John Audubon - A Synopsis of the Birds of North America

Yellow-poll Warbler, Sylvia æstiva, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. i. p. 476. Adult Male.

Children's Warbler, Sylvia Childrenii, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. i. p. 180. Young.

Plate LXV. Male and Female.

Wings of ordinary length, the second quill longest; tail nearly even. The general colour of the plumage bright yellow, the upper parts olivaceous; quills and tail wood-brown, the former yellow on the outer web, the latter margined externally with the same. Female similar.

Male , 41/2.

Mississippi. Only one pair seen.

Rathbone Warbler, Sylvia Rathbonia, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. i. p. 333.

Plate CLXIII. Fig. 1. Male. Fig. 2. Young Male.

Plate CLXIV. Fig. 1. Male. Fig. 2. Female.

Wings of ordinary length, with the outer three quills almost equal, the second longer than the first, which slightly exceeds the fourth; tail emarginate. Male with the crown of the head deep brownish-red, the upper parts yellowish-olive, streaked with brown, the rump greenish-yellow, without streaks; quills dusky brown, primaries edged with whitish, secondaries with yellowish; tail feathers dusky brown, margined with greenish-yellow, the outer two with a white patch on the inner web at the end, sometimes the outer white on both webs at the end; a bright yellow streak from the nostril over the eye; lore dusky; ear-coverts brownish-red; lower parts yellow, the sides of the neck, its lower part, and the sides of the body, streaked with deep red. Female similar to the male, but with the tints duller and paler, the red of the head scarcely apparent, and the fore-neck very faintly streaked. Young dull light greenish-brown, tinged with grey, the head streaked with dusky; lower parts yellowish-grey, the sides of the neck and body, with the breast, faintly streaked with greyish-brown.

Male , 41/2, 81/2.

From Texas northward. Very abundant. Spends the winter in all the Southern States.

Yellow Red-poll Warbler, Sylvia petechia, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vi. p. 19.

Sylvia petechia, Bonap. Syn. p. 83; S. palmarium, p. 78.

Sylvicola petechia, Yellow Red-poll Warbler, Swain. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 215.

Yellow Red-poll Warbler, Sylvia petechia, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 364.

Yellow Red-poll Warbler, Sylvia petechia, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. ii. p. 259, Adult Male and Young; p. 360, Adult Male and Female.

Plate XV. Male and Female.

Bill much attenuated; outer three quills nearly equal, first or second longest; tail almost even, with the feathers pointed. Male with the upper parts light blue, the fore part of the back yellowish-green; two broad bands of white on the wing, formed by the tips of the secondary coverts, and first row of small coverts; quills and tail-feathers dusky, margined with blue; a white spot on the outer three of the latter; loral space black; both eyelids with a white spot; throat yellow, with whitish patches, a lunular band of blackish on the fore neck; breast yellow, spotted with dull orange, the rest of the lower parts yellowish, fading into white, the sides pale greyish-blue. Female similar but paler; the loral band wanting; throat, fore neck, and breast yellow, without the black lunule.

Although the bill of this species is much attenuated, it is not essentially different in form from that of S. Blackburniæ, and others of this genus; the wings are similar to those of the rest, and there seems no reason for setting it apart to form a genus, as has been done by Bonaparte.

Male , 41/6, 61/2.

From Texas, generally distributed. Exceedingly abundant. Migratory.

Blue Yellow-back Warbler, Sylvia pusilla, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. iv. p. 17.

Sylvia Americana, Bonap. Syn. p. 33.

Blue Yellow-backed Warbler, Sylvia Americana, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. i. p. 78.

Plate CCCXCIII. Fig. 1. Male.

Wings of moderate length, rather pointed, with the second and third quills longest, the first and second nearly equal and very little shorter; tail scarcely emarginate. Upper parts light greenish-olive, more yellow behind, all the feathers dusky in the centre; cheeks, ear-coverts, and throat black; a band over the eye, a broader band on the side of the neck, and the fore part of the breast bright yellow; the rest of the lower parts white, but the sides marked with oblong dusky spots; wings blackish-brown; the secondary coverts and first row of small coverts largely tipped with white, the quills margined with light grey; tail-feathers blackish-brown, edged with grey; outer two on each side almost entirely white, the next with a small white spot.

Male , 410/12, wing 28/12.

Columbia River, northward. Migratory.

Sylvia Townsendi, Townsend's Warbler, Towns. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philadelphia, v. vii. p. 191.

Townsend's Warbler, Sylvia Townsendi, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 36.

Plate CCCXCV. Fig. 3. Male. Fig. 4. Female.

Wings of moderate length, the outer three quills almost equal, the third longest; tail slightly emarginate. Male with the upper parts bluish-grey, spotted with black; the upper part of the head, which is similarly spotted, the cheeks, and sides of the neck, bright yellow; throat black; breast and abdomen white; ground and tail-feathers greyish-dusky; two white bands on the wing formed by the tips of the secondary coverts and first row of small coverts; two outer tail-feathers on each side almost entirely white. Female with the upper parts of a duller grey, the yellow of the head less extended and not so bright; throat whitish, spotted with dusky.

Male , 35/12, wing 28/12.

Columbia River. Migratory.

Sylvicola occidentalis, Hermit Wood-Warbler, Towns. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philadelphia, v. vii. p. 190.

Hermit Warbler, Sylvia occidentalis, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 55.

Plate CCCXCV. Figs. 5 and 6. Male.

Wings of moderate length, with the outer three quills nearly equal, the second longest, the first shorter than the fourth; tail slightly rounded and emarginate. Male with the upper parts bluish ash-grey, the middle of the back and tail-coverts streaked with black; the upper part of the head and neck, the loral space and cheeks, and the fore part of the neck, with a small portion of the breast black; a band from the nostril to near the eye yellow; a band over the eye, and another from the lower mandible along the side of the neck white; breast and abdomen white, the sides tinged with grey, and streaked with black; wings blackish-brown, with two white bands formed by the tips of the secondary coverts and first row of small coverts; quills edged with light grey; tail blackish-brown, the two outer feathers on each side almost entirely white, the next with a white patch on the inner web.

Male , 5, wing 28/12.

Columbia River. Migratory.

Sylvia nigrescens, Black-throated Grey Warbler, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philadelphia, v. vii. p. 191.

Black-throated Grey Warbler, Sylvia nigrescens, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 57.

Plate CLV. Male. Plate CXLVIII. Female and Young.

Wings rather long, with the third quill longest, the second almost equal, the fourth longer than the first; tail even. Male dull light blue above, white beneath; frontal band, cheeks, throat, and sides, black; a white patch on the wing formed by the bases of the primaries; outer three tail-feathers with a patch of white on the inner web near the end, all the rest with a touch of the same. Female greenish-olive above, light dull-yellow below, with a less extended white patch on the wing, the white on the tail unconspicuous. Young similar to the female.