Birds of the Lewis And Clark Expedition

Birds of the Lewis And Clark Expedition
compiled by Mike Patterson

With the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition approaching, it is very likely that some will be (or perhaps already have been) called upon to help interpret what Lewis and Clark saw on their journey. Neither was a professional natural historian, though Lewis received considerable instruction in preparation for the trip. Many of the species they saw were noted in the generalized venacular of the time without further description, while others, usually those distinctly unusual, were carefully described. Elliott Coues, among others, did his best to decipher the species alluded to in the journals and accounts, but many of his educated guesses need re-evaluation given what we currently know about avian distribution and phenology.

I have relied heavily on Raymond Burroughs's work on the Natural History of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1961) which includes all of Coues conjectures. Paul Cutright's Lewis and Clark:pioneering naturalists (1969) arranges the accounts in chronological order and makes for easier reading, but has excluded many of the species with equivocal descriptions, focusing mostly on those clearly described and new to science.

What L & C described Conjectures, mostly from Coues, in Burroughs 1961 Current AOU equivalent What I think they saw

speckled loon Pacific Loon Pacific Loon All 3 common loons, Pacific Loon is the least common (away from the ocean and lower estuary) of the 3 species that regularly occur on the Columbia River (see comments on divers).

divers with brick red necks Holboell's Grebe Red-necked Grebe Red-necked Grebe (see comments on divers).

small species diver Pied-billed Grebe Pied-billed Grebe Pied-billed Grebe (see comments on divers).

long necked loon Western Grebe Western Grebe Western Grebe (see comments on divers).

white gull with remarkable beak Pacific Fulmar Northern Fulmar Northern Fulmar, detailed drawing and description

pillican White Pelican American White Pelican American White Pelican

cormorant Farallon Cormorant Double-Crested Cormorant Pelagic and Double-Crested Cormorant, both are abundant on the Columbia River Estuary, only Double-crested would be expected east of Puget Island.

indian hen American Bittern American Bittern American Bittern

white heron American Egret Great Egret Great Egret

herrons Great-blue Heron, Great Blue Heron Great Blue Heron

large white crane Whooping Crane Whooping Crane Some Whooping Cranes some Sandhills, white cranes claimed along the Columbia River were almost certainly not Whooping Cranes.

sandhill crane Sandhill Crane Sandhill Crane Sandhill Crane

blue-winged teal Blue-winged Teal Blue-winged Teal Blue-winged Teal

butter-box Bufflehead Duck Bufflehead Bufflehead

canvisback Canvas-back Duck Canvasback Canvasback

duchanmallard Mallard Duck Mallard Mallard

red-headed fishing duck Red-breasted Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Red-breasted Merganser, though Common Merganser is
also common on the river and only females of either species have red heads

unnamed Ring-necked Duck Ring-necked Duck Ring-necked Duck, the detailed description is almost certainly Ring-necked Duck, but some of the birds later referenced were possibly scaup sp., Greater Scaup number in the 1000's along the lower Columbia but were (apparently) not mentioned (see comments on ducks).

unnamed Shoveller Duck Northern Shoveler Northern Shoveler

summer duck Wood Duck Wood Duck Wood Duck

brown brant American Brant Brant Brant

Canada Goose Canada Goose Canada Goose Canada Goose

small Canada goose Lesser Canada Goose Canada Goose Cackling Goose (formly consider small races of Canada Goose, but now considered a distinct species)

white brant Lesser Snow Goose Snow Goose Snow Goose

new brant sp. White-fronted Goose White-fronted Goose White-fronted Goose, drawing and detailed description

small swan Whistling Swan Tundra Swan Tundra Swan

large swan Trumpeter Swan Trumpeter Swan Trumpeter Swan

large buzzard (vulture of the Columbia) California Condor California Condor California Condor, drawing and detailed description, they shot at least two

turkey buzzard Turkey Vulture Turkey Vulture Turkey Vulture

bald eagle Bald Eagle Bald Eagle Bald Eagle

calumet eagle (grey eagle) Golden Eagle Golden Eagle Some Golden Eagles and some sub-adult Bald Eagles, Golden Eagle on the Columbia west of Sauvie Island would be very rare and separation of sub-adult eagles can be confusing.

fishing hawk American Osprey Osprey Osprey

Sparrow Hawk American Kestrel American Kestrel (see comments on hawks)

Marsh Hawk Northern Harrier Northern Harrier (see comments on hawks)

Western Red-tailed Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Red-tailed Hawk (see comments on hawks)

Swainson's Hawk Swainson's Hawk Swainson's Hawk (see comments on hawks)

large hooting owl Montana Great Horned Owl Great Horned Owl Great Horned Owl (Montana subspecies)

large hooting owl Dusky Horned Owl, Great Horned Owl Great Horned Owl (Dusky subspecies)

large hooting owl Great Gray Owl Great Gray Owl Great Gray Owl

prairie fowl Prairie Chicken Greater Prairie Chicken Greater Prairie Chicken

growse or prairie hen Plains Sharp-tailed Grouse Sharp-tailed Grouse Sharp-tailed Grouse (plains subspecies)

grouse or prairie hen Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse Sharp-tailed Grouse Sharp-tailed Grouse (Columbia Subspecies)

large heath hen Sage Grouse Greater Sage Grouse Greater Sage Grouse

black pheasant Dusky Grouse Blue Grouse Blue Grouse (dusky subspecies)

black pheasant Sooty Grouse Blue Grouse Blue Grouse (sooty subspecies)

black and white pheasant Franklin's Grouse Spruce Grouse Spruce Grouse

small brown pheasant Oregon Ruffed Grouse Ruffed Grouse Ruffed Grouse

blue partridge Mountain Quail Mountain Quail Mountain Quail

turkey Eastern Wild Turkey Wild Turkey Wild Turkey

black ducks (with white bills) American Coot American Coot American Coot, description of bill and feet eliminate the possibility that these were Surf Scoters.

large plover Black-bellied Plover Black-bellied Plover (see "plover" comments)

gray or whistling plover Golden Plover American Golden Plover (see "plover" comments)

kildee Killdeer Killdeer Killdeer

small (brown) curlooe or plover Mountain Plover Mountain Plover (see "plover" comments)

large brown curloo Long-billed Curlew Long-billed Curlew Long-billed Curlew

small (brown) curlooe or plover Upland Plover Upland Sandpiper (see "plover" comments)

Jack Curloo Western Willet Willet Willet

Jack Curloo Hudsonian Curlew Whimbrel (see "plover" comments)

bird of the plover kind Avocet American Avocet American Avocet

small gull Bonaparte's Gull Bonaparte's Gull Bonaparte's or Mew Gull, the description is equivocal with some elements in favor of each.

large light brown gull Glaucous-winged Gull Glaucous-winged Gull Glaucous-winged Gull

large gray gull Western Gull Western Gull Western Gull

aquatic bird Least Tern Least Tern Least Tern

pigeon Passenger Pigeon Passenger Pigeon Passenger Pigeon

dove Mourning Dove Mourning Dove Mourning Dove

parrot queets Carolina Parroquet Carolina Parakeet Carolina Parakeet

whip-poor-will Eastern Whip-poor-will Whip-poor-will Whip-poor-will

goatsucker Pacific Nighthawk Common Nighthawk Common Nighthawk

goatsucker Nuttall's Poorwill Common Poorwill Common Poorwill

hummingbird Rufous Hummingbird Rufous Hummingbird Rufous Hummingbird (Green Point, Columbia Co., OR)

hummingbird at nest Broad-tailed Hummingbird Broad-tailed Hummingbird Hummingbird sp. (Weippe Prairie, ID) while Broad-tailed Hummingbird is a reasonable identification, there is no description and neither Calliope nor Black-chinned can be ruled out. In fact, this site even falls into eastern edge of the breeding range for Rufous.

