I would like to add just one more thing to the neotropical migrant
thread.
By most definitions, neotropical migrants are birds that nest in
North America, north of Mexico and not in the Carribean, and the majority of
its population winters south of the U. S./ Mexico border. This would
include most thrushes (but not really the American Robin), flycatcher,
hummingbirds, warblers (but usually not the Orange-crowned Warbler), many
shorebirds, some sparrows, orioles, tanagers, and the Burrowing Owl. I
would like to emphasize the definition is NOT limited to passerines. Both
passerines and non-passerines are neotropical migrants.
Some good references with species accounts are:

Dobkin, D. S. 1994. Conservation and management of neotropical migrants
landbirds in the northern Rockies and the Great Plains. Univerisity of
Idaho Press, Moscow, Idaho. This book does cover Idaho but I think it
leaves out Washington and Oregon. However, most of the neotropical migrants
in Washington would be in this book.

DeGraaf, R. M., and J. H. Rappole. 1995. Neotropical migratory birds:
natural history, distribution and population change. Comstock Publishing
Associates (a division of Cornell Univerisity Press), Ithaca, N.Y. This is
a big book (676 pages) and includes all of the neotropical migrants and
provides map for each species. It would be a good reference; I have no idea
what it cost (I checked it out from the library.

Hope it helps.

At 18:20 9/9/97 -0700, you wrote:
>> I hope that helps you out somewhat?
>>
>> Cheers!
>> Libor
>
>Sure! Now I have three answers:
>
>1) A bird that migrates below the Mexico/US border,
>
>2) A bird that overwinters between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn,
>regardless of whether it breeds in North or South America
>
>3) > Passerines are commonly known as neotropical migrants. A Neotropical
>> migrant is characterized as a bird which breeds in the Nearctic (North
>> America) and winters in the Neotropics (South America) but has its
>> evolutionary origin in the Neotropical zone.
>
>With definition 1, the Upland Sandpiper is a Neotropical migrant (NM),
>but is not by definition 2 (winters in the pampas of Argentina) or 3 (not
>a passerine).
>
>Any other opinions, or is this an unresolved issue?
>
>Kelly Cassidy -- Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
>Box 357980, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195
>kelly at u.washington.edu --- 206-685-4195 --- 206-368-8076
>
>
Deb Beutler
Department of Zoology
Washington State Univerisity
Pullman, Whitman Co., WA
dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu