The bird student will find the shy, dull-colored, small flycatchers
difficult to identify. All forms of the group found regularly in
Pennsylvania, aside from the Phœbe and Pewee, are dull olive-green or
grayish above, lighter or whitish below, have a more or less noticeable
eye-ring and two noticeable wing-bars. These small flycatchers are so
similar in size and color that it is at times almost impossible to
distinguish specimens in the hand. But they are reasonably easy to
identify in the field, _chiefly from their call-notes_ which are very
distinctive, from their habitat which differs considerably, and from the
dates upon which they are seen. They are all under 6 inches in length.
All of these birds have an erect perching attitude; none of them,
strictly speaking, sings a song; all are equipped with broad, flat
bills, for capturing insects.
[Illustration: Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher Alder Flycatcher]
YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER
_Empidonax flaviventris_ (W. M. and S. F. Baird)
The Yellow-bellied Flycatcher is a migrant in mid-spring and early
autumn, _not found during summer_, save at one or two high altitudes,
where it nests rarely. It is always rather noticeably yellow below and
is found in low, thick woodlands, not often far from the ground. The
call-note is a nervous _tsek_, or _chuh-bec_, its song a querulous
_tsu-eek_, with a rising inflection. In fall immature birds are
sometimes exceedingly abundant.
ACADIAN FLYCATCHER
_Empidonax virescens_ (Vieillot)
This flycatcher lives in shadowy woodlands _along ravines_ where long,
swaying branches of beech, maple, or hemlock overhang a stream. Here,
not at great height, is built the shallow, thin nest, where three eggs
are laid. These are creamy white, spotted with dark brown at the larger
end. The call of this bird may be written _pit-i-yuk_ or _wee-zee-eep_,
and is of an explosive character. _Do not look for this bird save in
woodlands along streams._ It will not be found in swamps, or in
orchards. It comes in early May and stays until mid-September and occurs
chiefly in the southern and less mountainous counties.
ALDER FLYCATCHER
_Empidonax traillii traillii_ (Audubon)
The Alder Flycatcher will be seen in low growth along streams or in
swamps, often actually among alders. Its sides are yellowish, but the
belly is always white. The song of this species, which is usually
delivered from a prominent and sometimes high perch, may be written
_becky-weer_, and is different from any other flycatcher song, save,
perhaps that of the Olive-sided. Its nest is a compact structure, built
in the alders, 2 to 3 feet from the ground, usually in a swamp. The
three or four eggs are white, sparsely spotted with brown. The Alder
Flycatcher is found chiefly in the more northerly counties as a summer
resident, from early May to September.
LEAST FLYCATCHER; CHEBEC
_Empidonax minimus_ (W. M. and S. F. Baird)
The Least Flycatcher is a bird of open aspen copses or orchards. Its
energetic _che-bec_, which is given with a violent toss of the head, is
always characteristic and is responsible for its common name. Look for
the bird during migration in May and in September. As a summer resident
it occurs chiefly in the more northern counties, where it builds its
deep nest in the crotch of some low tree. The eggs, 3 or 4 in number,
are pure white. Feathers are often used in the nest, which is made of
vegetable fiber and hair.
HORNED LARK
_Otocoris alpestris alpestris_ (Linnæus)
This northern relative of our Prairie Horned Lark visits Pennsylvania
occasionally in winter, especially in the northern counties. It is a
larger, more reddish bird, and the line above the eye is distinctly
yellow, sometimes quite colorful.
PRAIRIE HORNED LARK
_Otocoris alpestris praticola_ Henshaw
Other Name.—Shore Lark.
Description.—Larger than an English Sparrow; a bird of the ground,
with straight toe-nails, the hind one very long. _Adult male_: Patch
on forepart of crown with lateral lines leading to two tiny tufts or
horns on nape, patch in front of and below eye, and another on upper
breast, black; forehead and line above eye whitish, sometimes very
faintly tinged with yellow; throat pale yellow; back of head and
upperparts pale grayish brown mixed with reddish brown on neck, back,
and wings; middle tail-feathers brown, the other feathers blackish,
the outer vanes of the outer feathers white; lower breast and belly
whitish, suffused with pinkish brown on sides and flanks; bill, feet,
and eyes black. _Female and immature_: Similar, but duller. Young
birds in their first plumage are much spotted, with pale yellowish
above, and with blackish below. _Length_: A little over 7 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Local permanent resident, sometimes quite
common, and found only in the opener sections, on bald hilltops or in
wide fields in agricultural districts.
Nest.—A cup in the ground lined with grasses, plant-down, and other
vegetable material. _Eggs_: 3 to 5, greenish white, heavily marked
with grayish brown, sometimes with a wreath of heavier spots around
larger end. The nest is always placed in a wide-open field, sometimes
on a bare hilltop. It is built very early in the season, sometimes in
early or mid-March, while snow is still on the ground.
[Illustration: Prairie Horned Lark]
In the windy, open fields or on treeless hilltops, this demure and
dull-colored bird lives. As he walks or runs among the short grass,
twittering in a companionable way, standing still for a moment to survey
his surroundings, then wandering off again, little is noted to remind us
of the glorious courtship song which this bird of the ground gives
during early spring, and for which he should be as famous as the English
Skylark. Mounting upward from the clods, he finally reaches a far
height, where he pours out his melodious, tinkling music, minute after
minute, sweeping about in wide circles, or steadily flying into the
wind. Thirty or forty times he may give his song, then becoming tired of
his performance, downward he drops to the earth in long, graceful sweeps
to alight unconcernedly. He sometimes sings from the ground or from a
fence-post.
Horned Larks are given to flocking together in the winter, and when snow
covers the ground they sometimes come into the farmyards, or congregate
along roads, where they eat horse-manure or waste grain. Look for the
black facial markings of these plain brown birds, and remember that they
will be found _only in open country_.
BLUE JAY
_Cyanocitta cristata bromia_ Oberholser
Description.—Larger than Robin; sexes similar, both with prominent
crest; nostril covered with tuft of feathers. Head, crest, and back
grayish blue; forehead and a noticeable collar across lower throat,
ear-coverts, and back of crest, black; region about eye whitish;
throat and underparts grayish white, darkest on sides; wings and tail
bright turquoise-blue, the greater coverts, secondaries, and tertials
tipped broadly with white, and all of the feathers barred strikingly
with black on their exposed surface; tail-feathers barred with black,
the outer ones tipped noticeably with white; feet and bill black; eyes
dark brown. _Length_: About 12 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—We should expect the Blue Jay to be a permanent
resident in Pennsylvania wherever it is found. It occurs the year
round, notably in the southwestern and southern counties, and is
usually a summer resident and early spring and mid-fall migrant from
March 20 to November 1; as a summer bird it is somewhat local in
distribution.
Nest.—A bulky mass of twigs, rootlets, and weed-stalks, rather well
made and neatly cupped, placed from 10 to 30 feet from the ground,
usually in a more or less open situation and often in a conifer.
_Eggs_: 3 to 6, pale gray green or greenish gray, heavily marked with
dull and indefinite brown and gray spots.
[Illustration: Blue Jay]
The Blue Jay’s colors and manners are unmistakable. As he flies, the
white-tipped outer tail-feathers and secondaries show plainly; as he
perches, his crest is prominent. But when the bird student essays to
identify the Blue Jay from call-notes alone there may be trouble, for
this bright creature not only has a considerable vocabulary of his own
but also imitates other birds extremely well. He can reproduce the
scream of a Red-shouldered Hawk so faithfully that small birds of the
vicinity drop into silence for an instant. More than once this cry has
misled me. As a rule, he screams _peer, peer_ in a dominant, harsh
voice, or gives violin-like, squeaky calls, the pattern and musical
intent of which are known only to himself.
He is a confirmed nest-robber and is not protected by law in
Pennsylvania. While it is true that he eats the eggs and young of
smaller birds, yet he has some food habits in his favor, and at worst is
a handsome villain.
The nest is defended valiantly by the parents. I once climbed to a Blue
Jay’s nest and took the last remaining young one. As I started to
descend I felt a sharp blow on my forehead. When I reached the ground my
face was lined with blood; the parent bird had punctured my skin with
her beak.
In fall and winter, Blue Jays are very fond of beechnuts and acorns. At
the feeding-counter they often choose peanuts if these are to be found.
Their hearty manner and brilliant colors make them an attractive
addition to any flock of bird-neighbors, in spite of their objectionable
traits.
NORTHERN RAVEN
_Corvus corax principalis_ Ridgway
Description.—Much larger than a Crow; bill and feet very strong and
heavy; feathers of throat long and _pointed_, not rounded. Entire
plumage black, glossed with steel-blue and pale greenish and purplish.
_Length_: About 24 inches. Wingspread about four feet.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A rare permanent resident, found only in the
wildest mountain gorges, chiefly in the central counties.
Nest.—A very large and bulky affair, deeply cupped like a Crow’s,
usually placed in an inaccessible niche on a cliff or high in a tree.
It is made of twigs and branches and is lined with moss, hair,
grape-vine bark, and rootlets. _Eggs_: 3 to 6, usually pale bluish or
bluish green, spotted with brown, olive, and gray.
Ravens might easily pass for Crows, were not their cracked, raucous
voices to echo solemnly through the gorges which they inhabit. Looking
up we may see the great black birds _circling_ through the sky like
hawks; we may be near enough to note that the tail is not rounded as in
the Crow, but wedge-shaped, the middle feathers being noticeably the
longest. When a Raven does not soar, nor croak, he appears much like a
Crow, and identification ought to be either from notes, or flight, or
from direct comparison with Crows. These smaller cousins, incidentally,
mob the Raven with as much gusto as they exhibit in attacking an owl.
[Illustration: Northern Raven]
CROW
_Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos_ Brehm
Description.—Black, glossed with bluish and purplish, underparts
duller in appearance. The Crow is probably our best-known bird.
_Length_: 19 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—In southeastern counties the Crow occurs the
year round, and during winter in great flocks; elsewhere it is chiefly
absent in winter, returning in late February or early March, and
remaining until December. It is widely distributed and abundant as a
summer resident.
Nest.—A bulky structure made of twigs, moss, and leaves, lined with
hair, grape-vine bark, and moss, placed from 20 to 60 feet from the
ground, in trees. _Eggs_: 3 to 6, generally light bluish green,
heavily spotted with brown and gray.
Call-notes, flight, appearance, and bad habits of the Crow are all well
known and need no discussion. It should be said, however, that its
destruction of ground-inhabiting insects, tomato and tobacco worms, and
small mammals, is to its credit. The Crow is not protected in
Pennsylvania.
FISH CROW
_Corvus ossifragus_ Wilson
The Fish Crow is decidedly smaller than the common Crow (16 inches in
length), though this is not noticeable in the field. The underparts are
brightly glossed as above, and the call-notes are decidedly different
from those of the Crow, being higher and not sounding like a _caw_. The
Fish Crow occurs in Pennsylvania chiefly along the Susquehanna and
Delaware rivers, and is not usually seen far from these streams. At
Harrisburg a large colony nests at McCormick’s Island. Fish Crows often
pick their food from the surface of the water like gulls.
STARLING
_Sturnus vulgaris vulgaris_ Linnæus
Other Names.—Blackbird (erroneous); Black Sparrow (erroneous).
Description.—A little smaller than a Robin, with a long, pointed bill
and short tail; feathers of head and neck narrow and pointed; _walks
when on the ground_. _Adults in spring_: Plumage black, highly glossed
with blue, green, purple, and violet, particularly on the neck, _all
feathers above more or less broadly tipped with creamy_ or buffy;
unspotted below, save on sides and flanks; wings brown, the coverts
glossy, all feathers edged with brownish gray; feet mahogany-red;
_bill yellow_; eyes dark brown. _In winter_: Similar, but underparts
as well as upperparts spotted with whitish or creamy buff; _bill
brown_, not yellow. Young birds, before they moult into the first
winter plumage, are dull grayish brown, unmarked; their bills are
blackish brown. _Length_: About 8 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Now found in almost every county and rapidly
encroaching upon the western and more mountainous counties;
exceedingly abundant in the southeastern counties, occurring locally
at certain seasons in flocks of thousands.
Nest.—Of grasses, leaves, and weed-stalks, placed in a natural cavity
in a tree, a woodpecker nest, or bird-box. _Eggs_: 3 to 6, pale blue.
[Illustration: Starling, in Spring]
Introduced from Europe about fifty years ago, the Starling has extended
its range rapidly, so that it is today one of the abundant birds of most
of Pennsylvania. It is very gregarious and, save in the spring, is
usually seen in immense flocks, walking through fields or wheeling about
in the air, with fluttering flight.
It nests early, utilizing all available cavities, and if there are not
enough to go round, it permits Flickers or Red-headed Woodpeckers to dig
one and then ousts the owners so as to use the new cavity for its own
nest. It has been known actually to kill Flickers in driving them from
their newly made nests. As Starlings become increasingly abundant, there
is grave danger of their making it difficult for some of our birds to
rear their young at all.
The Starling is a great mimic. It has a characteristic, high, thin
squeal and numerous chuckling notes, which it intersperses with
imitations of the Wood Pewee, Bob-White, and other well-known birds. As
it sings, it puffs out its throat-feathers, and during spring, shakes
its wings in ecstasy.
Favorable remarks must be made concerning the food-habits of this bird.
It eats, especially during spring and summer, much noxious insect life,
noticeably larvæ which it finds in lawns and fields, and it preys upon
the dreaded Japanese beetle. As its natural enemies come to assert
themselves, it may eventually become a desirable bird citizen.
Starlings roost together in great numbers. They like to congregate in
barn-lofts, cupolas or steeples, or along the high window-sills and
cornices of buildings where they squeal all night as they crowd each
other, or take short flights in the soft glow of the electric lights.
BOBOLINK
_Dolichonyx oryzivorus_ (Linnæus)
[Illustration: Bobolink, Male, in Spring]
Other Names.—Skunkbird; in fall, Reedbird; Ricebird.
Description.—Bill short, conical, and sparrow-like; tail-feathers
sharply pointed. _Adult male in spring_: Glossy black, with broad
patch of buffy yellow on nape and hind neck, a few streaks of
yellowish on the back, and scapulars, lower back, rump, and upper
tail-coverts, white, the upper part of the rump-patch grayer; tertials
and greater coverts edged with buffy; underparts sometimes
indistinctly barred with buffy; eyes brown; bill black; feet
mahogany-red. _Female_: Sparrow-like in appearance, buffy in color,
heavily streaked above, lightly on sides; a black line back of eye,
and crown blackish divided by median buffy line. Immature birds in
first fall plumage are similar to the adult female, but much lighter
in appearance, sometimes quite yellow, noticeably so in the field. The
adult male after a complete early spring moult is rich in appearance,
the brownish tips of this plumage wearing off in forming the nesting
plumage with which we are best acquainted. _Length_: 7 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A summer resident, common in certain
localities, almost altogether absent elsewhere. It is to be looked for
from mid-April or early May until mid-October.
Nest.—On the ground in a grassy meadow, well hidden from above and
difficult to find, made of grasses and rootlets, lined with finer
materials. _Eggs_: 3 to 7, pale grayish, spotted and scrawled,
sometimes quite heavily, with dark brown and olive-gray.
Robert o’Lincoln is not to be found in every meadow where daisies grow,
and where the grass is deep and green, but in those wide, green lowlands
or grassy slopes which he has chosen for his own, the gay songster
reigns supreme, flying on tremulous wings over the flowers, trailing
into the grasses to let his legs and wings hang limp while he continues
his bubbling song, flying boldly toward the intruder and luring him
aside. The Bobolink’s song is a marvel of bird-music. It seems to spring
from an inexhaustible supply of strange syllables and genuine musical
notes, offered in a tumultuous jumble as profligate as the manner in
which the bird lets himself fall into the grass while he continues to
sing. Sometimes I have thought the birds wanted to stop their song but
could not. And, meanwhile, the female is warned of the approach of an
enemy; she sits quietly on her nest, or slips away.
In the autumn, the birds abandon their nesting-grounds and flock in the
grain-fields, garden-patches, or swamp-lands where goldenrod and rank
weeds furnish food and shelter for the night. Here the yellowish young
troop along, gaily calling _wink, wink_ as the weed-tops bend with the
weight of their plump bodies. On a cool night they rise to pass to the
rice-fields of the South, where they will be shot by the thousand as the
dreaded Ricebird, and thence to South America, their winter home.
COWBIRD
_Molothrus ater ater_ (Boddaert)
Other Names.—Cow Blackbird; Blackbird.
Description.—Smaller than Robin; bill short, heavy, and sparrow-like.
_Adult male_: Head, neck, and breast coffee-brown, with faint purple
gloss; rest of plumage black, with greenish reflections over most of
the surface, but bluish and purplish in certain lights. _Adult
female_: Noticeably smaller than male, dull gray-brown all over,
slightly streaked on underparts, and paler on throat. Young birds are
similar to the female but are somewhat more buffy on the throat, and
the underparts are slightly more streaked, the feathers being edged
with buffy brown. _Length_: About 8 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—An abundant summer resident from about March 15
to November 1; casual in winter.
Nest.—The Cowbird builds no nest but lays its eggs in the nests of
other, usually smaller, species, and does not incubate them nor care
for the young in any way. The species most commonly thus parasitized
in Pennsylvania are the Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Phœbe, Song
and Field Sparrow, Ovenbird, Scarlet Tanager, and others. I have never
found Cow-bird eggs in a Red-winged Blackbird’s nest, and, as a rule,
Red-wings chase Cowbirds away from their home swamp angrily whenever
they appear.
When the Cowbird comes in spring he is usually concerned over his
mating, and while he is not a songster, he puts much energy into his
high, thin squeak as he bows, almost upside down, with wings and tail
outspread, in the top of some tree. This same high note is often to be
heard as the birds, in groups of three or four, pass over, undulating
slightly in the manner of their tribe.
On the ground, the Cowbird walks in a quiet and dignified manner. It may
be seen in pastures, sometimes perching on the cows’ backs where it
captures insects. I once saw a flock of them remain an entire morning
near a newly born calf, evincing great interest in the little creature
and its mother.
The female is an expert at locating nests. Evidently she watches smaller
birds, learns where they are building their nests, and then while they
are not watching her, slips in and deposits her egg. Sometimes the egg
is laid long before the nest is completed. Occasionally, when an egg is
thus deposited before the rightful owner of the nest has laid her eggs,
the little birds build another bottom in their nest, sealing the heavy
egg beneath the hair and vegetable fiber. Yellow Warbler nests are thus
sometimes several stories high, and I have more than once found eggs
sealed into the foundation material of the nests of larger birds. I
remember one Scarlet Tanager nest which held two eggs of the owner and
four of the Cowbird, and there was an additional Cowbird egg sealed in
the foundation material.
[Illustration: Cowbird, Male]
Being larger than his nest-mates, the young Cowbird claims the most
attention. He may actually push the other young and eggs out of the
nest.
The Cowbird’s food habits are not objectionable, however, and no ill
effects seem to result from this parasitism upon smaller birds.
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD
_Agelaius phœniceus predatorius_ (Wilson)
Other Names.—Swamp Blackbird; Redwing; in autumn, Reedbird.
Description.—Smaller than Robin. _Adult male in spring_: Black, with
bluish reflections and occasionally narrow rusty edgings; lesser
coverts bright scarlet, the outer row of largest feathers buffy or
whitish; eyes dark brown; bill and feet black. _Males in first
breeding plumage_: Similar but likely to be more marked with rusty,
and some of the feathers of the scarlet patch are streaked with dark
brown. _Adult males in winter_: Upperparts edged with rusty. _Adult
females_: Heavily streaked with dark brown and buffy above, and with
blackish and light gray below, a pinkish or orange-buffy suffusion
over the face, particularly on the throat. Immature birds are similar
to the females. Young birds in the moult in August and September are
strangely blotched with black and buffy. _Length_: Male, about 9½
inches; female, about 8½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A common though somewhat locally distributed
summer resident from mid-March to early November. Found as a nesting
bird only where there are cat-tail swamps or low meadows. Sometimes
noted in winter.
Nest.—A neatly woven basket of dry grasses suspended, usually, between
cat-tail stalks a few feet above the water in a swamp, or in weeds or
bushes in a low meadow. _Eggs_: 3 to 6, pale blue, spotted and
scrawled, chiefly at the larger end, with black.
[Illustration: Red-winged Blackbird, Male]
At about the time the hilarious tree-frogs set up their evening
choruses, the Red-wing returns. His handsome plumage enlivens the
stretches of dead cat-tails, and his tuneful, liquid song delights the
ear. As he sings, he spreads his blazing wing-patches and fluffs out his
glossy plumage. The males come north in a body before the females
arrive.
The females set to work building the nests almost at once. If the
weed-growth is low in the swamp, they build them but slightly above the
water; those built by females which arrive later are higher. If nests
are suspended upon growing cat-tail leaves or stalks, they are sometimes
overturned by the unequal growth of the vegetation.
Let a hawk or Crow appear near the Red-wing’s swamp, and a spirited
chase ensues. Almost with a Kingbird’s persistence, the brilliant males,
sometimes several of them, dive and scold at the intruder, the while the
smaller creatures of the swamp cease their noises and watch the busy
scene.
Red-wings occasionally do considerable damage in grain-fields in late
summer and early autumn, but their food habits are, for the most part,
beneficial, or at least not harmful.
MEADOWLARK
_Sturnella magna magna_ (Linnæus)
Other Name.—Field Lark.
Description.—Size of Robin, with short tail, large, strong feet, and
long, pointed bill. _Male_: Upperparts brown, the plumage of the back
marked with black and margined with creamy and whitish, the tertials
and middle tail-feathers barred with black; line above eye, yellow in
front and buffy behind; cheeks gray; throat, breast, and belly bright
yellow, the breast marked with a prominent black collar; sides buffy,
streaked heavily with dark brown and black; _outer tail-feathers
white_, showing plainly in flight; eyes dark brown; bill brownish;
feet flesh-color. _Female_: Similar, but duller. _Adults and young in
winter_: Much browner, the yellow of the breast considerably clouded
by brown tips of the new plumage, which wear off as spring approaches.
_Length_: 10½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—An abundant summer resident from mid-March
until November; casual, sometimes fairly common, in winter, if food is
available.
Nest.—A depression in the ground, in a wide field, among deep grasses,
lined with dry grass, the surrounding grass pulled into an arch above.
_Eggs_: 3 to 6, white, spotted with reddish brown, chiefly at the
larger end. Meadowlark nests may sometimes be found by dragging a
rope, loosely stretched between two persons, across the meadow.
[Illustration: Meadowlark]
The high, clear whistle of the Meadowlark, as he perches in a tree or
stands erect on the ground, is a familiar bird-song of the early spring.
His bright breast glows in the sunshine as he stands for an instant,
then disappears altogether as he lowers his head and walks through the
grass. Let him slip out of sight for a second, and it may be difficult
to see him again, for he is protectively colored, the margins of the
feathers of his back forming lines which resemble the dead grasses. As
he flies, his wings beat in a muscular fashion and the white outer
feathers of his short, widespread tail show plainly. If his nest is
nearby, he may perch on a post and call with a rough chattering as he
flashes his tail energetically.
The Meadowlark’s food habits are chiefly beneficial. It eats many grubs
and cutworms, confining most of its foraging to the ground.
In the early fall, they sometimes congregate in great flocks, during the
latter part of the period of moult. They do not usually sing at such
times, but when the new plumage is complete, and the day warm, the whole
flock may begin to sing, with remarkable effect.
ORCHARD ORIOLE
_Icterus spurius_ (Linnæus)
Other Name.—Orchard Bird.
Description.—Smaller than Baltimore Oriole. _Adult male_: Head and
neck, back, wings, and tail black, the greater coverts and secondaries
edged with white; breast, belly, rump, upper tail-coverts and lesser
coverts of wing, rich deep chestnut. _Female_: Olive-gray above;
yellow on face, underparts and rump; wings with two whitish bars. The
male in its first breeding plumage is like the female, but has a black
throat-patch. _Length_: A little over 7 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A rather rare and exceedingly local species,
found chiefly in the southern counties, but occasionally as far north
as Crawford County in western Pennsylvania. It arrives in late April
or early May and remains until September 15.
Nest.—A pouch of grass which is green when the nest is constructed,
usually swung between upright twigs at the top of a small tree—rarely
in a conifer. The nest is not so deep as that of a Baltimore Oriole
and is never swung at the tip of a drooping branch, so far as I know.
[Illustration: Orchard Oriole, Male]
The exceedingly bright and varied song of this species may puzzle the
bird student who hears it for the first time. It is hardly deliberate
enough to suggest an Oriole, but it is full-throated and tropical in
fervor and decidedly noticeable. The flight is characteristic, giving
the impression that the wings are never lifted above the back. Orchard
Orioles are likely to nest in groups, several pairs in one neighborhood.
They are so irregular in their occurrence that the bird student must
watch assiduously for them.
BALTIMORE ORIOLE
_Icterus galbula_ (Linnæus)
Other Names.—Hang-bird; Hang-nest; Golden Robin.
Description.—Smaller than Robin. _Adult male_: Head, neck, back,
wings, and tail, black; lesser coverts orange; tertials and greater
coverts edged with white; outer tail-feathers tipped with orange or
yellow; breast, belly, rump, and upper tail-coverts, bright orange,
deepest on breast. _Female_: Olive-brown above, yellow below; breast
somewhat tinged with orange; wings with two noticeable buffy yellow
bars; tertials prominently edged with whitish. Immature birds are
similar to the female. Eyes dark brown; bill and feet blue-gray.
_Length_: 7½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—An abundant summer resident from latter April
to early fall. It is not often seen in the fall as it usually leaves
before the middle of September.
Nest.—A deep pouch of plant-fibers, horse-hair, and string, lined with
soft materials, swung from the tip of a branch, usually of an elm,
maple, or sycamore, 15 to 60 feet from the ground. _Eggs_: 4 to 6,
white, scrawled with blackish, chiefly at larger end.
The male Oriole is one of our most gorgeous birds, with his bright
colors and loud, assertive song. In the full-flowered apple trees, the
dignified creature crawls about, nipping at buds or snatching up
insects. The female builds the nest, and the young call for food
incessantly, often attracting attention to it. Some of the Oriole’s
call-notes and alarm-notes are exceedingly harsh and grating, calling to
mind the tropics, their ancestral home.
RUSTY BLACKBIRD
_Euphagus carolinus_ (Müller)
Description.—Smaller than Robin. _Adult male in spring_: Entire
plumage glossy blue-black; bill and feet black; eyes pale yellow.
_Adult female_: Slate color, somewhat glossy above; wings and tail
blackish. _Adult male in winter_: Black, all the feathers edged with
buffy brown, the top of the head almost solid brownish. Young birds in
their first winter plumage are chiefly responsible for the name of the
bird. They are rusty brown, paler on head, richest on back, with
slate-colored wings and tail, a dark line through the eye, and pale
yellow eyes. _Length_: 9½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common and regular migrant, sometimes
abundant, from early or mid-March (sometimes earlier) to early May and
from September 10 to November 15. It usually occurs in flocks.
This is our _blackest_ Blackbird in the spring; in the fall it is hardly
a black bird at all. Look for this species in swampy situations or along
the margins of streams. It likes to walk about on the ground and
_through water_ like a sandpiper, and is more terrestrial than the
Red-wing. The spring flocks sometimes burst forth into song, and the
effect at a distance is that of sleigh-bells—a jangling, jolly chorus. A
single male’s efforts hardly merit being called a song. Rusty Blackbirds
are grackle-like in actions, and their whitish eyes suggest grackles,
but they do not have trough-shaped tails and the tail-feathers are about
of equal length.
PURPLE GRACKLE AND BRONZED GRACKLE
_Quiscalus quiscula rigdgwayi_ Oberholser
and
_Quiscalus quiscula æneus_ Ridgway
Other Names.—Blackbird; Crow Blackbird.
Description.—Males larger than Robin, with large tails, distinctly
trough-shaped, especially in flight. The male Purple Grackle’s head
and neck are brilliant, iridescent blue and violet; the body, which
appears blackish at a distance, is glossed with blue, green,
plum-color, and bronze, and the back and scapulars, and sometimes the
sides, _are crossed with iridescent bars_. The male Bronzed Grackle’s
head is iridescent greenish blue, with little or no violet reflection,
and the body is rich, glossy bronze, _without iridescent bars_. In
both these forms the females are similar but duller, and noticeably
smaller. The eyes of all are pale yellow. Young birds are dull brown
and, when quite young, have grayish eyes which turn to pale yellow as
the bird grows older. _Length_: Male, 12 to 13½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—The Purple Grackle is found _east of the
Alleghany Mountains_; the Bronzed Grackle occurs west of the
Alleghanies. In the mountainous sections the forms intermingle to a
certain extent. Grackles are abundant summer residents from mid-March
to November.
Nest.—A large, amply cupped structure of grasses, weeds, and other
materials, sometimes strengthened with mud, usually built in a
coniferous tree, in a yard, or on a campus, from 20 to 60 feet from
the ground, but also built in willows, in bridges, high buildings, and
rarely among cat-tails. _Eggs_: 3 to 7, pale blue, gray, or whitish,
scrawled and blotched with brown, black, and gray.
This is the bird which is everywhere called “Blackbird.” It is a bird of
the town, not of the wilds, preferring to nest in parks, cemeteries, and
college campuses, among the pines, spruces, or cedars. It eats many
cutworms, but does some damage in grain-fields, and in destroying fruit.
Grackles walk sedately about the lawns, their white eyes gleaming with a
ghostly brilliance. The call-note is a harsh _tschack_.
[Illustration: Purple Grackle]
EVENING GROSBEAK
_Hesperiphona vespertina vespertina_ (W. Cooper)
Description.—Smaller than Robin; beak very large and heavy. _Male_:
Forehead, line over eye, scapulars, lower back and rump, sides of
breast and belly, dull yellow; crown and most of wing brownish black;
secondaries and their greater coverts white, a prominent field-mark;
rest of plumage olive-brown. _Female_: Grayish, the back and scapulars
faintly washed with olive-yellow; wings, tail, and upper tail-coverts
considerably spotted and marked with white; tips of the inner webs of
all the tail-feathers, white; bill pale yellowish gray. _Length_: 8
inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A rare and irregular winter visitant, noted
chiefly in the northern counties. In Pike and Tioga counties it has
been noted with some regularity during the latter part of recent
winters. It is usually to be seen in small flocks and it often occurs
in towns.
