Table 16.—Occurrence in Time of Summer Resident Vireos in KansasSpeciesArrivalDepartureRangeMedianRangeMedianWhite-eyed VireoApr. 23-May 25May 8Oct. 5........Bell VireoApr. 14-May 20May 8Aug. 26-Sept. 27Sept. 6Yellow-throated VireoApr. 27-May 22May 7Aug. 23-Oct. 1Aug. 31Red-eyed VireoApr. 21-May 10May 4Sept. 2-Oct. 7Sept. 10Warbling VireoApr. 20-May 9Apr. 28Sept. 2-Oct. 6Sept. 9Warbling Vireo:Vireo gilvus gilvus(Vieillot).—This summer resident is common in woodland and forest edge. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 16.Breeding schedule.—Seventeen records of breeding span the period May 1 to June 20, but it is likely that breeding later in June and July will be recorded. The modal date for egg-laying is June 5, and this seems to be a reliable index to the major effort in egg-laying in spite of the small sample.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs (3.6, 3-4; 5).Nests are placed three to 25 feet high in a variety of deciduous shrubs and trees.Black-and-white Warbler:Mniotilta varia(Linnaeus).—This local and uncommon summer resident lives in deciduous forest and woodland. Specimens taken in the breeding season and actual records of nesting come from Doniphan, Douglas, Coffey, Greenwood, Sedgwick, Labette, and Cherokee counties. Temporal occurrence in the State is indicated inTable 17.Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid in May and June.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is around 5 eggs (Davie, 1898).Nests are placed on the ground, in depressions or niches, under heavy cover.Prothonotary Warbler:Protonotaria citrea(Boddaert).—This is a local summer resident in eastern Kansas, in understory of riparian timber and swampy woodland. Specimens taken in the breeding season and actual records of nesting come from Doniphan, Douglas, Linn, and Cowley counties. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 17.Breeding schedule.—Twenty-two records of breeding span the period May 11 to July 10 (Fig. 8); the modal date for egg-laying is June 5, and 75 per cent of all clutches are laid in the period June 1 to 20.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 5 eggs (4.5, 3-6; 15).Nests are placed in holes and niches in willow, red haw, elm, and a variety of stumps, about eight feet high (ranging from five to 20 feet), usually over water. A pair nested once in a gourd under the eave of a house in Winfield, Cowley County, and another pair in a tin cup on a shelf at a sawmill (Goss, ex Long, 1936).Parula Warbler:Parula americana(Linnaeus).—This summer resident in eastern Kansas usually can be found in heavy woodland and flood-plain timber. Specimens taken in the breeding season and actual records of breeding come from Doniphan, Riley, Douglas, Montgomery, Labette, and Cherokee counties. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 17.Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid at least from mid-May to mid-June.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.Nests are placed in debris in root tangles along stream banks, and, presumably, in pendant arboreal lichens.Yellow Warbler:Dendroica petechia(Linnaeus).—This summer resident is common in the east, in woodland and riparian growths.D. p. aestiva(Gmelin) occupies eastern Kansas west at least to Barber County, but it is not known how far west representatives of this population breed.D. p. morcomiCoale breeds in western Kansas.D. p. sonoranaBrewster, a name applicable to Yellow Warblers of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, has been considered a "straggler" (Long, 1940) or probable summer resident (Tordoff, 1956; Johnston, 1960) in southwestern Kansas, on the basis of one specimen taken on June 24, 1911, at a point two miles south of Wallace, Wallace County. This specimen, which is pale, was identified in 1935 asD. p. sonoranaby H. C. Oberholser. Specimens taken subsequently from Cheyenne, Hamilton, and Morton counties in the breeding season can be referred adequately toD. p. morcomi. Probably the specimen of 1911 is a pale variant ofD. p. morcomiwithin its normal distributional range.Breeding schedule.—Thirty-five records of breeding span the period May 11 to June 20 (Fig. 8); this probably is inadequate to show the extent of the season, and some egg-laying into July is likely to be found in the future. The modal date of egg-laying is May 25, and this is likely to be reliable.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs (4.2, 3-5; 29).Nests are placed about nine feet high (ranging from five to 20 feet) in crotches of trees and shrubs including willow, elderberry, cottonwood, crabapple, plum, and coralberry.Prairie Warbler:Dendroica discolor discolor(Vieillot).—This rare, local summer resident occurs in deciduous second-growth. The only breeding records are from Wyandotte and Johnson counties.Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid at least in June.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs (Davie, 1898).Nests are placed low, perhaps about four feet high, in a wide variety of small trees and shrubs.Louisiana Waterthrush:Seiurus motacilla(Vieillot).—This uncommon to rare summer resident in eastern Kansas lives in woodland understory near streams. Nesting records come from Douglas, Miami, Linn, and Crawford counties. Wolfe (1961) reports he found a nest with young near Oberlin, Decatur County, on June 10, 1910, under an overhanging bank of Sappa Creek; Decatur County is some 250 miles west of the present western limit of the breeding range of the Louisiana Waterthrush, and western habitats are not favorable for their occurrence. Temporal characteristics of their distribution are indicated inTable 17.Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid in May and June.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 5 eggs (Davie, 1898).Nests are placed in concealed places in banks or stumps always where it is wet.Table 17.—Occurrence in Time of Summer Resident Wood Warblers in KansasSpeciesArrivalDepartureRangeMedianRangeMedianBlack-and-white WarblerApr. 2-May 12May 5Sept. 10-Oct. 14Sept. 22Prothonotary WarblerApr. 24-May 25May 8Aug. 6-Sept. 10Aug. 22Parula WarblerApr. 6-May 5Apr. 23Sept. 12-Oct. 7Sept. 18Yellow WarblerApr. 21-May 7Apr. 30Aug. 28-Oct. 1Sept. 4Louisiana WaterthrushApr. 2-May 2Apr. 16Aug. ?........Kentucky WarblerApr. 24-May 15May 3Sept. 13........YellowthroatApr. 21-May 10May 3Sept. 8-Oct. 3Sept. 17Yellow-breasted ChatApr. 29-May 19May 11Aug. 29-Oct. 1Sept. 8American RedstartApr. 22-May 20May 12Sept. 1-Oct. 7Sept. 10Kentucky Warbler:Oporornis formosus(Wilson).—This is an uncommon summer resident in eastern Kansas, in deciduous forest and woodland. Specimens taken in the breeding season and actual records of nesting come from Riley, Doniphan, Douglas, Leavenworth, Linn, Montgomery, and Labette counties. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 17.Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid in May and June.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 or 5 eggs.Nests are placed near or on the ground, usually at the base of small shrubs or clumps of grass.Yellowthroat:Geothlypis trichas(Linnaeus).—This summer resident in and near marshes is common in the east and is local and somewhat less common in the west.G. t. brachydactylus(Swainson) breeds east of stations in Clay, Greenwood, and Montgomery counties,G. t. occidentalisBrewster breeds west of stations in Decatur, Stafford, and Pratt counties, and the intervening area is occupied by warblers of intermediate morphologic characters. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 17.Breeding schedule.—Nine records of breeding span the period May 11 to June 10; the modal date of egg-laying is June 1. The season is probably more extended in time than is indicated by the available records.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 5 eggs (4.8, 4-5; 6).Nests are placed in cattails and sedges one to two and one-half feet high.Yellow-breasted Chat:Icteria virens(Linnaeus).—This summer resident is common in willow thickets and rank second-growth.I. v. virens(Linnaeus) breeds in eastern Kansas, from Nemaha County south,I. v. auricollis(Deppe) breeds in western Kansas, from Norton County south, and the intervening sector is occupied by chats of intermediate morphologic character. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 17.Breeding schedule.—Twenty-six records of breeding span the period May 11 to July 20 (Fig. 8); the modal date for completion of clutches is June 5. Forty-two per cent of all eggs are laid in the period June 1 to 10.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs (3.9, 3-5; 21). Clutches in May are larger than those in June and July.Nests are placed in forks and crotches about three feet high in dogwood, willow, rose, coralberry, cottonwood, and thistles.Hooded Warbler:Wilsonia citrina(Boddaert).—This warbler is a rare summer resident in eastern Kansas, in wet, open woodland. Specimens (a total of four) taken in the breeding season are from Leavenworth and Shawnee counties, and the one nesting record is from Anderson County.Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid at least in May.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.Nests are low (some as high as six feet) in woody vegetation.American Redstart:Setophaga ruticilla ruticilla(Linnaeus).—This summer resident occurs locally in woodlands east from stations in Cloud and Sumner Counties. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 17.Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid in May and June.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs (Davie, 1898), but there are two records of 5 in Kansas.Nests are placed six to 30 feet high, but usually about 12 feet, in forks or saddled on a branch, in deciduous trees.Fig 8.—Histograms representing breeding schedules of wood warblers, the House Sparrow, icterids, and cardinal grosbeaksFig.8.—Histograms representing breeding schedules of wood warblers, the House Sparrow, icterids, and cardinal grosbeaks in Kansas. See legend to Figure 1 for explanation of histograms.House Sparrow:Passer domesticus(Linnaeus).—This sparrow, introduced from stocks in Ohio and New York (originally from England and Germany), has been present since about 1876 in eastern Kansas; it is a common resident in towns and at farmsteads throughout the state.Nomenclaturally, House Sparrows in North America consistently have beenreferred to the European ancestral stocks,P. d. domesticus, but none in North America today duplicates morphologically the European birds. This is evidence of meaningful adaptation of the North American populations to environments in which they now live, and continued use ofP. d. domesticusis misleading. Studies on local differentiation in North American House Sparrows are in progress, and when the biology of sparrows in the midwest is better understood, suitable nomenclatural proposals will be made.Breeding schedule.—Fifty-one records of breeding span the period March 20 to July 20 (Fig. 8); the modal date for laying of first clutches is April 5, and for second clutches May 5.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs (3.9, 3-7; 13).Nests are placed in niches of various sorts seven to 50 feet high in buildings, nestboxes, and trees, or freely situated in forks and crotches of large trees.Bobolink:Dolichonyx oryzivorus(Linnaeus).—This species is a rare and local summer resident, in and about grassy meadows. There are but two stations of breeding in Kansas: Jamestown State Lake, Cloud County, and Big Salt Marsh, Stafford County. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 18.Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid in June.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 5 eggs.Nests are placed on the ground amidst grasses.Eastern Meadowlark:Sturnella magna(Linnaeus).—This summer resident and resident is common in eastern Kansas, in moist grassland.S. m. argutulaBangs occurs in Montgomery, Labette, and Cherokee counties and intergrades to the north and west withS. m. magna(Linnaeus). Good numbers of birds are found east of the Flint Hills, but to the west the species is of restricted and local distribution. Extreme outliers of the species are found no farther west than stations in Jewell, Stafford, and Barber counties.Breeding schedule.—Forty records of breeding span the period April 10 to July 20 (Fig. 8); the modal date for egg-laying is May 5. Fifty-seven per cent of all eggs are laid in the period May 1 to 20.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 5 eggs (5.2, 4-7; 26). Prior to May 11, clutch-size is 5.3 eggs (13 records), and after that date it is 5.1 eggs (13 records).Nests are placed on the ground, with cover of grasses or forbs.Western Meadowlark:Sturnella neglecta neglecta(Audubon).—This is a common resident and summer resident in western Kansas, and is restricted and local in the east; preferred habitat is in grassy uplands.Breeding schedule.—Twenty-three records of breeding span the period April 10 to July 30 (Fig. 8); the modal date for egg-laying is May 5 for first nests and June 5 for second nests.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs (4.3, 3-6; 16).Nests are placed on the ground with cover of grasses or forbs.Yellow-headed Blackbird:Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus(Bonaparte).—This uncommon and local summer resident occurs chiefly in the west, in marshes. Nesting records are from Wallace, Meade, Barton, Stafford, Doniphan, and Douglas counties. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 18.Breeding schedule.—Fifty-one records of breeding span the period May 20to June 30; the modal date of egg-laying is June 5. The sample is probably not large enough to be wholly reliable.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.Nests are placed within a few feet of water in cattail, rush, sedge, and willow.Red-winged Blackbird:Agelaius phoeniceus(Linnaeus).—This is a common summer resident in marshes, wet pasture, and scrubby parkland throughout the State.A. p. phoeniceus(Linnaeus) occurs in most of Kansas andA. p. fortis(Ridgway) occurs in the west, east to about Decatur County. A few birds can be found in eastern Kansas in winter; the full breeding population is present between April and October.Breeding schedule.—The 109 records of breeding in Cloud County span the period May 1 to July 30 (Fig. 8); the modal date for laying is May 25, and 71 per cent of all eggs are laid in the period May 11 to June 10. Eighty-eight records of breeding from northwestern Kansas make a histogram almost exactly duplicating the one from Cloud County.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size at Concordia, Cloud County, is 4 eggs (3.7, 3-5; 48); in northeastern Kansas mean clutch-size is 3.7 eggs (3-5; 46). For the total sample, mean clutch-size in May is 4.0 eggs, in June, 3.7 eggs, and in July, 3.3 eggs.Nests are placed about four feet high (one to nine feet) in willow, cattail, sedge, grass, elm, exotic conifer, elderberry, coralberry, buttonbrush, honeysuckle, smartweed, ash, osage orange, and yellow clover.In central Kansas red-wings are host to the Brown-headed Cowbird in a frequency of one parasitized nest out of nine; in northeastern Kansas the ratio is 1:25.Table 18.—Occurrence in Time of Summer Resident Icterids in KansasSpeciesArrivalDepartureRangeMedianRangeMedianBobolinkMay 4-May 21May 11Aug. 28-Oct. 1Sept. 12Yellow-headedBlackbirdMar. 31-Apr. 29Apr. 19Sept. 19-Oct. 18Sept. 24Orchard OrioleApr. 25-May 14May 4Aug. 5-Sept. 15Aug. 9Baltimore OrioleApr. 24-May 5Apr. 29Sept. 6-Sept. 29Sept. 10Common GrackleMar. 2-Mar. 27Mar. 17Oct. 15-Nov. 14Oct. 31Orchard Oriole:Icterus spurius(Linnaeus).—This summer resident is common in parkland, woodland, and old second-growth. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 18.Breeding schedule.—The 118 records of breeding span the period May 11 to August 10 (Fig. 8); the modal date for completion of clutches is June 5, and 45 per cent of all eggs are laid in the first ten days of June.