blue crested fisher (kingfisher) Eastern Belted Kingfisher Belted Kingfisher Belted Kingfisher

black woodpecker Lewis' Woodpecker Lewis' Woodpecker Lewis' Woodpecker, specimen brought back

speckled woodpecker Rocky Mountain Hairy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker (see woodpecker comments)

small speckled woodpecker Harris' Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker (see woodpecker comments)

small black and white woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker (see woodpecker comments)

small white woodpecker with red head Northern Red-breasted Sapsucker Red-breasted Sapsucker Red-breasted Sapsucker (see woodpecker comments)

lark woodpecker Northern Flicker Northern Flicker Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)

lark woodpecker Red-shafted Flicker Northern Flicker Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)

red-headed woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker

log cock Northern Pileated Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker

prairie lark Horned Lark Horned Lark Horned Lark

flycatch Empidonax Flycatcher Emipdonax sp. Ruby-crowned Kinglet or Hutton's Vireo, this bird was noted at Fort Clatsop on March 4, 1806 which would be much too early for any of the regularly occuring Empidonax. Both kinglet and vireo are regularly mistaken for flycatchers by inexperienced bird watchers.

bee martin or kingbird Kingbird Tyrannus sp Western Kingbird

peawee Wood Pewee Western Wood Pewee Western Wood Pewee

small martin Cliff Swallow Cliff Swallow Cliff Swallow, cliff nests well described

magpy or
party-coloured corvus American Magpie Black-billed Magpie Black-billed Magpie

raven Raven Common Raven Common Raven

crow Crow American Crow American Crow

blue crested corvus bird Black-headed Jay Steller's Jay Steller's Jay

blue jay bird Pinyon Jay Pinyon Jay Pinyon Jay

another jay Rocky Mountain Jay Gray Jay Gray Jay; possibly Woodhouse's Scrub Jay, this bird was described as being blue and was seen in the same general area where Pinyon Jays were found on the Jefferson River in Montana. This would have been somewhat north of the current range for Woodhouse's Scrub Jay, but worth considering given the description.

small, white-breasted corvus Gray Jay Gray Jay (Oregon Jay) Gray Jay

woodpecker (jaybird) Clark's Nutcracker Clark's Nutcracker Clark's Nutcracker

species of flycatch Western Winter Wren Winter Wren Winter Wren

Catbird Gray Catbird

Mockingbird Northern Mockingbird

brown thrush Brown Thrasher Brown Thrasher

robbin Eastern Robin American Robin

bluish brown robbin Pacific Varied Thrush Varied Thrush Varied Thrush

crested cherry bird Cedar Waxwing Cedar Waxwing Cedar Waxwing

catbird-sized with large convex beak White-rumped Shrike Loggerhead Shrike Loggerhead Shrike

large blackbird Brewer's Blackbird Brewer's Blackbird blackbird sp., the description is too vague to commit to.

buffalo-pecker Cowbird Brown-headed Cowbird Brown-headed Cowbird

old field lark Western Meadowlark Western Meadowlark Western Meadowlark

beautiful little bird Western Tanager Western Tanager Western Tanager, very well described

nightingale Eastern Cardinal Northern Cardinal Heard only one night June 1804 in the Missouri Valley. Cardinal seems unlikely, but I don't have any guesses about what this was.

large brown sparrow Golden-crowned Sparrow Golden-crowned Sparrow Sooty Fox Sparrow, a far more likely large brown sparrow for the habitat around Fort Clatsop in the winter (though morphna-type Song Sparrow would be another good candidate).

goldfinch Goldfinch American Goldfinch American Goldfinch

large sparrow with white tail Lark-Bunting Lark Bunting

large dark-brown sparrow with some white tail feathers McCown's Longspur McCown's Longspur

linnet Pine Siskin Pine Siskin Cassin's Finch, linnet is (more or less) the European equivalent to House Finch (which, in turn, is often referred to as "house linnet" in early bird texts). This leads me to suspect that the bird seen was reddish (though no actual description was given). The location on the Marias River fits for Cassin's Finch, though Red Crossbill,Pine Grosbeak and even Pine Siskin are credible guesses.