Evening Grosbeaks see so little of man in their wilderness home in the
Great Northwest that they are surprisingly unsuspicious when they visit
us during the winter. They are sociable, almost always being seen in
flocks, and they feed upon seeds of maple and other trees, upon frozen
apples, and upon berries which they find, notably those of the mountain
ash. Occasionally they visit the leafless shade trees of towns.
[Illustration: Pine Grosbeak
Evening Grosbeak]
PINE GROSBEAK
_Pinicola enucleator leucura_ (Müller)
Description.—About the size of a Robin; a small bunch of bristling
feathers over the nostrils; bill sparrow-like, but upper mandible
somewhat curved like a parrot’s. _Adult male_: Gray, suffused with
soft rose-red, principally on the crown, rump, upper tail-coverts, and
breast; wings and tail dark brownish gray, the wings with two
prominent white bars. _Adult female_: Gray, the crown, rump, upper
tail-coverts, and breast more or less strongly suffused with yellowish
or olive; the wings and tail as in the male. Immature males resemble
the adult female, but are brighter. _Length_: 9 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A rare and irregular winter visitant recorded
from many sections of the Commonwealth, but doubtless of most frequent
occurrence in the more northerly counties.
The Pine Grosbeak has been well named. So fond is it of coniferous trees
and the food it finds among the needles and buds that its bill is
frequently covered with resinous substances. In Pennsylvania the bird
also eats the berries of mountain ash, sumac, and similar plants. It is
sometimes quite unsuspicious, being unacquainted with the ways of man,
and will allow the observer to approach very closely. The call-note is a
clear, bell-like whistle; its full song is rarely to be heard in this
latitude. (See illustration, page 103.)
PURPLE FINCH
_Carpodacus purpureus purpureus_ (Gmelin)
[Illustration: Purple Finch
Upper, Female; Lower, Male]
Other Name.—Linnet.
Description.—Size and general proportions of English Sparrow; nostrils
covered with small, bristly feathers; tail slightly forked. _Adult
male_: Head and breast rosy pink, _not purple_, some of the feathers
with dusky tips, and a darker streak through the eye; back brownish
gray, streaked and suffused with rose-color; wings and tail brownish;
belly whitish; sides somewhat streaked with brownish. _Adult female_:
Very sparrow-like in appearance, in fact closely resembling a female
English Sparrow, but the whitish underparts _heavily streaked with
dark brown_. The immature male is much like the female, and this
plumage is held through the first nesting season, the subsequent moult
leading into the rose-red plumage of the full adult. _Length_: A
little over 6 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common and regular migrant throughout,
from mid-March to mid-May and from September 15 to October 31. As a
summer resident it is found only in the northern and mountainous
counties, and it is decidedly local as a nesting bird. It is
irregular, though at times common, in winter.
Nest.—A neat structure, with wide, full cup, constructed of
plant-stems and fibers, lined with finer materials, placed in a
conifer, orchard tree, or sapling at from 20 to 40 feet from the
ground. _Eggs_: 3 to 5, pale blue, wreathed about the larger end with
spots and lines of black.
The lovely Purple Finch is all too little known. It occurs at some time
during the year at every locality in Pennsylvania, yet it is not a
familiar bird. The song alone should win it wide acclaim as a
bird-neighbor, for, delivered from the top of a tree, or from a vine or
weed, it is one of the brightest, most varied of our bird melodies and
is given with such enthusiasm that we recognize in the singer a
canary-like interest in prolonging the performance.
Purple Finches are often seen among the budding branches of a fruit
tree, balancing on the slender twigs as they eat buds and capture
occasional insects. The females are virtually silent, until they have
cause to depart, then they swing off into the air, bound merrily higher
and higher above the tree-tops, and make off as they call _tik, tik_ in
a characteristic tone. This important call-note should be remembered; it
often serves to identify the species when the colors cannot be seen.
In its nesting-range, the song of this Finch is to be heard during all
the spring and early summer days. At Pymatuning Swamp, restless males
sang almost constantly while their mates assembled nesting materials. An
ecstatic flight-song is frequently given when the bright male flutters
high into the air and, still singing, descends on trembling wings to the
twigs and new leaves.
The Purple Finch’s habit of eating buds and flowers of trees, including
valuable orchard varieties, causes it to be unpopular when it is too
common.
RED OR AMERICAN CROSSBILL
_Loxia curvirostra pusilla_ Gloger
Description.—Size and general shape of English Sparrow, but mandibles
sharply pointed and _crossed_. _Adult male_: Deep dull red, brightest
on rump, browner on back; wings and tail brownish black. _Female_:
Dull olive-green, yellowish on the rump; head and back indistinctly
streaked with blackish; underparts mixed with whitish. _Immature
male_: Like the female, with some red mixed in the plumage. _Length_:
6 inches.
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL
_Loxia leucoptera_ Gmelin
Description.—Size and shape of English Sparrow. _Male_: Dull
rose-pink, brightest on rump, more or less streaked with blackish on
back; wings and tail black, the wings with _two prominent white bars_,
the tertials sometimes tipped with white; belly and under tail-coverts
whitish. _Female_: Dull grayish green, yellowish on the rump, grayish
below, the wings, as in the male, with two prominent white bars.
_Immature male_: Similar to the female, but mottled irregularly with
pink. _Length_: 6 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Both Crossbills are irregular winter visitors,
sometimes abundant. They are usually found among coniferous trees. The
Red Crossbill nests rarely in our higher mountains among the
coniferous trees.
These two species are nearly always to be found together during winter,
and in any plumage may be recognized by their wings, those of the
White-winged species _always_ having two wing-bars, those of the Red
Crossbill never being marked. The Crossbills feed upon seeds of hemlock,
pine, and spruce, which they secure by wrenching off the scales of the
cones with their sharply pointed and crossed beaks.
[Illustration: Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill]
REDPOLL
_Acanthis linaria linaria_ (Linnæus)
Description.—Smaller than an English Sparrow; conical bill, sharply
pointed; nostrils covered with tufts of bristling feathers. _Adult
male_: Crown bright red; chin and upper throat blackish; neck and back
grayish brown, streaked with buffy and whitish; rump grayish, tinged
with pink; wings and tail dark brown, the wings with two white bars;
breast and cheeks washed with delicate rosy pink; belly white; sides
buffy streaked with blackish. _Female_: Similar, but more heavily
streaked above and without pink on breast or rump. _Length_: 5 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A rare and irregular winter visitor from the
Far North. It sometimes occurs during the entire winter, but it is
usually seen during the latter part, and chiefly in the northern
counties.
[Illustration: Redpoll]
Redpolls, like Goldfinches, swing about through the air with strongly
undulating flight. They give a rasping, querulous squeal as they lift
their crests and watch us. The birds are fond of weed seeds which they
pick up from the snow. Usually they sit with feathers considerably
fluffed out, and at such times the rosy breast of the male is
noticeable.
GOLDFINCH
_Astragalinus tristis tristis_ (Linnæus)
Other Names.—Salad Bird; Wild Canary; Thistle Bird; Yellow Bird.
Description.—Smaller than English Sparrow; bill sharply pointed.
_Adult male in summer_: Bright lemon-yellow with black crown, wings,
and tail, the wings crossed with two white bars, the lesser coverts
yellow like the body, and the tail-feathers with their inner webs
white; upper tail-coverts gray. _Adult female in summer_: Upperparts
yellowish brown, the crown unmarked; below, dull yellowish; wings and
tail more or less as in male, but not so black, nor so strikingly
marked; lesser coverts dull olive-green. _Adult male in winter_: Like
adult female, but _lesser wing-coverts yellow_; breast dull yellow;
belly whitish; sides brownish. _Young male in winter_: Similar but the
_lesser wing-coverts are dull greenish or grayish_. _Young males in
summer_: Like the adult but the lesser coverts are dull greenish or
grayish. _Length_: 5 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A common permanent resident, somewhat irregular
in winter, and often not known as a winter bird because of the
complete change of color and habits.
Nest.—A compact, neatly built cup of weed-stalks and vegetable fiber,
lined with soft materials, placed from 3 to 30 feet from the ground,
often in a shade tree, on a branch extending over the highway. _Eggs_:
3 to 6, pale blue.
[Illustration: Goldfinch
Female Male]
The Goldfinch is comparatively unknown as a winter bird. With the change
of color the birds become wilder in disposition, no longer frequent the
lawns and roadsides, and band together in large flocks. In summer the
brightly colored males are very noticeable as they swing about among the
flowers in a field or perch on dandelions in the yard. They are
brilliant singers, even in winter, and may be recognized at a great
distance in the summer by the flight-song, which has been written
_per-chick-o-ree_, and which is repeated with each bound of the deeply
undulating flight.
This bird nests very late, eggs being laid in latter June and July. In
spring they are sometimes considerably mottled in appearance, as the
brown winter plumage drops out and is replaced by the yellow of summer.
This prenuptial moult is usually complete by the middle of May, or
earlier, and with the brighter plumage return all the familiar
call-notes and graceful motions which we associate with these attractive
birds.
Goldfinches are fond of sunflower and cosmos seed, and we may lure them
to the garden, perhaps for the entire year, by planting such flowers as
these regularly.
PINE SISKIN
_Spinus pinus pinus_ (Wilson)
Other Name.—Pine Finch.
Description.—Smaller than English Sparrow; bill sharply pointed; a
tuft of small feathers over nostril. Upperparts grayish brown streaked
with black, the feathers margined with buffy; wing-feathers edged with
yellowish and _yellow at base_; tail dark gray-brown, neatly forked,
all but middle feathers _yellow at base_; underparts white, washed
with buffy and heavily streaked with black. _Length_: 5 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A somewhat irregular migrant in April and May
and in September and October; sometimes very common. Irregularly
abundant in winter. It has been known to nest in the mountainous
counties.
[Illustration: Pine Siskin]
When winter flocks of these sociable finches visit Pennsylvania, the
birds feed largely upon the seeds of hemlock and alder. Merrily they
bound about through the air, giving their rough, querulous squeal. In
looking for this bird, remember that the heavily streaked underparts and
the yellow on the wings and tail are unmistakable. Siskins will
sometimes be found feeding among the alders, not far from the ground.
They often wander about with flocks of Goldfinches.
ENGLISH SPARROW
_Passer domesticus_ (Linnæus)
Other Names.—Sparrow; House Sparrow.
