_Vireo flavifrons_, VIEILL. Ois. Am. Sept. I, 1807, 85, pl. liv.—AUD.
Orn. Biog. II, 1834, pl. cxix.—IB. Birds. Am. IV, pl.
ccxxxviii.—CASSIN, Pr. A. N. Sc. 1851, 149.—SCLATER, P. Z. S.
1857, 227 (Vera Cruz); 1860, 257 (Orizaba).—SCLATER & SALVIN,
Ibis, I, 1859, 12 (Guatemala).—CAB. Jour. III, 468 (Cuba;
winter).—GUNDLACH, Cab. Jour. 1861, 324 (Cuba; rare).—CAB. Jour.
1860, 405 (Costa Rica). _Vireo_ (_Lanivireo_) _flav._ BAIRD, Birds
N. Am. 1858, 341. _Vireosylvia_ (_Lanivireo_) _flavifrons_, BAIRD,
Rev. 346. _Muscicapa sylvicola_, WILS. Am. Orn. II, 1810, 117, pl.
vii, f. 3.
[Line drawing: _Vireosylvia flavifrons._
2217]
SP. CHAR. (No. 28,390.) Head and neck above and on sides, with
interscapular region, bright olive-green. Lower back, rump, tail, and
wing-coverts ashy. Wings brown, with two white bands across the
coverts, the outer edges of inner secondaries, and inner edges of all
the quills, with inside of wing, white. Outer primaries edged with
gray, the inner with olive. Tail-feathers brown, entirely encircled by
a narrow edge of white. Under parts to middle of body, a line from
nostrils over eye, eyelids, and patch beneath the eye (bordered behind
by the olive of neck) bright gamboge-yellow; rest of under parts
white, the flanks faintly glossed with ashy. Lores dusky. Bill and
legs plumbeous-black.
No spurious primary evident: second quill longest; first a little
shorter than third.
Length, 5.80; wing, 3.00; tail, 2.00; difference of longest and
innermost quills, .90; tarsus, .73.
HAB. Eastern United States, south to Costa Rica. Veragua (SALVIN).
Very rare in Cuba.
Autumnal birds, perhaps more especially the young, are more glossed
with olivaceous, which invades the ashy portions, and tinges the
white.
HABITS. All the older ornithological writers, in speaking of the
Yellow-throated Vireo, repeat each other in describing it as
peculiarly attracted to the forest, seeking its solitudes and gleaning
its food chiefly among its topmost branches. Such has not been my
experience with this interesting and attractive little songster. I
have found no one of this genus, not even the _gilva_, so common in
the vicinity of dwellings, or more familiar and fearless in its
intercourse with man. All of its nests that I have ever met with have
been built in gardens and orchards, and in close proximity to
dwellings, and they have also been exclusively in comparatively low
positions. In one of the most recent instances a pair of these birds
built one of their beautiful moss-covered nests in a low branch of an
apple-tree that overhung the croquet-ground, within a few rods of my
house. It was first noticed in consequence of its bold little builder
flying in my face whenever I approached too near, even before its nest
contained any eggs. The grounds were in frequent use, and the pair
were at first a good deal disturbed by these constant intrusions, but
they soon became reconciled to their company, and would not leave
their position, even though the game was contested immediately under
their nest, which was thus often brought within a foot of the heads of
the players. Before this nest was quite finished, the female began her
duties of incubation. Her assiduous mate was constantly engaged at
first in completing the external ornamentation of the nest with
lichens and mosses, and then with a renewal of his interrupted
concerts of song. These duties he varied by frequent captures of
insects, winged and creeping, most of which he duly carried to his
mate. His song was varied, sweet, and touchingly beautiful. Less
powerful than the notes of several others of its family, except those
of the _Warbling_, I know of none more charming.
These birds reach New England about the 10th of May, and usually have
their nests constructed early in June. Their habits, in all essential
respects, are the same as those of all its family. They are somewhat
confiding and trustful of man, are readily approached, and soon become
so well acquainted with those among whom they have a home as to
fearlessly come to the windows of the house in pursuit of spiders or
flies, and even to enter them. In the latter case they cannot readily
make their exit, and soon lose their self-possession, beating their
heads against the walls and ceiling in vain attempts to get out,
unless caught and released. In one instance a young bird, that had
entered my barn-chamber, became so entangled in cobwebs, around his
wings and feet, as to be unable to escape again. When taken in the
hand, and his meshes one by one picked out from about his feet and
quills, he was very docile, made no resistance or outcry, nor any
attempt to escape, until he was entirely freed from his bonds,
although it required some time and care to accomplish it. When
entirely freed from these clogs, and permitted to go, he flew away
very deliberately to a short distance, and occupied himself with
dressing his disordered plumage.
The nest of this species is also a pendent structure, and
hemispherical in shape. It may always be readily distinguished from
any other nest of this family by the profusion of lichens and mosses
with which its outer portion is adorned and covered, giving it the
appearance of a large moss-covered knot.
In most of the towns in the vicinity of Boston this species, though
not abundant, is quite common. Their nests, built usually in low and
rather conspicuous positions for birds of this kind, occur most
frequently in gardens and orchards. One of these, found suspended from
a moss-covered branch of an apple-tree in Roxbury, may be taken as
typical of its kind. Its rim was firmly bound around the fork of a
branch by a continuation of the materials that form the outside of the
nest itself. These are an interweaving of spiders’-webs, and silky
threads from insect cocoons, largely intermingled with mosses and
lichens, and thus made to conform closely in appearance to the
moss-grown bark of the tree. The under portion of the nest is
strengthened by long strips of the inner bark of the wild grape.
Within is an inner nest made of fine grassy stems and bark. It forms
exactly a half-sphere in shape, is symmetrical, and is very thoroughly
made. Its diameter is four, and its height two and one fourth inches.
Mr. Nuttall describes a nest of this bird, found by him suspended from
the forked twig of an oak, near a dwelling-house, as coated over with
green lichens, attached very artfully by a slender string of
caterpillars’ silk, the whole afterwards tied over by almost invisible
threads of the same, so nicely done as to appear to be glued on. The
whole fabric was thus made to resemble an accidental knot of the tree,
grown over with moss. Another nest, observed by the same writer, was
fixed on the depending branches of a wild cherry, and was fifty feet
from the ground. So lofty a position as this is probably very unusual.
I have never met with any higher than ten feet from the ground.
The food of this Vireo is chiefly insects, and in the breeding-season
is altogether so. Later in the season they mingle with these various
kinds of small berries.
The eggs of this species vary from .95 to .88 of an inch in length,
and from .65 to .60 in breadth. Their ground-color is white, often
with a very perceptible tint of roseate when fresh. In this respect
they differ in a very marked manner from the eggs of any other of this
genus, except, perhaps, the _barbatula_, and may thus always be very
easily recognized. They are more or less boldly marked with blotches
of a dark roseate-brown, also peculiar to the eggs of this species,
though varying greatly in their size and depth of color.
This Vireo winters, in great numbers, in Central America, and was
largely represented in the collection of Dr. Van Patten from
Guatemala. It was also found at Pirico, in Colombia, South America, by
Mr. C. W. Wyatt. It occurs in abundance as far to the west as
Grinnell, Iowa, where Mr. W. H. Parker found it to be a very common
summer resident.