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
We used to call this the yellow-rumped warbler, a none too distinctive
name, as other warblers have yellow rumps. Another early and slightly
better name, "yellow-crowned wood warbler," reflected the scientific
name _coronata_ and was based on the old Edwards name "golden-crowned
fly-catcher." The present name, Eastern myrtle warbler, comes from its
fondness for the berries of the waxmyrtle (_Myrica cerifera_); and in
the south, where it is common in winter, it is often called the
myrtlebird.
Next to the yellow warbler, this is probably the best known of the wood
warblers and is about the second one of the group that the novice learns
to recognize. All through the eastern United States this is by far the
most abundant warbler on both migrations, being about the first to
arrive in the spring and the last to leave in the fall, often remaining
all winter nearly up to the southern limits of its breeding range. It is
a large, conspicuous warbler, not at all shy, and is to be found almost
anywhere, often in enormous numbers. The breeding range of the species
is one of the most extensive, extending from the tree limit in Alaska
and northern Canada down through the coniferous forests into the
northern tier of States, and even farther south in the mountains. Its
winter range is still more extensive. It spends the winter farther
north than any other wood warbler, although more or less sparingly and
irregularly in the northern States, and its range extends through the
Bahamas, the northern West Indies, Mexico, and Central America to
Panamá. There is no wonder that it is well known. But neither Wilson,
Audubon, nor Nuttall ever found its nest.
_Spring._--Professor Cooke (1904) writes:
The myrtle warbler is one of the first migrants to move northward. A
large flight struck the Alligator Reef lighthouse February 23, 1892, and
some 60 birds struck the Sombrero Key lighthouse March 3, 1889. By the
middle of March migration is well under way over all the winter range,
and the foremost birds keep close behind the disappearance of frost.
* * * By the last of March all the myrtle warblers have departed from
Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, and the Bahamas. The latest recorded date of
striking of this species at any of the Florida lighthouses is April 3,
1889. By the middle of the month the latest northbound birds have left
southern Florida. * * * Most of the migrants cross the Rio Grande into
Texas about the middle of March, and it is the middle of April before
the last have passed north.
Charles L. Whittle (1922) witnessed a heavy migration of myrtle warblers
along the coastal islands of South Carolina on March 4, 1920, that
seemed to have been influenced largely by the presence of the waxmyrtle
(_Myrica cerifera_). He says:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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