Comments on "divers": Lewis and Clark lumped loons and grebes together and most of the descriptions are fairly general. The speckled loon Coues identifies as Pacific Loon could just as easily be a Common Loon or a Red-throated Loon, in fact, Red-throated Loon is argueably more speckled in winter plumage than Pacific (which I would described as banded). It seems likely that all three species were seen and that any loons seen east of Tongue Point (east of Astoria) were more likely Red-throated or Common. The description of Western Grebe is sufficient to assume that it is what they saw (and 100's winter on the Columbia River estuary), as is the description for Red-necked Grebe, but I can't help wondering how they missed Horned Grebe.

Comments on ducks: Given the number of species of ducks that winter in Columbia Estuary today, the dearth of duck species listed by Lewis and Clark for the Columbia River is puzzling. Jefferson had instructed them not to waste time on familiar species, but Mallards are referred to regularly, so one would expect that numbers of Northern Pintail, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal and Greater Scaup would have also been mentioned. The description of the duck later assigned as Ring-necked Duck (new to science at the time) is sufficient and most probably correct, but the apparent absence of scaup from accounts is strange. The number of scaup recorded on the Columbia Estuary Christmas Bird Count averages around 1000 and the Wahkiakum Count around 5000, yet they would seem to have gone undetected. Also surprising is that there is no mention of Surf Scoters which winter along the coast between Tillamook Head and Long Beach in groups of up to 20,000.

Comments on hawks: Lewis and Clark apparently only mentioned hawks generally and without descriptive details. The species listed are those presumed by Coues (as listed in Burroughs), given the ground covered and the habitats. These species are all common to very common species and the speculation that they were seen is certainly justified. I also received an e-mail regarding Peregrine Falcon, which was supposedly see on a nest. Neither Burroughs or Cutright mention any large falcons, but I would think that Prairie Falcon or Peregrine should have been encountered. When I receive a reliable reference, I will update the list.

Comments on "plovers": Lewis and Clark use the terms plover and curlew very loosely. Of the descriptions given, only that for Willet is complete. The others are not particularly helpful and early interpreters of the journals were making a best guess. Most were recorded along the upper Missouri river in the spring and summer of 1805. Given that neither Common Snipe nor Spotted Sandpiper are mentioned, there are just too many possible choices to determine species with any confidence.

Comments on woodpeckers: speckled woodpecker easily describes both Hairy and Downy Woodpecker, but also is sufficient for Three-toed Woodpecker and Red-napped Sapsucker. This is another case where species which share a common, generalized description were probably lumped together. Even the account assigned to Red-breasted Sapsucker, which is almost certainly correct, has some room for doubt given that Lewis says "saw a white woodpecker with a red head of the small kind common to the United States".

References
Burroughs, R.D. 1961. The Natural History of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Michigan State University Press.

Cutright, P.R. 1969. Lewis and Clark: pioneering naturalists. University of Nebraska Press.

Other Lewis and Clark Natural History sites

Lewis and Clark Herbarium
PBS Online: Lewis and Clark
Birds and Mammals seen in North Dakota

This page created by Mike Patterson, created December 18, 2002 (last revision 11/02/2005).