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs (4.1, 3-6; 41). Clutches laid at the peak of the season average 4.3 eggs (3-6; 26), and replacement clutches average 3.8 eggs (3-4; 9).Nests are hung about 15 feet high (ranging from six to 55 feet) in elm, cottonwood, hackberry, locust, catalpa, willow, alder, osage orange, walnut, pear, linden, and ash.Baltimore Oriole:Icterus galbula(Linnaeus).—This common summer resident is most numerous in the east, in woodland and riparian timber. The species hybridizes freely with the Bullock Oriole in western Kansas, and individuals morphologically typical of Baltimore Orioles are rare west of the 100th meridian. Evidence of such hybridization can be found in specimens taken in eastern Kansas, but the linear nature of distribution along water-courses to the west restricts gene-flow, and evident hybrids are not yet conspicuous. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 18.Breeding schedule.—Eighty-three records of breeding span the period May 11 to July 10 (Fig. 8); the modal date of egg-laying is June 5, and 66 per cent of all eggs are laid between May 21 and June 10.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs.Nests are hung about 24 feet high (ranging from nine to 70 feet) in elm, cottonwood, sycamore, maple, and oak.Bullock Oriole:Icterus bullockii(Swainson).—This summer resident is common in western Kansas in woodland and riparian situations. The species hybridizes freely with the Baltimore Oriole, and most Bullock Orioles in Kansas show evidence of such interbreeding. Almost all records of breeding come from west of the 100th meridian, but the species in recognizable form probably breeds locally at least as far east as Stafford County.Breeding schedule.—Few nesting records are available, but these suggest that the breeding schedule of the Bullock Oriole resembles those of the preceding two species in Kansas.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.Nests are hung about 26 feet high (ranging from 10 to 50 feet) in cottonwood, elm, and other large trees.Common Grackle:Quiscalus quiscula versicolorVieillot.—This summer resident is common in parkland, and around towns and farms. Most individuals move out of Kansas in winter, and the temporal occurrence of these birds is indicated inTable 18.Breeding schedule.—The 233 records of breeding span the period April 11 to June 30 (Fig. 8); the modal date for egg-laying is May 5, and two-thirds of all eggs are laid between May 1 and May 20.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 5 eggs (4.5, 3-6; 33). Clutches laid at the peak of the season average 4.7 eggs (3-6; 21), and those laid as replacement clutches average 4.3 eggs (3-6; 12).Nests are placed in forks and crotches about 22 feet high (ranging from six to 50 feet) in elm, red cedar, cottonwood, oak, box elder, and pine.Brown-headed Cowbird:Molothrus ater ater(Boddaert).—Many individuals of this common summer resident overwinter in the southern part of the State and it is difficult to determine dates of arrival and departure in Kansas. Conspicuous abundance in the north covers the period April to October.Breeding schedule.—The 141 instances of egg-laying span the period April 21 to July 20 (Fig. 8); the modal date of laying is May 15, and 53 per cent of all eggs are laid in the period May 11 to June 10. Inception of laying ishere fairly reliably indicated, but in exceptionally early springs laying does occur earlier; a few eggs were found on April 6, 1963, too late for incorporation into this report other than in this sentence.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size in cowbirds is not readily determined. On the basis of ovarian examination of five females taken in mid-season, the birds here lay about five eggs at a time. There is no question that the birds are "double-brooded" in Kansas, and the season is sufficiently long for as many as five "clutches" to be laid by a given female.Eggs are laid in nests of some forty species of birds in Kansas; 39 of these are passerines. No preference for any one species is detectable; the most frequently parasitized species are simply the common species, and these are the kinds for which nesting records are easily gathered by man. In the following list of host species, the names marked with an asterisk are the conspicuously parasitized species.Mourning Dove, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Phoebe,* Say Phoebe,* Acadian Flycatcher, Barn Swallow, Horned Lark, Carolina Wren, Rock Wren, Brown Thrasher,* Mockingbird, Catbird, Wood Thrush,* Eastern Bluebird, Yellow-throated Vireo, Bell Vireo,* White-eyed Vireo,* Parula Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow-breasted Chat, Yellowthroat, Eastern Meadowlark, Western Meadowlark, Red-winged Blackbird,* Orchard Oriole,* Cardinal,* Black-headed Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting,* Blue Grosbeak, Dickcissel,* Pine Siskin,* Rufous-sided Towhee,* Grasshopper Sparrow, Lark Sparrow,* Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow.*Scarlet Tanager:Piranga olivacea(Gmelin).—This rare summer resident in northeastern Kansas occurs in deciduous forest and bottomland timber. Specimens taken in the breeding season and records of nesting come from Clay, Doniphan, Douglas, Wyandotte, Johnson, and Linn counties, but the species probably occupies the entire eastern third of the State. Dates of arrival in spring are from April 29 to May 25 (the median is May 11), and dates of departure in autumn are from August 4 to September 23 (the median is August 10).Breeding schedule.—Six records of breeding fall in the period May 11 to June 20.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.Nests are placed 20 to 35 feet high in elm, linden, hickory, and walnut.Summer Tanager:Piranga rubra rubra(Linnaeus).—This uncommon summer resident in eastern Kansas occurs in woodland. Specimens taken in the breeding season and records of nesting come from east of stations in Doniphan, Shawnee, and Montgomery counties. Dates of arrival in spring run from April 24 to May 18 (the median is April 29), and the species departs southward in September and October.Breeding schedule.—Eleven records of egg-laying cover the period May 21 to July 20; the modal date for laying is June 5.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.Nests are situated ten to 20 feet high on horizontal limbs of large trees.Cardinal:Richmondena cardinalis cardinalis(Linnaeus).—This species is a common resident in eastern Kansas, west to about the 99th meridian; westof this line the species becomes local and uncommon to rare. Habitat in the east is found in woodland, edge, second-growth and open riparian timber, and in the west the species is restricted to riparian growths, chiefly along the Republican, Solomon, Smoky Hill, Arkansas, and Cimarron rivers, and their larger tributaries.Breeding schedule.—The 117 records of breeding span the period April 1 to September 20 (Fig. 8); the modal date for laying of first clutches is May 1, subsequent to which breeding activity is regular but asynchronous.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 3 eggs (3.5, 3-6; 65). Seasonal variation in clutch-size is as follows:DateMean clutch-sizeNumber of recordsApril 1-203.06April 21-May 103.825May 11-May 313.315June 1-June 203.611June 21-July 203.37Nests are placed about five feet high (ranging from 10 inches to 40 feet) in osage orange, elm, grape, rose, red cedar, coralberry, willow, cottonwood, gooseberry, oak, elderberry, box elder, arbor vitae, Lombardy poplar, Forsythia, pines, honeysuckle, wisteria, lilac, red haw, hickory, dogwood, and sycamore.Rose-breasted Grosbeak:Pheucticus ludovicianus(Linnaeus).—This is a local and at times common summer resident in eastern Kansas, in woodland, edge, and riparian timber. Specimens taken in the breeding season and actual records of breeding come from Clay, Riley, Doniphan, Leavenworth, and Douglas counties. This species meets and hybridizes with the Black-headed Grosbeak west of the Flint Hills. Temporal occurrence in the State is indicated inTable 19.Breeding schedule.—Eleven records of breeding span the period May 11 to July 10; the modal date for laying is probably June 5.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 3 or 4 eggs.Nests are placed in deciduous trees, in forks and crotches six to 30 feet high.Black-headed Grosbeak:Pheucticus mehnocephalus melanocephalus(Swainson).—This summer resident is common in western Kansas, chiefly along streams. Individuals referable to this species by sight records alone breed in fair numbers as far east as Cloud and Sedgwick counties, but to the east of these stations numbers are reduced, partly as a result of presumed competition with the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Hybrids between these two grosbeaks are regularly produced. The easternmost record of breeding by this species is at St. Mary's, Pottawatomie County, where a male was seen as probably mated with a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 19.Breeding schedule.—Sixteen records of breeding span the period May 11 to July 10; the modal date for egg-laying is June 5.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs (3.7, 3-4; 4). Nests are placed about 12 feet high in a variety of deciduous trees.Blue Grosbeak:Guiraca caerulea(Linnaeus).—This is a common to uncommon summer resident in most of Kansas, in brushland and streamside thickets.G. c. caerulea(Linnaeus) breeds in the east, east of stations in Douglas, Greenwood, and Cowley counties, andG. c. interfusaDwight andGriscom breeds in the west, west of stations in Cloud, Stafford, and Clark counties; a broad zone of intergradation exists between the two named populations. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 19.Breeding schedule.—Seven records of breeding span the period May 21 to June 30; the modal date of laying seems to be in late May or early June.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.Nests are placed from three to 30 feet high in a variety of deciduous plants.Table 19.—Occurrence in Time of Summer Resident Cardinal Grosbeaks in KansasSpeciesArrivalDepartureRangeMedianRangeMedianRose-breasted GrosbeakApr. 25-May 5May 2Sept. 4-Oct. 1Sept. 13Black-headed GrosbeakApr. 26-May 11May 5Aug. 17-Sept. 18Sept. 2Blue GrosbeakApr. 25-May 26May 13Aug. 15-Sept. 3Aug. 27Indigo BuntingApr. 20-May 15May 6Aug. 23-Oct. 31Oct. 1Lazuli BuntingMay 5-May 24May 10................Painted BuntingApr. 30-May 25May 9................DickcisselApr. 21-May 10May 4Sept. 7-Oct. 11Sept. 18Indigo Bunting:Passerina cyanea(Linnaeus).—This summer resident is common in mixed-field and heavy brushland habitats. The species extends westerly, in riparian situations, in reduced numbers, ultimately meeting and hybridizing with the Lazuli Bunting. Specimens referrable to the Indigo Bunting have been taken as far west as Finney County, but most specimens from that far west show evidence of interbreeding with Lazuli Buntings. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 19.Breeding schedule.—Twenty-four records of breeding span the period May 11 to August 20 (Fig. 8); the modal date for egg-laying is June 15.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 3 eggs (3.1, 2-4; 17).Nests are placed about three feet high (ranging from one to nine feet) in coralberry, sumac, thistle, sycamore sprouts, hickory sprouts, grape, elderberry, cottonwood, dogwood, ragweed, and grasses.Lazuli Bunting:Passerina amoena(Say).—This uncommon summer resident of western Kansas occurs in edge habitats and streamside thickets. The one breeding record is from Morton County, and there is a breeding specimen taken at Sharon Springs, Wallace County. The species hybridizes with the Indigo Bunting in the western half of the State. Temporal occurrence in spring is indicated inTable 19.Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid in June and July.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs (Davie, 1898).Nests are placed a few feet from the ground, probably much as are nests of the Indigo Bunting.Painted Bunting:Passerina ciris pallidiorMearns.—This is an uncommonsummer resident in the southeastern third of Kansas, in edge habitats and streamside brush. Specimens taken in the breeding season and actual nesting records come from Douglas, Shawnee, Geary, Barber, and Crawford counties. Temporal occurrence in spring is indicated inTable 19.Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid in June and July.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs (Davie, 1898).Nests are placed in deciduous shrubs and trees.Dickcissel:Spiza americana(Gmelin).—This species is a common summer resident in eastern Kansas and is local and irregular in the west, in grassland habitats. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 19.Breeding schedule.—Forty-one records of breeding span the period May 1 to July 10 (Fig. 8); the modal date for egg-laying seems to be May 5, but the curiously abrupt inception of breeding described by this sample suggests that more records are needed to document fully the breeding schedule of this species. Breeding in April almost certainly will be found.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs (4.1, 3-5; 14).Nests are placed about two feet high (ranging from ground level to 12 feet) in grasses, osage orange, sedge, box elder, honey locust, clover, thistle, and blackberry.Pine Siskin:Spinus pinus pinus(Wilson).—This irregular summer resident occurs locally north of the 38th parallel, chiefly around planted conifers. Known stations of breeding are in Hays, Ellis County, Concordia, Cloud County, and Onaga and St. Marys, Pottawatomie County.Breeding schedule.—Twelve records of breeding span the period March 11 to May 20 (Fig. 9); most nests have been established in late April or by early May.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs. Of ten nests examined for eggs, five had at least one egg of the Brown-headed Cowbird; if it is assumed that each cowbird egg replaced one of the siskins, mean clutch-size is 3.7 eggs.Nests are placed about seven feet high (ranging from 3.5 to 13 feet) in red cedar, exotic conifers, and Lombardy poplar.American Goldfinch:Spinus tristis tristis(Linnaeus).—This resident is common in woodland edge, scrubby second-growth, old fields, and riparian thickets. Occurrence tends to be local and at low density in the southwestern sector.Breeding schedule.—Twelve records of breeding span the period June 20 to September 10 (Fig. 9); the modal date for laying is August 5.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs (4.4, 3-6; 8).Nests are placed from two to eight feet high in woody or herbaceous vegetation.Red Crossbill:Loxia curvirostraLinnaeus.—This is an uncommon and irregular winter visitant to Kansas, but it nested once in Shawnee County.L. c. minor(Brehm), on geographic grounds, probably nested here, but five other subspecies have been recorded in the State and any one of these might have undertaken the aberrant breeding.Breeding record.—Three eggs, set completed March 24, 1917, Shawnee County; successfully fledged (Hyde, 1917:166).The species usually lays 4 eggs and places its nests in conifers.Rufous-sided Towhee:Pipilo erythrophthalmus erythrophthalmus(Linnaeus).—This is an uncommon summer resident in eastern Kansas, in understory of woodland and streamside timber. Specimens taken in the breeding season and actual records of nesting come from east of stations in Cloud, Marion, and Cherokee counties. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 20; records ofP. e. arcticus(Swainson) have been eliminated from the sample as far as has been possible.Breeding schedule.—Nineteen records of breeding span the period April 21 to August 10 (Fig. 9); the modal date for egg-laying is May 5.Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs (4.0, 3-7; 14).Nests are placed on the ground, in heavy cover.
