Life histories of North American wood warblers, Part 1 (of 2)Bent, Arthur Cleveland
Science
Life histories of North American wood warblers, Part 1 (of 2)
Bent, Arthur Cleveland
Birds -- North America; Passeriformes; Wood warblers
Associated with flocks of the Mexican Bluebird (_Sialia, mexicana_),
which was, by the way, the only kind of Bluebird observed, was always to
be found one and sometimes two representatives of the Olive Warbler
(_Peucedramus olivaceus_). The Bluebirds were generally feeding on some
insects in the tall pines, in flocks of from six to ten individuals. The
Olive Warblers were on the best of terms with their blue friends, and as
the Bluebirds were shy and restless they made it difficult to obtain or
observe very closely their smaller allies. I did not in these pine woods
see the two species apart, and became at length so well aware of the
intimacy that existed between them, that I would fire at any small bird
passing high overhead in company with Bluebirds. They were chance shots,
certainly, but the only two small birds obtained flying in this way with
the Bluebirds were Olive Warblers. * * * Generally they preferred the
largest branches of the pines when they alighted, though I took one not
more than three feet from the ground in a small bush. Their movements
while feeding or searching for food are very deliberate, though I
noticed now and again certain motions when at the extremity of a bough
that reminded me of a Kinglet or a Titmouse.
Swarth (1940) says: "Though frequenting the tree tops to a great extent,
they seem singularly tame and unsuspicious, and several times I have had
one feeding in some of the lower branches, within arm's reach of me,
without its showing the least sign of fear."
_Voice._--The olive warbler has a rather loud, attractive, and
distinctive note, but few observers have referred to it as a song. The
"beautiful song" mentioned above consisted of "detached, melodious,
whistling notes."
One of its whistling notes sounds very much like the _peto_ note of the
tufted titmouse and might easily deceive the listener. Scott (1885)
observed that these warblers "had a call-note so like that of their
associates [the bluebirds] as to be almost identical. It seemed to me
only a clearer whistle of more silvery tone." Price (1895) saw a male
alight on a twig near his mate, during nest-building, uttering "a liquid
_quirt, quirt, quirt_, in a descending scale." Mr. Henshaw (1875) heard
"a few strange Vireo-like notes coming" from an olive warbler. A bird
that Dr. W. P. Taylor (MS.) watched in apparent courtship gave "a
whistled call with descending inflection."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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