Length: A little over 5½ inches, one of the larger warblers.Male: The grayish upper parts, white under parts, (both streaked with black), and the black cheeks of the Myrtle Warbler remind one of the Black and White Creeping Warbler. Itsfour patches of yellow,—on thecrown,rump, and oneach sideare distinctive. The wings and tail are brownish-gray; wings, withtwo white bars; tail with graduated patches of whitenear endof outside feathers; white throat and belly.Female: Browner above; breast less heavily streaked with black.Notes: The notes and song of this warbler are described by Mr. Forbush as follows: “The Myrtle Warbler has a variety of notes, but the one usually uttered spring and fall is a soft chirp orchup, which, at a little distance, exactly resembles the sound produced by a large drop of water as it strikes the ground or leaf-mold. These sounds are so similar that after storms in the woods I have often found it difficult to distinguish the note of this warbler from the splash of the large drops that were still falling from the trees. The song is a rather weak warble, very sweet, and often of long duration.... It has quite as many variations as the song of any warbler that I now recall.”[142]Range: Breeds in the forest-belt of Canada and Alaska, south to Minnesota, Michigan, New Hampshire, Maine,Vermont, Massachusetts, and the mountains of New York, winters from Kansas, New Jersey, southern New England to West Indies, Mexico, and Panama, and from central Oregon to southern California.
Length: A little over 5½ inches, one of the larger warblers.
Male: The grayish upper parts, white under parts, (both streaked with black), and the black cheeks of the Myrtle Warbler remind one of the Black and White Creeping Warbler. Itsfour patches of yellow,—on thecrown,rump, and oneach sideare distinctive. The wings and tail are brownish-gray; wings, withtwo white bars; tail with graduated patches of whitenear endof outside feathers; white throat and belly.
Female: Browner above; breast less heavily streaked with black.
Notes: The notes and song of this warbler are described by Mr. Forbush as follows: “The Myrtle Warbler has a variety of notes, but the one usually uttered spring and fall is a soft chirp orchup, which, at a little distance, exactly resembles the sound produced by a large drop of water as it strikes the ground or leaf-mold. These sounds are so similar that after storms in the woods I have often found it difficult to distinguish the note of this warbler from the splash of the large drops that were still falling from the trees. The song is a rather weak warble, very sweet, and often of long duration.... It has quite as many variations as the song of any warbler that I now recall.”[142]
Range: Breeds in the forest-belt of Canada and Alaska, south to Minnesota, Michigan, New Hampshire, Maine,Vermont, Massachusetts, and the mountains of New York, winters from Kansas, New Jersey, southern New England to West Indies, Mexico, and Panama, and from central Oregon to southern California.
The Myrtle or Yellow-rumped Warbler is found in North America except in the western United States. It is so abundant and so distinctly marked as to be better known than many warblers. “Trim of form and graceful of motion, when seeking its food it combines the methods of the wrens, creepers, and flycatchers. This bird is so small and nimble that it successfully attacks insects too minute to be prey for larger birds. Flies are the largest item of food; in fact only a few flycatchers and swallows eat as many flies as this bird.”[143]
The Myrtle Warbler is especially fond of bayberries and may be found, even in winter, where these berries are to be obtained. New Jersey and Cape Cod are favorite feeding places.
Length: About 5 inches.Male: Smaller than the Myrtle Warbler, and at first glance, not unlike it in appearance, because each bird has a yellow rump, a striped breast, dark gray upper parts, and back and breast streaked with black. The head of the Magnolia Warbler, however, hasno yellow patch, but abroad white line over the eye, black cheeks and forehead, andyellowunder parts, (instead of white), which are heavily streaked with black. The wings havelarge white patchesinstead ofbars; the tail is black, with a broad white band extendingacrossthemiddle,—a distinguishing mark.Female: Similar to male, but duller.Song: “It is one of our full-voiced warblers, the song resembling the syllables wee-to,wee-to, wee-a-tee or witchi, witchi, witchi, tit, witchi-tit, witchi-tit, witchi-tit, the first four words deliberate and even, the last three hurried and higher pitched.... The song is louder than the yellow warbler’s.”[144]Habitat: “Throughout the migration season, the Magnolia warbler is common throughout our orchards and shade trees, as well as woodlands.... In its nesting grounds, this warbler prefers coniferous growth, especially young spruces.”[144]Range: Breeds from southern Mackenzie, Keewatin, northern Quebec, and Newfoundland to central Alberta, Saskatchewan, Minnesota, northern Michigan, and northern Massachusetts; in the mountains of West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York; winters from southern Mexico to Panama.
Length: About 5 inches.
Male: Smaller than the Myrtle Warbler, and at first glance, not unlike it in appearance, because each bird has a yellow rump, a striped breast, dark gray upper parts, and back and breast streaked with black. The head of the Magnolia Warbler, however, hasno yellow patch, but abroad white line over the eye, black cheeks and forehead, andyellowunder parts, (instead of white), which are heavily streaked with black. The wings havelarge white patchesinstead ofbars; the tail is black, with a broad white band extendingacrossthemiddle,—a distinguishing mark.
Female: Similar to male, but duller.
Song: “It is one of our full-voiced warblers, the song resembling the syllables wee-to,wee-to, wee-a-tee or witchi, witchi, witchi, tit, witchi-tit, witchi-tit, witchi-tit, the first four words deliberate and even, the last three hurried and higher pitched.... The song is louder than the yellow warbler’s.”[144]
Habitat: “Throughout the migration season, the Magnolia warbler is common throughout our orchards and shade trees, as well as woodlands.... In its nesting grounds, this warbler prefers coniferous growth, especially young spruces.”[144]
Range: Breeds from southern Mackenzie, Keewatin, northern Quebec, and Newfoundland to central Alberta, Saskatchewan, Minnesota, northern Michigan, and northern Massachusetts; in the mountains of West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York; winters from southern Mexico to Panama.
Mr. C. F. Stone in “Birds of New York” says: “Every hemlock-clad gully or hemlock woods where the trees are close and limbs intertwined afford suitable haunts for this lively and emphatic singer.... Among the smaller gullies 1 or 2 pairs may be found, and in the larger gullies it is not unusual to locate 12 or 15 pairs during the nesting period. In some of these situations the Magnolia does not seem to occur, perhaps because it is so persecuted by red squirrels and cowbirds. The latter seems to make a specialty of presenting this warbler with one or more of its eggs, generally puncturing the eggs of the Magnolia before leaving the nest.”[144]
Length: About 5½ inches.Male: Body glossy black, with a white belly, orange patches at the sides of the body and under the wings; an orange band across the wings; middle tail-feathers black; other tail-feathers broadly tipped with black but largely orange, conspicuous in flight; bill with bristles.Female: Gray and olive-green above, white underneath; yellow instead of orange on sides, wings, tail, and under tail.Young Male: Like female till end of first breeding season.Nest: A beautiful structure made of strips of bark, root-fibers, and plant-down, and placed in the fork of a tree. If built in a birch sapling and decorated with bits of birch bark, it seems a part of the tree.Song: A cheerful trill, rather weak and unmusical.Range: North America. Breeds from Oklahoma, Arkansas, and North Carolina northward; winters in the West Indies, central Mexico, and northern South America.
