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
T. E. McMullen has sent me the data for 22 nests, found in the Pocono
Mountains, Pa. All of these were built in rhododendrons in woods, two
on hillsides, one on the edge of a road, one on the edge of the woods,
one near a creek, and three along a creek bank. Most of Mr. Brewster's
(1938) Lake Umbagog nests were placed low down in yews (_Taxus
canadensis_). Apparently, the favorite nesting sites of the
black-throated blue warbler are in the broadleaf evergreens,
mountain-laurels and rhododendrons, where these are available; next in
popularity come the other evergreens (spruces, firs, and hemlocks) of
small size; but nests have been found in many places in deciduous
seedlings, saplings and sprouts, mainly maple and beech, or in various
other bushes or tangles.
Mrs. Harding gave me an account of the building of a nest, which she
watched during a period of four days. Most of the work was done by the
female, but the male helped shape the nest occasionally. The beginning
of the nest and much of the main part of it was made of thin strips of
the paperlike bark of the white, or canoe, birch firmly bound in place
with great quantities of cobwebs; during the early stages of building
the rim was anchored with several strands of cobweb to the surrounding
leaves and twigs to secure it while the nest was being shaped; this the
bird did by sitting in the nest and turning around in all directions,
molding it inside with her feet and breast and pressing her tail down
over the edge to smooth the exterior. The male sang in the vicinity and
brought some of the material, and once he drove away another male. The
nest was finished on the fourth day. This process is described in more
detail in Mrs. Harding's (1931) paper, where she notes "there is usually
an interim of at least twenty-four hours before the first egg is laid.
The female lays the eggs at intervals of twenty-four hours--frequently
early in the morning. * * * On the morning of the fourth day when the
clutch is complete the female commences incubating."
_Eggs._--The black-throated blue warbler lays normally four eggs, three
are not a rare complement, but five are seldom found. Richard C. Harlow
tells me that in over 200 nests that he has examined he has found only 4
sets of five.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account