Part 14

Description.—Smaller than an English Sparrow; tail of moderate length and not deeply forked. _Adult male_: Upperparts glossy blue-green, brightest on crown and back, less colorful on wings and tail; _entire underparts pure white_. _Female_: Similar, but duller. _Young birds_: Like the female. _Length_: 6 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common migrant throughout, but a rather rare and local summer resident in northern counties and at high altitudes, from early April to late August. As a nesting bird, it is almost always found near a body of water.

Nest.—Of grasses and other vegetable matter, lined with feathers, placed in a cavity, an old woodpecker nest, or in a bird-box, usually from 15 to 60 feet from the ground, in a tree at the edge of a lake or in the water. _Eggs_: 3 to 7, white.

The swallows are easily distinguished once their outstanding characters are firmly fixed in the mind. This bird has white, _absolutely unmarked_ underparts—the Bank Swallow’s white breast is crossed with a brownish band; the Rough-wing’s throat and breast are gray. I have seen Tree Swallows nesting at Conneaut Lake, Crawford County, and at several of the lakes in the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania.

BANK SWALLOW _Riparia riparia riparia_ (Linnæus)

Other Name.—Sand Martin.

Description.—Smallest of the swallow family, considerably lighter and slenderer than an English Sparrow; sexes similar. _Adults_: Grayish brown above; wings and tail noticeably darker than back in flight; underparts white; breast crossed by a narrow, dull brown band, distinctly noticeable when the bird is at rest; tail not deeply forked. _Length_: About 5¼ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Formerly found at several points during summer where it does not nest now, due to pollution of the streams. It is a fairly common migrant and local summer resident from mid-April to early or mid-September.

Nest.—Of grasses and rootlets, lined with feathers, placed at the end of a long burrow which is usually several feet above high-water-mark and sometimes 5 to 6 feet long. _Eggs_: 3 to 6, white or creamy white.

This little swallow usually nests in large colonies. It has a graceful, fluttering flight, much less direct and rapid than that of the somewhat larger, though amazingly similar, Rough-winged Swallow, which occurs in many parts of Pennsylvania where the Bank Swallow does not nest. In identifying this species, take care to observe closely the brown band across the breast and the light brown back which contrasts with the blacker wings and tail.

ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW _Stelgidopteryx serripennis serripennis_ (Audubon)

Description.—About the size of a Barn Swallow; outer web of outer primary with tiny recurved hooks along the entire edge, noticeable when the thumb or finger-nail is drawn along it; these hooklets are sometimes absent in the female; the purpose they serve is not known. _Adults_: Above brownish gray, quite dark on wings and tail; throat and breast pale brownish gray; belly white. _Immature_: Similar, but the outer web of the outer primary has no hooklets and the gray of the throat and breast is sometimes washed with reddish brown. _Length_: 5¾inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A rather rare, somewhat local, and never abundant summer resident from April 15 to September 1, found almost altogether in the more southern and less mountainous counties.

Nest.—Of grasses and weed-stalks, lined with finer materials, _but not with feathers_, placed at the end of a burrow in a bank, as is the Bank Swallow’s, or in crevices in rocks along a stream, in abutments of bridges, or sometimes in pipes about dwellings which stand near streams. _Eggs_: 3 to 6, white.

The Rough-wing’s graceful, sweeping flight is less fluttering than that of the Bank Swallow. All of the swallows usually allow fairly close approach and therefore should not be difficult to identify.

CEDAR WAXWING _Bombycilla cedrorum_ Vieillot

Other Names.—Cherry Bird; Cedar Bird.

Description.—Plumage soft and silken; feet rather short and small; head with high crest; bill small. _Adult male_: Head, neck, breast, and back, glossy olive-brown; forehead and line through eye, chin, and throat, black; a white line extending backward from lower mandible to beneath eye; black forehead bordered behind with white; wings, rump, and tail, blue-gray; secondaries tipped with small waxen appendages; _tail prominently tipped with pale yellow_; sides and belly sulphur-yellow; under tail-coverts whitish; bill, feet, and eyes, black. _Female_: Similar, but usually lacks the waxen appendages on the secondaries. _Young birds_: Similar, but with only a small crest and noticeably streaked. Waxen appendages sometimes occur on the secondaries of the female as well as on the tips of the tail-feathers in both sexes. _Length_: A little over 7 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—An erratic and irregular permanent resident, being sometimes abundant, sometimes absent for several seasons; usually seen in flocks.

Nest.—Neatly built of weed-stems, twigs, and fibers, lined with softer materials, placed in a tree, usually from 12 to 20 feet from the ground, and toward the end of the branch. Nesting often takes place rather late in summer. I have seen a female sitting upon her eggs as late as September 11. _Eggs_: 3 to 6, blue-gray, spotted with black.

The Cedar Waxwing’s trim form and sleek plumage make him an outstandingly handsome bird. He has no song, however, giving forth only a fine, shrill _eeeeeeee_, which is scarcely audible to some observers. A flock of these plump-bodied birds sometimes sit in a tree-top, their feathers fluffed out. They catch insects like flycatchers. Sometimes they indulge in a queer little dance. In a cherry tree which is full of fruit, they sometimes pass tid-bits between them in a strangely deliberate, polite fashion. They are very fond of cedar berries, poke berries, and the fruits of the Virginia creeper, but the name “Cherry Bird” is well earned. Remember the crest, the upright carriage, the flocking tendency, and the _yellow-tipped tail_ of this species. The waxwings are the only birds which have their tails tipped with yellow.

The Northern or Bohemian Waxwing (_Bombycilla garrula_) is to be found rarely in winter. Records of this species in Pennsylvania are very desirable. It is like the Cedar Waxwing in color, but is larger; the under tail-coverts are rich reddish brown, and the wings are marked with a white patch on the primary coverts, white tips on the secondaries, and white and yellow edgings on the primaries. When Bohemian Waxwings appear they are likely to be docile and unsuspicious, and will therefore give the observer an excellent opportunity to identify them satisfactorily.

NORTHERN SHRIKE _Lanius borealis_ Vieillot

Other Name.—Butcher Bird.

Description.—Size of Robin, but with larger head and large, strongly hooked bill; sexes similar. _Adults_: Top of head, hind neck, and back, light gray, lightest along outer edges of scapulars and fading into white on rump and upper tail-coverts; line above eye, white; broad line through eye to ear-coverts, wings and tail, black; tips of the secondaries, base of the primaries, and tips of outer tail-feathers, white; underparts _finely barred with light gray_; bill, feet, and eyes, black. _Young birds_: Brownish gray, with dark brown wings and tail which are marked with white much as in the adults. The underparts are finely barred with brownish. _Length_: 10½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Rather rare winter visitant from late October or November to March. It is found chiefly in the northern counties in more or less open regions.

The shrike’s striking black and white plumage will suggest a Mockingbird. Its harsh cries have a sinister quality, however, suggesting a bird of prey. The heavy, hooked bill and strong feet assist it in capturing the mice, small birds, and insects which are its food, and which it impales on thorns or on barbed wire. Records of this species are desirable.

MIGRANT SHRIKE _Lanius ludovicianus migrans_ W. Palmer

Other Name.—Butcher Bird.

Description.—Smaller than Robin, with proportionally large head and strongly hooked bill; sexes similar. Top of head, hind neck, and back, clear gray, shading into whitish at outer edges of scapulars and on rump and upper tail-coverts; wings and tail black; tips of secondaries, base of primaries, and tips of outer tail-feathers, white; broad band through eye back to ear-coverts, black; underparts white, grayer on breast and belly, _which are not barred_.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A rather rare and local migrant and summer resident from early March to November, nesting chiefly in the Lake Erie coastal region and elsewhere in flat, open country.

Nest.—A bulky affair made of twigs, lined with feathers, placed in a thorn tree not far from the ground. _Eggs_: 3 to 6, white, spotted with gray or olive-gray.

When a Shrike moves from one perch to another, it drops to within a few inches of the ground and moves along with characteristic buzzing flight, at which times its gray, black, and white plumage is conspicuous. In the field its head appears large, and it is given to perching in prominent barren places, on the top of a tree or on a wire.

THE VIREOS

The Vireos are a difficult group for the beginner. They are dull in color, they come at a time when other birds are abundant, and they do not, for the most part, have particularly noticeable songs. In identifying the Vireos it is well to remember that _all of them move deliberately_, turning the head from side to side pensively, and crawling about the branches in a very characteristic fashion. No Vireo has any white in the tail, as have many of the otherwise similarly colored warblers. Note that the first three species have no wing-bars; the other three have two wing-bars.

RED-EYED VIREO _Vireosylva olivacea_ (Linnæus)

Other Name.—Preacher Bird.

Description.—Size of English Sparrow. _Adults_: Top of head blue-gray; line above eye white, bordered above with a blackish line; line through eye blackish; rest of upperparts olive-green; underparts whitish, washed with olive-green and pale yellowish on sides; eyes reddish or red-brown. _Young_: Similar, but duller. _Length_: 6¼ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Abundant migrant and summer resident from late April or early May to late September and October.

Nest.—A pensile cup made of vegetable fibers, cobwebs, and so forth, _lined with grape-vine bark_, placed on a branch of a low sapling, usually from 5 to 10 feet from the ground. _Eggs_: 3 or 4, white, with a few dark brown spots.

The oft-repeated song of this bird, which is delivered all during the warm hours of the summer days, has been responsible for the name “Preacher Bird.” This song, given while the bird searches for food among the leaves, is repeated at intervals of a few seconds, sometimes apparently for hours at a stretch. Look for the Red-eye in shady woodlands where there are deciduous trees. The harsh note of alarm is not unlike the well-known cry of the Catbird.

PHILADELPHIA VIREO _Vireosylva philadelphica_ Cassin

Description.—Like the Red-eyed Vireo, but smaller, with slightly shorter bill, greener upperparts, and rather decidedly yellower underparts.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A rather rare and little-known migrant in late April and early May and in September, found usually in alder thickets in the company of various species of the warbler family.

This species is not easy to identify in the field. Its song, which is like the Red-eye’s, but more rapidly delivered, may be heard in the spring; but in the fall, the chances are the bird will pass unnoticed since neither its song nor its color in any way attracts attention. All records are desirable.

WARBLING VIREO _Vireosylva gilva gilva_ (Vieillot)

Description.—Like the Red-eye, but smaller, less strikingly marked, the top of head being almost the same color as the back, the sides less tinged with yellow. _Length_: 5¾ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common summer resident from late April to late September; usually found in or near towns.

Nest.—A pensile cup, made much like the Red-eye’s, but found high in shade trees, in towns, or along country roadsides. _Eggs_: 3 or 4, white, with a few small spots.

Dull, plain in appearance, this is one of our most perfectly named birds, for its song is a _warble_—a somewhat unmusical, wheezy, lisping warble, usually delivered from the shade of a big tree.

YELLOW-THROATED VIREO _Lanivireo flavifrons_ (Vieillot)

Description.—About the size of the Red-eye, but with line in front of and around the eye, and chin, throat, and breast, clear light yellow; _two prominent white wing-bars_, and the blackish tertials strongly edged with white. The sexes are similar. _Length_: 6 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Fairly common but somewhat irregular summer resident from late April and May to September.

Nest.—A deep, pensile cup, swung from a branch high in a large deciduous tree standing at the edge of a woodland or in an open field. _Eggs_: 3 or 4, buffy white, with a few red-brown spots.

The song of this species, which is deliberate, and alto in quality, has been written _Mary, Mary, come ’ere_, the _’ere_ with a downward inflection.

WHITE-EYED VIREO _Vireo griseus griseus_ (Boddaert)

Description.—Smaller than the Red-eye and with a more sprightly manner. Line above and around eye _yellow_; wing with two yellowish or white bars; sides yellowish; breast and belly grayish; chin and throat white; _eyes white_, rather noticeable in the field. _Length_: 5¼ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—An extremely rare migrant in the western part; east of the mountains somewhat commoner, particularly along the Susquehanna and Delaware drainage, where it sometimes nests.

Nest.—A neat, pensile cup, placed in a low bush or tree, usually not far from the ground. _Eggs_: 3 or 4, white, with a few dark brown spots.

The song which may be written _pit, pit-a-ta-chee-whēēr_, does not suggest a vireo at all. Remember that this bird will be found among low, thick bushes.

BLUE-HEADED VIREO _Lanivireo solitarius solitarius_ (Wilson)

Description.—Size of the Red-eye, but upper part of head rich blue-gray, with a _prominent line in front of and around eye, white_; _wings with two noticeable bars_; sides yellow, irregularly washed with olive-green; chin, throat, breast, and belly, white. _Length_: A little over 5½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common migrant and summer resident. It is the first of the vireos to arrive in spring, appearing in mid- or latter April and remaining until October. It nests only at high altitudes in the mountains or in the northern counties.

Nest.—A neat and beautifully built pensile cup, swung on a horizontal hemlock, witch hazel, or alder bough, usually deep in the woodlands. _Eggs_: 3 or 4, white, with a few small black spots.

The song of this handsome vireo is rich and beautiful—easily the most musical of all our vireo songs. It is to be heard chiefly in the depths of the coniferous woodlands. Unusually elaborate and prolonged songs are sometimes given in the spring. Remember the prominent _white eye-ring_ of this species.

BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER _Mniotilta varia_ (Linnæus)

Other Names.—Black and White Creeper; Black and White Creeping Warbler.

Description.—Black and white all over, the colors about evenly balanced, giving the bird in the field a streaked appearance, noticeable particularly in the male. Since no other warbler is thus streaked with black and white _all over_, it is thought that this description is sufficient. _Females and young_: Duller, the young with buffy washings on sides. _Length_: 5⅓ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant and summer resident from late April and early May to September. It is rather local as a summer resident though it may occur in any suitable woodland.

Nest.—A cup of rootlets and fine grasses placed on the ground at the base of a sapling or a fallen bough or log, usually in rather open woodland. _Eggs_: 4 or 5, white, with a neat wreath of fine red-brown spots about the larger end.

This bird is nearly always seen creeping about the trunks and larger branches of trees, and its boldly streaked plumage is unmistakable. Its song, which has been written _wee-see, wee-see, wee-see, wee-see_, is wiry and unmusical, and the untrained ear will probably not catch it. Look for this bird in any woodland, particularly where there are deciduous trees.

The southern Prothonotary Warbler (_Protonotaria citrea_) is rarely recorded in the southern counties. This species has blue-gray wings and tail, _no wing-bars_, and the head and breast are rich orange-yellow. Records are desirable.

The Yellow-throated Warbler (_Dendroica dominica dominica_) is a long-billed species which looks a good deal like a Black and White Warbler with a yellow throat; it occurs in the southernmost counties. It may be found as a nesting bird.

WORM-EATING WARBLER _Helmitheros vermivorus_ (Gmelin)

Description.—Crown and superciliary buffy brown; prominent black streak at either side of crown; black streak through the eye; underparts buffy, the centers of the under tail-coverts darker; upperparts olive-green, much as in a vireo. _Female and young_: Similar but duller. _Length_: 5½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—In southern and particularly southwestern Pennsylvania this species is a fairly common summer resident from early May to mid-September. It is found chiefly in deciduous woodlands along streams. It is rare in central and northern counties.

Nest.—A neatly built cup of rootlets, hair, and vegetable fiber, placed on the ground, usually at the base of a sapling. _Eggs_: 4 or 5, white, finely speckled with reddish brown.

The song of this comparatively little-known species is very much like that of a Chipping Sparrow. If you hear a Chipping Sparrow in the woods, you had better look for the bird; you may make a startling discovery, since Chipping Sparrows are rarely found away from human dwellings in Pennsylvania.