Length: About 5½ inches.
Male: Body glossy black, with a white belly, orange patches at the sides of the body and under the wings; an orange band across the wings; middle tail-feathers black; other tail-feathers broadly tipped with black but largely orange, conspicuous in flight; bill with bristles.
Female: Gray and olive-green above, white underneath; yellow instead of orange on sides, wings, tail, and under tail.
Young Male: Like female till end of first breeding season.
Nest: A beautiful structure made of strips of bark, root-fibers, and plant-down, and placed in the fork of a tree. If built in a birch sapling and decorated with bits of birch bark, it seems a part of the tree.
Song: A cheerful trill, rather weak and unmusical.
Range: North America. Breeds from Oklahoma, Arkansas, and North Carolina northward; winters in the West Indies, central Mexico, and northern South America.
The Redstart is one of the most beautiful and conspicuous of the warblers. Its fan-shaped, flame-colored tail tipped with black is its most distinctive mark. It is in almost constant motion, fluttering incessantly in pursuit of its insect prey. Mr. Forbush writes, “In all its movements its wings are held in readiness for instant flight, and in its sinuous twistings and turnings, risings and fallings, its colors expand, contract, and glow amid the sylvan shades like a dancing torch.”[145]
Like flycatchers, the redstart has bristles at the base of its bill, which makes the capture of a great variety of insects an easy matter. It has been named the “flycatcher of the inner treetops, but it is a flycatcher of the bushtops as well.”[146]
Length: A little over 5 inches.Male: Black crown, with bright orange patch in the center; irregular black patch extending from eye, bordered with orange; throat and breast orange, becoming yellowish on belly; back black, streaked with white; sides streaked with black; wings black, with white edges and alarge white patch; tail black,most of the feathers nearly all white on inner web. Colors duller in the fall.Female: Upper parts grayish-olive, streaked with white; orange parts paler, less white on wings and tail.Song: A “thin” warbler-like trill.Habitat: Treetops of coniferous forests preferably.Range: Breeds from central Canada to northern United States, and in the Alleghany Mts. from Pennsylvania to Georgia; winters in Colombia and Peru.
Length: A little over 5 inches.
Male: Black crown, with bright orange patch in the center; irregular black patch extending from eye, bordered with orange; throat and breast orange, becoming yellowish on belly; back black, streaked with white; sides streaked with black; wings black, with white edges and alarge white patch; tail black,most of the feathers nearly all white on inner web. Colors duller in the fall.
Female: Upper parts grayish-olive, streaked with white; orange parts paler, less white on wings and tail.
Song: A “thin” warbler-like trill.
Habitat: Treetops of coniferous forests preferably.
Range: Breeds from central Canada to northern United States, and in the Alleghany Mts. from Pennsylvania to Georgia; winters in Colombia and Peru.
This brilliant warbler flashes flame as do the oriole and the redstart, and like them, always brings a thrill of pleasure. It remains with us so short a time that its appearance is an event.
Mr. Forbush tells of going out at daybreak May 11, 1900, at Amesbury, Mass., to observe the migrant warblers. He says: “As we walked through the streetsof the village, many male Blackburnian Warblers were seen among the street trees. A little later we saw them in the orchards, their brilliant orange breasts flashing in the sunlight. As we approached the woods it was everywhere the same. The night had been very cold, and other insect-eating birds were seeking benumbed insects on or near the ground. There were four bright Redstarts flitting about on the upturned sod of a newly plowed garden. These and other species of Warblers were to be seen in every orchard, wood, and thicket. The Blackburnian Warblers had come in during the night, and were busy hunting for their breakfasts until 7 o’clock, when we went to ours. At 8 o’clock not a single Blackburnian was to be seen. I scoured the country till nearly noon, finding all the other Warblers as at daybreak, but not a Blackburnian could be found. They had done their share of the good work and passed on. A later riser would have missed them.”[147]
Eaton says: “The Blackburnian warbler during the migration season associates with the Magnolia, Bay-breasted, and Chestnut-sided warblers among the blossoming fruit trees and the leaving shrubbery and shade trees of our lawns and parks. During the nesting season, however, it is almost entirely confined to mixed and evergreen forests, being especially fond of hemlocks and spruces.... The old name of Hemlock warbler is perfectly appropriate. The Blackburnian flutters about while feeding almost as conspicuously as the Redstart and Magnolia, displaying its brilliant colors and pied pattern very effectively.”[148]
Length: About 5 inches.Male: Olive-green above, bright yellow below;breast streaked with brown; wings edged with yellow; tail dark brown, with yellow on inner web;no black on head, throat, wings, ortail; bill slender.Female: Similar; with fainter streaks on breast, or an unstreaked breast.Song: A sweetchee-chee-chee-chee-chee′-a-wee?Habitat: Orchards, gardens, and shade trees, rather than woods.Nest: A beautiful cup lined with felt. This bird’s nest has been recorded as a favorite depository for cowbirds’ eggs.Range: North America. Breeds from northern Canadian and Alaskan tree-regions to southern Missouri and northern South Carolina; winters from Yucatan to Brazil and Peru.
Length: About 5 inches.
Male: Olive-green above, bright yellow below;breast streaked with brown; wings edged with yellow; tail dark brown, with yellow on inner web;no black on head, throat, wings, ortail; bill slender.
Female: Similar; with fainter streaks on breast, or an unstreaked breast.
Song: A sweetchee-chee-chee-chee-chee′-a-wee?
Habitat: Orchards, gardens, and shade trees, rather than woods.
Nest: A beautiful cup lined with felt. This bird’s nest has been recorded as a favorite depository for cowbirds’ eggs.
Range: North America. Breeds from northern Canadian and Alaskan tree-regions to southern Missouri and northern South Carolina; winters from Yucatan to Brazil and Peru.
The Yellow Warbler is one of the best known of its tribe. It is an attractive, lovable little bird, a useful destroyer of small insects that feed upon the leaves of trees, and a charming addition to any orchard or garden, as it flits among the trees like a ray of sunshine.
It is frequently confused with the goldfinch; but careful observation of markings, of flight, and of song will show decided differences. The goldfinch has a black crown, wings, and tail, an unstreaked breast, undulating flight, and a sustained song. This little olive and yellow bird has no black in its plumage; it makes short flights, and sings a simple strain. It is not a seed-eater, like the finches, but is insectivorous.
