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Remarks on Alaska Savannah Sparrows

G. Willett

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In the recent revision of the Savannah sparrows by Peters and Griscom (Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 80, 1938, pp. 445-478), the name Passerczdus sandwichensis crassus is given (p. 459) to a medium-sized, stout-billed bird, the breeding range of which is said (p. 460) to be “Islands in the Alexander Archipelago from Chichagof Island to Prince of Wales Island; also on the adjacent mainland at the Chickamin River.”

An examination of southeastern Alaskan specimens collected by the writer demonstrates that, while there are numerous examples of migrants that answer the description of c~assu.s, six breeding birds, three males and three females (L. A. Mus., nos. 18627-18632), from Petersburg, Mitkof Island, taken between June 27 and July 1, 1936, are clearly not of that form, their bills being much too slender. These specimens were submitted to Mr. Griscom and examined by him and Mr. Peters, both of whom agree that they are not examples of crassus but of the bird they call anthinus (alaudinus of the 1931 A.O.U. Check-list). As Petersburg is almost in the center of the breeding range ascribed to crassus, it would seem that the limits of this range require redetermination.

While Peters and Griscom list birds taken on Kuiu Island as breeding examples, they do not give dates of capture. Swarth (Univ. Calif. Publ. Zoo]., vol. 7, 1911, p. 85) referring to specimens taken by the 1909 Alexander Alaska Expedition in this locality May 3, apparently regarded them as migrants, which they undoubtedly were at this early date. However, Swartb does consider specimens taken at Chickamin River, on the mainland, in June, breeding birds, but Peters and Griscom do not mention these as among the materials they examined.

It might be well here to call attention to an error in the range of Passer&us s. sandzvichensis as given by Peters and Griscom (op. cit., p. 449). This should read: “Not definitely recorded from any of the Aleutians west of Unalaska,” not “east” of that point. In this connection’the writer is able to record a slight extension of the range of sandwichensis. While on Unmak Island, the next island , west of Unalaska, the summer of 1926, the bird was found to be breeding rather commonly. A juvenal (no. 3621, Coll. G. W.), still unable to fly, was taken August 18.

Los Angeles Museum, Los Angeles, California, January 5, 1939

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