The Worm-eating Warbler is nearly always found near the ground, and it is usually necessary to keep quiet so as to let the bird approach if you wish to have a good look at it.

BLUE-WINGED WARBLER _Vermivora pinus_ (Linnæus)

Other Name.—Blue-winged Yellow Warbler.

Description.—_Adult male_: Front of head, breast, and belly bright, clear yellow; sharp black line through eye; back of head and back olive-green; wings and tail blue-gray, the wings _with two noticeable white bands_; the tail with white spots at tips of inner webs of outer feathers. _Female_: Much duller, the whole top of the head being greenish, as a rule. _Length_: 4¾ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A _decidedly local_ summer resident from early May until mid-September, to be found in all but the mountainous counties.

Nest.—A cup made of leaves, lined with fine grasses, placed at the base of a weed or a little bush, usually in a low meadow or at the edge of an alder swamp. _Eggs_: 3 to 5, white, spotted with reddish brown, chiefly at the larger end.

The characteristic song of this bird may be written _zwee-chee_, the former syllable with an inhalant, the latter an exhalant quality. Later in the summer other songs are given which combine this song with many _chips_. Look for the Blue-wing near the ground in a swampy situation, among alders, or willows. In the fall it sometimes occurs in the higher woodlands along with other migrating species.

GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER _Vermivora chrysoptera_ (Linnæus)

Description.—_Male_: Top of head yellow; line through eye, and chin and throat, black; an area from lower mandible back to neck, white; back of head, neck, wings, and tail, gray; wing, with lesser and most of greater coverts, pale yellow; outer feathers of tail with white spots on inner webs; breast and belly white, the sides washed with grayish. _Female_: Similar, but duller, the black of the head being replaced with gray. _Length_: 5 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A rather uncommon and local summer resident from early May to September, found in low meadows or in bushy edges of woodlands.

Nest.—Of leaves, lined with finer materials and often somewhat arched over with leaves, placed at the base of a bush. _Eggs_: 4 or 5, white, speckled with brown.

The song may be written _see, zee, zee, zee_.

The Brewster’s and Lawrence’s Warblers, hybrid forms which result from the interbreeding of the Blue-winged and Golden-winged Warblers, sometimes occur in Pennsylvania. The typical Brewster’s Warbler has the white underparts and yellow-marked wings of the Golden-wing. The breast and belly of Lawrence’s Warblers are yellow, and there are two prominent white wing-bars as in the Blue-wing.

NASHVILLE WARBLER _Vermivora ruficapilla ruficapilla_ (Wilson)

Description.—_Adult male_: Upper part of head blue-gray, with a partly concealed rufous crown-patch _and noticeable white eye-ring_; chin, throat, breast, and belly clear, strong yellow; upperparts olive-green, without markings in wings or tail. _Female_: Duller. _Immature_: Almost unmarked, the eye-ring being buffy and not noticeable, the sides being washed with buffy. _Length_: 4¾ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A regular and often abundant migrant in May and September; rare and very local as a summer resident in northern counties and at high altitudes.

Nest.—On the ground, near a log or at the base of a sapling. _Eggs_: 4 or 5, white, speckled with red-brown.

The song is a series of _chips_, introduced by the syllables _wee-see, wee-see, wee-see_.

ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER _Vermivora celata celata_ (Say)

Description.—Olive-green above; crown with more or less concealed dull orange patch, not easily seen in the field; underparts and obscure ring about eye dull yellow; sides irregularly streaked with olive-green; sexes similar. _Young birds_: Duller. _Length_: 5 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—The Orange-crown is one of our little-known warblers which may be considerably commoner than we suppose. It occurs as a migrant in May and September, and is to be found chiefly in swampy situations, principally among alders.

The song, which is not often heard in Pennsylvania, according to my experience, is considerably like that of a Nashville or Tennessee Warbler, being a series of _chips_, but the tempo is different. All such songs should be thoroughly investigated to make certain some rare bird is not passed by. (See illustration, page 131.)

TENNESSEE WARBLER _Vermivora peregrina_ (Wilson)