** Reply to note from Dick Johnson

> Returning to the "maps" topic, I found Rising's maps of the Juncos
> misleading. On pages 226 and 242 he gives the ranges of Dark-eyed (blue)
> and Yellow-eyed (red) Juncos, and "Zones of intergradation" (purple). The
> later implies that the Dark and Yellow-eyed species intergrade in the
> purple intergrade locations on the map. Nothing could be further from the
> truth. Dark- and Yellow-eyes don't intergrade anywhere. The intergrade
> areas on the map refer to where subspecies groups of DARK-EYED JUNCOS (e.g.
> "Oregon" and "Slate-colored" Juncos) intergrade. It would have been better
> if Rising had labeled these on the map because the map is confusing as it
> stands. Also it should be noted that the Breeding Bird Survey map (page
> 236) included within the text for "Oregon Junco," is really a combined map
> for the "Pink-sided" AND "Oregon" types together. Again, it would have
> been better if he had labeled it as such because one at first gets the
> impression that it is for the "Oregon" type only. There is no separate map
> for the "Pink-sided" form.

Indeed. Junco data for the interior of BC is in a similar mess. Most interior
BC juncos are intergrades, however, the BBS sheets only have fields for Oregon
or Slate-colored. As well, observers over the years have not been as diligent as
they should have been with separating out the intergrades, thus we have various
places with records for Oregon and Slate-colored Juncos but where neither pure
form actually exists. It will be interesting to see how the authors of the
upcoming 4th volume of the Birds of BC handle this.




Jack Bowling
Prince George, BC
mailto: jbowling at direct.ca