YELLOW WARBLER
YELLOW WARBLER
Length: About 5½ inches.Male: Upper parts olive-green with a grayish tinge; throat and breast yellow; sides streaked with gray; belly white; wings and tail brownish-gray; wings with two whitish bars;outer tail-feathers tipped with white on inner web.Female: Similar to male, but browner above and duller underneath.Notes: “Its alarm note is a sharp chirp, its other notes are few and weak.”Song: “The song is one of the most soothing sounds of the pine-woods. It has in it the same dreamy drowsiness that characterizes the note of the Black-throated Green Warbler, but is otherwise entirely different in tone and quality, being composed of a series of short, soft, whistling notes, run together in a continuous trill. It resembles, in a way, the song of the Chipping Sparrow, except that it is softer and more musical.”[149]Habitat: “Pine woods and groves; it seems to prefer the pitch pines, and is one of the few birds that habitually live and breed in woods of this character, like those of Cape Cod. It has been called the Pine-creeping Warbler, from its habit of creeping along the branches, and occasionally up and around the trunks of pines.”[149]Range: Eastern North America. It is abundant in the South where pine forests are common. It is found insouthern Canada, northern and eastern United States, in such pine-regions as Michigan and New Jersey.
Length: About 5½ inches.
Male: Upper parts olive-green with a grayish tinge; throat and breast yellow; sides streaked with gray; belly white; wings and tail brownish-gray; wings with two whitish bars;outer tail-feathers tipped with white on inner web.
Female: Similar to male, but browner above and duller underneath.
Notes: “Its alarm note is a sharp chirp, its other notes are few and weak.”
Song: “The song is one of the most soothing sounds of the pine-woods. It has in it the same dreamy drowsiness that characterizes the note of the Black-throated Green Warbler, but is otherwise entirely different in tone and quality, being composed of a series of short, soft, whistling notes, run together in a continuous trill. It resembles, in a way, the song of the Chipping Sparrow, except that it is softer and more musical.”[149]
Habitat: “Pine woods and groves; it seems to prefer the pitch pines, and is one of the few birds that habitually live and breed in woods of this character, like those of Cape Cod. It has been called the Pine-creeping Warbler, from its habit of creeping along the branches, and occasionally up and around the trunks of pines.”[149]
Range: Eastern North America. It is abundant in the South where pine forests are common. It is found insouthern Canada, northern and eastern United States, in such pine-regions as Michigan and New Jersey.
Length: About 5¼ inches.Male: Olive-green above, brightest on rump and tail; yellow underneath, with gray sides;a broad band of black bordered at the back with gray extends across the face in the form of a mask. The young males lack the conspicuous mask.Female: Similar to male, but without a mask.Note: A sharp call-note chick, frequently repeated.Song:Witch′-e-tee′-o, witch′-e-tee′-o.Writers interpret the song in various ways. Mr. Forbush’ssich′-a-wiggle, sich′-a-wiggle, sich′-a-wiggle, is an excellent rendering. The song varies with individuals, but is phrased and accented similarly.Habitat: Roadside thickets, especially near water.Range: Eastern North America. It breeds from North Dakota eastward to southeastern Canada, and south to central Texas, the northern part of the Gulf States and Virginia; winters from North Carolina and Louisiana to Florida, the Bahamas, Cuba, Guatemala, and Costa Rica.
Length: About 5¼ inches.
Male: Olive-green above, brightest on rump and tail; yellow underneath, with gray sides;a broad band of black bordered at the back with gray extends across the face in the form of a mask. The young males lack the conspicuous mask.
Female: Similar to male, but without a mask.
Note: A sharp call-note chick, frequently repeated.
Song:Witch′-e-tee′-o, witch′-e-tee′-o.Writers interpret the song in various ways. Mr. Forbush’ssich′-a-wiggle, sich′-a-wiggle, sich′-a-wiggle, is an excellent rendering. The song varies with individuals, but is phrased and accented similarly.
Habitat: Roadside thickets, especially near water.
Range: Eastern North America. It breeds from North Dakota eastward to southeastern Canada, and south to central Texas, the northern part of the Gulf States and Virginia; winters from North Carolina and Louisiana to Florida, the Bahamas, Cuba, Guatemala, and Costa Rica.
The Maryland Yellow-throat is a delightful summer visitor. Trim, dainty, exquisitely colored, lithe, and full of song, he is a charming part of the thickets of roadsides and streams.
MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT
MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT
A host of warblers northward come in May,And linger with us only one brief day;You, yellow-throated songster, love to stay.
A host of warblers northward come in May,
And linger with us only one brief day;
You, yellow-throated songster, love to stay.
We glimpse your dainty coat of olive-green,Your breast and throat of shimmering yellow sheenAnd mask of black, where ferns and bushes lean
We glimpse your dainty coat of olive-green,
Your breast and throat of shimmering yellow sheen
And mask of black, where ferns and bushes lean
O’er sparkling streamlets, rimmed with many a reed,And hung with brilliant golden jewel-weed.Midst feathery spikes of meadow-sweet you speed.
O’er sparkling streamlets, rimmed with many a reed,
And hung with brilliant golden jewel-weed.
Midst feathery spikes of meadow-sweet you speed.
Your brooding mate you watch, as to and froYou flit; and while the summer breezes blowYou sing yourWitch-i-tee′-o, witch-i-tee′-o.
Your brooding mate you watch, as to and fro
You flit; and while the summer breezes blow
You sing yourWitch-i-tee′-o, witch-i-tee′-o.
Length: About 5½ inches.Male: Forehead, cheeks, breast, and belly yellow;backofcrownandthroat black, the two dark areasunited by a black line;mask yellow; back and rump olive; wings and tail a dark grayish-olive; theouter tail-feathers largely whiteon theirinner webs.Female: Similar to male, but without the black hood; dark edge to crown; breast faintly washed with black.Song: E. H. Eaton in his “Birds of New York” writes: “The song of this warbler is one of the few which the author can hear with perfect distinctness and enjoy.” He adds that it is described by Langille as follows: “che-reek, che-reek, che-reek, chi-de-ee, the first three with a loud, bell-like ring, the rest much accelerated with a falling inflection.”Habitat: Trees of deep woods.Range: Eastern United States, west to the Plains, north and east to southern Michigan and Ontario, western and southeastern New York, and southern New England; in winter, West Indies, eastern Mexico, Central America, and Panama.
Length: About 5½ inches.
Male: Forehead, cheeks, breast, and belly yellow;backofcrownandthroat black, the two dark areasunited by a black line;mask yellow; back and rump olive; wings and tail a dark grayish-olive; theouter tail-feathers largely whiteon theirinner webs.
