LESSER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE Anser erythropus (Linnaeus, 1758)

The breeding range of this small goose forms a band across arctic Eurasia, and the species winters mainly in central Europe and eastern China. Although Lesser White-fronted Geese reach the westernmost parts of the Chukotskiy Peninsula (Portenko 1981), a bird collected on 5 June 1994 at Attu Island (Gibson and Kessel 1997) is the only one believed to have reached North America as a natural vagrant. Several additional New World records, from British Columbia to Delaware, pertain to birds of questionable natural occurrence. The single California report received only one vote of acceptance from the Committee.

SPECTACLED EIDER Somateria fischeri (Brandt, 1847)

This sea duck nests on the western and northern coasts of Alaska and Siberia and winters in the Bering Sea. It occurs casually or accidentally on the coast of northwestern Russia and in Norway. Two sight records from British Columbia—22 September 1962 off southern Vancouver Island and 15 June 1988 in the Queen Charlotte Islands—were published by Campbell et al. (2001), but others question their validity (R. Toochin in litt.).

California’s only record was reported by waterfowl authority James Moffitt (1940b) upon receiving the specimen—clearly the head of an adult male Spectacled Eider—supposedly shot during February 1893 at Bitterwater Lake, San Benito County. McCaskie et al. (1970) found the story of the specimen’s provenance unconvincing, a position shared by all Committee members at the time of this record’s review.

This record was originally published as being not accepted due to uncertain origin (Luther et al. 1979), but the Committee’s approach to classifying such records was later clarified by Rottenborn and Morlan (2000:25–26): “All submitted records must include the species, date, locale, and observer. If any element is questionable, the identification is not established.” In this case, the locale was considered questionable, so the CBRC does not endorse the record as pertaining to an individual known to have occurred in California.

MASKED DUCK Nomonyx dominicus (Linnaeus, 1766)

This secretive duck is widespread in tropical lowlands of South America north through Middle America and the West Indies. Although this species is considered resident in these areas, birds periodically wander north to Texas and the Southeast, with vagrants recorded as far north as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Massachusetts. The Pacific coast breeding range extends north to central Sinaloa (Howell and Webb 1995).

Both California reports of the Masked Duck received a minority of votes for acceptance on their first circulations, and both ultimately failed to gain endorsement. The species seems to be a legitimate candidate for natural vagrancy to California, but observers must carefully rule out the similar Ruddy Duck, particularly males with black heads (see, for example, Sibley 2000:103).

PLAIN CHACHALACA Ortalis vetula (Wagler, 1830)

This cracid is resident on the Gulf-Caribbean slope from southern Texas to northern Central America. A poor flier, it is considered sedentary. The California report received no Committee support, with most members suggesting it involved some sort of domestic fowl.

NORTHERN BOBWHITE Colinus virginianus (Linnaeus, 1758)

This ground bird is resident across much of the eastern and central United States—where many populations have declined substantially (e.g., Brennan 1991)—and in parts of Middle America, including the West Indies, south to Guatemala. Close to California, introduced populations are established in Oregon and Washington and possibly in southeastern Arizona, where the species has been reintroduced following extirpation.

Grinnell et al. (1918) and Grinnell and Miller (1944) reviewed early efforts to introduce Northern Bobwhites to California. The birds remain relatively common in captivity and are occasionally reported in the wild. Hunters employ them to train dogs near Galileo Hill in eastern Kern County (fide M. T. Heindel). The CBRC has reviewed a single report of three birds that were not established to be Northern Bobwhites.

BLACK-BROWED ALBATROSS Thalassarche melanophris (Temminck, 1828)

This species occupies a circumpolar range and is the Southern Hemisphere albatross most regularly reported in the Northern Hemisphere, but its use as a fishing mascot may be partly responsible (Carboneras 1992). Althought the species has been reported more than a dozen times in waters off the United States and Canada, no specimens have been taken from these areas. The westernmost specimens from the northern Atlantic Ocean were obtained off the coast of western Greenland in late August 1935 (Palmer 1962) and on Martinique on 12 November 1956 (Bond 1959). The only other physically documented record from the western North Atlantic is of an immature photographed on 6 February 1999 off Virginia (Patteson et al. 1999).

California’s report was submitted as a probable Black-browed Albatross, with the observer unwilling to eliminate an immature Gray-headed Albatross (D. chrysostoma), given the distance at which the bird was seen. Many members agreed with this assessment, but others believed there could be other explanations (e.g., aberrant or hybrid albatrosses, or poor lighting misrepresenting the bird’s true features).

CAPE PETREL Daption capense (Linnaeus, 1758)

This distinctive seabird occurs throughout the southern oceans and regularly ranges north to the equatorial Galapagos Islands. The AOU (1998) listed several reports from the Northern Hemisphere but characterized all of them as “highly questionable.”

Each of California’s four Cape Petrel reports has sparked controversy. A specimen (AMNH 45965) supposedly taken off Monterey “some time before 1853” (Lawrence 1853, as reported by Grinnell and Miller 1944:41) has since been considered mislabeled (Bourne 1967, McCaskie et al. 1970, Lee 1993, AOU 1998; see also the Gray Petrel and Chilean Skua accounts in this section). McCaskie et al. (1970) included this species based on a 9 September 1962 report from Monterey Bay (McCaskie 1970b). By 1981, however, the CBRC vote on this record stood at 6–4 and so the species was removed from the California list (Jones et al. 1981:70). Ultimately, after years of debate (the file comprises 81 pages), the record was defeated on a 5–5 vote. Early support for the 1974 record evaporated when a late-submitted photograph of a Cape Petrel, purported to depict the bird in question, was judged by one of the observers to show a different individual (i.e., the provenance of the photographed bird was considered questionable).

