwest of
> Ellensburg), watch for the end of the paved road. There's a little ranch
> on the left (the last house on the left as you go up the canyon) with a
> dirt road going off just before it. At that junction there are very
> commonly mixed flocks of these two finches feeding, drinking, or
> dustbathing. Almost every time I've seen them both species were present,
> Cassin's predominating. Last summer I got a dream photo of a male of each
> species next to each other. Maybe this year the females will cooperate.
>
> By the way, Roger, from our collection I would say that female Purple
> Finches from the west side often have sparse or occasional streaks on the
> undertail coverts; I doubt if that's a sign of a hybrid.

The streaking seems to be somewhat variable on the Cassin's, some individuals
being darker than others, but we're still suspicious of birds that exhibit
culmen shape and length and wing lengths that fall in that "grey area" between
both species. We have found this overlap with about 2% of the birds we have
banded. We are still interested in doing a DNA analysis. Another question: What
about migration? Do any banding records suggest these purples may cross the
Cascade crest? Or do they stay on the east-side? Thanks for all the
interesting discussion.

Wing shape should
> be a good way to distinguish them in the hand, Cassin's having relatively
> longer outer primaries than Purple as well as a longer wing measurement.
>
> Dennis Paulson phone: (206)
> 756-3798
> Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
> University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
> Tacoma, WA 98416
>
>


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Roger Peffer- rpeffer at ctc.edu / 509-662-1651 X2017
Wenatchee Valley College /
Biology/Chemistry Departments / I have met the enemy,
1300 Fifth St. / and they is us...
Wenatchee, WA 98826 / Pogo
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