Female: Similar to male, but without the black hood; dark edge to crown; breast faintly washed with black.
Song: E. H. Eaton in his “Birds of New York” writes: “The song of this warbler is one of the few which the author can hear with perfect distinctness and enjoy.” He adds that it is described by Langille as follows: “che-reek, che-reek, che-reek, chi-de-ee, the first three with a loud, bell-like ring, the rest much accelerated with a falling inflection.”
Habitat: Trees of deep woods.
Range: Eastern United States, west to the Plains, north and east to southern Michigan and Ontario, western and southeastern New York, and southern New England; in winter, West Indies, eastern Mexico, Central America, and Panama.
This warbler looks as though it had nearly divided a large hood,—had slipped one half of it back on its head like a calash, and allowed the other half to remain under its chin. It is easy to identify by its appearance and its song, and its habit of living in the lower parts of trees.
Eaton says: “The nest of the Hooded Warbler is usually placed in a low sapling or bush from 1 to 3 feet from the ground. In my experience it is the easiest of all the warbler nests to find. Wherever I have noticed a Hooded warbler singing in a patch of woodland, I have been very successful in locating the nest by placing my eye close to the ground and looking through the shrubbery from below the cover of the undergrowth. Then the nest will almost surely be seen if one is within a few rods, appearing like a bunch of leaves a short distance above the ground.”
Length: About 5 inches.Male: Olive-green above, except for ablack crown, outlined with yellow in front and at the sides of crown; under parts yellow, except for a grayish tinge at the sides; wings and tailwithout white barsandpatches.Female: Similar to male, but without a clearly defined black cap.Song: A loud, sweet trill, containing variations.Habitat: Low thickets, usually at the edges of woods, rather than in treetops.Range: Eastern North America. Breeds in the tree-regions of northern Canada south to southern Saskatchewan, northern Minnesota, central Ontario, New Hampshire, Maine, and Nova Scotia; winters in easternCentral America; migrates through the Alleghanies; practically unknown from Virginia to Louisiana.
Length: About 5 inches.
Male: Olive-green above, except for ablack crown, outlined with yellow in front and at the sides of crown; under parts yellow, except for a grayish tinge at the sides; wings and tailwithout white barsandpatches.
Female: Similar to male, but without a clearly defined black cap.
Song: A loud, sweet trill, containing variations.
Habitat: Low thickets, usually at the edges of woods, rather than in treetops.
Range: Eastern North America. Breeds in the tree-regions of northern Canada south to southern Saskatchewan, northern Minnesota, central Ontario, New Hampshire, Maine, and Nova Scotia; winters in easternCentral America; migrates through the Alleghanies; practically unknown from Virginia to Louisiana.
This attractive little warbler with its black cap might easily be confused with the goldfinch by a beginner in bird-study. The olive-green back, wings, and tail differentiate it. Unlike the goldfinch, it is not a resident, but a traveler to northern forests where it breeds. It journeys enormous distances.
“It appears very irregularly, some years in great abundance and some seasons not at all.”[150]
Length: About 5 inches.Male: Olive-green above; dull black patch below eye,encircled with a broad rim of yellow;throat and breast black, becoming yellowish-white on the belly; sides streaked with black; wings with two whitish bars;tail with outer feathers largely white.Female: Similar to male; black of throat and breast mottled with yellow, streaks on sides less conspicuous.Song: An insect-like trill,zee-zee? ze-ze-zee?Habitat: Coniferous woods preferably.Range: North America, from central Canada to northern Ohio and Long Island and in the Alleghany Mts., to Georgia and South Carolina; winters from Mexico to Panama.
Length: About 5 inches.
Male: Olive-green above; dull black patch below eye,encircled with a broad rim of yellow;throat and breast black, becoming yellowish-white on the belly; sides streaked with black; wings with two whitish bars;tail with outer feathers largely white.
Female: Similar to male; black of throat and breast mottled with yellow, streaks on sides less conspicuous.
Song: An insect-like trill,zee-zee? ze-ze-zee?
Habitat: Coniferous woods preferably.
Range: North America, from central Canada to northern Ohio and Long Island and in the Alleghany Mts., to Georgia and South Carolina; winters from Mexico to Panama.
For three summers I heard the persistent buzzing of this little Black-throat in the Maine woods before I was able to catch more than a fleeting glimpse of him. He is very shy and elusive. An opportunity to see thisbeautiful little jeweled bird at close range is an event to bird-lovers. He is an industrious gleaner of small insects from dark pine and spruce forests.
Length: About 5½ inches.Male: Gray above without white wing-bars or spots on tail; crown with fine black spots;eye-ring, andline from bill to eye-ring bright yellow; under parts bright yellow;short black streaks extending across the entire breast; white under tail.Female: Similar to male, with fainter streaks on breast.Song: A rapid and clear warble, more easily recognized than that of some warblers.Habitat: “The Canadian Warbler during the migration season is found about our door-yard shrubbery, and the thickets on the edges of streams and woodland.... In the nesting season we must seek for it in cooler gullies or in damp, cool woodlands of deciduous or mixed growth.”[151]Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from south-central Canada to central Minnesota, Michigan, New York, and Massachusetts, and along the Alleghanies to North Carolina and Tennessee; winters in Ecuador and Peru.
Length: About 5½ inches.
Male: Gray above without white wing-bars or spots on tail; crown with fine black spots;eye-ring, andline from bill to eye-ring bright yellow; under parts bright yellow;short black streaks extending across the entire breast; white under tail.
Female: Similar to male, with fainter streaks on breast.
Song: A rapid and clear warble, more easily recognized than that of some warblers.
Habitat: “The Canadian Warbler during the migration season is found about our door-yard shrubbery, and the thickets on the edges of streams and woodland.... In the nesting season we must seek for it in cooler gullies or in damp, cool woodlands of deciduous or mixed growth.”[151]
Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from south-central Canada to central Minnesota, Michigan, New York, and Massachusetts, and along the Alleghanies to North Carolina and Tennessee; winters in Ecuador and Peru.
Length: About 7½ inches; the largest of the warblers.Male and Female: Olive-green above; bright yellow throat and breast; belly white;broad white streak extending from bill above eye; white crescent beneath eye;white streak at each side of throat, separating the olive-green and yellow areas.Song: A medley impossible to describe, full of chucks and gurgles—a strange mixture of sounds. As a singer, the chat is in a class by himself; he is very different from the other warblers.Habitat: Thickets and bushy pastures.Range: Eastern United States; winters from Vera Cruz to Panama.
Length: About 7½ inches; the largest of the warblers.
Male and Female: Olive-green above; bright yellow throat and breast; belly white;broad white streak extending from bill above eye; white crescent beneath eye;white streak at each side of throat, separating the olive-green and yellow areas.
Song: A medley impossible to describe, full of chucks and gurgles—a strange mixture of sounds. As a singer, the chat is in a class by himself; he is very different from the other warblers.
Habitat: Thickets and bushy pastures.
Range: Eastern United States; winters from Vera Cruz to Panama.
The following statements regarding the Chat are taken from Eaton’s “Birds of New York”:
“The Chat is not a bird of the dense woodland or of open situations, but is confined to thick coverts of shrubs, vines, and young saplings, preferring a denser covert than even the Chestnut-sided warbler and the Catbird. It is rarely seen far from such situations....
“Though the Chat is so averse to being seen, he will sometimes be found even within the limits of our villages and cities where suitable thickets of considerable extent are found and his loud song is frequently heard from village streets and sidewalks.”
Length: About 5½ inches.Male and Female:Crown chestnut; line over the eye and ring around the eye yellow; upper parts olive-green, browner on the back;under parts bright yellow, with streaks of brown on throat, breast, and sides; wings sometimes edged with brown; tail edged with olive-green; outer tail-feathers with white spots on inner webs near tips.Song: Two songs, one “thinner” and more rapid than the other.Habitat: Fields and roadsides; feeds chiefly on the ground and among low bushes.Range: Atlantic Slope of North America. Breeds in southeastern Canada and Maine; winters from Louisiana to northern Florida; casually to North Carolina and Pennsylvania. ThePALM WARBLERis the western species, an inhabitant of the Mississippi Valley and the region eastward. It is very common in Florida, where it may be discovered in company with yellow Palm Warblers.
Length: About 5½ inches.
Male and Female:Crown chestnut; line over the eye and ring around the eye yellow; upper parts olive-green, browner on the back;under parts bright yellow, with streaks of brown on throat, breast, and sides; wings sometimes edged with brown; tail edged with olive-green; outer tail-feathers with white spots on inner webs near tips.
Song: Two songs, one “thinner” and more rapid than the other.
Habitat: Fields and roadsides; feeds chiefly on the ground and among low bushes.
Range: Atlantic Slope of North America. Breeds in southeastern Canada and Maine; winters from Louisiana to northern Florida; casually to North Carolina and Pennsylvania. ThePALM WARBLERis the western species, an inhabitant of the Mississippi Valley and the region eastward. It is very common in Florida, where it may be discovered in company with yellow Palm Warblers.
This lively little warbler, with its nervous habit of tipping up its tail incessantly like a spotted sandpiper, resembles its near relative the yellow warbler in a few respects. The olive-green upper parts and yellow breast streaked with brown are points of resemblances, but the chestnut crown and yellow line over the eye are differences. Neither yellow warblers nor yellow palm warblers are dwellers in the woods, but prefer to live near the haunts of man. Yellow warblers are seen in trees and bushes, while the palm warblers are found by roadsides, often on the ground in the stubble of pastures, out in the open. While subdued in color and therefore inconspicuous, they are readily identified by the habit of moving their tails.
Length: About 4½ inches; one of the smaller warblers.Male: Upper parts bright blue; head and back streaked with black; light streak above eye; white throat, breast,and belly, with a bluish-black line that extends across the breast and down each side; wings with two broad white bars; inner webs of all except the middle tail-feathers with small white patches near tips.Female: Bluish-olive above, under parts pale yellow; light streak over eye; wings with white bars; tail-feathers with white tips.Song: Mr. Stone describes the song of the Cerulean warbler as “an almost continuous ‘zwee-zwee, zwee, wee-ee’ during the nesting season.”[152]Habitat: “They are numerous in the maple woods on the hillsides overlooking the swamp, as well as in the swamp itself,” writes Mr. Stone.[152]Range: Eastern North America. Breeds mainly from southeastern Nebraska, Minnesota, southern Michigan and Ontario, western New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, south to Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama.
Length: About 4½ inches; one of the smaller warblers.
Male: Upper parts bright blue; head and back streaked with black; light streak above eye; white throat, breast,and belly, with a bluish-black line that extends across the breast and down each side; wings with two broad white bars; inner webs of all except the middle tail-feathers with small white patches near tips.
Female: Bluish-olive above, under parts pale yellow; light streak over eye; wings with white bars; tail-feathers with white tips.
Song: Mr. Stone describes the song of the Cerulean warbler as “an almost continuous ‘zwee-zwee, zwee, wee-ee’ during the nesting season.”[152]
Habitat: “They are numerous in the maple woods on the hillsides overlooking the swamp, as well as in the swamp itself,” writes Mr. Stone.[152]
Range: Eastern North America. Breeds mainly from southeastern Nebraska, Minnesota, southern Michigan and Ontario, western New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, south to Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama.
Length: About 5¼ inches.Male: Upper parts adull grayish-blue, darker on the back, black bordering crown above the eye;cheeks, throat, andupper breast black;belly white;sides black and white; wings black, edged with blue, and with white next to body;a white patchon wing; tail bluish-black,outer feathers largely white.Female: Very different from male; olive-green above, yellowish-white underneath; light streak over eyes;white patchnear the base of the primary quills; tail bluish, with much less white than on males.Song: “His song, though very versatile, is among the thinnest and most non-melodious of the family.”[152]Habitat: “Black-throated blue warblers prefer clearings amidst hemlock woods or along hemlock-clad gully banks where there are dense underbrush, bushes, and stump sprouts bearing multitudes of large leaves.”[152]Range: Eastern North America from Hudson Bay and Newfoundland south to the Northern States, and in the highlands and mountains to Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
Length: About 5¼ inches.
Male: Upper parts adull grayish-blue, darker on the back, black bordering crown above the eye;cheeks, throat, andupper breast black;belly white;sides black and white; wings black, edged with blue, and with white next to body;a white patchon wing; tail bluish-black,outer feathers largely white.
Female: Very different from male; olive-green above, yellowish-white underneath; light streak over eyes;white patchnear the base of the primary quills; tail bluish, with much less white than on males.
Song: “His song, though very versatile, is among the thinnest and most non-melodious of the family.”[152]
Habitat: “Black-throated blue warblers prefer clearings amidst hemlock woods or along hemlock-clad gully banks where there are dense underbrush, bushes, and stump sprouts bearing multitudes of large leaves.”[152]
Range: Eastern North America from Hudson Bay and Newfoundland south to the Northern States, and in the highlands and mountains to Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
The Black-throated Blue Warbler, though not so brilliantly colored as many members of the family, is one of the neatest and best-groomed of all the warblers. As he flies from bough to bough or bush to bush he displays to fine advantage the clear black and white coloration, the white spots on the wings and tail flashing like the wings of a butterfly. He carries his wings and tail partially spread somewhat in the manner of the Redstart.... The male is not so nervously active as many other warblers....
“This warbler’s nest often contains an egg of the Cowbird. The nests are variously attached to slender scrubby bushes, 8 to 30 inches up, usually very close to old trails or old wood roads.... A constant characteristic of this warbler’s nest is the decoration of decayed, spongy pieces of light colored wood fastened to the outside.”[152]
Length: About 5 inches.Male: Crown and under parts bright yellow; a black line through the eye; back olive-green, yellower at the rump;wings bluish-gray, edged with olive and white;two broad yellowish-white wing-bars; tail bluish-gray, with white patches of different sizes on outer feathers.Female: Similar to male, but with less yellow on head,—on forehead and not on crown.Song: “The song is insignificant, a wheezy performance of notes resembling the syllables ‘swee-e-e-e-e, chee-chee-chee-chee,’ the first inhaled, the second exhaled.”[152]Habitat: “The Blue-winged warbler frequents swampy thickets but is sometimes found among the scrubby second growth of the hillsides and the undergrowth of dense woods.”[152]Range: Breeds in eastern North America from southeastern Minnesota, southern Michigan, western New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, southward to Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware; winters from southern Mexico to Colombia.
Length: About 5 inches.
Male: Crown and under parts bright yellow; a black line through the eye; back olive-green, yellower at the rump;wings bluish-gray, edged with olive and white;two broad yellowish-white wing-bars; tail bluish-gray, with white patches of different sizes on outer feathers.
Female: Similar to male, but with less yellow on head,—on forehead and not on crown.
Song: “The song is insignificant, a wheezy performance of notes resembling the syllables ‘swee-e-e-e-e, chee-chee-chee-chee,’ the first inhaled, the second exhaled.”[152]
Habitat: “The Blue-winged warbler frequents swampy thickets but is sometimes found among the scrubby second growth of the hillsides and the undergrowth of dense woods.”[152]
Range: Breeds in eastern North America from southeastern Minnesota, southern Michigan, western New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, southward to Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware; winters from southern Mexico to Colombia.
“The Blue-winged Warbler is deliberate in its movements as compared with other warblers, acting more like a vireo than a member of its family.
· · · · · · ·
The nesting site of this warbler is on the ground in a bunch of herbs or at the foot of a small bush. The nest is surrounded by grass, weeds, ferns, or vines, which screen it effectively from view.”[152]
Length: A little over 5 inches.Male:Crown bright yellow; white line over eye,broad black line extending through eye;black throat bordered with white; wings bluish-gray, with alarge, bright yellow patch; upper parts, bluish-gray; under parts,except throat, grayish-white; tail bluish-gray, with outer feathers nearly all white on their inner webs.Female: Similar to male, but duller; cheeks and throatdark grayinstead of black.Song: “Its song is a ‘lazyzee-zee-zee.’ It has also an insect-like call-note, and a sharpchipalarm-note like that of the chipping sparrow.... The song when near at hand sounds like the syllableszee-u-ee′, zee-u-ee′, zee-u-ee′.”[153]Habitat: The beautiful little Golden-winged Warbler may be found in deciduous forests, especially among elm and birch trees, and has a habit of seeking the ends of branches for its food.Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from central Minnesota, southern Ontario, and Massachusetts, to southern Iowa, northern Illinois, Indiana, and New Jersey, and northern Georgia; winters from Guatemala to Colombia; very rare in Florida and southern Georgia, and west of the Mississippi.
Length: A little over 5 inches.
Male:Crown bright yellow; white line over eye,broad black line extending through eye;black throat bordered with white; wings bluish-gray, with alarge, bright yellow patch; upper parts, bluish-gray; under parts,except throat, grayish-white; tail bluish-gray, with outer feathers nearly all white on their inner webs.
Female: Similar to male, but duller; cheeks and throatdark grayinstead of black.
Song: “Its song is a ‘lazyzee-zee-zee.’ It has also an insect-like call-note, and a sharpchipalarm-note like that of the chipping sparrow.... The song when near at hand sounds like the syllableszee-u-ee′, zee-u-ee′, zee-u-ee′.”[153]
Habitat: The beautiful little Golden-winged Warbler may be found in deciduous forests, especially among elm and birch trees, and has a habit of seeking the ends of branches for its food.
Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from central Minnesota, southern Ontario, and Massachusetts, to southern Iowa, northern Illinois, Indiana, and New Jersey, and northern Georgia; winters from Guatemala to Colombia; very rare in Florida and southern Georgia, and west of the Mississippi.
Length: A little less than 5 inches.Male: Grayish-blue above, with abright olive-yellow patch in the middle of the back;yellow throat and breast, with a dark bluish or reddish-brown band across the breast; belly white; sides sometimes reddish-brown; two white wing-bars; tail gray, edged with blue, with white spots near tips of inner webs.Female: Similar to male, except that the reddish-brown markings and band across the breast are less distinct or wanting.Song: A “buzzing” song rather evenly accented.Habitat: “During the migration season, the Parula Warbler may be found among the foliage of our shade treesand orchards, being most common about the time of the apple-blossoms. As soon as he reaches his summer home, however, he is practically confined to swamps ... preferring, during the nesting season evergreen trees, although occasionally found in mixed groves where deciduous trees predominate.”[154]He lives in localities where he can find theUsneamoss, in which he loves to build his nest. Look for him along streams or near swamps where this moss hangs from the trees.Range: From eastern Nebraska and Minnesota, central Ontario, Anticosti and Cape Breton Islands, south to Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Virginia, and Maryland; winters probably in the Bahamas and from Vera Cruz to Nicaragua.The southern species orPARULA WARBLER, differs slightly from his northern relative; his throat is yellower and his breast-band is less distinct. He lives in the southeastern United States, and is common where there are cypresses hung with moss. He is very active; he reminds one of the kinglet and the chickadee as he hangs head downward from a spray, seeking the tiny insects that he likes to eat.
Length: A little less than 5 inches.
Male: Grayish-blue above, with abright olive-yellow patch in the middle of the back;yellow throat and breast, with a dark bluish or reddish-brown band across the breast; belly white; sides sometimes reddish-brown; two white wing-bars; tail gray, edged with blue, with white spots near tips of inner webs.
Female: Similar to male, except that the reddish-brown markings and band across the breast are less distinct or wanting.
Song: A “buzzing” song rather evenly accented.
Habitat: “During the migration season, the Parula Warbler may be found among the foliage of our shade treesand orchards, being most common about the time of the apple-blossoms. As soon as he reaches his summer home, however, he is practically confined to swamps ... preferring, during the nesting season evergreen trees, although occasionally found in mixed groves where deciduous trees predominate.”[154]He lives in localities where he can find theUsneamoss, in which he loves to build his nest. Look for him along streams or near swamps where this moss hangs from the trees.