SOLANDER’S PETREL Pterodroma solandri (Gould, 1844)

This large petrel, which breeds almost exclusively on Lord Howe Island off the eastern coast of Australia (Carboneras 1992), regularly ranges north to at least the Tropic of Cancer and seas off Japan. On 11 July 1981 one was observed, and the following day one was photographed, in international waters off southern Alaska (T. R. Wahl in litt.). A bird seen and poorly photographed on 11 September 1983 off the coast of Washington was not accepted as Solander’s by the AOU (1998) or the Washington Bird Records Committee, although most members of the state committee believe that it probably was this species (fide S. G. Mlodinow). On 12 July 1985 a male was collected at 40°N, 150°W, approximately 1400 miles west of California (LACM 102806). On 23 September 2006, within 180 nautical miles of United States waters, approximately 12 Solander’s Petrels were documented (some with photos) near 53°N latitude and between 161° and 163°W longitude off Kamchatka, Russia (M. J. Iliff unpubl. data). Reports from Hawaii and most reports from the eastern Pacific Ocean are erroneous or indefinite (AOU 1998).

Most early sightings of dark Pterodroma petrels off California (1981–1985) were thought to involve Solander’s Petrel, and the Committee came very close to adding this species to the state list—the 1981 record enjoyed 80% support at one point. With time, however, it became apparent that the little-known Murphy’s Petrel of the central Pacific Ocean is the dark Pterodroma seen regularly in California waters, and later records have been judged in this light. Arguments in favor of at least one Solander’s Petrel off Cordell Bank in June 1986 (e.g., AB 40:1249, Morlan and Erickson 1988) were ultimately disregarded by the Committee. The photographed bird (1986-402) used as evidence was eventually accepted as a Murphy’s Petrel, but most other records have been left unresolved. See also Appendix H.

Bailey et al. (1989) and Spear et al. (1992) clarified the identification of dark Pterodroma petrels. See also the Great-winged Petrel account (page 86) and Pyle (2006).

BLACK-CAPPED PETREL Pterodroma hasitata (Kuhl, 1820)

This petrel, formerly widespread in the West Indies, now breeds only on Hispaniola, ranging to the Caribbean and western Atlantic Ocean from the Tropic of Cancer south to eastern Brazil. The species occurs regularly in the Gulf Stream north to North Carolina and casually north to areas well off the Maritimes and west to waters off Texas. There are two accidental records from Great Britain (Cramp and Simmons 1977). Numerous hurricane-blown individuals have been seen from shore and found inland as far as Ontario, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

The California report, referring to a bird seen off Pt. Vicente in Los Angeles County, received no support from the Committee.

GRAY PETREL Procellaria cinerea Gmelin, 1789

This petrel occupies a circumpolar range that extends north along the west coast of South America to near the equator (Harrison 1983).

The specimen of a Gray Petrel supposedly taken off the coast of Monterey sometime before 1853 (AMNH 45967; Lawrence 1853) and accepted by Grinnell and Miller (1944) has long been considered to be improperly labeled (Bourne 1967, McCaskie et al. 1970, Lee 1993, AOU 1998). The specimen was found in a private collection together with a Cape Petrel (AMNH 45965, see that account on page 458), a skua (AMNH 46093) that Devillers (1977) identified as a South Polar but that Lee (1993) re-identified as a Brown (C. lonnbergi; see the Chilean Skua account on page 467), and an adult Arctic Tern with the inner primaries fresh and the outer ones heavily worn (as this species would be expected to appear on its wintering grounds). As reviewed by Lee (1993), these four specimens were most likely obtained “on or near the Macquarie Islands southwest of New Zealand, or Crozet or Kerguelen islands in the southern Indian Ocean.”

TOWNSEND’S SHEARWATER Puffinus auricularis Townsend, 1890

This shearwater breeds on the Islas Revillagigedo and in Hawaii and is considered threatened in both parts of its range (Ainley et al. 1997). Some authorities recognize the Hawaiian birds as a separate species, Newell’s Shearwater (P. newelli). Towsend’s disperses only short to moderate distances away from its colonies whereas Newell’s ranges in the tropical Pacific Ocean east to about 120°W.

Given the proximity of the Townsend’s Shearwater’s range to California, the Committee has taken reports of this species very seriously. The second report, from Cordell Bank in Marin County, received nine votes for acceptance on its first circulation (cf. Solander’s Petrel). Another small, white-vented shearwater on Monterey Bay in 1977 (see Manx Shearwater, records not accepted) was originally reported to the Committee as a Townsend’s (AB 32:251). At that time, with no confirmed records of Manx Shearwater from the Pacific Ocean, and with incomplete knowledge of plumage variation in Manx, observers often overemphasized the significance of white flank patches on those birds (see Erickson and Terrill 1996). In fact, several birds ultimately accepted as Manx Shearwaters were first identified as Townsend’s. In addition, Manx and Black-vented Shearwaters were then treated as conspecific, and thus today’s Manx Shearwater (P. puffinus) was not a CBRC-reviewed taxon. None of this is meant to imply that there is universal agreement concerning the identification of the birds listed in this account.

Jehl (1982) treated Townsend’s Shearwaters, and Howell et al. (1994) and Roberson (1996) summarized information on the identification of this species group in our area.

WHITE-BELLIED STORM-PETREL Fregetta grallaria (Vieillot, 1818)

This storm-petrel is widespread in the southern oceans, ranging north to near the equator in the South Pacific (e.g., Harrison 1983, Spear and Ainley 2007). Six of the Committee members voting on California’s only claimed White-bellied Storm-Petrel saw the bird in question and identified it as a leucistic Ashy Storm-Petrel.

BAND-RUMPED STORM-PETREL Oceanodroma castro (Harcourt, 1851)

This storm-petrel breeds across the tropical Pacific, with colonies near Japan, in Hawaii, in the Galapagos Islands, and possibly on Cocos Island off Costa Rica. The species also breeds on islands of the eastern Atlantic Ocean, from Spain to southern Africa. In the western Atlantic, moderate numbers are found during the summer months in the Gulf Stream north to the latitude of North Carolina, very rarely farther north. The species occurs uncommonly in the Gulf of Mexico. Vagrants have been recorded off Brazil, and storm-blown birds have been observed several times inland in the Southeast and the East, north to Ontario.

