Breeding Criteria

RED in the latilong maps designates confirmed evidence of breeding, which must include at least one of the following:

• Nest with young seen or heard.
• Examined specimen of nestling
• Nest with viable egg(s).
• Fledgling(s) (young away from the nest but without adult-sized flight feathers).
• Occupied nest (adults regularly entering and leaving a nest).
• Adults attending young (adults carrying fecal sacs or food for young).
• Recently used nest with eggshells (must be in good condition and eggshells identifiable).

Circumstantial evidence of breeding is designated by the color GREEN in the latilong maps and must include at least one of the following:

• Physiological evidence (vascularized brood patch, cloacal protuberance, egg in oviduct).
• Singing male or other territorial defense.
• Courtship behavior or copulation.
• Distraction display, agitated behavior, or anxiety calls from adults.
• Nest building.
• Adults visiting a probable nest site.
• Pair observed in suitable habitat in breeding season.

If a member of the species has been noted in the latilong but no evidence of breeding exists (perhaps the species is a migrant, vagrant, or nonbreeding resident there), then the latilong is colored PURPLE.

Wintering Criteria

Overwintering for a species requires that it be recorded once in December, once in January, and once in February of the same season for that latilong. Latilongs where this has occurred are colored BLUE.

Winter visitors, late fall stragglers, and early spring arrivers are shown by the color VIOLET in the latilong. Any record from December 1 to February 29 is considered a winter record.