Description.—_Male_: Chin and throat black; crown gray; cheeks
whitish; back of head, neck, and back reddish brown, the back streaked
with black; a prominent white wing-bar; underparts grayish white;
wings and tail dull brown. _Female_: Grayish brown, with an indistinct
wing-bar, a darker line through the eye, and a rather distinct
superciliary line. _Length_: About 6 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—An abundant permanent resident, principally in
the towns and on the farms.
Nest.—A bulky mass of dry grasses, usually domed over and lined warmly
with feathers, placed in crevices in buildings, in bird-houses, in
cavities in trees, and rather rarely on a branch of a tree. _Eggs_: 4
to 6, white, spotted with gray.
The amateur bird student may do well to fix definitely in his mind the
size and appearance of this abundant bird, since it is advisable to know
these when making the acquaintance of other bird friends, and especially
when studying the rather difficult sparrow group.
English Sparrows are not altogether objectionable. During summer they
prey upon almost all kinds of insects, including the hard-shelled and
disagreeably scented insects which many birds pass by. Nevertheless, we
regret that these birds are so abundant because of their tendency toward
driving out some of our more beautiful native birds.
SNOW BUNTING
_Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis_ (Linnæus)
Other Names.—Snowflake; Snow Bird.
Description.—A little larger than an English Sparrow. _Male in
winter_: Upperparts dull reddish brown, darkest on the crown; feathers
of back with partly concealed black bases, causing a streaked effect;
outer primaries black, _white at base; secondaries white_; middle
tail-feathers black, outer ones white; underparts white. _Female_:
Similar, but duller, and with primaries all dark brown, and white
secondaries somewhat tipped with dusky. _Length_: 6¾ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A rare and irregular winter visitant, save at
Erie, where it is fairly regular and sometimes common on the outer
beaches from November to early March. It is occasionally seen in small
flocks in other northern counties.
A single Snow Bunting in flight might suggest to the bird student an
albinistic sparrow of some sort, but a whole flock of the remarkably
colored creatures, as they swing over a dead weed-field, can but bring
the instantaneous thrill which a glimpse of such exotic creatures always
brings. Snow Buntings are usually seen in flocks, often in company with
Horned Larks or Tree Sparrows, their companions in the North Country,
and they have a jovial twitter.
The Lapland Longspur (_Calcarius lapponicus lapponicus_) occurs rarely
during early spring or late fall migration, or in winter. It is about
the size of an English Sparrow, and in winter has a concealed reddish
patch on the neck, a concealed blackish belly, and is to be seen in
fields where it sometimes associates with Snow Buntings, Horned Larks,
or Tree Sparrows.
VESPER SPARROW
_Poœcetes gramineus gramineus_ (Gmelin)
Other Names.—Grass Finch; Grass or Ground Sparrow; Bay-winged Bunting;
Road Sparrow.
Description.—Size of English Sparrow. General appearance grayish
above, lighter below, considerably streaked above and on breast and
sides; outer tail-feathers white; lesser wing-coverts reddish brown,
not particularly conspicuous save at close range. _Length_: 6 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A common summer resident from early April to
late October. It is not found in woodlands.
Nest.—A cup in the ground, in an open field, lined with grasses, hair,
and other fine material. _Eggs_: 3 to 5, white, spotted and scrawled,
chiefly at larger end, with blackish.
[Illustration: Savannah Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow]
The Vesper Sparrow is not very easily recognized by its appearance
alone, as it stands on the ground or on a fence-post, but if the bird
student will remember that this species is always found in the open,
never at great distance from the ground, and that the _white outer
tail-feathers always show in flight_, identification should be easy. The
bright song is given with great enthusiasm, often in a remarkably
beautiful evening chorus. At the beginning of this song we usually hear
two accented descending whistles which stand out more prominently than
any other portion of the warbling performance. Look for Vesper Sparrows
along fields and roadsides in country districts.
SAVANNAH SPARROW
_Passerculus sandwichensis savanna_ (Wilson)
Description.—Smaller than English Sparrow. General appearance above,
gray, considerably streaked, and with white underparts considerably
streaked on breast and sides with black; line above eye pale _yellow_,
not noticeable in field save at close range in ideal light; a blotch
of blackish in middle of breast. _Length_: 5½ inches
Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common but not often recorded migrant,
and a local and sometimes common summer resident, particularly in the
central and northern counties, from early April to mid-October.
Nest.—A depression in the ground, in an open field, lined with grasses
and other soft material. _Eggs_: 4 to 6, pale bluish or bluish green,
irregularly and sometimes heavily spotted with brown.
Look for the Savannah Sparrow in spring and summer only in wide, open
fields where the grass is short. Here a slight, buzzing, trilling song
may be heard from a sparrow which is _prominently streaked below_, and
which has much the appearance of a Song Sparrow, but does not bob its
tail as it flies, nor seek cover in bushes. If the bird student will
remember that this species is to be found only in wide fields, usually
when there are no bushes, and that there are no prominently white outer
tail-feathers, as in the Vesper Sparrow, he may find this little-known
bird fairly common in his region. In fall it is found in weed-patches
along roads or in bushy fields. (See illustration, page 109.)
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
_Ammodramus savannarum australis_ Maynard
Other Names.—Yellow-winged Sparrow; Yellow-winged Bunting.
Description.—Smaller than English Sparrow. Tail-feathers rather short
and pointed. _Adult male_: General color buffy brown, the upperparts
streaked with black and margined with whitish, in characteristic
pattern; bend of the wing yellow (this mark usually not evident in the
field); forepart of superciliary line yellow, noticeable in good light
in the field. _Female_: Similar, but duller. _Length_: 5½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A rather local summer resident throughout, from
late April or early May to September 15. It is found only in more or
less flat, wide meadows, not usually in marshy places, and never in
woodlands.
Nest.—A depression in the ground beneath a clump of grass, lined with
fine, dry grasses. _Eggs_: 4 or 5, white, spotted, chiefly around the
larger end, with reddish brown.
Here is a bird which will more than likely pass unnoticed unless the
fine, insect-like song is heard. Some bird students never realize that
this species nests in their region, for they never hear this song, and
they have not the patience to trail about after every little brown bird
they see. The Grasshopper Sparrow’s song is dry, unmusical, and buzzing,
and it seems a fitting accompaniment to hot midsummer fields which are
covered with dust and upgrown with coarse weeds. The bird is almost
never seen, save while it is singing from the top of a weed or from a
fence-post. On the ground it disappears almost at once, for its colors
are highly protective. The flight is fluttering and somewhat erratic. If
the bird flushes from the grass, it usually does not alight near at
hand, but zigzags to a far corner of the field and drops into the grass.
[Illustration: Grasshopper Sparrow
Henslow’s Sparrow]
The smaller Henslow’s Sparrow (_Nemospiza henslowii susurrans_) has a
greenish cast over the head and neck. This retiring, unmusical little
bird occurs in Pennsylvania as a very rare and exceedingly local summer
resident. Its ludicrously short song, _chis-lick_, is to be listened for
in low meadows where the grass is thick and deep. Additional records of
this species are very desirable.
The Nelson’s Sparrow (_Ammospiza caudacuta nelsoni_) occurs at Erie as a
migrant, particularly in the fall.
WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW
_Zonotrichia leucophrys_ (J. R. Forster)
Description.—One of the larger sparrows, being larger than an English
Sparrow. _Adult male_: Crown white, with two broad black streaks along
either side and a blackish streak through eye; rest of upperparts
grayish brown, considerably streaked; underparts clear light gray,
palest on throat and belly, and somewhat brownish on sides. _Adult
female_: Similar, but duller. _Immature_: Similar, but crown buffy and
brown, and underparts more buffy. _Length_: A little under 7 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A regular and fairly common migrant throughout
from latter April to May 20 and from October 1 to 20.
The large size and noticeable markings of this sparrow make it
comparatively easy to identify. It is not often so common as its near
and similar relative, the White-throated Sparrow, from which it differs
in having no yellow before the eye or on the bend of the wing, and _no
white throat-patch_. The song of the White-crowned Sparrow is composed
of soft, rich whistles which have a plaintive character, similar to that
of the well-known White-throat’s _peabody_ song, with an additional
rough undertone between the first and latter parts of the song. The
White-crown, while in Pennsylvania, nearly always occurs in flocks,
usually in the woodlands, in brush-piles, or along hedges. _Remember
that a bird with a white crown need not necessarily be this species_,
for the White-throat also has such a crown; but the plain gray throat of
the White-crown is usually easy to detect in the field, since the birds
are not wild. All members of the sparrow tribe are seed eaters.
[Illustration: White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow]
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW
_Zonotrichia albicollis_ (Gmelin)
Other Name.—Peabody-bird.
Description.—A little larger than an English Sparrow; similar in
general appearance to the White-crowned Sparrow. _Adult male_: Crown
white, marked laterally with two black bands which extend backward to
nape; forepart of superciliary line _yellow_; rest of upperparts rich
brown, streaked with black and margined with grayish; bend of wing
yellow, _not usually noticeable in field_; chin and throat pure white,
in contrast with gray of breast; belly whitish; sides washed with
brownish. _Female and young_: Similar but duller. _Length_: 6½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A regular and abundant migrant throughout, from
mid-April to May 20 and from September 15 to November 1.
The clear, fragile whistle of the White-throat is one of our most
beautiful bird-notes, and is a familiar song of the spring woodlands. It
has been written as _sweet, sweet, peabody, peabody, peabody_. The white
throat and yellow spot in front of the eye must be looked for in this
species. A trained observer can recognize the White-throat easily by its
characteristic, rather metallic, call-note, but the beginner had best
depend on the markings of the bird which are easy to note. Sometimes
these birds are common about lawns in towns.
TREE SPARROW
_Spizella arborea arborea_ (Wilson)
Description.—About as long as, but slenderer than, an English Sparrow;
tail longer proportionately than an English Sparrow’s. Crown-patch
bright rufous; rest of upperparts brownish gray, streaked with black
and reddish brown; wing with two noticeable white wing bars;
underparts brownish gray, whitish on chin and throat, and in middle of
belly; a dusky spot in center of breast. _Female_: Similar but duller.
_Bill yellow with dusky tip._ _Length_: About 6 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A winter visitant from the Far North, arriving
in October and remaining until late March or April.