The Committee struggled with the record of a bird observed on 12 September 1970 off San Diego, San Diego County (McCaskie 1990). Initially, the CBRC voted at its third “annual” meeting to not endorse the record. Nevertheless, it was circulated again and accepted (Luther et al. 1983), placing the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel on the state list for more than 25 years (e.g., Jones et al. 1981, Binford 1986). Although the July 1989 records received broad support initially (9-1 vote on the first circulation), the experienced observers involved eventually lost confidence in the records, setting the stage for the Committee’s reevaluation and reversal on the original record (Garrett and Singer 1998). Subsequent records have fared poorly, with several Committee members expressing the opinion (in comments) that sight records of this species may be unacceptable until more tangible evidence of its occurrence off California is obtained. It is possible that most or all putative Band-rumped Storm-Petrels reported in California pertain to white-rumped Leach’s Storm-Petrels, which are very similar. Lee (1984) reviewed the species’ identification.

MARKHAM’S STORM-PETREL Oceanodroma markhami (Salvin, 1883)

This little-known species, which is sometimes considered conspecific with Tristram’s Storm-Petrel (O. tristrami), nests along the coast of Peru and occupies tropical waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean. The species regularly ranges to near Clipperton Atoll and rarely reaches waters south of the Islas Revillagigedo (Pitman 1986, Howell and Webb 1995).

From McKee and Erickson (2002): “Markham’s is one of several large dark Pacific Oceanodroma that are difficult to separate at sea. A Markham’s was seen 293 nautical miles WSW of San Nicolas I., VEN, on 27 July 1991 (Pyle 1993), and it has often been considered a potential visitor to California waters. The Fort Bragg bird exhibited most of the known field marks for this species (outlined by Brown 1980, Harrison 1983, and Pyle 1993), including brownish plumage, narrow distinct bars extending onto the carpal area, shallow wingbeats, high-arcing flight, all-dark rump, and long tail. However, the sighting was rather brief (1–2 minutes), and sea conditions were not ideal. Observers of the bird, being familiar with the similar Black and Tristram’s (O. tristrami) storm-petrels, were confident that it was not one of those two species, but no one on board had experience with significant numbers of Markham’s. Most CBRC members felt that more tangible evidence or a longer, more complete view would be necessary to add this species to the state list.”

TRISTRAM’S STORM-PETREL Oceanodroma tristrami Salvin, 1896

This species, sometimes considered a subspecies of Markham’s Storm-Petrel (O. markhami), breeds in Hawaii and ranges to tropical and subtropical waters of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean. Large colonies at Midway Island and at Izu and Bonin Islands off Japan are believed to have been exterminated by rats and cats (Carboneras 1992, P. Pyle in litt.).

The Committee decided unanimously not to endorse either of two reports of Tristram’s Storm-Petrel from Monterey Bay. Langham (1991) discussed the records in some detail, including potential identification problems. The poor photograph of the first bird was of little or no use.

GREAT CORMORANT Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758)

Widespread in the Old World and Australia, this cormorant also breeds in southwestern Greenland, the Atlantic Provinces, and the Northeast. The species winters along most of the Atlantic coast (and a short distance inland, locally) south to South Carolina and is found casually south to southern Florida, the Gulf coast, Bermuda, and inland to the Great Lakes.

The California report, which described a cormorant with a white throat patch, received no votes for acceptance.

CHINESE POND-HERON Ardeola bacchus (Bonaparte, 1855)

Some populations of this Southeast Asian heron are migratory, and although the species is not generally known as a long-distance vagrant, an adult was recorded in Norway in 1973 (Martínez-Vilalta and Motis 1992), and one reached St. Paul Island in the Pribilofs, Alaska, 4–9 August 1996 (Hoyer and Smith 1997).

No Committee member supported the California record’s positive identification, and some commented that the description did not eliminate an alternate-plumaged Cattle Egret.

AGAMI HERON Agamia agami (Gmelin, 1789)

This heron is a resident of southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America, with a specimen record from Nuevo León. The two California reports received no Committee support.

SWALLOW-TAILED KITE Elanoides forficatus (Linnaeus, 1758)

This elegant raptor’s nominate subspecies breeds in the Southeast, from South Carolina south to the Florida Keys, and from there west to extreme eastern Texas. The historical breeding range extended north to northwestern Minnesota. Subspecies yetapa breeds from Chiapas south to northern Argentina. Most members of this species, including birds that breed in the United States, winter in South America. The species has strayed widely across North America, annually in the East, and to such distant points as Arizona, southern Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba, northern Ontario, Nova Scotia, Bermuda, Tobago, and the Canary Islands (de Juana 2006). This kite is a legitimate candidate for vagrancy to California.

California’s lone report of a Swallow-tailed Kite went three rounds before receiving a final vote of 2–8. The bird was observed without aid of binoculars and was not described until seven years later.

GRAY HAWK Buteo nitidus (Latham, 1790)

This hawk’s range extends from southeastern Arizona/ extreme southwestern New Mexico and southern Texas south along both slopes of Middle America to northwestern Costa Rica (plagiatus group), and from Costa Rica south through central South America (nitidus group, or Gray-lined Hawk, regarded by some as a separate species). An isolated population in southwestern Texas, and the birds in Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Sonora, are migratory. Well-documented extralimital records extend to southern New Mexico and to Kansas, where the 15–16 April 1990 sight record of an adult in the northeast was accepted as a naturally occurring vagrant by the Kansas Bird Records Committee (Pittman and Moore 2002) and another adult was photographed farther south in Wichita from 20 to 30 October 2005 (NAB 60:95, 174).

The lone California report pertained to a bird seen briefly and in flight only. In comments, several members opined that they considered the Gray Hawk unlikely to reach northern California as a natural vagrant.

