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
Nesting begins in May and continues until the end of June. The nests are
placed in various shrubs, such as laurel, wild gooseberry, and chestnut,
but the blue cohosh or papoose-root (_Caulophyllum thalictroides_) seems
to be the favorite. These thick weeds grow rapidly to a height of from
three to five feet, entirely hiding the ground, and thus afford the
birds considerable protection. * * * The nests are never placed over
three feet from the ground; usually about eighteen inches; one I
examined was only six inches. * * *
The nests show little variation in their construction, though some are
more substantially built than others. Exteriorly they are composed of
rhododendron or grapevine bark, interwoven with birch-bark, moss,
spider-webs, and occasionally bits of rotten wood. The interior is
neatly lined with hair-like moss, resembling fine black roots, mixed
with a few sprays of bright red moss, forming a strikingly beautiful
contrast to the pearly eggs. The female gathers all the materials, and
builds rapidly, usually completing a nest in from four to six days if
the weather is favorable. She is usually accompanied by the male, which,
however, does not assist her in any way.
Bruce P. Tyler of Johnson City, Tenn., has sent me some fine photographs
(pl. 31) of the nests of this warbler, and says in his notes: "The
Cairns warbler is found breeding in May, and later, on the southerly
slope of Beech Mountain, just across the Tennessee line in North
Carolina, at an elevation of 4,800 to 5,200 feet above sea level. The
nest is built in small upright saplings or sprouts, 3 to 4 feet above
the ground, and is constructed of shredded bark from the dying chestnut
trees, rotten wood, etc., bound together with spiders' webs, and lined
with fern rootlets and fine grass."
Thomas D. Burleigh (1927a) records four nests found, during May and
June, on the slopes of Brasstown Bald in the northeastern part of
Georgia: Two of these were in laurel bushes, 2 and 2-1/2 feet from the
ground; another was 2 feet up in the fork of a small viburnum; and the
fourth was 5 feet from the ground, "saddled near the end of a drooping
limb of a rhododendron at the base of a large yellow birch well up the
mountainside." A nest in my collection was taken by H. H. Bailey in
Giles County, Va., at an elevation of 4,000 feet, on May 22, 1914; it
was placed in a horsechestnut sprout alongside of a road, 1 foot above
the ground. This and another nest before me are very similar to those
described above.
_Eggs._--The 3 or 4 eggs laid by Cairn's warbler are practically
indistinguishable from those of the black-throated blue warbler. The
measurements of 30 eggs average 17.3 by 12.7 millimeters; the eggs
showing the four extremes measure =19.0= by 13.0, 17.9 by =13.4=, and
=16.0= by =12.0= millimeters (Harris).
DENDROICA CORONATA CORONATA (Linnaeus)
EASTERN MYRTLE WARBLER
PLATES 31-33
HABITS
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