What L & C described	Conjectures, mostly from Coues, in Burroughs 1961	Current AOU equivalent	What I think they saw
speckled loon	Pacific Loon	Pacific Loon	All 3 common loons, Pacific Loon is the least common (away from the ocean and lower estuary) of the 3 species that regularly occur on the Columbia River (see comments on divers).
divers with brick red necks	Holboell's Grebe	Red-necked Grebe	Red-necked Grebe (see comments on divers).
small species diver	Pied-billed Grebe	Pied-billed Grebe	Pied-billed Grebe (see comments on divers).
long necked loon	Western Grebe	Western Grebe	Western Grebe (see comments on divers).
white gull with remarkable beak	Pacific Fulmar	Northern Fulmar	Northern Fulmar, detailed drawing and description
pillican	White Pelican	American White Pelican	American White Pelican
cormorant	Farallon Cormorant	Double-Crested Cormorant	Pelagic and Double-Crested Cormorant, both are abundant on the Columbia River Estuary, only Double-crested would be expected east of Puget Island.
indian hen	American Bittern	American Bittern	American Bittern
white heron	American Egret	Great Egret	Great Egret
herrons	Great-blue Heron,	Great Blue Heron	Great Blue Heron
large white crane	Whooping Crane	Whooping Crane	Some Whooping Cranes some Sandhills, white cranes claimed along the Columbia River were almost certainly not Whooping Cranes.
sandhill crane	Sandhill Crane	Sandhill Crane	Sandhill Crane
blue-winged teal	Blue-winged Teal	Blue-winged Teal	Blue-winged Teal
butter-box	Bufflehead Duck	Bufflehead	Bufflehead
canvisback	Canvas-back Duck	Canvasback	Canvasback
duchanmallard	Mallard Duck	Mallard	Mallard
red-headed fishing duck	Red-breasted Merganser	Red-breasted Merganser	Red-breasted Merganser, though Common Merganser is also common on the river and only females of either species have red heads
unnamed	Ring-necked Duck	Ring-necked Duck	Ring-necked Duck, the detailed description is almost certainly Ring-necked Duck, but some of the birds later referenced were possibly scaup sp., Greater Scaup number in the 1000's along the lower Columbia but were (apparently) not mentioned (see comments on ducks).
unnamed	Shoveller Duck	Northern Shoveler	Northern Shoveler
summer duck	Wood Duck	Wood Duck	Wood Duck
brown brant	American Brant	Brant	Brant
Canada Goose	Canada Goose	Canada Goose	Canada Goose
small Canada goose	Lesser Canada Goose	Canada Goose	Cackling Goose (formly consider small races of Canada Goose, but now considered a distinct species)
white brant	Lesser Snow Goose	Snow Goose	Snow Goose
new brant sp.	White-fronted Goose	White-fronted Goose	White-fronted Goose, drawing and detailed description
small swan	Whistling Swan	Tundra Swan	Tundra Swan
large swan	Trumpeter Swan	Trumpeter Swan	Trumpeter Swan
large buzzard (vulture of the Columbia)	California Condor	California Condor	California Condor, drawing and detailed description, they shot at least two
turkey buzzard	Turkey Vulture	Turkey Vulture	Turkey Vulture
bald eagle	Bald Eagle	Bald Eagle	Bald Eagle
calumet eagle (grey eagle)	Golden Eagle	Golden Eagle	Some Golden Eagles and some sub-adult Bald Eagles, Golden Eagle on the Columbia west of Sauvie Island would be very rare and separation of sub-adult eagles can be confusing.
fishing hawk	American Osprey	Osprey	Osprey
	Sparrow Hawk	American Kestrel	American Kestrel (see comments on hawks)
	Marsh Hawk	Northern Harrier	Northern Harrier (see comments on hawks)
	Western Red-tailed Hawk	Red-tailed Hawk	Red-tailed Hawk (see comments on hawks)
	Swainson's Hawk	Swainson's Hawk	Swainson's Hawk (see comments on hawks)
