Chapter 27

This peculiar species may readily be recognized by its saffron or orange-brown colored head and neck, with broad black bar through the eye. They nest at high elevations in coniferous trees on the mountain sides, placing their nests either on the horizontal boughs or forks at the end of them. The nests are very beautiful structures made of moss, lichens, fine rootlets and grasses and setting high on the limb like those of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. The eggs are grayish white with a bluish tinge, thickly speckled with blackish; size .64 × .48. Data.--Huachuca Mts., Arizona, June 21, 1901. Nest in a sugar pine near extremity of branch, 25 feet from the ground and 20 feet out from the trunk of the tree; composed of lichens and fine rootlets, lined with plant down.

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652. YELLOW WARBLER. _Dendroica æstiva æstiva._

Range.--Breeds in the whole or North America; winters south of our borders.

This well known and very common species is wholly yellow, being more or less greenish on the back, wings and tail, and the male is streaked on the sides with chestnut. They nest anywhere in trees or bushes, either in woods, pastures, parks or dooryards, and their sprightly song is much in evidence throughout the summer. The nests are usually placed in upright crotches or forks, and are made of vegetable fibres and fine grasses compactly woven together and lined with plant down and hair; the eggs, which are laid in May or June, are greenish white, boldly specked in endless patterns with shades of brown and lilac; size .65 × .50.

652a. SONORA YELLOW WARBLER. _Dendroica æstiva sonorana._

Range.--Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas, southward.

This form is brighter yellow, especially above, than the last. The nesting habits are the same and the eggs indistinguishable from those of the preceding.

652b. ALASKA YELLOW WARBLER. _Dendroica æstiva rubiginosa._

Range.--Breeds in Alaska and on the coast south to Vancouver; winters south of the United States.

Similar to the common Yellow Warbler but slightly darker above; its eggs and nesting habits are the same.

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653. MANGROVE WARBLER. Dendroica bryanti castaneiceps.

Range.--Southern Lower California and western Mexico and Central America.

This species is very similar to the Yellow Warbler but the entire head and neck of the male are yellowish chestnut. Their nesting habits or eggs do not vary in any essential particular from those of the common Yellow-birds of the United States.

654. BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER. _Dendroica cærulescens cærulescens._

Range.--Eastern North America, breeding from northern United States northward; winters in the Gulf States and southward.

These black-throated bluish-backed Warblers are abundant in swampy woodland both during migrations and at their breeding grounds; either sex can readily be identified in any plumage, by the presence of a small white spot at the base of the primaries. They nest in underbrush or low bushes only a few inches above the ground, making the nests of bark strips, moss rootlets, etc., lined with fine grasses or hair; the eggs are pale buffy white more or less dotted with pale brownish; size .65 × .50. Data.--Warren, Pa., June 9, 1891. 3 eggs. Nest one foot from the ground in brush; made of fine pieces of rotten wood, laurel bark and lined with fine grasses.

654a. CAIRNS WARBLER. _Dendroica cærulescens cairnsi._

Range.--Mountain ranges of North Carolina to Georgia.

A darker form whose habits and eggs are identical with those of the last.

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655. MYRTLE WARBLER. _Dendroica coronata._

Range.--Eastern North America, breeding from northern United States northward. Winters in the southern half of eastern United States.

This beautiful gray, white and black Warbler can readily be identified by its yellow rump, side patches and crown patch. It is one of our most common species during migrations when it is found west to the Rockies and casually farther. They nest on the lower branches of coniferous trees, making their homes of rootlets, plant fibres and grasses; during June or the latter part of May, three or four eggs are laid; they are white, spotted with several shades of brown and lilac; size .70 × .50. Data.--Lancaster, N. H., June 7, 1888. Nest in a small spruce, about 6 feet up; made of fine twigs, lined with feathers.

656. AUDUBON'S WARBLER. _Dendroica auduboni auduboni._

Range.--Mountain ranges of western United States from British Columbia to Mexico.

This bird resembles the last in the location of the yellow patches but has a yellow instead of a white throat, and is otherwise differently marked. They are as abundant in suitable localities as are the Myrtle Warblers in the east, nesting on the outer branches of coniferous trees at any height from the ground. The nests are made of bark strips, rootlets, plant fibre, grasses and pine needles, the three to five eggs are greenish or bluish white marked with brown and lilac; size .68 × .52. The one figured is from a beautiful set of four in Mr. C. W. Crandall's collection, and the ground color is a delicate shade of blue. Data.--Spanaway, Washington, April 23, 1902. Nest on the limb of a large fir in a clump of three in prairie country.

656a. BLACK-FRONTED WARBLER. _Dendroica auduboni nigrifrons._

Range.--Mountains of southern Arizona and Mexico.