WHITE-TAILED HAWK Buteo albicaudatus Vieillot, 1816

This largely sedentary buteo occupies southeastern Texas, both slopes of mainland Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America. The species is localized and apparently declining on the Pacific slope north to southern Sonora, but nesting is unconfirmed in that state (Russell and Monson 1998). This hawk has been recorded north to southern Arizona, primarily in winter, but with one spring record in May 1974 (Monson 1992). That state’s lone nesting record, in “Phoenix” around 1897, was questioned by Monson (1992) because the specimen was apparently collected in January. The species occurs casually in central Texas and southwestern Louisiana, with a sight report from the Lesser Antilles. Out of the blue has come a rash of sightings in the East, including an adult in Michigan 19–20 November 2005 (NAB 60:76) and two to three birds in New Jersey and Massachusetts from 22 to 27 April 2006 (NAB 60:349, 354, 469, 470). One of these birds, in Massachusetts, showed broken primaries that suggested possible cage damage, but another, in New Jersey, apparently did not. The editors for the Hudson-Delaware region (R. R. Veit and R. O. Paxon) opined, “The simultaneous escape or release of at least 2 captive White-tailed Hawks in the East, in any case, seems a far less likely scenario than northward wandering of several birds in response to severe drought in coastal savannas of Mexico and Texas, for instance” (NAB 60:354). Brinkley (2006:334) showed that large-scale weather patterns during the second and third week of April appeared to be favorable for movement of raptors from Texas to the Northeast.

California’s sole report of a White-tailed Hawk failed to garner Committee endorsement, receiving two votes for acceptance on its second circulation; Morlan (1985) summarized deficiencies in the description.

EURASIAN KESTREL Falco tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758

This falcon nests across most of Eurasia and Africa and winters from the breeding range south to the East Indies and Philippines. The easternmost subspecies, the partially migratory F. t. interstictus, breeds as close to North America as northern Japan (Honshu) and winters as far north as southern Japan (Shikoku, Kyushu). As reviewed by Pranty et al. (2004), the species occurs casually in Alaska and accidentally elsewhere in North America, including records from British Columbia, western Washington, New Brunswick/Nova Scotia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Florida. Other New World records are from the Lesser Antilles, Bermuda, and French Guiana.

Rottenborn and Morlan (2000) discussed California’s only record: The bird “reportedly boarded a ship bound from Japan. According to Palmer (1988), it was turned over, about 1978 to Humboldt State University where it was held in captivity. It was reportedly examined in 1979 and thought to be of the subspecies F. t. interstictus based on its dark coloration. The eight duplicate slides received of the bird in captivity show a bird with an all brown back and a short tail, larger than an Aplomado Falcon (F. femoralis) in the same cage. Committee members were unsure exactly which species of falcon was involved, although the possibility of Lanner Falcon (F. biarmicus) or a hybrid with Lanner Falcon was suggested. However, the date stamped on the original slides was May 1973. Thus the submitted photographs were probably not the same bird reported by Palmer.”

CARIBBEAN COOT Fulica caribaea Ridgway, 1884

This coot, a resident of the West Indies and northern Venezuela, is known to wander casually to the Cayman Islands.

California’s first report of a Caribbean Coot was not formally submitted, but the Committee considered it worthwhile to respond to a brief description published by Komito (1990). American Coots with extensive white shields have been reported in California many times and are considered responsible for the occasional Caribbean Coot report (Roberson and Baptista 1988). The taxonomic validity of the Caribbean Coot is unclear (AOU 1998) but most individuals are indistinguishable from this variant of the American Coot.

WHOOPING CRANE Grus americana (Linnaeus, 1758)

This crane ranks among the world’s most critically endangered species, and few species are more closely managed (Lewis 1995). The only wild flock, comprising 193 birds in 2004, breeds at Wood Buffalo National Park, which straddles the border between the Northwest Territories and Alberta. These birds follow a well-defined migratory pathway to and from the wintering grounds at Aransas NWR on the central Texas coast. A non-migratory population reintroduced to south-central Florida’s Kissimmee Prairie in 1993 (see Nesbitt and Folk 2000) numbered 75 birds in 2004. In 2001, a migratory population was re-introduced to the Necedah NWR in central Wisconsin, birds that are led by ultralight to and from wintering grounds at Chassahowitzka NWR in western Florida. This migratory flock held 50 birds in 2004. In the same year, an additional 134 captive birds were held at eight sites in eastern and central North America (Stehn 2004). Earlier efforts to establish a migratory population in southeastern Idaho by placing Whooping Crane eggs in Sandhill Crane nests failed because the “cross-fostered” Whooping Cranes sexually imprinted on Sandhill Cranes and refused to breed with one another (Lewis 1995). More recent efforts to reintroduce a migratory population in that region were opposed by the game and fish commissions of Idaho and Wyoming for fear that the presence of Whooping Cranes would jeopardize the hunting of Sandhill Cranes in those states (Whooping Crane Conservation Association 2005). In recent years small numbers have been recorded in new areas, none of which are close to California (e.g., NAB 59:67, 95, 280, 401, 402, 422, 454, 570; 60:221, 339).

The Committee gave no credence to a 16 April 2002 report of two adult Whooping Cranes near Pleasant Grove in Sutter County. Note the potential for confusion with a leucistic Sandhill Crane (NAB 59:468).

EUROPEAN GOLDEN-PLOVER Pluvialis apricaria (Linnaeus, 1758)

This plover breeds locally in northeastern Greenland, in Iceland, and across northern Eurasia east to western Siberia. The primary wintering grounds lie in western Europe and the Mediterranean basin. In North America, this species is a casual visitant, primarily in spring, to Newfoundland, Labrador, and St. Pierre et Miquelon; it is considered accidental in New Brunswick, Quebec, and possibly Nova Scotia (ABA 2002). The only substantiated occurrences on the Pacific coast refer to a 13 June 1980 sight record from Pt. Barrow on Alaska’s northern coast (Gibson et al. 2003) and a 13–14 January 2001 specimen from Ketchikan in southeastern Alaska (Piston and Heinl 2001).

California’s midwinter report of a European Golden-Plover received two accept votes during a single circulation through the Committee.

COMMON RINGED PLOVER Charadrius hiaticula Linnaeus, 1758

This small plover breeds in the eastern Canadian arctic, Greenland, Iceland, and the British Isles, and across the palearctic to St. Lawrence Island in western Alaska. The species winters widely in Africa and across western and southern Eurasia; it also occurs casually in northern China and Japan. Vagrants occur casually in Alaska away from breeding areas and accidentally in the Atlantic Provinces, the Northeast (several records), and the Lesser Antilles.

California’s lack of acceptable records of the Common Ringed Plover may be attributable in part to this species’ close resemblance to its abundant New World counterpart, the Semipalmated Plover. The most support granted to any of the three reports was a 4–6 outcome on the 1996 record. Dunn (1993) and Lakin and Rylands (1997) stressed the importance of vocalizations in identifying these species with confidence.

PIED AVOCET Recurvirostra avosetta Linnaeus, 1758

This shorebird breeds from western Europe to central Asia and winters in southern Europe, Africa, and southern Asia. The species is also considered resident in parts of Africa and the Middle East.

The Committee reviewed the photographically documented report of a Pied Avocet reported during February 1998 at the south end of the Salton Sea, Imperial County. As discussed by Rottenborn and Morlan (2000), this would-be North American first “received no support from the Committee. The exact location and date were unknown, even to the photographer. The bird in the photograph was a Pied Avocet but almost certainly a captive bird. It appeared to have clipped wings, and the clear water is unlike any known habitat at the Salton Sea. . . . In this case the species was correct, but everything else was doubtful.”

WOOD SANDPIPER Tringa glareola Linnaeus, 1758

This species, regarded as “one of the most abundant and widespread Tringa sandpipers, and one of the strongest migrants in the genus” (Hayman et al. 1986), breeds across northern Eurasia and winters widely across southern Africa, southern Asia, and Australia. Good numbers pass through western Alaska in spring, and fewer occur there regularly in fall. In the New World vagrants have been recorded in Newfoundland (BJ 7:294–298), New York (twice), Bermuda, Barbados, Yukon, Hawaii, elsewhere on Alaska’s mainland, and British Columbia.

All things considered, occurrence of the Wood Sandpiper in California has long seemed inevitable. Dunn (1988) reported that the 1985 bird “was seen by an experienced observer who knew the species from previous field experience. The views were mainly in flight, but distinctive vocalizations were heard. The majority of the Committee felt that the bird was probably this species, but wanted a more convincing record before placing the species on the State List.” Subsequent sight records by lone observers have also received some CBRC support.

TEMMINCK’S STINT Calidris temminckii (Leisler, 1812)

This stint breeds in a narrow band across northern Eurasia and winters mainly in the northern tropics of Africa and southern Asia. The species occurs casually to rarely among Aleutian and Bering Sea islands, with vagrants recorded in northern Alaska, British Columbia (Campbell 1990b), and Washington (NAB 60:128, 129, 175).

As summarized by Roberson (1986), the report of a basic-plumaged bird failed (4–6) on its third round of voting: “Those opposed noted the brevity of observation, particularly of tail pattern seen only briefly in flight, expressed concern that the bird did not call, and questioned whether a basic-plumaged bird was likely in early August. Those favoring the record emphasized the correctly described shape, breast pattern and tail pattern.” Like the Wood Sandpiper, Temminck’s Stint seems very likely to join the list of California birds in due time.

CHILEAN SKUA Stercorarius chilensis (Bonaparte, 1856)

This is a species of coastal waters off Chile, Peru, and Argentina, “perhaps even north to Panama” (Harrison 1983:322). Birds reported as Chilean Skuas off California (Grinnell and Miller 1944) have been properly identified as South Polar Skuas (Devillers 1977, AOU 1998).

A skua specimen reportedly taken off Monterey prior to 1853 (Lawrence 1853) was later identified as a Brown Skua (S. [antarctica] lonnbergi), and the locality is probably erroneous (Bourne 1967, McCaskie et al. 1970, Lee 1993, AOU 1998; see also the Cape Petrel and Gray Petrel accounts in this section).

GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL Larus marinus Linnaeus, 1758

This large gull breeds on both sides of the northern Atlantic Ocean and inland to the central Great Lakes; it winters within the breeding range and regularly south to Florida and Bermuda. In the New World, it occurs casually south to the Lesser Antilles and Belize and west to Alaska, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Washington (NAB 58:274, 311), Montana, Idaho (NAB 58:255, 311), and Colorado. The species seems to be a good candidate for vagrancy to California.

California’s only report of the Great Black-backed Gull, based on a single color print provided by a visiting European birder (Figure 450), was accepted by Roberson (1980), Garrett and Dunn (1981), and almost all Committee members during its initial circulation. The record was ultimately found unacceptable by a vote of 1–9, as discussed in detail by Binford (1985). Records such as this one demonstrate that even reasonably good photographs should always be supplemented with careful observations recorded in detailed, contemporaneous field notes.

BOREAL OWL Aegolius funereus (Linnaeus, 1758)

This small owl occupies boreal forests of North America (A. f. richardsoni) and Eurasia (six subspecies). In the New World, the species occurs from Alaska east to Newfoundland and south through the Cascade Mts. to central Oregon (nesting not confirmed, Marshall et al. 2003), and through the Rocky Mts. to northern New Mexico. These owls are known to disperse long distances in response to environmental stress; for example, “during prey declines, more than half of all females in Sweden are nomadic” (Holt et al. 1999:228). The same dynamic applies in North America, where resident birds vacate their home territories during periods of prey scarcity, a trait that seems to be strongest in northerly and easterly populations. Dispersing birds frequently reach southern Canada and the northern United States, but records exist from Bering Sea islands, southern Oregon, Nebraska, northern Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

An owl at Echo Lake in El Dorado County called only five times and was never seen, but all Committee members believed this record to be very suggestive and of considerable interest. Dunn (1988) provided more details on the record and discussed the Boreal Owl’s real potential to occur in California. Indeed, Hayward and Hayward (1993) considered “breeding probable in mountains of . . . northern California.” Confirmation of the Boreal Owl’s residency in northern New Mexico came only in the late 1980s “because their high elevation sub-alpine conifer forest habitat is snowbound during their most vocal period (February–April)” (Stahlecker and Duncan 1996:153, cf. Johnson 1994). Except for an unusual 1902 record from Fort Klamath, all Oregon records have come since 1987, and most have involved birds attracted to playback of recorded songs and calls during September and October (Marshall et al. 2003).

