Description.—Adult male: Head, all but chin and throat, blue-gray, extending down to upper back, scapulars, wings, and tail; back dull yellow; wings with two prominent white wing-bars; outer tail-feathers with white along inner vanes; chin, throat, and lower breast clear yellow, a dusky band across upper breast which is bordered below with reddish brown; belly, sides, and under tail-coverts white. There is an almost complete, but not particularly noticeable, white eye-ring. Female: Similar, but less brightly colored; breast usually without much trace of the dusky and reddish brown band. Young birds: Similar to the female. Length: 4¾ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Common as a migrant during May and September; rather local as a summer resident, having been known to nest at several points in the State.
Nest.—Generally built of and among tree moss, in a conifer or other tree, usually from 20 to 40 feet from the ground. Eggs: 4 or 5, white, speckled with brown at the larger end.
The thin, squeaky song of this species is not noticeable. It might be written pit see, pit see, pit see see. A thin, insect-like, ascending trill is also occasionally given; this trill resembles one of the songs of the Redstart.
CAPE MAY WARBLER
Dendroica tigrina (Gmelin)
Description.—Adult male: Crown black, the feathers tipped with gray toward the back of the head; patch about eye, including ear-coverts, rich orange-brown; fore part of superciliary, chin and throat, sides of neck, breast, sides and rump, clear yellow; lower throat, breast, and sides strikingly streaked with black; wing with two wing-bars which are so broad that they merge, forming a white patch; outer tail-feathers with white spots on inner vanes at tip. Female: Much duller, the brown of the side of the head being replaced with olive-green, the yellow of rump and underparts dull, sometimes hardly noticeable, the wing-bars narrow and obscure. Young birds: Like their parents, but duller, the white wing-patch in the young male usually being evident. Length: 5 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant, rare, as a rule, in the spring, when it is seen during May. It is often abundant in the fall, from early September through October, and sometimes later.
This very handsome warbler can hardly be called a songster. The song is thin and squeaky, sometimes like the shrill squeaking of a large insect—see, see, see, see, see, it might be written, the syllables becoming louder toward the end. Usually the song is given from a rather high perch. The heavily streaked breast is a pretty good field-mark for any age or plumage of this bird.
Yellow Warbler
Cape May Warbler
YELLOW WARBLER
Dendroica æstiva æstiva (Gmelin)
Other Names.—Summer Yellow Bird; Wild Canary (erroneous).
Description.—Adult male: Head and underparts bright yellow, the breast, sides, and belly streaked with reddish brown; back, wings, and tail dull yellowish green, brightest on rump, and obscurely streaked; wing with two yellow wing-bars, and the inner webs of all the tail-feathers but the central pair, yellow, showing plainly in flight. Female: Similar, but much duller, the underparts almost altogether without streaks. Length: A little over 5 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—An abundant migrant and summer resident from late April and early May to early September.
Nest.—A neat, usually deep cup, made of vegetable fiber lined with wool, feathers, and soft materials, held in place with a few horsehairs. Eggs: 3 to 5, white or bluish white, spotted with gray, chiefly about the larger end.
The Yellow Warbler’s fondness for lilac bushes and other shrubbery about our yards leads him to be a favorite and familiar bird. His bright though unmusical song is almost incessant during the days of early spring, when much time is spent, prior to building the nest, in chasing about, sparring with rival males, or in courting. During these pursuits the yellow inner vanes of the tail-feathers are likely to be plainly seen.