Range: From eastern Nebraska and Minnesota, central Ontario, Anticosti and Cape Breton Islands, south to Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Virginia, and Maryland; winters probably in the Bahamas and from Vera Cruz to Nicaragua.
The southern species orPARULA WARBLER, differs slightly from his northern relative; his throat is yellower and his breast-band is less distinct. He lives in the southeastern United States, and is common where there are cypresses hung with moss. He is very active; he reminds one of the kinglet and the chickadee as he hangs head downward from a spray, seeking the tiny insects that he likes to eat.
Length: A little over 5½ inches.Male:Foreheadandcheeks black, giving the effect of ablack mask;crown, nape, throat, upper breast, andsidesa beautiful chestnut-red; a patch of buff at each side of the neck; lower breast and belly buff; back brownish-gray,with black streaks; wings and tail brownish-gray; two broad white wing-bars; tail with white spots near tip of outer feathers.Female: Upper parts grayish-brown, streaked with black; under parts buff, breast and sides washed with reddish-brown; crown brownish; two white wing-bars.Song: “A monotonous, lisping song, with perhaps a few more musical, ringing notes.”[155]Habitat: “The Bay-breasted warbler usually frequents the tops of trees during migration, being especially fond of chestnuts, oaks, and hickories just as the leaves are bursting. It is also found in orchards and about the shade trees of streets and parks as well as in the midst of woodlands.... It prefers the upper portions of trees except in cold or stormy weather when it descends and feeds among the underbrush.”[156]William Brewster says that they live in dense woods, especially among the pines and other cone-bearing trees.Range: Eastern North America. Breeds in north-central and southern Canada, northern Maine, and mountains of New Hampshire; winters in Panama and Colombia; irregular on the Atlantic slope and south of Virginia. One of our less common warblers.
Length: A little over 5½ inches.
Male:Foreheadandcheeks black, giving the effect of ablack mask;crown, nape, throat, upper breast, andsidesa beautiful chestnut-red; a patch of buff at each side of the neck; lower breast and belly buff; back brownish-gray,with black streaks; wings and tail brownish-gray; two broad white wing-bars; tail with white spots near tip of outer feathers.
Female: Upper parts grayish-brown, streaked with black; under parts buff, breast and sides washed with reddish-brown; crown brownish; two white wing-bars.
Song: “A monotonous, lisping song, with perhaps a few more musical, ringing notes.”[155]
Habitat: “The Bay-breasted warbler usually frequents the tops of trees during migration, being especially fond of chestnuts, oaks, and hickories just as the leaves are bursting. It is also found in orchards and about the shade trees of streets and parks as well as in the midst of woodlands.... It prefers the upper portions of trees except in cold or stormy weather when it descends and feeds among the underbrush.”[156]William Brewster says that they live in dense woods, especially among the pines and other cone-bearing trees.
Range: Eastern North America. Breeds in north-central and southern Canada, northern Maine, and mountains of New Hampshire; winters in Panama and Colombia; irregular on the Atlantic slope and south of Virginia. One of our less common warblers.
Length: About 5 inches.Male: Crownyellow, bordered with black; back gray, streaked with black and yellow;ear-patch and under parts white; black line extending from bill meetsbroad chestnut streakwhich runs down the side of the body; wings with two broad yellowish-white wing-bars; tail black, outer feathers with large white spots varying in size.Female: Somewhat like male, but duller; the colors are less sharply contrasted.Song: In the spring a loud warble, not unlike that of the yellow warbler; in the summer, a weaker trill.[157]Habitat: Thickets, bushy roadsides, edges of woods, open woodlands.Range: Eastern North America from central Canada to eastern Nebraska, northern Ohio, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, and in the Alleghany Mts. to Tennessee and North Carolina.
Length: About 5 inches.
Male: Crownyellow, bordered with black; back gray, streaked with black and yellow;ear-patch and under parts white; black line extending from bill meetsbroad chestnut streakwhich runs down the side of the body; wings with two broad yellowish-white wing-bars; tail black, outer feathers with large white spots varying in size.
Female: Somewhat like male, but duller; the colors are less sharply contrasted.
Song: In the spring a loud warble, not unlike that of the yellow warbler; in the summer, a weaker trill.[157]
Habitat: Thickets, bushy roadsides, edges of woods, open woodlands.
Range: Eastern North America from central Canada to eastern Nebraska, northern Ohio, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, and in the Alleghany Mts. to Tennessee and North Carolina.
The male Chestnut-sided Warbler is very easily identified; its sharp contrasts in coloring make it conspicuous. While the bay-breasted warbler also has chestnut sides, it differs in having the color extend to the breast and throat, instead of bordering the white under parts.
The dainty little chestnut-sided warbler is rather commoner than some species. Dr. F. H. Herrick in his book, “The Home Life of Wild Birds,” tells of taming a female. She ate from his hand and allowed him to stroke her as she sat on her nest.
Six members of the Thrush Family are more or less common in the eastern United States: the Robin, the Bluebird, the Wood Thrush, the Hermit Thrush, the Olive-backed Thrush, and the Veery. The Gray-cheeked and Bicknell’s thrushes are not so widely known. The Russet-backed Thrush is the western representative of the Olive-back.
The Oven-bird, or Golden-crowned Thrush, and the Water-thrushes are not thrushes at all, but warblers, though they resemble thrushes in having brown backs and light spotted breasts, and in being dwellers of the woods. The Brown Thrasher, sometimes wrongly called the Brown Thrush, also has points of resemblance—a speckled breast and bright brown back—but he is one of the Mimidæ or Mockingbird Family.
The breasts of young robins and the backs of baby bluebirds are spotted, showing their family relationship. Both robins and bluebirds have voices that possess a quality for which our thrushes are noted. I have heard the English thrush, famed in poetry. I consider its song inferior in quality of tone to those of our wood and hermit-thrushes, and veery; it strongly resembles that of our thrasher.
The true thrushes of our woods have backs of leaf-brown, varying in hue from bright russet to dull olive. Their breasts are white or buff, streaked or spotted; their tails are short; their eyes, large and lustrous. Their movements are quick, yet graceful. Their demeanor is gentle, though I have seen them strongly aroused when nest or young was disturbed.
WOOD THRUSH
WOOD THRUSH
The Wood Thrush is the best known of these thrushes. It may be identified byits large size(a little over 8 inches); by itsbright brown head, dull brown back, wings, and tail; white under parts that areheavily spotted, especially on the breast and sides; and by distinct streaks below the eyes.
Note: Its call-note is a sharppit; its song a series of sweet cadences beginning with the liquid syllablesah-oh-ee?Song: Four phrases often constitute the song, between which a soft purring sound is frequently heard, if one is near the singer.Habitat: Wood thrushes may be found in open groves, parks, and wooded pastures, on large estates, and along secluded roads. They are rarely found near farm-buildings, but occasionally live in gardens and orchards.
Note: Its call-note is a sharppit; its song a series of sweet cadences beginning with the liquid syllablesah-oh-ee?
Song: Four phrases often constitute the song, between which a soft purring sound is frequently heard, if one is near the singer.
Habitat: Wood thrushes may be found in open groves, parks, and wooded pastures, on large estates, and along secluded roads. They are rarely found near farm-buildings, but occasionally live in gardens and orchards.
A pair of thrushes once nested in a tree on a slope just back of a house where I chanced to be a guest. The mother-bird had begun her brooding, when carpenters arrived to build some steps near her chosen home. Frightened, she fled, and remained away for a time. Finally mother-love overcame her fears and she returned. The workmen were asked to do her no harm; they became interested in her, and she trustful of them. She let them approachwithin a few feet of her nest. We saw the shy wood-bird, serene and unafraid, raise her brood in the midst of noisy hammering, with friendly companionship close at hand.
The Olive-backed Thrush is about an inch smaller than the wood thrush (7 inches), and is uniformlyolive-brown above. Itsbreast, throat, cheeks, andeye-ringarebuff; itssides gray. The breast, sides of the throat, and cheeks are spotted with black.
Note: Its call-note ispuck;Song: its song pleasing, with a phrasing that reminds one of the hermit thrush, but it is louder and less deliberate, and lacks, also, the hermit’s liquid sweetness. The olive-back has a habit of singing from the pointed top of a tall spruce; near by, on a neighboring treetop, an olive-sided flycatcher may utter itsPeep here, or a hermit may sing in the grove below.Habitat: The olive-back lives in woods, rather than close to the haunts of man; it prefers to be near streams and swampy places, as does the westernRUSSET-BACK THRUSH, a bird very similar in appearance and habits.Range: The olive-back breeds in Canada and northern United States, and winters from Mexico to South America.
Note: Its call-note ispuck;
Song: its song pleasing, with a phrasing that reminds one of the hermit thrush, but it is louder and less deliberate, and lacks, also, the hermit’s liquid sweetness. The olive-back has a habit of singing from the pointed top of a tall spruce; near by, on a neighboring treetop, an olive-sided flycatcher may utter itsPeep here, or a hermit may sing in the grove below.
Habitat: The olive-back lives in woods, rather than close to the haunts of man; it prefers to be near streams and swampy places, as does the westernRUSSET-BACK THRUSH, a bird very similar in appearance and habits.
Range: The olive-back breeds in Canada and northern United States, and winters from Mexico to South America.
Gray-Cheeked Thrush: “The Gray-cheeked Thrush is found in migration over all the Eastern States, but breeds farther north, beyond our limits.Bicknell’s Thrush: “Bicknell’s Thrush, a closely related form, while having somewhat the same general range, breeds farther south and nests in the mountains of northern New York and New England. The species does not seem to be very abundant anywhere.”[158]Their resemblance to each other and to the olive-back makes them difficult to identify. The absence of buff from the head differentiates them from the latter species, which is a difference not readily observed except by experienced ornithologists. Bicknell’s thrush is smaller than the gray-cheeked thrush.
Gray-Cheeked Thrush: “The Gray-cheeked Thrush is found in migration over all the Eastern States, but breeds farther north, beyond our limits.
Bicknell’s Thrush: “Bicknell’s Thrush, a closely related form, while having somewhat the same general range, breeds farther south and nests in the mountains of northern New York and New England. The species does not seem to be very abundant anywhere.”[158]
Their resemblance to each other and to the olive-back makes them difficult to identify. The absence of buff from the head differentiates them from the latter species, which is a difference not readily observed except by experienced ornithologists. Bicknell’s thrush is smaller than the gray-cheeked thrush.
The Veery or Wilson’s Thrush is slightly smaller than the wood thrush (7½ inches), and is alighter and more uniform brown above. It has a whitish throat and belly, andgrayish sides. The breast and sides of the throat are a soft buff, with faint spots of brown. Its light brown upper parts and its less conspicuous markings distinguish the veery from other thrushes.
Note: Its call-note is a whistledwhee′-u,—loud, clear, and uttered frequently.Song: The song is inexpressibly beautiful,—like organ-chords, or those that fill the Baptistery of Pisa when the Italian guide blends tones for the delight of listeners. A veery’s song cannot be described; thewhee′-umay reveal the singer’s whereabouts, and aid in identification. This bird has brought me pleasure many times, for it forms one of the chorus that sing their matin- and even-songs in a spruce grove across the road from our cottage in Maine. Still other veeries chant with hermit thrushes in more distant woods.It recalls, also, memories of deep Adirondack woods near Seventh Lake, where we heard veeries and wood thrushes sing antiphonally at sunset.Range: This thrush is abundant in the eastern United States during its migration, while on the way to its nesting place in our Northern States, to New England, and Canada. It winters in South America.It seems to bear a charmed life. It does no harm and receives none; it is a favorite wherever its voice is heard.
Note: Its call-note is a whistledwhee′-u,—loud, clear, and uttered frequently.
Song: The song is inexpressibly beautiful,—like organ-chords, or those that fill the Baptistery of Pisa when the Italian guide blends tones for the delight of listeners. A veery’s song cannot be described; thewhee′-umay reveal the singer’s whereabouts, and aid in identification. This bird has brought me pleasure many times, for it forms one of the chorus that sing their matin- and even-songs in a spruce grove across the road from our cottage in Maine. Still other veeries chant with hermit thrushes in more distant woods.
It recalls, also, memories of deep Adirondack woods near Seventh Lake, where we heard veeries and wood thrushes sing antiphonally at sunset.
Range: This thrush is abundant in the eastern United States during its migration, while on the way to its nesting place in our Northern States, to New England, and Canada. It winters in South America.
It seems to bear a charmed life. It does no harm and receives none; it is a favorite wherever its voice is heard.
The Hermit Thrush may be described in superlatives. Of the four commoner thrushes, it comes earliest (in March or early April) on its way to its haunts in northern woods, remains longest (till October or November), and is considered by many to be the finest singer of a highly gifted family.
It is so very shy that it is rarely seen and yet, during migration time, I once discovered a solitary hermit in a tree on a vacant lot only a few blocks from the business center of Cleveland. Because we sit quietly for hours at a time in the Maine woods, we have been vouchsafed many glimpses of its olive-brown back,its reddish-brown tail(the mark of identification), and its rather thickly spotted white and brown breast. We have noticed its habit of raising its tail as it alighted; we have heard its call-notechuck.
Moore’s Rock, Castine, Maine, commands an enchanting view of Penobscot Bay, of distant hills, and of spruce woods that are tenanted by veeries, olive-backed, and hermit thrushes. There we make frequent pilgrimages, to hear them sing at sunset.