Table 16.—Occurrence in Time of Summer Resident Vireos in Kansas
SpeciesArrivalDepartureRangeMedianRangeMedianWhite-eyed VireoApr. 23-May 25May 8Oct. 5........Bell VireoApr. 14-May 20May 8Aug. 26-Sept. 27Sept. 6Yellow-throated VireoApr. 27-May 22May 7Aug. 23-Oct. 1Aug. 31Red-eyed VireoApr. 21-May 10May 4Sept. 2-Oct. 7Sept. 10Warbling VireoApr. 20-May 9Apr. 28Sept. 2-Oct. 6Sept. 9
Warbling Vireo:Vireo gilvus gilvus(Vieillot).—This summer resident is common in woodland and forest edge. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 16.
Breeding schedule.—Seventeen records of breeding span the period May 1 to June 20, but it is likely that breeding later in June and July will be recorded. The modal date for egg-laying is June 5, and this seems to be a reliable index to the major effort in egg-laying in spite of the small sample.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs (3.6, 3-4; 5).Nests are placed three to 25 feet high in a variety of deciduous shrubs and trees.
Black-and-white Warbler:Mniotilta varia(Linnaeus).—This local and uncommon summer resident lives in deciduous forest and woodland. Specimens taken in the breeding season and actual records of nesting come from Doniphan, Douglas, Coffey, Greenwood, Sedgwick, Labette, and Cherokee counties. Temporal occurrence in the State is indicated inTable 17.
Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid in May and June.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is around 5 eggs (Davie, 1898).
Nests are placed on the ground, in depressions or niches, under heavy cover.
Prothonotary Warbler:Protonotaria citrea(Boddaert).—This is a local summer resident in eastern Kansas, in understory of riparian timber and swampy woodland. Specimens taken in the breeding season and actual records of nesting come from Doniphan, Douglas, Linn, and Cowley counties. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 17.
Breeding schedule.—Twenty-two records of breeding span the period May 11 to July 10 (Fig. 8); the modal date for egg-laying is June 5, and 75 per cent of all clutches are laid in the period June 1 to 20.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 5 eggs (4.5, 3-6; 15).
Nests are placed in holes and niches in willow, red haw, elm, and a variety of stumps, about eight feet high (ranging from five to 20 feet), usually over water. A pair nested once in a gourd under the eave of a house in Winfield, Cowley County, and another pair in a tin cup on a shelf at a sawmill (Goss, ex Long, 1936).
Parula Warbler:Parula americana(Linnaeus).—This summer resident in eastern Kansas usually can be found in heavy woodland and flood-plain timber. Specimens taken in the breeding season and actual records of breeding come from Doniphan, Riley, Douglas, Montgomery, Labette, and Cherokee counties. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 17.
Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid at least from mid-May to mid-June.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.
Nests are placed in debris in root tangles along stream banks, and, presumably, in pendant arboreal lichens.
Yellow Warbler:Dendroica petechia(Linnaeus).—This summer resident is common in the east, in woodland and riparian growths.D. p. aestiva(Gmelin) occupies eastern Kansas west at least to Barber County, but it is not known how far west representatives of this population breed.D. p. morcomiCoale breeds in western Kansas.D. p. sonoranaBrewster, a name applicable to Yellow Warblers of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, has been considered a "straggler" (Long, 1940) or probable summer resident (Tordoff, 1956; Johnston, 1960) in southwestern Kansas, on the basis of one specimen taken on June 24, 1911, at a point two miles south of Wallace, Wallace County. This specimen, which is pale, was identified in 1935 asD. p. sonoranaby H. C. Oberholser. Specimens taken subsequently from Cheyenne, Hamilton, and Morton counties in the breeding season can be referred adequately toD. p. morcomi. Probably the specimen of 1911 is a pale variant ofD. p. morcomiwithin its normal distributional range.Breeding schedule.—Thirty-five records of breeding span the period May 11 to June 20 (Fig. 8); this probably is inadequate to show the extent of the season, and some egg-laying into July is likely to be found in the future. The modal date of egg-laying is May 25, and this is likely to be reliable.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs (4.2, 3-5; 29).
Nests are placed about nine feet high (ranging from five to 20 feet) in crotches of trees and shrubs including willow, elderberry, cottonwood, crabapple, plum, and coralberry.
Prairie Warbler:Dendroica discolor discolor(Vieillot).—This rare, local summer resident occurs in deciduous second-growth. The only breeding records are from Wyandotte and Johnson counties.
Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid at least in June.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs (Davie, 1898).
Nests are placed low, perhaps about four feet high, in a wide variety of small trees and shrubs.
Louisiana Waterthrush:Seiurus motacilla(Vieillot).—This uncommon to rare summer resident in eastern Kansas lives in woodland understory near streams. Nesting records come from Douglas, Miami, Linn, and Crawford counties. Wolfe (1961) reports he found a nest with young near Oberlin, Decatur County, on June 10, 1910, under an overhanging bank of Sappa Creek; Decatur County is some 250 miles west of the present western limit of the breeding range of the Louisiana Waterthrush, and western habitats are not favorable for their occurrence. Temporal characteristics of their distribution are indicated inTable 17.
Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid in May and June.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 5 eggs (Davie, 1898).
Nests are placed in concealed places in banks or stumps always where it is wet.
Table 17.—Occurrence in Time of Summer Resident Wood Warblers in Kansas
SpeciesArrivalDepartureRangeMedianRangeMedianBlack-and-white WarblerApr. 2-May 12May 5Sept. 10-Oct. 14Sept. 22Prothonotary WarblerApr. 24-May 25May 8Aug. 6-Sept. 10Aug. 22Parula WarblerApr. 6-May 5Apr. 23Sept. 12-Oct. 7Sept. 18Yellow WarblerApr. 21-May 7Apr. 30Aug. 28-Oct. 1Sept. 4Louisiana WaterthrushApr. 2-May 2Apr. 16Aug. ?........Kentucky WarblerApr. 24-May 15May 3Sept. 13........YellowthroatApr. 21-May 10May 3Sept. 8-Oct. 3Sept. 17Yellow-breasted ChatApr. 29-May 19May 11Aug. 29-Oct. 1Sept. 8American RedstartApr. 22-May 20May 12Sept. 1-Oct. 7Sept. 10
Kentucky Warbler:Oporornis formosus(Wilson).—This is an uncommon summer resident in eastern Kansas, in deciduous forest and woodland. Specimens taken in the breeding season and actual records of nesting come from Riley, Doniphan, Douglas, Leavenworth, Linn, Montgomery, and Labette counties. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 17.
Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid in May and June.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 or 5 eggs.
Nests are placed near or on the ground, usually at the base of small shrubs or clumps of grass.
Yellowthroat:Geothlypis trichas(Linnaeus).—This summer resident in and near marshes is common in the east and is local and somewhat less common in the west.G. t. brachydactylus(Swainson) breeds east of stations in Clay, Greenwood, and Montgomery counties,G. t. occidentalisBrewster breeds west of stations in Decatur, Stafford, and Pratt counties, and the intervening area is occupied by warblers of intermediate morphologic characters. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 17.
Breeding schedule.—Nine records of breeding span the period May 11 to June 10; the modal date of egg-laying is June 1. The season is probably more extended in time than is indicated by the available records.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 5 eggs (4.8, 4-5; 6).
Nests are placed in cattails and sedges one to two and one-half feet high.
Yellow-breasted Chat:Icteria virens(Linnaeus).—This summer resident is common in willow thickets and rank second-growth.I. v. virens(Linnaeus) breeds in eastern Kansas, from Nemaha County south,I. v. auricollis(Deppe) breeds in western Kansas, from Norton County south, and the intervening sector is occupied by chats of intermediate morphologic character. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 17.
Breeding schedule.—Twenty-six records of breeding span the period May 11 to July 20 (Fig. 8); the modal date for completion of clutches is June 5. Forty-two per cent of all eggs are laid in the period June 1 to 10.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs (3.9, 3-5; 21). Clutches in May are larger than those in June and July.
Nests are placed in forks and crotches about three feet high in dogwood, willow, rose, coralberry, cottonwood, and thistles.
Hooded Warbler:Wilsonia citrina(Boddaert).—This warbler is a rare summer resident in eastern Kansas, in wet, open woodland. Specimens (a total of four) taken in the breeding season are from Leavenworth and Shawnee counties, and the one nesting record is from Anderson County.
Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid at least in May.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.
Nests are low (some as high as six feet) in woody vegetation.
American Redstart:Setophaga ruticilla ruticilla(Linnaeus).—This summer resident occurs locally in woodlands east from stations in Cloud and Sumner Counties. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 17.
Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid in May and June.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs (Davie, 1898), but there are two records of 5 in Kansas.Nests are placed six to 30 feet high, but usually about 12 feet, in forks or saddled on a branch, in deciduous trees.
Fig 8.—Histograms representing breeding schedules of wood warblers, the House Sparrow, icterids, and cardinal grosbeaksFig.8.—Histograms representing breeding schedules of wood warblers, the House Sparrow, icterids, and cardinal grosbeaks in Kansas. See legend to Figure 1 for explanation of histograms.
House Sparrow:Passer domesticus(Linnaeus).—This sparrow, introduced from stocks in Ohio and New York (originally from England and Germany), has been present since about 1876 in eastern Kansas; it is a common resident in towns and at farmsteads throughout the state.
Nomenclaturally, House Sparrows in North America consistently have beenreferred to the European ancestral stocks,P. d. domesticus, but none in North America today duplicates morphologically the European birds. This is evidence of meaningful adaptation of the North American populations to environments in which they now live, and continued use ofP. d. domesticusis misleading. Studies on local differentiation in North American House Sparrows are in progress, and when the biology of sparrows in the midwest is better understood, suitable nomenclatural proposals will be made.
Breeding schedule.—Fifty-one records of breeding span the period March 20 to July 20 (Fig. 8); the modal date for laying of first clutches is April 5, and for second clutches May 5.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs (3.9, 3-7; 13).
Nests are placed in niches of various sorts seven to 50 feet high in buildings, nestboxes, and trees, or freely situated in forks and crotches of large trees.
Bobolink:Dolichonyx oryzivorus(Linnaeus).—This species is a rare and local summer resident, in and about grassy meadows. There are but two stations of breeding in Kansas: Jamestown State Lake, Cloud County, and Big Salt Marsh, Stafford County. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 18.
Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid in June.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 5 eggs.
Nests are placed on the ground amidst grasses.
Eastern Meadowlark:Sturnella magna(Linnaeus).—This summer resident and resident is common in eastern Kansas, in moist grassland.S. m. argutulaBangs occurs in Montgomery, Labette, and Cherokee counties and intergrades to the north and west withS. m. magna(Linnaeus). Good numbers of birds are found east of the Flint Hills, but to the west the species is of restricted and local distribution. Extreme outliers of the species are found no farther west than stations in Jewell, Stafford, and Barber counties.
Breeding schedule.—Forty records of breeding span the period April 10 to July 20 (Fig. 8); the modal date for egg-laying is May 5. Fifty-seven per cent of all eggs are laid in the period May 1 to 20.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 5 eggs (5.2, 4-7; 26). Prior to May 11, clutch-size is 5.3 eggs (13 records), and after that date it is 5.1 eggs (13 records).
Nests are placed on the ground, with cover of grasses or forbs.
Western Meadowlark:Sturnella neglecta neglecta(Audubon).—This is a common resident and summer resident in western Kansas, and is restricted and local in the east; preferred habitat is in grassy uplands.
Breeding schedule.—Twenty-three records of breeding span the period April 10 to July 30 (Fig. 8); the modal date for egg-laying is May 5 for first nests and June 5 for second nests.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs (4.3, 3-6; 16).
Nests are placed on the ground with cover of grasses or forbs.
Yellow-headed Blackbird:Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus(Bonaparte).—This uncommon and local summer resident occurs chiefly in the west, in marshes. Nesting records are from Wallace, Meade, Barton, Stafford, Doniphan, and Douglas counties. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 18.
Breeding schedule.—Fifty-one records of breeding span the period May 20to June 30; the modal date of egg-laying is June 5. The sample is probably not large enough to be wholly reliable.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.
Nests are placed within a few feet of water in cattail, rush, sedge, and willow.
Red-winged Blackbird:Agelaius phoeniceus(Linnaeus).—This is a common summer resident in marshes, wet pasture, and scrubby parkland throughout the State.A. p. phoeniceus(Linnaeus) occurs in most of Kansas andA. p. fortis(Ridgway) occurs in the west, east to about Decatur County. A few birds can be found in eastern Kansas in winter; the full breeding population is present between April and October.
Breeding schedule.—The 109 records of breeding in Cloud County span the period May 1 to July 30 (Fig. 8); the modal date for laying is May 25, and 71 per cent of all eggs are laid in the period May 11 to June 10. Eighty-eight records of breeding from northwestern Kansas make a histogram almost exactly duplicating the one from Cloud County.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size at Concordia, Cloud County, is 4 eggs (3.7, 3-5; 48); in northeastern Kansas mean clutch-size is 3.7 eggs (3-5; 46). For the total sample, mean clutch-size in May is 4.0 eggs, in June, 3.7 eggs, and in July, 3.3 eggs.
Nests are placed about four feet high (one to nine feet) in willow, cattail, sedge, grass, elm, exotic conifer, elderberry, coralberry, buttonbrush, honeysuckle, smartweed, ash, osage orange, and yellow clover.
In central Kansas red-wings are host to the Brown-headed Cowbird in a frequency of one parasitized nest out of nine; in northeastern Kansas the ratio is 1:25.
Table 18.—Occurrence in Time of Summer Resident Icterids in KansasSpeciesArrivalDepartureRangeMedianRangeMedianBobolinkMay 4-May 21May 11Aug. 28-Oct. 1Sept. 12Yellow-headedBlackbirdMar. 31-Apr. 29Apr. 19Sept. 19-Oct. 18Sept. 24Orchard OrioleApr. 25-May 14May 4Aug. 5-Sept. 15Aug. 9Baltimore OrioleApr. 24-May 5Apr. 29Sept. 6-Sept. 29Sept. 10Common GrackleMar. 2-Mar. 27Mar. 17Oct. 15-Nov. 14Oct. 31
Orchard Oriole:Icterus spurius(Linnaeus).—This summer resident is common in parkland, woodland, and old second-growth. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 18.
Breeding schedule.—The 118 records of breeding span the period May 11 to August 10 (Fig. 8); the modal date for completion of clutches is June 5, and 45 per cent of all eggs are laid in the first ten days of June.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs (4.1, 3-6; 41). Clutches laid at the peak of the season average 4.3 eggs (3-6; 26), and replacement clutches average 3.8 eggs (3-4; 9).Nests are hung about 15 feet high (ranging from six to 55 feet) in elm, cottonwood, hackberry, locust, catalpa, willow, alder, osage orange, walnut, pear, linden, and ash.
Baltimore Oriole:Icterus galbula(Linnaeus).—This common summer resident is most numerous in the east, in woodland and riparian timber. The species hybridizes freely with the Bullock Oriole in western Kansas, and individuals morphologically typical of Baltimore Orioles are rare west of the 100th meridian. Evidence of such hybridization can be found in specimens taken in eastern Kansas, but the linear nature of distribution along water-courses to the west restricts gene-flow, and evident hybrids are not yet conspicuous. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 18.
Breeding schedule.—Eighty-three records of breeding span the period May 11 to July 10 (Fig. 8); the modal date of egg-laying is June 5, and 66 per cent of all eggs are laid between May 21 and June 10.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs.
Nests are hung about 24 feet high (ranging from nine to 70 feet) in elm, cottonwood, sycamore, maple, and oak.
Bullock Oriole:Icterus bullockii(Swainson).—This summer resident is common in western Kansas in woodland and riparian situations. The species hybridizes freely with the Baltimore Oriole, and most Bullock Orioles in Kansas show evidence of such interbreeding. Almost all records of breeding come from west of the 100th meridian, but the species in recognizable form probably breeds locally at least as far east as Stafford County.
Breeding schedule.—Few nesting records are available, but these suggest that the breeding schedule of the Bullock Oriole resembles those of the preceding two species in Kansas.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.
Nests are hung about 26 feet high (ranging from 10 to 50 feet) in cottonwood, elm, and other large trees.
Common Grackle:Quiscalus quiscula versicolorVieillot.—This summer resident is common in parkland, and around towns and farms. Most individuals move out of Kansas in winter, and the temporal occurrence of these birds is indicated inTable 18.
Breeding schedule.—The 233 records of breeding span the period April 11 to June 30 (Fig. 8); the modal date for egg-laying is May 5, and two-thirds of all eggs are laid between May 1 and May 20.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 5 eggs (4.5, 3-6; 33). Clutches laid at the peak of the season average 4.7 eggs (3-6; 21), and those laid as replacement clutches average 4.3 eggs (3-6; 12).
Nests are placed in forks and crotches about 22 feet high (ranging from six to 50 feet) in elm, red cedar, cottonwood, oak, box elder, and pine.
Brown-headed Cowbird:Molothrus ater ater(Boddaert).—Many individuals of this common summer resident overwinter in the southern part of the State and it is difficult to determine dates of arrival and departure in Kansas. Conspicuous abundance in the north covers the period April to October.
Breeding schedule.—The 141 instances of egg-laying span the period April 21 to July 20 (Fig. 8); the modal date of laying is May 15, and 53 per cent of all eggs are laid in the period May 11 to June 10. Inception of laying ishere fairly reliably indicated, but in exceptionally early springs laying does occur earlier; a few eggs were found on April 6, 1963, too late for incorporation into this report other than in this sentence.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size in cowbirds is not readily determined. On the basis of ovarian examination of five females taken in mid-season, the birds here lay about five eggs at a time. There is no question that the birds are "double-brooded" in Kansas, and the season is sufficiently long for as many as five "clutches" to be laid by a given female.
Eggs are laid in nests of some forty species of birds in Kansas; 39 of these are passerines. No preference for any one species is detectable; the most frequently parasitized species are simply the common species, and these are the kinds for which nesting records are easily gathered by man. In the following list of host species, the names marked with an asterisk are the conspicuously parasitized species.
Mourning Dove, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Phoebe,* Say Phoebe,* Acadian Flycatcher, Barn Swallow, Horned Lark, Carolina Wren, Rock Wren, Brown Thrasher,* Mockingbird, Catbird, Wood Thrush,* Eastern Bluebird, Yellow-throated Vireo, Bell Vireo,* White-eyed Vireo,* Parula Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow-breasted Chat, Yellowthroat, Eastern Meadowlark, Western Meadowlark, Red-winged Blackbird,* Orchard Oriole,* Cardinal,* Black-headed Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting,* Blue Grosbeak, Dickcissel,* Pine Siskin,* Rufous-sided Towhee,* Grasshopper Sparrow, Lark Sparrow,* Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow.*
Scarlet Tanager:Piranga olivacea(Gmelin).—This rare summer resident in northeastern Kansas occurs in deciduous forest and bottomland timber. Specimens taken in the breeding season and records of nesting come from Clay, Doniphan, Douglas, Wyandotte, Johnson, and Linn counties, but the species probably occupies the entire eastern third of the State. Dates of arrival in spring are from April 29 to May 25 (the median is May 11), and dates of departure in autumn are from August 4 to September 23 (the median is August 10).
Breeding schedule.—Six records of breeding fall in the period May 11 to June 20.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.
Nests are placed 20 to 35 feet high in elm, linden, hickory, and walnut.
Summer Tanager:Piranga rubra rubra(Linnaeus).—This uncommon summer resident in eastern Kansas occurs in woodland. Specimens taken in the breeding season and records of nesting come from east of stations in Doniphan, Shawnee, and Montgomery counties. Dates of arrival in spring run from April 24 to May 18 (the median is April 29), and the species departs southward in September and October.
Breeding schedule.—Eleven records of egg-laying cover the period May 21 to July 20; the modal date for laying is June 5.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.
Nests are situated ten to 20 feet high on horizontal limbs of large trees.
Cardinal:Richmondena cardinalis cardinalis(Linnaeus).—This species is a common resident in eastern Kansas, west to about the 99th meridian; westof this line the species becomes local and uncommon to rare. Habitat in the east is found in woodland, edge, second-growth and open riparian timber, and in the west the species is restricted to riparian growths, chiefly along the Republican, Solomon, Smoky Hill, Arkansas, and Cimarron rivers, and their larger tributaries.
Breeding schedule.—The 117 records of breeding span the period April 1 to September 20 (Fig. 8); the modal date for laying of first clutches is May 1, subsequent to which breeding activity is regular but asynchronous.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 3 eggs (3.5, 3-6; 65). Seasonal variation in clutch-size is as follows:
DateMean clutch-sizeNumber of recordsApril 1-203.06April 21-May 103.825May 11-May 313.315June 1-June 203.611June 21-July 203.37
Nests are placed about five feet high (ranging from 10 inches to 40 feet) in osage orange, elm, grape, rose, red cedar, coralberry, willow, cottonwood, gooseberry, oak, elderberry, box elder, arbor vitae, Lombardy poplar, Forsythia, pines, honeysuckle, wisteria, lilac, red haw, hickory, dogwood, and sycamore.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak:Pheucticus ludovicianus(Linnaeus).—This is a local and at times common summer resident in eastern Kansas, in woodland, edge, and riparian timber. Specimens taken in the breeding season and actual records of breeding come from Clay, Riley, Doniphan, Leavenworth, and Douglas counties. This species meets and hybridizes with the Black-headed Grosbeak west of the Flint Hills. Temporal occurrence in the State is indicated inTable 19.
Breeding schedule.—Eleven records of breeding span the period May 11 to July 10; the modal date for laying is probably June 5.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 3 or 4 eggs.
Nests are placed in deciduous trees, in forks and crotches six to 30 feet high.
Black-headed Grosbeak:Pheucticus mehnocephalus melanocephalus(Swainson).—This summer resident is common in western Kansas, chiefly along streams. Individuals referable to this species by sight records alone breed in fair numbers as far east as Cloud and Sedgwick counties, but to the east of these stations numbers are reduced, partly as a result of presumed competition with the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Hybrids between these two grosbeaks are regularly produced. The easternmost record of breeding by this species is at St. Mary's, Pottawatomie County, where a male was seen as probably mated with a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 19.
Breeding schedule.—Sixteen records of breeding span the period May 11 to July 10; the modal date for egg-laying is June 5.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs (3.7, 3-4; 4). Nests are placed about 12 feet high in a variety of deciduous trees.
Blue Grosbeak:Guiraca caerulea(Linnaeus).—This is a common to uncommon summer resident in most of Kansas, in brushland and streamside thickets.G. c. caerulea(Linnaeus) breeds in the east, east of stations in Douglas, Greenwood, and Cowley counties, andG. c. interfusaDwight andGriscom breeds in the west, west of stations in Cloud, Stafford, and Clark counties; a broad zone of intergradation exists between the two named populations. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 19.
Breeding schedule.—Seven records of breeding span the period May 21 to June 30; the modal date of laying seems to be in late May or early June.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs.
Nests are placed from three to 30 feet high in a variety of deciduous plants.
Table 19.—Occurrence in Time of Summer Resident Cardinal Grosbeaks in KansasSpeciesArrivalDepartureRangeMedianRangeMedianRose-breasted GrosbeakApr. 25-May 5May 2Sept. 4-Oct. 1Sept. 13Black-headed GrosbeakApr. 26-May 11May 5Aug. 17-Sept. 18Sept. 2Blue GrosbeakApr. 25-May 26May 13Aug. 15-Sept. 3Aug. 27Indigo BuntingApr. 20-May 15May 6Aug. 23-Oct. 31Oct. 1Lazuli BuntingMay 5-May 24May 10................Painted BuntingApr. 30-May 25May 9................DickcisselApr. 21-May 10May 4Sept. 7-Oct. 11Sept. 18
Table 19.—Occurrence in Time of Summer Resident Cardinal Grosbeaks in Kansas
Indigo Bunting:Passerina cyanea(Linnaeus).—This summer resident is common in mixed-field and heavy brushland habitats. The species extends westerly, in riparian situations, in reduced numbers, ultimately meeting and hybridizing with the Lazuli Bunting. Specimens referrable to the Indigo Bunting have been taken as far west as Finney County, but most specimens from that far west show evidence of interbreeding with Lazuli Buntings. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 19.
Breeding schedule.—Twenty-four records of breeding span the period May 11 to August 20 (Fig. 8); the modal date for egg-laying is June 15.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 3 eggs (3.1, 2-4; 17).
Nests are placed about three feet high (ranging from one to nine feet) in coralberry, sumac, thistle, sycamore sprouts, hickory sprouts, grape, elderberry, cottonwood, dogwood, ragweed, and grasses.
Lazuli Bunting:Passerina amoena(Say).—This uncommon summer resident of western Kansas occurs in edge habitats and streamside thickets. The one breeding record is from Morton County, and there is a breeding specimen taken at Sharon Springs, Wallace County. The species hybridizes with the Indigo Bunting in the western half of the State. Temporal occurrence in spring is indicated inTable 19.
Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid in June and July.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs (Davie, 1898).
Nests are placed a few feet from the ground, probably much as are nests of the Indigo Bunting.
Painted Bunting:Passerina ciris pallidiorMearns.—This is an uncommonsummer resident in the southeastern third of Kansas, in edge habitats and streamside brush. Specimens taken in the breeding season and actual nesting records come from Douglas, Shawnee, Geary, Barber, and Crawford counties. Temporal occurrence in spring is indicated inTable 19.
Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid in June and July.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs (Davie, 1898).
Nests are placed in deciduous shrubs and trees.
Dickcissel:Spiza americana(Gmelin).—This species is a common summer resident in eastern Kansas and is local and irregular in the west, in grassland habitats. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 19.
Breeding schedule.—Forty-one records of breeding span the period May 1 to July 10 (Fig. 8); the modal date for egg-laying seems to be May 5, but the curiously abrupt inception of breeding described by this sample suggests that more records are needed to document fully the breeding schedule of this species. Breeding in April almost certainly will be found.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs (4.1, 3-5; 14).
Nests are placed about two feet high (ranging from ground level to 12 feet) in grasses, osage orange, sedge, box elder, honey locust, clover, thistle, and blackberry.
Pine Siskin:Spinus pinus pinus(Wilson).—This irregular summer resident occurs locally north of the 38th parallel, chiefly around planted conifers. Known stations of breeding are in Hays, Ellis County, Concordia, Cloud County, and Onaga and St. Marys, Pottawatomie County.
Breeding schedule.—Twelve records of breeding span the period March 11 to May 20 (Fig. 9); most nests have been established in late April or by early May.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is about 4 eggs. Of ten nests examined for eggs, five had at least one egg of the Brown-headed Cowbird; if it is assumed that each cowbird egg replaced one of the siskins, mean clutch-size is 3.7 eggs.
Nests are placed about seven feet high (ranging from 3.5 to 13 feet) in red cedar, exotic conifers, and Lombardy poplar.
American Goldfinch:Spinus tristis tristis(Linnaeus).—This resident is common in woodland edge, scrubby second-growth, old fields, and riparian thickets. Occurrence tends to be local and at low density in the southwestern sector.
Breeding schedule.—Twelve records of breeding span the period June 20 to September 10 (Fig. 9); the modal date for laying is August 5.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs (4.4, 3-6; 8).
Nests are placed from two to eight feet high in woody or herbaceous vegetation.
Red Crossbill:Loxia curvirostraLinnaeus.—This is an uncommon and irregular winter visitant to Kansas, but it nested once in Shawnee County.L. c. minor(Brehm), on geographic grounds, probably nested here, but five other subspecies have been recorded in the State and any one of these might have undertaken the aberrant breeding.
Breeding record.—Three eggs, set completed March 24, 1917, Shawnee County; successfully fledged (Hyde, 1917:166).The species usually lays 4 eggs and places its nests in conifers.
Rufous-sided Towhee:Pipilo erythrophthalmus erythrophthalmus(Linnaeus).—This is an uncommon summer resident in eastern Kansas, in understory of woodland and streamside timber. Specimens taken in the breeding season and actual records of nesting come from east of stations in Cloud, Marion, and Cherokee counties. Temporal occurrence is indicated inTable 20; records ofP. e. arcticus(Swainson) have been eliminated from the sample as far as has been possible.
Breeding schedule.—Nineteen records of breeding span the period April 21 to August 10 (Fig. 9); the modal date for egg-laying is May 5.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 4 eggs (4.0, 3-7; 14).
Nests are placed on the ground, in heavy cover.