Similar to the preceding, but with the forehead and ear coverts black. Their nests and eggs are in no way different from those of Audubon's Warbler.

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657. MAGNOLIA WARBLER. _Dendroica magnolia._

Range.--North America east of the Rockies, breeding from northern United States to Hudson Bay region and in the Alleghanies, south to Pennsylvania. Winters south of our borders. This species, which is one of the most beautiful of the Warblers, is entirely yellow below and on the rump, the breast and sides being heavily streaked with black; a large patch on the back and the ear coverts are black. They build in coniferous trees at any elevation from the ground, making their nests of rootlets and grass stems, usually lined with hair; the eggs are dull white, specked with pale reddish brown; size .65 × .48. Data.--Worcester, Mass., May 30, 1895. 4 eggs. Nest of fine rootlets and grasses about 30 feet up on the end of a limb of a pine overhanging a brook.

658. CERULEAN WARBLER. _Dendroica cærulea_.

Range.--United States east of the Plains, breeding chiefly in the northern half of the Mississippi Valley, rare east of the Alleghanies and casual in New England. These beautiful Warblers are light blue gray above, streaked with black on back, white below, with a grayish blue band on breast and streaks on the sides; they have two wide white wing bars and spots on the outer tail feathers. They are found chiefly in the higher trees where they glean on the foliage; they build also usually above twenty feet from the ground in any kind of tree, placing the nests well out on the horizontal limbs, generally in a fork. The nests are made of fine strips of bark, fibres, rootlets, etc., lined with hair; the eggs are white or pale bluish white, specked with reddish brown; size .62 × .48. Data.--Fargo, Ontario, June 2, 1901. Nest in a burr oak, 18 feet from the ground on a horizontal limb.

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659. CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER. _Dendroica pensylvanica._

Range.--United States, east of the Plains, breeding in the Middle States and Illinois, north to Manitoba and New Brunswick. Winters south of our border.

The adults of this handsome species may readily be known by the white underparts and the broad chestnut stripe on the flanks; the crown is yellow. They frequent low brush in open woods or on hillsides and pastures, nesting at low elevations, usually below three feet from the ground, and often concealing their nests beneath the leaves in the tops of low small bushes. The nests are made of grasses, weed stems and some fibres, but they do not have as wooly an appearance as those of the Yellow Warblers which nest in the same localities and similar locations. Their eggs are white or creamy white (never greenish white), specked with brown and gray. Size .65 × .50. Data.--Worcester, Mass., June 6, 1890. Nest in the top of a huckleberry bush, 2 feet from the ground; made of grasses and plant fibres. Bird did not leave nest until touched with the hand.

660. BAY-BREASTED WARBLER. _Dendroica castanea._

Range.--North America, east of the Plains, breeding from northern United States north to the Hudson Bay; winters in Central and South America.

This species has the crown, throat and sides a rich chestnut; forehead and face black; underparts white. They nest in coniferous trees in swampy places, making their nests of bark shreds and rootlets and placing them in horizontal forks at elevations of from five to thirty feet from the ground. The three or four eggs are laid late in May or during June; they are white, usually quite heavily spotted and blotched with reddish brown, umber and grayish. Size .70 × .50.

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661. BLACK-POLL WARBLER. _Dendroica striata._

Range.--North America, east of the Rockies, breeding from northern United States north to Labrador and Alaska; winters in South America.

This black and white Warbler has a solid black cap, and the underparts are white, streaked with black on the sides. In the woods they bear some resemblance to the Black and White Warbler, but do not have the creeping habits of that species. During migrations they are found in equal abundance in swamps or orchards. In their breeding range, they nest at low elevations in stunted pines or spruces, making their nests of rootlets and lichens, lined with feathers. The eggs are dull whitish, spotted or blotched with brown and neutral tints. Size .72 × .50. Data.--Grand Manan, N. B., June 12, 1883. Nest and four eggs on branch of a stunted spruce 2 feet from the ground.

662. BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER. _Dendroica fusca._

Range.--North America, east of the Plains, breeding from Massachusetts and Minnesota north to Hudson Bay; south in the Alleghanies to the Carolinas. Winters in Central and South America.

This species is, without exception, the most exquisite of the family; the male can always be known by the bright orange throat, breast and superciliary stripe, the upper parts being largely black. They arrive with us when the apple trees are in bloom and after a week's delay pass on to more northerly districts. Their nests are constructed of rootlets, fine weed stalks and grasses, lined with hair, and are placed on horizontal limbs of coniferous trees. The three or four eggs are greenish white, speckled, spotted and blotched with reddish brown and neutral tints. Size .70 × .48. Data.--Lancaster, Mass., June 21, 1901. Nest in a white pine, 38 feet from the ground on a limb 4 feet from the trunk; composed of fine rootlets and hair, resembling the nest of a Chipping Sparrow.

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663. YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER. _Dendroica dominica dominica._

Range.--South Atlantic and Gulf States, north to Virginia and casually farther; winters in Florida and the West Indies.

This species has gray upper parts with two white wing bars, the throat, breast and superciliary line are yellow, and the lores, cheeks and streaks on the sides are black. These birds nest abundantly in the South Atlantic States, usually in pines, and either on horizontal limbs or in bunches of Spanish moss. The nests are made of slender pieces of twigs, rootlets and strips of bark, and lined with either hair or feathers, the eggs are three to five in number, pale greenish white, specked about the large end with reddish brown and gray. Size .70 × .50. Data.--Raleigh, N. C., May 3, 1890. Nest 43 feet up on limb of pine; made of grasses and hair.

663a. SYCAMORE WARBLER. _Dendroica dominica albilora._

Range.--Mississippi Valley, breeding north to Ohio and Illinois, and west to Kansas and Texas; winters south of the United States.

This bird is precisely like the last except that the superciliary stripe is usually white. Their nesting habits are precisely like those of the last, and the nests are usually on horizontal branches of sycamores; the eggs cannot be distinguished from those of the Yellow-throated Warbler.

664. GRACE'S WARBLER. _Dendroica graciæ._

Range.--Southwestern United States, abundant in Arizona and New Mexico.

This Warbler is similar in markings and colors to the Yellow-throated variety except that the cheeks are gray instead of black. The nesting habits of the two species are the same, these birds building high in coniferous trees; the nests are made of rootlets and bark shreds, lined with hair or feathers; the eggs are white, dotted with reddish brown and lilac. Size .68 × .48.

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665. BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER. _Dendroica nigrescens._

Range.--United States from the Rockies to the Pacific coast and north to British Columbia; winters south of our borders.

The general color of this species is grayish above and white below as is a superciliary line and stripe down the side of the throat; the crown, cheeks and throat are black and there is a yellow spot in front of the eye. They inhabit woodland and thickets and are common in such localities from Arizona to Oregon, nesting usually at low elevations in bushes or shrubs; the nests are made of grasses and fibres, woven together, and lined with hair or fine grasses, resembling, slightly, nests of the Yellow Warbler. The eggs are white or greenish white, specked with reddish brown and umber. Size .65 × .52. Data.--Waldo, Oregon, June 1, 1901. Nest 3 feet from the ground in a small oak in valley. Collector, C. W. Bowles. (Crandall collection.)

666. GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER. _Dendroica chrysoparia._

Range.--Central and southern Texas south to Central America.

This beautiful and rare species is entirely black above and on the throat, enclosing a large bright yellow patch about the eye and a small one on the crown. In their very restricted United States range, the birds are met with in cedar timber where they nest at low elevations in the upright forks of young trees of this variety. Their nests are made of strips of cedar bark, interwoven with plant fibres and spider webs making compact nests, which they line with hair and feathers. Their three or four eggs are white, dotted and specked with reddish brown and umber. Size .75 × .55.

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667. BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER. _Dendroica virens._

Range.--Eastern United States, breeding from southern New England, South Carolina in the Alleghanies, and Illinois north to Hudson Bay; winters south of the United States.

These common eastern birds are similar to the last but the entire upper parts are olive greenish. They are nearly always found, and always nest, in pines, either groves or hillsides covered with young pines. The nests are usually placed out among the pine needles where they are very difficult to locate, and resemble nests of the Chipping Sparrow. I have found them at heights ranging from six to forty or fifty feet from the ground. The three or four eggs, which they lay in June, are white, wreathed and speckled with brownish and lilac. Size .60 × .50.

668. TOWNSEND'S WARBLER. _Dendroica townsendi._

Range.--Western United States, from the Rockies to the Pacific and from Alaska southward; winters in Mexico.

This is the common western representative of the last species, and is similar but has black ear patches and the crown is black. They nest in coniferous woods throughout their United States and Canadian range, the nests being placed at any height from the ground and being constructed like those of the Black-throated Green. Their eggs are not distinguishable from those of the latter. Size .60 × .50.

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669. HERMIT WARBLER. _Dendroica occidentalis._

Range.--Western United States and British Columbia chiefly on the higher ranges. Winters south to Central America.

This peculiar species has the entire head bright yellow and the throat black; upperparts grayish, underparts white. They are found nesting in wild rugged country, high up in pine trees, the nests being located among bunches of needles so that they are very difficult to find. The nests are made of rootlets, shreds of bark, pine needles, etc., lined with fine grasses or hair. The three or four eggs are laid during June or the latter part of May; they are white or creamy white, and sometimes with a faint greenish tinge, specked and wreathed with brown and lilac gray. Size .68 × .52.

670. KIRTLAND'S WARBLER. _Dendroica kirtlandi._

Range.--Eastern United States; apt to be found in any of the South Atlantic, Middle or Central States, and in Ontario, Canada. Winters in the Bahamas where by far the greater number of specimens have been found.

This very rare Warbler is bluish gray above, streaked with black, and yellow below with the throat and sides streaked. Until the summer of 1903, the locality where they bred was a mystery. The capture of a specimen, in June, in Oscodo Co., Michigan, led to the search for the nests by N. A. Wood, taxidermist for the Michigan Museum at Ann Arbor. He was successful in his quest and found two nests with young and one egg. The nest in which the egg was found contained two young birds also. It was in a depression in the ground at the foot of a Jack pine tree and only a few feet from a cart road. The nest was made of strips of bark and vegetable fibres, lined with grass and pine needles. The egg is white, sprinkled with brown in a wreath about the large end. Size .72 × .56. It is estimated that there were thirteen pairs of the birds in this colony.

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671. PINE WARBLER. _Dendroica vigorsi._

Range.--Eastern United States, breeding from the Gulf to southern British Provinces; winters in the Gulf States and southward.

This common eastern species is greenish above and dull yellowish below, streaked with dusky on the sides. They are almost exclusively found in pine woods, either light or heavy growth, where they can always be located by their peculiar, musical lisping trill. They nest high in these trees, placing their nests in thick bunches of needles, so that they are very difficult to locate. They nest from March in the south to May in the northern states, laying three or four dull whitish eggs, specked or blotched with shades of brown and lilac; size .68 × .52. Data.--Worcester, Mass., May 28, 1891. Nest 30 feet up in a pine; made of pine needles and rootlets.

672. PALM WARBLER. _Dendroica palmarum palmarum._

Range.--Interior of North America, breeding about Hudson Bay and northward and wintering in the lower Mississippi Valley and the West Indies.

This species is brownish yellow above and yellow on the throat and breast, the crown and streaks on the sides are chestnut. They are found during migrations on or near the ground on the edges of woods or thickets and along roadsides; have a peculiar habit of "teetering" their tail which will readily identify them. They nest on the ground in, or on the edges of swampy places, lining the hollow with grasses and rootlets. In May or June they lay three or four eggs which are creamy white, variously specked with brown and lilac; size .68 × .52.

672a. YELLOW PALM WARBLER. _Dendroica palmarum hypochrysea._

Range.--Eastern North America, breeding from Nova Scotia, northward.

This is the common Yellow Redpoll Warbler of the eastern states, and is very abundant during migrations. Their habits are the same, if not identical with the interior species. Their nests are also like those of the last, placed on the ground and the eggs are indistinguishable.

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673. PRAIRIE WARBLER. _Dendroica discolor._

Range.--Eastern United States, breeding from the Gulf to Massachusetts and Ontario; winters in southern Florida and the West Indies.

A species readily recognized by its bright yellow underparts and the black stripes on the face and sides; several bright chestnut spots are in the middle of the greenish back. These birds will be found on dry scrubby hillsides and valleys, where they nest in low bushes, and the male will be found in the tops of the tallest lookout trees delivering his quaint and very peculiar lisping song. Their nests are handsomely made of vegetable fibres and grasses, closely woven together and lined with hair; this structure is placed in the top of low bushes so that it is well concealed by the upper foliage. Their three to five eggs are whitish, specked and spotted with shades of brown and neutral tints; size .64 × .48. Data.--Worcester, Mass., June 23, 1891. Nest in the top of a young walnut, two feet from ground; made of plant fibres and grasses. Four eggs.

674. OVEN-BIRD. _Seiurus aurocapillus._

Range.--North America east of the Rockies, breeding from the middle portions of the United States, north to Labrador and Alaska. Winters from the Gulf States southward.

This species is fully as often known as the Golden-crowned Thrush, because of its brownish orange crown bordered with black. They are woodland birds exclusively and nest on the ground, arching the top over with rootlets or leaves, the nest proper being made of grasses and leaf skeletons. As they are concealed so effectually, the nests are usually found by flushing the bird. The four to six eggs are white, slightly glossy and spotted, blotched or wreathed with reddish brown and lilac; size .80 × .60. Data.--Old Saybrook, Conn., June 19, 1899. Domed nest with a side entrance on the ground in woods.

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