Juniper Titmouse (Baeolophus ridgwayi) [XC21748]
by Chris Parrish from Little Firehole Road, Flaming Gorge NRA, Wyoming, United States (song, songs and scolds)
Juniper Titmouse (Baeolophus ridgwayi) [XC350901]
by Richard E. Webster from Hunter Mountain, Death Valley National Park, Inyo County, United States (song)
Subspecies
Parus inornatus (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into inornatus and ridgwayi and both placed in the genus Baeolophus following AOU (1998). The name ridgwayi replaces griseus following AOU (2000).
Forms a superspecies with Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus), Juniper Titmouse (Baeolophus ridgwayi) and Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus). Was until recently treated as conspecific with Juniper Titmouse (Baeolophus ridgwayi), but differs in morphology and voice.
Subspecies zaleptus poorly differentiated, and species sometimes treated as monotypic. Supposedly darker birds in south of range (southern from north-central Arizona and south-western New Mexico) proposed as subspecies plumbescens, but appear to fall within range of variation of nominate.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
zaleptus Oberholser, 1932 - Western USA (south-eastern Oregon, eastern California, western Nevada).
ridgwayi (Richmond, 1902) - West-central USA (southern Idaho east to Colorado and extreme western Oklahoma, south to south-eastern Arizona, New Mexico and extreme western Texas) and extreme northern Mexico (north-eastern Sonora).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet