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
_Field marks._--In general appearance and behavior the olive warbler
suggests the pine warbler, especially as it creeps over the pines. The
orange-brown head, neck, and breast of the adult male, with the
conspicuous black band through the eye, is distinctive; these colors are
much paler and more yellowish in the female, and the band through the
eye is grayish. Both adults have two white wing bars, a white area at
the base of the primaries and much white in the tail, the white areas
being more restricted in the female. Young birds are much like the
female (see descriptions of plumages).
_Winter._--The olive warbler, as a species, is probably permanently
resident throughout most of its Mexican and Central American range. But
the northern olive warbler is evidently partially migratory, though some
individuals, perhaps many, remain in Arizona during part, or all, of the
winter. All of the 15 specimens taken by Stephens for William Brewster
(1882b) were collected in March, probably too early to be migrants, and
he says that Stephens had previously taken one in February 1880,
evidently a wintering bird. Mr. Swarth (1904) writes: "I have not found
this species very abundant in the Huachucas at any time, but it is
probably resident to some extent, for I secured an adult male on
February 21 when the snow was deep on the ground. During March I saw
several more, all adult males and single birds, usually with a troop of
Pygmy Nuthatches; but it was not until the first of April, when the
other warblers were arriving, that they became at all abundant." Scott
(1885) found them on the Catalinas under winter conditions, with snow on
the ground, and says: "I think there can be little if any doubt that
they are residents all the year." And Dr. W. P. Taylor (MS.) took one in
the Santa Ritas on February 4, 1923. Just how far south go the birds
that migrate away from Arizona does not seem to be known, but apparently
they have not been detected beyond Chihuahua and Tamaulipas. Perhaps
they do not migrate at all.
DISTRIBUTION
_Range._--Southwestern United States to northern Nicaragua.
_Breeding range._--The northern olive warbler breeds =north= to central
Arizona (Baker's Butte and White Mountains) and central western New
Mexico (Reserve). =East= to western New Mexico (Reserve and McKnight's
Canyon); Chihuahua (Colonia García); southeastern Coahuila (Diamante
Pass); and southwestern Tamaulipas (Miquihuana). =South= to southwestern
Tamaulipas (Miquihuana) and southern Durango (Durango). =West= to
Durango (Durango); Sonora (Sierra Saguaribo); and southeastern and
central Arizona (Huachuca Mountains, Santa Catalina Mountains, and
Baker's Butte).
Other races occur in southern Mexico and Central America.
_Winter range._--The northern olive warbler is probably migratory to
some extent, individuals withdrawing to the southern part of the range,
but it is found in winter occasionally or in small numbers as far north
as southern Arizona.
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