WHITE-FRONTED SWIFT Cypseloides storeri Navarro et al., 1992

As far as is known, this swift is resident in southwestern Mexico. It seems an unlikely candidate for vagrancy to California.

The record in question, which was first published as an exceptionally late Black Swift (AB 29:122, Garrett and Dunn 1981), received but a single vote of acceptance. Howell and Pyle (1997) discussed the record in some detail. They considered the description to be “fine for a Black Swift” but noted that endorsement of the record as pertaining to this species would be “beyond the scope of this Committee.”

WHITE-EARED HUMMINGBIRD Hylocharis leucotis (Vieillot, 1818)

Accepted: 0 Treated in Appendix H: no

Not accepted: 1 CBRC review: all records

Not submitted/reviewed: 0 Color image: none

A resident of highlands mainly from northwestern Mexico to Central America, this hummingbird is an uncommon visitor to southern Arizona (where it breeds irregularly) and a casual visitant east to western and southern Texas. Individuals have been recorded well out of range in Michigan (NAB 60:77, 173), Colorado (NAB 59:631, 691), northern Texas (NAB 59:623), and Mississippi.

The lone California report of a White-eared Hummingbird inspired only two votes for acceptance during a single round of voting.

GREEN KINGFISHER Chloroceryle americana (Gmelin, 1788)

This kingfisher is a resident of freshwater ecosystems from southeastern Arizona and south-central Texas to northern Chile and central Argentina. The species is considered casual in northern Texas. The AOU (1998) did not publish the 25 March 1988 record of a male just across the Colorado River from Needles at Topock Marsh (Rosenberg et al. 1991).

The first CBRC-reviewed report, from Marin County, received no Committee support; the second, from near the north end of the Salton Sea, managed only a single favorable vote. Earlier reports from Poway, San Diego County, and from along the Colorado River in the nineteenth century (Grinnell and Miller 1944) have not undergone CBRC review.

AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER Picoides dorsalis Baird, 1858

This woodpecker occupies forests from Alaska east to Newfoundland and south through the Cascade Mts. to southern Oregon, and through the Rocky Mts. to eastern Nevada, central Arizona, and central New Mexico. A bizarre extralimital record involves an individual found scaling the bark off mesquite (Prosopis sp.) at a campground in southwestern Kansas 3–9 July 2005 (NAB 59:619). Three North American subspecies are recognized, and the species was formerly considered conspecific with P. tridactylus of the Old World. Eastern populations rarely undertake southward movements in response to insect outbreaks—a tendency much stronger in Black-backed Woodpeckers (e.g., Yunick 1985).

The 2 November 1985 report of an American Three-toed Woodpecker in the Warner Mts. of Modoc County was originally accepted (Bevier 1990) and published in more detail by Trochet et al. (1988). This decision was subsequently overturned by the Committee (Rogers and Jaramillo 2002): “When this record . . . originally circulated 15 years ago, several members anticipated further observations of this species, inferring that there was probably a resident population in the area. This has proven not to be the case. . . . Ultimately, after four rounds of circulation and discussion at the 2001 annual meeting, only two members continued to support the identification; the Three-toed Woodpecker has thus been removed from the state list. . . . The Committee’s stance on single-observer first-state records that lack physical documentation has become more conservative over time, and there are no longer any species on the California list based solely on such records.”

Other reports lacked adequate details separating this species from other woodpeckers, juvenile Hairy Woodpeckers in particular, which can show similar plumage patterns.

ACADIAN FLYCATCHER Empidonax virescens (Vieillot, 1807)

This is a species of moist deciduous forests and swamps in the eastern United States. Its northern breeding limit extends from southeastern South Dakota east to extreme southern Ontario and southern New Hampshire. The southern limit reaches from southern Texas east to central Florida. The wintering grounds lie in Central America and northern South America, and the species has occurred casually or accidentally in Iceland (Lewington et al. 1991), New Brunswick, Quebec, southeastern British Columbia, North Dakota, New Mexico, and Arizona.

After being published as a possible Acadian Flycatcher (AB 35:227, Roberson 1980), the Pt. Loma record was accepted unanimously as California’s first during a single round of voting (Jones et al. 1981). After reviewing additional information concerning the identification of this species, however, the CBRC unanimously overturned this decision at the 1984 annual meeting. Specifically, J. V. Remsen Jr. (in litt. to G. McCaskie, commenting on specimens at LSUMZ) noted that, contrary to the submitted descriptions, Acadian Flycatchers collected from August through October, regardless of age, have buffy-ochraceous wingbars (56 of 56 specimens), yellow or yellowish-white eyerings (52 of 54 specimens), a dingy grayish or yellow-tinged throat (43 of 56 specimens), and a totally pale mandible.

ROSE-THROATED BECARD Pachyramphus aglaiae (Lafresnaye, 1839)

This flycatcher occupies tropical and subtropical forests from southeastern Arizona (and, casually, extreme southern Texas) to Central America, with vagrants reported from southwestern New Mexico and western Panama.

The Rose-throated Becard is considered quite unlikely to reach California as a naturally occurring vagrant, and the sole report received no support from the CBRC.

