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
Over much of the southern part of the United States the magnolia
warbler, though rare in spring, is common in fall. * * * The general
path of migration of the species seems to cross the middle of the Gulf
of Mexico. It is bounded approximately on the east by a line drawn from
the north central part of Georgia to eastern Yucatan, while few
individuals seem to proceed farther west than the coast line from
eastern Texas to southern Vera Cruz. In common with some twenty other
species of birds the magnolia warbler seems to make its flight between
the United States and Yucatan without taking advantage of the peninsula
of Florida or using Cuba as a stopping place. At the southern end of the
Allegheny Mountains it is a common migrant, while it has been noted only
three times in Florida and only once in Cuba.
_Winter._--Dr. Alexander F. Skutch contributes the following from Costa
Rica: "The magnolia warbler is one of the abundant winter visitants of
northern Central America. Although its known winter range extends to
Panamá, it only rarely migrates so far south. I have never seen the bird
either in Panamá or Costa Rica; nor did Carriker have any record of it
when he prepared his list of the birds of the latter country. But in the
Caribbean lowlands of Honduras and Guatemala, it is common and
widespread from October to April, sharing with the yellow warbler the
distinction of being the member of the family most often seen during
this period. While it appears to be present in somewhat smaller numbers
than in the Caribbean region, it is still far from rare on the Pacific
side of Guatemala. Here I found it fairly abundant, during the winter
months, on the great coffee plantations between 2,000 and 4,000 feet
above sea-level. It was not uncommon in the bushy growth about the
shores of Lake Atitlán (4,900 feet), at the end of October; and I even
found a few among the pines and oaks at Huehuetenango, at an altitude of
6,600 feet in the western highlands, on November 12, 1934; but I am not
at all certain whether they remained so high during the cooler months
that followed. In its winter home, this sprightly bird lives singly
rather than in flocks. It frequents open groves, light second-growth
woodland, thickets, and the riverside vegetation, rather than the heavy
forest.
"The magnolia warblers arrive in Guatemala and Honduras in their dull
winter dress, at the end of September or in October. By early April, the
males are in full nuptial attire, so bright and gay that their
approaching departure will deprive the region of one of its most
beautiful birds. They linger until the end of April; and I have seen
males as late as females.
"Early dates of fall arrival in Central America are: Guatemala--passim
(Griscom), October 12; Colomba, September 30, 1934; Finca Helvetia,
October 6, 1934. Honduras--Tela, October 6, 1930.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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