Buntings and New World Sparrows (Emberizidae)
Canyon Towhee (Pyrgisoma fuscum) - HBW 16, p. 598
French: Tohi des canyons
German: Braunrücken-Grundammer
Spanish: Toquí Pardo
Other common names: Brown Towhee (when treated as conspecific with P. crissale)
Taxonomy: Pipilo fusca Swainson, 1827, Temascaltepec, México, Mexico.
Formerly placed in genus Pipilo and sometimes in Melozone. Molecular analysis indicates that present species and P. albicolle are sister-taxa. Previously treated as conspecific with P. crissale. Geographical variation rather weak, and largely clinal, with much intergradation. Proposed race aimophilum (described from Fort Davis, Texas) treated as a synonym of texanum. Ten subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- mesoleucum (S. F. Baird, 1854) - S USA from Arizona E through New Mexico and W Texas, and N Mexico S to N Sonora (except NW coast) S to 30° N and NW Chihuahua S to 31° N.
- mesatum (Oberholser, 1937) - SE Colorado, NE New Mexico and NW Oklahoma.
- texanum (van Rossem, 1934) - W & C Texas S to N Mexico (NW Coahuila).
- mesoleucum (S. F. Baird, 1854) - S USA from Arizona E through New Mexico and W Texas, and N Mexico S to N Sonora (except NW coast) S to 30° N and NW Chihuahua S to 31° N.
- mesatum (Oberholser, 1937) - SE Colorado, NE New Mexico and NW Oklahoma.
- texanum (van Rossem, 1934) - W & C Texas S to N Mexico (NW Coahuila).
- intermedium (Nelson, 1899) - C & S Sonora S to N Sinaloa (El Fuerte and Yecorato).
- jamesi (C. H. Townsend, 1923) - Tiburón I, off CW Sonora, Mexico.
- perpallidum (van Rossem, 1934) - WC Mexico in Sierra Madre Occidental and E foothills (from Chihuahua S through Durango to Nayarit, N Jalisco and SW Zacatecas).
- potosinum (Ridgway, 1899) - C Mexico from N Coahuila, W Nuevo León and SW Tamaulipas S to E Zacatecas, W & C San Luis Potosí, NE Jalisco, Guanajuato and C & S Querétaro.
- fuscum (Swainson, 1827) - Nayarit S to Colima, E through Jalisco and Michoacán, to Morelos, Mexico City, W Veracruz and NC Guerrero.
- campoi (R. T. Moore, 1949) - Hidalgo, Puebla and W Veracruz, in E Mexico.
- toroi (R. T. Moore, 1942) - Tlaxcala E to W Veracruz, S to Puebla and N Oaxaca.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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A male singing. Locality Arizona, USA (United States)
(ssp mesoleucum)
Malcolm Mark Swan 29 July 2009 22 weeks ago 4
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