BRIDLED TITMOUSE Baeolophus wollweberi (Bonaparte, 1850)

This charismatic species dwells in oak and riparian woodlands from central-western Arizona east to southwestern New Mexico and south through the Mexican highlands to central Oaxaca. The range extends as close to California as the Trout Creek drainage of Arizona’s Aquarius Mts., about 60 miles east of Needles (Corman and Wise-Gervais 2005). Some northerly birds spend the winter months at lower elevation. A vagrant present from 17 February to 20 March 1977 at the Bill Williams Delta, on the Arizona side of the Colorado River, was collected on the latter date (Rosenberg et al. 1991).

Roberson (1993) discussed the lone report from California: This bird “was likely an escaped Black-crested Finch (Lophospingus pusillus), a rather commonly kept native of Argentina that bears an uncanny resemblance to the titmouse and likely accounts for reports of the titmouse from as far north as Saskatchewan (see Blue Jay 39:199).”

BLUETHROAT Luscinia svecica (Linnaeus, 1758)

The breeding range of this widespread Old World thrush spills across the Bering Sea from northern Siberia to western and northern Alaska and probably northern Yukon (Sinclair et al. 2003). A long-distance migrant, the species winters in northern Africa, the Middle East, and southern Asia. In the New World, migrants occur casually in Alaska south of the Bering Strait region. The first California record has been anticipated for many years (e.g., Jehl 1980).

Howell and Pyle (1997) addressed the lone California report, of a bird “identified due to its greater similarity to a field-guide picture of this species than to any other species in the guide. Beginners are cautioned that this method does not produce accurate identifications. The Committee unanimously felt that the bird was not a Bluethroat and was probably a Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus).”

EASTERN BLUEBIRD Sialia sialis (Linnaeus, 1758)

This species comprises eight subspecies (Phillips 1991) that breed as far north as southern Canada (southern Saskatchewan east to southwestern Nova Scotia; S. s. sialis) and as far south as northern Nicaragua (two subspecies). The subspecies with the greatest potential for vagrancy to California is sialis, which breeds across most of North America from the Great Plains eastward (south to southern Texas), with small breeding populations in western Colorado and southeastern New Mexico (Alderfer 2006). The most northerly populations of sialis withdraw southward during late fall and winter, and this subspecies has been recorded west to southwestern Arizona (Phillips et al. 1964). Subspecies fulva is resident from southeastern Arizona south through the highlands of Mexico to southern Oaxaca.

Rogers and Jaramillo (2002): “The report of a male and ‘possible’ female observed for ‘two minutes’ on private property . . . by an excellent observer was intriguing, as the male was fairly well described. However, single-observer first state records lacking physical evidence are held to very high standards and the record received little support, as anticipated by the observer. Some members expressed concern about hybrid Mountain Bluebirds (S. currucoides) (e.g., Lane 1968, Spear 1975), a possibility that was not considered by the observer. Neither bird could be relocated on later visits. . . . Dunn (1981) prepared a useful summary of bluebird distribution and identification.”

FIELDFARE Turdus pilaris Linnaeus, 1758

This species breeds from Greenland east across Eurasia to Siberia. As summarized by Green (1998), most New World records are from eastern Canada and the Northeast, although birds have also been recorded in the western Great Lakes and northern and western Alaska. British Columbia’s first was found near Vancouver on 28 December 2003 (NAB 58:271).

The details of California’s lone report were such that it failed to receive any support.

OLIVE WARBLER Peucedramus taeniatus (Du Bus de Gisignies, 1847)

Now classified as the lone representative of the family Peucedramidae, this nine-primaried warbler occurs in pine-dominated woodlands from central Arizona and southwestern New Mexico south to northern Nicaragua. Five subspecies are recognized (Webster 1958, 1962). Most birds winter south of the United States. The species has occurred casually in western and northern Texas and in south-central New Mexico.

The 1979 record was originally submitted as a Pine Warbler and was published as such elsewhere (AB 34:198). From Binford (1985): “However, before it could receive final Committee validation, it was retracted and submitted as an Olive Warbler, a species unrecorded in California. The Committee was confident that it was not an Olive Warbler, voting 0–10 on the first round. Members pointed out that contrary to the description, an Olive Warbler has yellowish extending broadly above (as well as behind and below) the dark cheek patch; has a mellow whistled ‘kew’ call, not a ‘chip’; lacks streaks on the sides of the breast and flanks, a faint malar stripe, and an incomplete white eyering; and (fide K. L. Garrett) flicks its wings kinglet-like.”

SWAINSON’S WARBLER Limnothlypis swainsonii (Audubon, 1834)

This wood-warbler’s northern breeding range extends from southern Missouri (rare) east to southern West Virginia, southern Virginia, and possibly Maryland. The southern breeding limit stretches from east-central Texas east to northern Florida. Summer records extend north to southwestern Pennsylvania. The species winters on Caribbean islands and the Yucatan Peninsula and has been recorded casually at this season in Bermuda. Vagrants, most in spring, have been recorded north to southeastern Canada and west to Manitoba (NAB 60:394), Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. Few species are anticipated as fervently in California as this one is.

The 1987 report was the only one to receive any support from Committee members. Pyle and McCaskie (1992) noted that the bird “was well seen by two observers, both of whom submitted detailed descriptions, but the record was rejected by the Committee in the second round by a 3–7 vote. Although some members felt that the descriptions fit Swainson’s Warbler better than any other species, Committee members Bailey and Marantz compared the bird’s reported plumage with good series of museum specimens at CAS and LSU[MZ], respectively, and found several small discrepancies between the skins and the descriptions. These discrepancies plus the late date for this relatively early migrant were the main points precluding acceptance.”

EASTERN TOWHEE Pipilo erythrophthalmus (Linnaeus, 1758)

This towhee’s northern breeding limit extends from southeastern Saskatchewan east to southern Maine. The southern limit reaches from central Louisiana east to southern Florida. Birds in Canada and the northern United States are migratory, largely withdrawing to the southern part of the breeding range and as far west as western Texas and eastern Colorado. Extralimital records extend west to southern Alberta, south-central Montana (NAB 59:627), southeastern Idaho, and northern Arizona. A record from the British Isles hints at this species’ potential for longer-distance vagrancy, although the bird may well have been ship-assisted.