large hooting owl	Montana Great Horned Owl	Great Horned Owl	Great Horned Owl (Montana subspecies)
large hooting owl	Dusky Horned Owl,	Great Horned Owl	Great Horned Owl (Dusky subspecies)
large hooting owl	Great Gray Owl	Great Gray Owl	Great Gray Owl
prairie fowl	Prairie Chicken	Greater Prairie Chicken	Greater Prairie Chicken
growse or prairie hen	Plains Sharp-tailed Grouse	Sharp-tailed Grouse	Sharp-tailed Grouse (plains subspecies)
grouse or prairie hen	Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse	Sharp-tailed Grouse	Sharp-tailed Grouse (Columbia Subspecies)
large heath hen	Sage Grouse	Greater Sage Grouse	Greater Sage Grouse
black pheasant	Dusky Grouse	Blue Grouse	Blue Grouse (dusky subspecies)
black pheasant	Sooty Grouse	Blue Grouse	Blue Grouse (sooty subspecies)
black and white pheasant	Franklin's Grouse	Spruce Grouse	Spruce Grouse
small brown pheasant	Oregon Ruffed Grouse	Ruffed Grouse	Ruffed Grouse
blue partridge	Mountain Quail	Mountain Quail	Mountain Quail
turkey	Eastern Wild Turkey	Wild Turkey	Wild Turkey
black ducks (with white bills)	American Coot	American Coot	American Coot, description of bill and feet eliminate the possibility that these were Surf Scoters.
large plover	Black-bellied Plover	Black-bellied Plover	(see "plover" comments)
gray or whistling plover	Golden Plover	American Golden Plover	(see "plover" comments)
kildee	Killdeer	Killdeer	Killdeer
small (brown) curlooe or plover	Mountain Plover	Mountain Plover	(see "plover" comments)
large brown curloo	Long-billed Curlew	Long-billed Curlew	Long-billed Curlew
small (brown) curlooe or plover	Upland Plover	Upland Sandpiper	(see "plover" comments)
Jack Curloo	Western Willet	Willet	Willet
Jack Curloo	Hudsonian Curlew	Whimbrel	(see "plover" comments)
bird of the plover kind	Avocet	American Avocet	American Avocet
small gull	Bonaparte's Gull	Bonaparte's Gull	Bonaparte's or Mew Gull, the description is equivocal with some elements in favor of each.
large light brown gull	Glaucous-winged Gull	Glaucous-winged Gull	Glaucous-winged Gull
large gray gull	Western Gull	Western Gull	Western Gull
aquatic bird	Least Tern	Least Tern	Least Tern
pigeon	Passenger Pigeon	Passenger Pigeon	Passenger Pigeon
dove	Mourning Dove	Mourning Dove	Mourning Dove
parrot queets	Carolina Parroquet	Carolina Parakeet	Carolina Parakeet
whip-poor-will	Eastern Whip-poor-will	Whip-poor-will	Whip-poor-will
goatsucker	Pacific Nighthawk	Common Nighthawk	Common Nighthawk
goatsucker	Nuttall's Poorwill	Common Poorwill	Common Poorwill
hummingbird	Rufous Hummingbird	Rufous Hummingbird	Rufous Hummingbird (Green Point, Columbia Co., OR)
hummingbird at nest	Broad-tailed Hummingbird	Broad-tailed Hummingbird	Hummingbird sp. (Weippe Prairie, ID) while Broad-tailed Hummingbird is a reasonable identification, there is no description and neither Calliope nor Black-chinned can be ruled out. In fact, this site even falls into eastern edge of the breeding range for Rufous.
blue crested fisher (kingfisher)	Eastern Belted Kingfisher	Belted Kingfisher	Belted Kingfisher
black woodpecker	Lewis' Woodpecker	Lewis' Woodpecker	Lewis' Woodpecker, specimen brought back
speckled woodpecker	Rocky Mountain Hairy Woodpecker	Hairy Woodpecker	Hairy Woodpecker (see woodpecker comments)
small speckled woodpecker	Harris' Woodpecker	Hairy Woodpecker	Hairy Woodpecker (see woodpecker comments)
small black and white woodpecker	Downy Woodpecker	Downy Woodpecker	Downy Woodpecker (see woodpecker comments)
small white woodpecker with red head	Northern Red-breasted Sapsucker	Red-breasted Sapsucker	Red-breasted Sapsucker (see woodpecker comments)