The Tree Sparrow is a bird of weedy fields and hedges. In flocks they
search for seeds which have fallen upon the snow. When the winter sun
shines they call in companionable and softly musical notes. In spring
the Tree Sparrow has a gay, somewhat warbler-like song, which I believe
is not very well known among our bird students. The Tree, Field, and
Chipping Sparrows are similar in appearance. Identification of these
birds should not be difficult, however, if one remembers that the Tree
Sparrow is a _winter_ bird, while the Field and Chipping Sparrows
usually arrive in spring after the Tree Sparrows have returned north. If
by some chance the three sparrows do occur together, remember the black
spot in the breast of the Tree Sparrow and the yellowish bill,
field-marks which the other two species do not have.
[Illustration: Tree Sparrow]
CHIPPING SPARROW
_Spizella passerina passerina_ (Bechstein)
Other Name.—Chippy.
Description.—A small, slender Sparrow, noticeably smaller than the
English Sparrow. _Male_: Crown bright reddish brown; forepart of crown
and line through eye black; line above eye whitish; rest of upperparts
grayish brown, streaked with black; chin and throat white; rest of
underparts grayish; _bill black_. _Female_: Similar, but duller. In
winter both sexes are similar but they are much more streaked,
particularly on the crown. _Length_: Under 5½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—An abundant summer resident from early April to
mid-October.
Nest.—A neat cup made of fine weed-stalks and grasses, lined almost
invariably with horse-hair, and placed in a low bush or rose vine, or
sometimes at some distance from the ground in an evergreen tree.
_Eggs_: 3 or 4, delicate blue, wreathed about the larger end with
black spots and scrawls.
[Illustration: Field Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow]
Look for the Chippy, as a rule, _only near houses or farms_. It is not a
bird of the wilds, and because of its confiding disposition has come to
be associated with our very doorsteps. The monotonous, though cheerful,
chipping song of this bird is familiar to all who listen for bird-calls.
So rapidly are the chips of its song given that it is almost impossible
to imitate it. Remember the _black bill_ and unmarked underparts of the
Chipping Sparrow.
FIELD SPARROW
_Spizella pusilla pusilla_ (Wilson)
Description.—Size small; this is one of our slenderest, smallest
sparrows. _Male_: Crown-patch rufous; upperparts grayish brown,
streaked with black and rufous; wings with two prominent white
wing-bars; underparts whitish, unmarked; _bill pink_. _Female_:
Similar but duller. _Young_: Similar but somewhat more streaked.
_Length_: 5½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—An abundant summer resident from early April to
mid-October, and occasionally later.
Nest.—A neat cup made of fine grasses and slender weed-stalks, lined
usually with finer grasses and, as a rule, not with hair, placed on
the ground among weeds or in a low, thick bush in a pasture or field.
_Eggs_: 3 to 5, bluish white, spotted with reddish brown.
The clear, whistled trill of the Field Sparrow is a welcome promise of
spring, as the bird, just returned from the south, sings in the brown
fields. This song is often but a simple repetition of the same note,
becoming more rapid toward the end and running into a sort of trill.
This bird is rather shy, and in flying away gives us a rather
unsatisfactory glimpse of fairly long tail and grayish rump. If we look
carefully at the little creature with a glass, we note the white
wing-bars, the dark eye which is surrounded with a grayish ring, and the
_pink bill_. (See illustration, page 113.)
SLATE-COLORED JUNCO
_Junco hyemalis hyemalis_ (Linnæus)
Other Names.—Snow-bird; Junco.
Description.—About the size of an English Sparrow, but with a longer
tail. _Male_: Head, neck, breast, and upperparts slaty gray, sometimes
brownish on the wings and back, the _outer tail-feathers pure white,
always showing in flight_; bill pink, narrowly tipped with dusky.
_Female and young_: Similar, but duller and often browner. _Length_: A
little over 6 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Best known as a winter visitant from October 1
to about the first of May, or later; rather rare and local as a summer
resident in the higher mountains.
Nest.—A cup of fine grasses, built in a bank in woodlands. _Eggs_: 3
to 5, white, spotted with brown.
[Illustration: Slate-colored Junco]
The Junco is easy to recognize anywhere, because the dark plumage of its
back contrasts so startlingly with the white outer tail-feathers. Its
song is not so easy to recognize, however, being a rather musical
chipping song, resembling that of the Chipping Sparrow, but more
deliberately given. Juncos do not often sing during the winter, but with
return of spring they trill in the sunlit corners of the woods where
they feed upon weed-seeds. Nesting records of the Junco in Pennsylvania
are desirable.
SONG SPARROW
_Melospiza melodia melodia_ (Wilson)
Other Name.—Ground Sparrow.
Description.—About the size of an English Sparrow, but with relatively
longer tail; sexes similar. Above, rich brown streaked with grayish
and black; a rather distinct gray superciliary, and a buffy streak
back from lower mandible; underparts white, heavily streaked with
black, especially on breast and sides; a blotch in the center of the
breast. _Length_: A little over 6 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—In much of Pennsylvania the Song Sparrow is
abundant the year round; it is migratory, however, to an extent, and
summer-resident individuals may be replaced during winter by birds
from farther north.
Nest.—A neat cup built of grasses, lined with finer materials, and
usually with rather bulky foundation, built on the ground in a
sheltered situation or in a low bush. _Eggs_: 3 to 6, greenish or
grayish white, rather heavily spotted with brown.
[Illustration: Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow]
The Song Sparrow’s heavily streaked underparts will distinguish it from
all other sparrows, save the rare Lincoln’s Sparrow, the Savannah
Sparrow, which is found only in wide, open fields, the Fox Sparrow,
whose tail is bright reddish brown, and the female Purple Finch. Look
for Song Sparrows along brooks among the bushes. As the brown birds fly
away, their rounded tails pump rather regularly.
The song is bright and varied, with usually two or three accented,
repeated notes which give it a syncopated rhythm, and is generally
delivered from the topmost twig of a bush or low tree.
Lincoln’s Sparrow (_Melospiza lincolnii lincolnii_) is a little-known
migrant in May and September, which may be far commoner than is
supposed. It looks much like the Song Sparrow but has a _buffy area
across the chest_ and the streaking of the underparts is finer. Look for
this species along the brushy margins of streams. The song, which is a
remarkably sprightly, gurgling performance, is quite unlike that of any
other sparrow which I have heard.
Bachman’s Sparrow (_Peucæa æstivalis bachmani_) is a very rare summer
resident, known from southern counties only. This species looks like a
Song Sparrow but it has no streaks on the underparts. It is found on
brushy hillsides.
SWAMP SPARROW
_Melospiza georgiana_ (Latham)
Description.—A little smaller than an English Sparrow, with the
proportions of a Song Sparrow. _Male in summer_: Crown rich reddish
brown; rest of head gray, a black line through the eye, and a buffy
streak extending backward from the lower mandible; back reddish brown
streaked with black, the feathers margined with grayish; _no
wing-bars_; underparts grayish, the sides washed with olive-brown.
Female: Similar, but duller. _Male in winter_: Somewhat streaked
crown-patch and duller in general appearance. _Length_: A little under
6 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant in latter April and May and in
September and October; in the northern counties and at higher
altitudes, locally, it occurs as a summer resident, nesting where
there are suitable marshes.
Nest.—Of grasses, with bulky foundation and neat cup, usually placed a
few inches from the ground or above water, in a clump of weeds or in
cat-tails. _Eggs_: 3 to 5, pale blue, blotched and spotted irregularly
with brown.
Look for the Swamp Sparrow, as a rule, only in marshy country. The gray,
unstreaked underparts, the red-brown crown-patch, and a shy, furtive
manner characterize this species. Its song, which is usually delivered
from a cat-tail or high weed-stalk, but often from a hidden spot among
the weeds, is somewhat like a Chipping Sparrow’s, with the chips given
much more slowly and loudly. (See illustration, page 115.)
FOX SPARROW
_Passerella iliaca iliaca_ (Merrem)
Description.—Larger than an English Sparrow. _Male_: Rich, warm brown
on crown and back, these regions somewhat streaked; superciliary line
and neck gray; ear-coverts brown; _slight wing-bars_; _rump, upper
tail-coverts, and tail bright reddish brown_, very noticeable in the
field, particularly when the bird is in flight; underparts white;
breast and sides heavily streaked with black. _Female_: Similar, but
duller. _Length_: A little over 7 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A common and regular migrant from mid-March
(sometimes earlier) to April 20, and from early October to November
15. It is one of the earliest of the spring migrants.
[Illustration: Fox Sparrow]
Its rich red-brown rump and tail are sufficient to distinguish this bird
from the other sparrows, but not always from the Hermit Thrush, a bird
with a surprisingly similar color-pattern when seen from the rear or in
flight. The thrush has a slenderer bill, of course, and has the habit of
elevating the tail when it alights. Usually, the Fox Sparrow occurs in
flocks; in spring it indulges itself in song—a rich, ringing melody,
among the most impressive of our sparrow songs. The call-note is a heavy
_tschŭp_, somewhat like the alarm-cry of the Brown Thrasher. Look for
the Fox Sparrow in thick woodlands, among grapevines and similar
tangles. This species responds readily to squeaking.
TOWHEE
_Pipilo erythrophthalmus erythrophthalmus_ (Linnæus)
Other Names.—Chewink; Ground Robin; Swamp Robin; Joree; Guffee
(local).
Description.—A little smaller than a Robin, with long tail and
comparatively short wings. _Male_: Head, neck, upper breast, and
upperparts black, the base and part of the outer web of the primaries,
and spots on the tertials, white; three outer tail-feathers with white
tips, the outer web of the outer feather entirely white; sides and
under tail-coverts rich reddish brown, bordered irregularly with black
spots along sides of belly; belly white; eyes bright red; bill black.
_Female_: Similar in pattern, but black of male replaced throughout by
rich, grayish brown, quite bright in some individuals; eyes bright
reddish brown. _Length_: 8½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—An abundant migrant and summer resident in all
woodlands, usually from early or mid-April to late October or later.
Occasionally it is found in the dead of winter, even when the snow is
deep.
Nest.—A cup of grasses and slender weed-stalks, generally placed on
the ground, rarely in a low bush, lined with finer materials, and
usually located in the woodlands at the base of a small tree, under a
May-apple plant, or in a bank. _Eggs_: 3 to 5, white, thickly, evenly,
and finely spotted, and sometimes blotched with reddish brown,
grayish, and black.
[Illustration: Towhee, Male]
The Towhee’s interesting habit of scratching among the leaves is
characteristic and rather amusing. Like a little hen, the bird bustles
about on the ground, jumping back and forth as the leaf-mold flies and
as the small terrestrial insects and fallen weed-seeds are exposed. A
Towhee thus hunting for food may make a laughably big noise.
Its flight is jerky, not usually rapid, and the tail pumps and flashes
considerably, showing the white tips of the outer feathers plainly. None
of our woodland birds more clearly displays white in the tail than does
this ground-inhabiting species, unless it is the smaller Junco.
Listen for the often-repeated, rather loud call-note of this bird,
_too-whee_, as he elevates his crest and flicks his tail. The song is
rather musical and resembles somewhat the following syllabization
_prit-tel-lee, lee, lee, lee, lee_, the last part being run together so
rapidly as to be scarcely pronounceable. The Towhee sings from the top
of a bush or low tree and, while performing, lets his tail hang limp and
lifts and throws back his head.
Young Towhees, carefully guarded by their voluble and agitated parents,
are hard to find in their leafy home. They have heavily streaked
underparts, and therefore look a good deal more like the race of
sparrows, to which they belong, than do their parents.
CARDINAL
_Richmondena cardinalis cardinalis_ (Linnæus)
Other Names.—Redbird; Virginia Cardinal or Redbird; Cardinal Grosbeak.
Description.—Smaller than Robin; both sexes with high crests and huge,
pink bills. _Adult male_: Bright, deep rose-red, richest on breast;
back, wing and tail-feathers edged with grayish; region in front of
eye and on throat black; bill orange-pink; eyes brown. _Female_:
Grayish brown above, buffy white and grayish below, the crest, wings,
and tail tinged with red, noticeable especially in flight. _Young
male_: Like the adult female, but the under-wing linings are pink and
the breast is blotched with red. _Length_: 8 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—An abundant permanent resident in southern and
western Pennsylvania, and locally in the mountains. It is extending
its range northward along the river valleys.
Nest.—A neat but rather thin cup of weed-stalks and grasses, scantily
lined with rootlets and other fine materials. _Eggs_: 3 or 4, white,
spotted and speckled with lilac and grayish.
[Illustration: Cardinal, Male]
Both the male and female Cardinal sing a loud, whistling song which may
be variously written as _poo-ree, poo-ree_, _reap-er, reap-er_, _whit
you, whit you_, or _what cheer, what cheer_, many times repeated. The
call-note is a metallic chirp. Cardinals are sometimes familiar
door-yard birds. Since they stay the year around, a special effort
should be made to feed them corn, suet, nuts, sunflower seeds, and grit
during the snowy spells.
Cardinals like to nest in shadowy places, and will sometimes rear their
young in shrubbery or vines which grow about our porches.
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK
_Hedymeles ludoviciana_ (Linnæus)
Description.—Smaller than Robin, with very large beak. _Adult male_:
Head, neck, and upperparts black, the wings, tail, and upper
tail-coverts marked with white; triangular breast-patch and under-wing
linings light rose-red; rest of underparts white, streaked on sides
with black; bill white or pinkish white; eyes dark brown. _Adult
female_: Sparrow-like in appearance, being dull brown, streaked with
black above, the wings marked with two whitish wing-bars, the
underparts buffy, streaked with brown on breast and sides. _Young
males_: Like the females but with rosy under-wing linings. _Adult male
in winter_: Like adult female, but the wings and tail more or less as
in the spring plumage and rosy breast-patch showing to an extent.
_Length_: 8 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A somewhat local and irregular migrant
throughout, and a summer resident chiefly in the central and northern
counties from late April to mid-September.
Nest.—A cup made of vegetable fibers and rootlets, often so thin that
the eggs show through, placed in a thick tree, in a low, damp
situation, 8 to 25 feet from ground. _Eggs_: 3 to 6, pale blue-green,
spotted with brown.
[Illustration: Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Male Female]
The song of this bird is a bright, musical warble, resembling the carol
of a Robin. Both sexes incubate the eggs, and the male may sometimes be
heard singing softly or in a full-throated manner while at his domestic
duties. These birds eat many destructive insect pests, including the
much-dreaded Colorado potato beetle. The call-note may be written _eek_.
INDIGO BUNTING
_Passerina cyanea_ (Linnæus)
[Illustration: Indigo Bunting
Female Male]
Description.—_Adult male in spring_: Bright, glossy green-blue all
over, purplish on head, somewhat dusky on wings and tail, and the
belly sometimes marked with a few whitish feathers; bill and eyes
black. _Adult female_: Grayish brown, lighter below, the lesser
coverts and edge of wing and tail-feathers bluish; two obscure grayish
wing-bars. _Young birds_: Like the females. _Adult males in winter_:
Similar to those in spring but all feathers tipped widely with brown,
giving an effect much as in the female. _Length_: 5½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A common migrant and summer resident from late
April or early May to mid-September; sometimes very abundant in
favorable localities.
Nest.—A rather firm, deep cup made of weed-stalks and plant fibers,
placed a few feet from the ground in a raspberry or other low bush,
usually at the edge of a woodland or in an open space among the trees.
_Eggs_: 3 to 5, very pale blue or bluish white.
In the very top of a tree, along the hot midsummer roadside, sings the
brilliant male during the lazy noon hours, his bright, rich music an
accompaniment to the damp warmth which rises from the fields or to the
dust that settles on the leaves near the road. Approach the singer
carefully or he will fly before you get a good glimpse of him. The
female is not easy to recognize unless she happens to be with or near
her mate. She is very dull in color and is not often seen. Raspberry and
blackberry thickets are the favorite haunt of this bird.
The larger Blue Grosbeak (_Guiraca cærulea cærulea_) should be looked
for in southern counties. Records for this rare species are very
desirable.
The Dickcissel or Black-throated Bunting (_Spiza americana_) is a very
local summer resident which should be looked for in open fields. It is
English Sparrow-like in appearance, but has a yellow breast. Its song
may be written _Dick, dick, chic, chic, chic_.
SCARLET TANAGER
_Piranga olivacea_ (Gmelin)
Description.—Larger than the English Sparrow, with bill which is heavy
like a sparrow’s but longer and not so conical. _Adult male in
summer_: Bright scarlet, our brightest red bird, with black wings and
tail, pale olive-green bill, and dark brown eyes. _Adult female_:
Olive-green above, dull yellow below. _Male in winter_: olive-green,
like the female, but with black wings and tail. Male birds in changing
plumage, such as is found in late summer, are much blotched in
appearance. _Length_: A little over 7 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A common migrant and summer resident of the
woodlands from late April and early May to mid-September.
Nest.—A rather shallow, thinly constructed cup made of rootlets and
weed-stalks, placed from 20 to 40 feet from the ground, usually in a
deciduous tree. _Eggs_: 3 to 6, pale blue-green, speckled with reddish
brown.
[Illustration: Scarlet Tanager, Male]
The slow, crawling movements and lazy, rather harsh, warbling song of
this bird strongly suggest the tropics, its ancestral home. Its song is
much like a Robin’s, but it is more alto and is harsher and lazier, and
its call-note is a plainly given _chi-perr_, which is often more
frequently heard in the damp woodlands than any other bird-note of
midsummer. The intensity of the male Scarlet Tanager’s full plumage
fairly takes the breath. At a distance, the dull female may suggest a
vireo or a large warbler, but her movements are always characteristic of
this family.
PURPLE MARTIN
_Progne subis subis_ (Linnæus)
Description.—Larger than English Sparrow; wings long and pointed; tail
moderately long and noticeably forked. _Adult male_: Rich purplish and
bluish black, the lores velvety black; feet and bill black; eyes dark
brown. _Adult female_: Blackish glossed with blue above; forehead,
underparts, and imperfect collar around neck, gray; belly whitish.
_Immature birds_: Like the adult female. _Length_: 8 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common but extremely local migrant and
summer resident from early or mid-April to mid-August and occasionally
later.
Nest.—Made of leaves and grasses in a cavity in a tree, crevice in a
building, or in a bird-house, from 12 to 40 feet from the ground.
_Eggs_: 3 to 7, white.
[Illustration: Purple Martin; Barn, Rough-winged, Bank, Cliff, and
Tree Swallows]
Spluttering notes, some of which resemble an old-fashioned music-box,
announce the return of the Martins to their accustomed nesting quarters.
Gracefully, the glossy birds sail about, calling to each other,
capturing insects, and perching near or upon their nest. They have
almost altogether given up nesting in hollow trees and prefer to use
bird-boxes, it appears, though in such towns as Waynesburg, Ligonier,
and Coudersport they nest in any cranny among the buildings which they
can find. Martins are very fond of dragonflies; they have the
interesting habit of bringing green leaves into the nest during summer,
either as new lining for the nests, to make the young birds cooler, or
for some other reason. In late summer they band together, sometimes in
tremendous flocks, depart for some congregating point along the New
Jersey or Delaware coast, or elsewhere, and prepare for the journey to
their South American winter home. Purple Martins are temperamental in
choosing their nesting quarters. Certain towns do not please them, and
they will not, apparently, nest; in other towns they nest anywhere.
CLIFF SWALLOW; EAVES SWALLOW
_Petrochelidon albifrons albifrons_ (Rafinesque)
Description.—About the size of an English Sparrow, but with long
wings; tail of moderate length, not noticeably forked; sexes similar.
_Adults_: Forehead buffy white; crown and back glossy steel-blue, the
latter obscurely streaked with white; cheeks, ear-patches, chin, and
throat rich reddish brown; back of neck, narrow collar, and underparts
grayish; belly white; wings and tail blackish, glossed with blue;
_rump pale reddish or orange-brown_, very noticeable in flight.
_Young_: Dull grayish brown, the rump noticeably rusty though not as
plainly so as in adult. _Length_: 6 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common migrant throughout and
extremely local summer resident, chiefly in the northern counties,
from early or mid-April to early or mid-September.
Nest.—A bottle-shaped structure of mud, lined with grasses and
feathers, the funnel-shaped entrance to the nest pointed outward and
downward. It is built under the eaves of a barn or other building,
_always on the outside_, or on a cliff or bridge abutment. Usually
many nests are found together. _Eggs_: 4 to 7, white, or creamy white,
speckled with reddish brown.
Look for the buffy rump-patch of this slow-flying, graceful swallow,
which gathers mud for its nest without alighting on the ground and whose
conversational twitterings sound like the squeaks produced by rubbing a
piece of wet rubber with the finger. In early spring and during later
summer, several kinds of swallows will be found together in the
migratory flocks. Cliff Swallows are easily driven from their nests by
English Sparrows or Starlings; they will not use bird-boxes put out for
them.
BARN SWALLOW
_Hirundo rustica erythrogastris_ Boddaert
Description.—Smaller and slenderer, but longer than an English
Sparrow, with long, pointed wings and very long, deeply forked tail
which is noticeable in flight or while the bird is perched on a wire.
_Adult male_: Forehead, chin, and throat rich reddish brown; line
through eye and band across breast blackish; upperparts blackish,
highly glossed with steel-blue, the inner margins of the tail-feathers
marked with white spots; rest of underparts and wing-linings pale
reddish brown. _Adult female_: Similar, but duller. _Young birds_:
Almost white below and with only moderately long, though noticeably
forked tails. _Length_: 7 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—An abundant migrant and summer resident from
mid-April to late August or early September.
Nest.—A cup of mud, lined with feathers and a few grasses, built upon
a rafter _on the inside of a barn_ or other building, usually in a
more or less inaccessible spot. _Eggs_: 3 to 7, white, spotted with
brown.
Every farmer boy loves the cheerful swallows which twitter so amiably
and circle so tirelessly about the barn, capturing insects above nearby
pools and darting through the doors, or sometimes through mere cracks in
the boards, so unerringly. These birds have good reason to be popular,
for they are not only beautiful and companionable neighbors, but they
are distinctly beneficial because of their capturing of myriads of
flying insects which they eat or feed to their ravenous young. I once
saw a blacksnake at the nest of a Barn Swallow, high on an upper rafter
in a barn-loft, and it had eaten two of the young before I interrupted
its meal.
TREE SWALLOW; WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW
_Iridoprocne bicolor_ (Vieillot)
Description.—Smaller than an English Sparrow; tail of moderate length
and not deeply forked. _Adult male_: Upperparts glossy blue-green,
brightest on crown and back, less colorful on wings and tail; _entire
underparts pure white_. _Female_: Similar, but duller. _Young birds_:
Like the female. _Length_: 6 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common migrant throughout, but a
rather rare and local summer resident in northern counties and at high
altitudes, from early April to late August. As a nesting bird, it is
almost always found near a body of water.
Nest.—Of grasses and other vegetable matter, lined with feathers,
placed in a cavity, an old woodpecker nest, or in a bird-box, usually
from 15 to 60 feet from the ground, in a tree at the edge of a lake or
in the water. _Eggs_: 3 to 7, white.
The swallows are easily distinguished once their outstanding characters
are firmly fixed in the mind. This bird has white, _absolutely unmarked_
underparts—the Bank Swallow’s white breast is crossed with a brownish
band; the Rough-wing’s throat and breast are gray. I have seen Tree
Swallows nesting at Conneaut Lake, Crawford County, and at several of
the lakes in the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania.
BANK SWALLOW
_Riparia riparia riparia_ (Linnæus)
Other Name.—Sand Martin.
Description.—Smallest of the swallow family, considerably lighter and
slenderer than an English Sparrow; sexes similar. _Adults_: Grayish
brown above; wings and tail noticeably darker than back in flight;
underparts white; breast crossed by a narrow, dull brown band,
distinctly noticeable when the bird is at rest; tail not deeply
forked. _Length_: About 5¼ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Formerly found at several points during summer
where it does not nest now, due to pollution of the streams. It is a
fairly common migrant and local summer resident from mid-April to
early or mid-September.
Nest.—Of grasses and rootlets, lined with feathers, placed at the end
of a long burrow which is usually several feet above high-water-mark
and sometimes 5 to 6 feet long. _Eggs_: 3 to 6, white or creamy white.
This little swallow usually nests in large colonies. It has a graceful,
fluttering flight, much less direct and rapid than that of the somewhat
larger, though amazingly similar, Rough-winged Swallow, which occurs in
many parts of Pennsylvania where the Bank Swallow does not nest. In
identifying this species, take care to observe closely the brown band
across the breast and the light brown back which contrasts with the
blacker wings and tail.
ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW
_Stelgidopteryx serripennis serripennis_ (Audubon)
Description.—About the size of a Barn Swallow; outer web of outer
primary with tiny recurved hooks along the entire edge, noticeable
when the thumb or finger-nail is drawn along it; these hooklets are
sometimes absent in the female; the purpose they serve is not known.
_Adults_: Above brownish gray, quite dark on wings and tail; throat
and breast pale brownish gray; belly white. _Immature_: Similar, but
the outer web of the outer primary has no hooklets and the gray of the
throat and breast is sometimes washed with reddish brown. _Length_:
5¾inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A rather rare, somewhat local, and never
abundant summer resident from April 15 to September 1, found almost
altogether in the more southern and less mountainous counties.
Nest.—Of grasses and weed-stalks, lined with finer materials, _but not
with feathers_, placed at the end of a burrow in a bank, as is the
Bank Swallow’s, or in crevices in rocks along a stream, in abutments
of bridges, or sometimes in pipes about dwellings which stand near
streams. _Eggs_: 3 to 6, white.
The Rough-wing’s graceful, sweeping flight is less fluttering than that
of the Bank Swallow. All of the swallows usually allow fairly close
approach and therefore should not be difficult to identify.
CEDAR WAXWING
_Bombycilla cedrorum_ Vieillot
[Illustration: Cedar Waxwing]
Other Names.—Cherry Bird; Cedar Bird.
Description.—Plumage soft and silken; feet rather short and small;
head with high crest; bill small. _Adult male_: Head, neck, breast,
and back, glossy olive-brown; forehead and line through eye, chin, and
throat, black; a white line extending backward from lower mandible to
beneath eye; black forehead bordered behind with white; wings, rump,
and tail, blue-gray; secondaries tipped with small waxen appendages;
_tail prominently tipped with pale yellow_; sides and belly
sulphur-yellow; under tail-coverts whitish; bill, feet, and eyes,
black. _Female_: Similar, but usually lacks the waxen appendages on
the secondaries. _Young birds_: Similar, but with only a small crest
and noticeably streaked. Waxen appendages sometimes occur on the
secondaries of the female as well as on the tips of the tail-feathers
in both sexes. _Length_: A little over 7 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—An erratic and irregular permanent resident,
being sometimes abundant, sometimes absent for several seasons;
usually seen in flocks.
Nest.—Neatly built of weed-stems, twigs, and fibers, lined with softer
materials, placed in a tree, usually from 12 to 20 feet from the
ground, and toward the end of the branch. Nesting often takes place
rather late in summer. I have seen a female sitting upon her eggs as
late as September 11. _Eggs_: 3 to 6, blue-gray, spotted with black.
The Cedar Waxwing’s trim form and sleek plumage make him an
outstandingly handsome bird. He has no song, however, giving forth only
a fine, shrill _eeeeeeee_, which is scarcely audible to some observers.
A flock of these plump-bodied birds sometimes sit in a tree-top, their
feathers fluffed out. They catch insects like flycatchers. Sometimes
they indulge in a queer little dance. In a cherry tree which is full of
fruit, they sometimes pass tid-bits between them in a strangely
deliberate, polite fashion. They are very fond of cedar berries, poke
berries, and the fruits of the Virginia creeper, but the name “Cherry
Bird” is well earned. Remember the crest, the upright carriage, the
flocking tendency, and the _yellow-tipped tail_ of this species. The
waxwings are the only birds which have their tails tipped with yellow.
The Northern or Bohemian Waxwing (_Bombycilla garrula_) is to be found
rarely in winter. Records of this species in Pennsylvania are very
desirable. It is like the Cedar Waxwing in color, but is larger; the
under tail-coverts are rich reddish brown, and the wings are marked with
a white patch on the primary coverts, white tips on the secondaries, and
white and yellow edgings on the primaries. When Bohemian Waxwings appear
they are likely to be docile and unsuspicious, and will therefore give
the observer an excellent opportunity to identify them satisfactorily.
NORTHERN SHRIKE
_Lanius borealis_ Vieillot
[Illustration: Northern Shrike]
Other Name.—Butcher Bird.
Description.—Size of Robin, but with larger head and large, strongly
hooked bill; sexes similar. _Adults_: Top of head, hind neck, and
back, light gray, lightest along outer edges of scapulars and fading
into white on rump and upper tail-coverts; line above eye, white;
broad line through eye to ear-coverts, wings and tail, black; tips of
the secondaries, base of the primaries, and tips of outer
tail-feathers, white; underparts _finely barred with light gray_;
bill, feet, and eyes, black. _Young birds_: Brownish gray, with dark
brown wings and tail which are marked with white much as in the
adults. The underparts are finely barred with brownish. _Length_: 10½
inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Rather rare winter visitant from late October
or November to March. It is found chiefly in the northern counties in
more or less open regions.
The shrike’s striking black and white plumage will suggest a
Mockingbird. Its harsh cries have a sinister quality, however,
suggesting a bird of prey. The heavy, hooked bill and strong feet assist
it in capturing the mice, small birds, and insects which are its food,
and which it impales on thorns or on barbed wire. Records of this
species are desirable.
MIGRANT SHRIKE
_Lanius ludovicianus migrans_ W. Palmer
Other Name.—Butcher Bird.
Description.—Smaller than Robin, with proportionally large head and
strongly hooked bill; sexes similar. Top of head, hind neck, and back,
clear gray, shading into whitish at outer edges of scapulars and on
rump and upper tail-coverts; wings and tail black; tips of
secondaries, base of primaries, and tips of outer tail-feathers,
white; broad band through eye back to ear-coverts, black; underparts
white, grayer on breast and belly, _which are not barred_.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A rather rare and local migrant and summer
resident from early March to November, nesting chiefly in the Lake
Erie coastal region and elsewhere in flat, open country.
Nest.—A bulky affair made of twigs, lined with feathers, placed in a
thorn tree not far from the ground. _Eggs_: 3 to 6, white, spotted
with gray or olive-gray.
[Illustration: Migrant Shrike]
When a Shrike moves from one perch to another, it drops to within a few
inches of the ground and moves along with characteristic buzzing flight,
at which times its gray, black, and white plumage is conspicuous. In the
field its head appears large, and it is given to perching in prominent
barren places, on the top of a tree or on a wire.