The CBRC unanimously considered a bird observed on 30 September 1984 in Oakland, Alameda County, to be a Spotted Towhee, possibly P. maculatus oregonus. This subspecies winters regularly in northern California (Grinnell and Miller 1944), with an anomalous 4 December 1908 specimen from San Clemente Island, Los Angeles County (Linton 1909, Swarth 1913; MVZ 21273). As reviewed by Swarth (1913), oregonus shows the least extensive white markings above of any Spotted Towhee subspecies. Patten (2000) further observed that “Some individuals of this taxon can essentially lack dorsal spotting, or at least appear to lack it when viewed in the field.” If and when an Eastern Towhee eventually turns up in California, such birds—as well as hybrids—will need to be carefully ruled out.

CANYON TOWHEE Pipilo fuscus Swainson, 1827

Accepted: 0 Treated in Appendix H: no

Not accepted: 1 CBRC review: all records

Not submitted/reviewed: 0 Color image: none

This species is resident in the Southwest and southward through most of mainland Mexico. The range extends tantalizingly close to California—within several miles—between Bullhead City and Lake Havasu City, in the Black and Mojave Mts. of northwestern Arizona. The species has occurred casually in northwestern Wyoming, southeastern Utah, and southwestern Kansas.

The Canyon Towhee clearly has potential to reach California, but the lone report of this bird received no support from the Committee. Zimmer (1988) reviewed identification criteria for Canyon and California Towhees.

YELLOW-BREASTED BUNTING Emberiza aureola Pallas, 1773

This Old World bunting breeds from Finland east to Kamchatka, and from there south to northern China, Korea, and Japan. The species winters in southern Asia and the Philippines and has been recorded five times in spring on islands of western Alaska (ABA 2002).

The identification of a Yellow-breasted Bunting reported in Los Angeles County was accepted by all but two CBRC members on the record’s fourth and final circulation. Only one of those members accepting the identification endorsed the birds’ natural occurrence.

McKAY’S BUNTING Plectrophenax hyperboreus Ridgway, 1884

This bunting nests on islands of the Bering Sea and winters on Alaska’s western coast (including the Alaska Peninsula), casually among the Aleutian Islands and in south-coastal Alaska. Vagrants have been recorded in northern Yukon (NAB 59:613, 690), southwestern British Columbia (two records; NAB 59:312), coastal Washington (three records), and northern Oregon (two coastal records; NAB 58:275, 312).

California’s first report, of a bird coming to a feeder with House Sparrows, was believed by the entire Committee to involve a leucistic House Sparrow. The second report was thought to involve a leucistic Dark-eyed Junco. Snow × McKay’s Bunting hybrids and backcrosses are “regularly seen on Bering Sea islands” (Sibley 2000:503). One such bird was recorded on 13 February 2001 at Midway Beach, Washington (Wahl et al. 2005).

YELLOW GROSBEAK Pheucticus chrysopeplus (Vigors, 1832)

This species is resident from southern Sonora (north to central Sonora in summer) to Guatemala. Vagrants have strayed casually north as far as central Arizona, and the New Mexico Bird Records Committee has accepted two records: 18–21 October 2002 southeast of Santa Fe (see NAB 57:97, 144) and early December 2005–1 May 2006 in Albuquerque (see NAB 60:266, 267, 415). Records from elsewhere in the United States (e.g., Iowa) have been treated as involving likely escapees.

Garrett and Dunn (1981) considered hypothetical the (unsubmitted) 22 June 1978 report of an adult male from Solana Beach, San Diego County: “this species is said to be commonly kept in captivity in Mexico and even southern California, [but] the date of this record closely matches the pattern of vagrancy to southern Arizona (records northwest to Prescott); for this reason, we feel that the above record may be valid.” Perhaps referring to this individual, the AOU (1998) referred to “a record from California [that] is regarded as an escaped cage-bird.”

The 10 August 1989 report of a Yellow Grosbeak in Sacramento, Sacramento County, review received no support, with members suggesting that a Western Tanager may have been involved.

The CBRC is reviewing the record of a Yellow Grosbeak photographed at Keough Hot Springs, Inyo County, 31 July–2 August 2006 (Figure H-37); see Appendix H.

Hamilton (2001) found Yellow Grosbeaks for sale at a pet shop in Rosarito, northwestern Baja California, including a high total of seven on 17 July 2001.

EASTERN MEADOWLARK Sturnella magna (Linnaeus, 1758)

This meadowlark’s nominate subspecies breeds from northern Minnesota and southern Ontario east to the Maritime Provinces and southern Newfoundland. To the south these birds breed from eastern Texas east to southern Florida and south through eastern and central Mexico and the West Indies to northern South America. The northernmost breeders withdraw south in the winter, and S. m. magna has strayed a modest distance north and east of its normal range. The western subspecies, S. m. lilianae, breeds from northwestern Arizona east to central Texas and south through northeastern Sonora and central Chihuahua; some dispersal occurs in winter. Rosenberg et al. (1991) reported several winter records, including a specimen, from the Arizona side of the Colorado River. An extralimital sight report of a singing bird (lilianae) in Baja California Sur was considered hypothetical by Howell et al. (2001:191), who cautioned that “songs are learned and are not necessarily diagnostic.”

The first California report had a roller-coatster ride through the Committee, with votes of 1–9, 7–3, and finally 2–8. Garrett and Singer (1998): “Expert opinion from several authorities largely supported identification as an Eastern Meadowlark, though one reviewer was adamant that the bird was not an Eastern and all agreed that 100% certainty was impossible. Subsequent research on specimens by several Committee members cast ample doubt on the identification, and ultimately the record had little support. Some morphologically intermediate meadowlarks may be impossible to identify without in-hand examination or a specimen (Pyle 1997[b]).” The second record received a single vote for acceptance.