lark woodpecker	Northern Flicker	Northern Flicker	Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)
lark woodpecker	Red-shafted Flicker	Northern Flicker	Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)
red-headed woodpecker	Red-headed Woodpecker	Red-headed Woodpecker	Red-headed Woodpecker
log cock	Northern Pileated Woodpecker	Pileated Woodpecker	Pileated Woodpecker
prairie lark	Horned Lark	Horned Lark	Horned Lark
flycatch	Empidonax Flycatcher	Emipdonax sp.	Ruby-crowned Kinglet or Hutton's Vireo, this bird was noted at Fort Clatsop on March 4, 1806 which would be much too early for any of the regularly occuring Empidonax. Both kinglet and vireo are regularly mistaken for flycatchers by inexperienced bird watchers.
bee martin or kingbird	Kingbird	Tyrannus sp	Western Kingbird
peawee	Wood Pewee	Western Wood Pewee	Western Wood Pewee
small martin	Cliff Swallow	Cliff Swallow	Cliff Swallow, cliff nests well described
magpy or party-coloured corvus	American Magpie	Black-billed Magpie	Black-billed Magpie
raven	Raven	Common Raven	Common Raven
crow	Crow	American Crow	American Crow
blue crested corvus bird	Black-headed Jay	Steller's Jay	Steller's Jay
blue jay bird	Pinyon Jay	Pinyon Jay	Pinyon Jay
another jay	Rocky Mountain Jay	Gray Jay	Gray Jay; possibly Woodhouse's Scrub Jay, this bird was described as being blue and was seen in the same general area where Pinyon Jays were found on the Jefferson River in Montana. This would have been somewhat north of the current range for Woodhouse's Scrub Jay, but worth considering given the description.
small, white-breasted corvus	Gray Jay	Gray Jay (Oregon Jay)	Gray Jay
woodpecker (jaybird)	Clark's Nutcracker	Clark's Nutcracker	Clark's Nutcracker
species of flycatch	Western Winter Wren	Winter Wren	Winter Wren
	Catbird	Gray Catbird
	Mockingbird	Northern Mockingbird
brown thrush	Brown Thrasher	Brown Thrasher
robbin	Eastern Robin	American Robin
bluish brown robbin	Pacific Varied Thrush	Varied Thrush	Varied Thrush
crested cherry bird	Cedar Waxwing	Cedar Waxwing	Cedar Waxwing
catbird-sized with large convex beak	White-rumped Shrike	Loggerhead Shrike	Loggerhead Shrike
large blackbird	Brewer's Blackbird	Brewer's Blackbird	blackbird sp., the description is too vague to commit to.
buffalo-pecker	Cowbird	Brown-headed Cowbird	Brown-headed Cowbird
old field lark	Western Meadowlark	Western Meadowlark	Western Meadowlark
beautiful little bird	Western Tanager	Western Tanager	Western Tanager, very well described
nightingale	Eastern Cardinal	Northern Cardinal	Heard only one night June 1804 in the Missouri Valley. Cardinal seems unlikely, but I don't have any guesses about what this was.
large brown sparrow	Golden-crowned Sparrow	Golden-crowned Sparrow	Sooty Fox Sparrow, a far more likely large brown sparrow for the habitat around Fort Clatsop in the winter (though morphna-type Song Sparrow would be another good candidate).
goldfinch	Goldfinch	American Goldfinch	American Goldfinch
large sparrow with white tail	Lark-Bunting	Lark Bunting
large dark-brown sparrow with some white tail feathers	McCown's Longspur	McCown's Longspur
linnet	Pine Siskin	Pine Siskin	Cassin's Finch, linnet is (more or less) the European equivalent to House Finch (which, in turn, is often referred to as "house linnet" in early bird texts). This leads me to suspect that the bird seen was reddish (though no actual description was given). The location on the Marias River fits for Cassin's Finch, though Red Crossbill,Pine Grosbeak and even Pine Siskin are credible guesses.