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
For nearly one hundred years at least this species had been considered
very rare in New England, but about 1909 it seemed to become more
common. In May, 1912, at Amesbury, Massachusetts, one chilly morning I
found bright males scattered through the village. A cold wave, catching
them in night migration, had brought them down, and they could be seen
here and there on or near the ground, and in low bushes by the roadside.
In the door-yards and along the streets these lovely birds hopped and
fluttered fearlessly in their search for food, paying little attention
to passers-by. By 1915 they had appeared more generally, and in May,
1917, they were well distributed over a large part of New England.
Since that time Cape May Warblers have been not uncommon transients in
certain years, and they have never been as rare as they formerly were.
In migration they may be found in trees and shrubbery about dwellings
and along village streets almost as commonly as in woods or in swampy
thickets, where at this season they find many insects. Occasionally a
few may be seen in blossoming orchards.
_Courtship._--Information on the courtship behavior of the wood warblers
is so scanty that it seems worthwhile to include two small items on this
subject for the Cape May warbler. While watching a pair at their
nest-building, Dr. Merriam (1917) observed that "on June 11 the male was
seen to chase the female. The next day nest building was apparently
complete. An hour's watching on the 13th also failed to show any further
nest construction, although the female was frequently heard in the low
growth. Once she flew ten feet up in a spruce and gave a peculiar note
at the same time lifting her tail. Immediately the male flew down and
copulation took place. The whole proceeding resembled very much that of
the Chipping Sparrow." James Bond (1937) noted at times that, "when the
female was working on the nest, the male would fly with rigid wings just
above her. This was a characteristic courting display, noted with other
individuals."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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