John Audubon - A Synopsis of the Birds of North America

Male , 5, 71/2.

From Texas northward. Migratory. Abundant.

Motacilla canadensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. v. i. p. 334.

Black-throated Blue Warbler, Sylvia canadensis, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. ii. p. 115. Male.

Sylvia canadensis, Bonap. Syn. p. 84. Male.

Black-throated Blue Warbler, Sylvia canadensis, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 398. Male.

Black-throated Blue Warbler, Sylvia canadensis, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. ii. p. 309. Male.

Pine-swamp Warbler, Sylvia pusilla, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. v. p. 100. Young.

Sylvia sphagnosa, Bonap. Syn. p. 85. Young.

Pine-swamp Warbler, Sylvia sphagnosa, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 406. Young.

Pine-swamp Warbler, Sylvia sphagnosa, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. ii. p. 279. Female and Young.

Plate CXXIII. Male and Female. Plate L. Young.

Wings of moderate length, the outer four quills nearly equal, the second and third longest and equal, the fourth longer than the first; tail almost even. Upper part of head and hind neck ash-grey; eyelids, and a band over the eye, white; part of forehead, loral space, and a broad band down the side of the neck, with the fore part of the back, and upper tail-coverts deep black; lower parts and rump bright yellow; the lower part of the throat, the breast and sides, spotted with black; wings and tail-feathers brownish-black, edged with grey; two white bands on the wing; all the tail-feathers, except the middle two, with a large patch of white on the inner web, at about two-thirds of their length. Young yellowish-grey above, with the head light grey, the rump yellow; lower parts of a duller yellow, with only faint dusky streaks on the sides.

Male , 5, 71/2.

From Texas northward. Very abundant. Migratory.

Black-and-Yellow Warbler, Sylvia magnolia, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. iii. p. 63. Adult.

Sylvia maculosa, Bonap. Syn. p. 78.

Black-and-Yellow Warbler, Sylvia maculosa, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 370.

Sylvicola maculosa, Yellow-rump Warbler, F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 213.

Black-and-Yellow Warbler, Sylvia maculosa, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. ii. p. 145, Adult; v. i. p. 260, Young; v. v. p. 458.

Plate XIV. Male and Female.

Wings rather short, with the outer four quills nearly equal, the second and third longest; tail emarginate and rounded. Male with the upper parts yellowish-green, the back spotted with chestnut-red; lower parts, and a band over the eye, bright yellow; two bands of dull yellow on the wing; outer four tail-feathers with a white patch on the inner web; a small streak before and behind the eye, one on the cheek, a spot on the side of the neck, and oblong markings on the sides, black. Female similar, but paler, especially beneath, and without the black streaks on the side of the head.

Male , 5, 7.

From Texas to Massachusetts. Migratory. Abundant.

Prairie Warbler, Sylvia minuta, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. iii. p. 87.

Sylvia discolor, Bonap. Syn. p. 83.

Prairie Warbler, Sylvia discolor, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 294.

Prairie Warbler, Sylvia discolor, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. i. p. 76.

Plate CCCCXXXIV. Fig. 3. Male.

No bristles at the base of the bill; wings rather short, the third and fourth quills longest; tail much rounded. Upper parts light greenish-olive; a band across the forehead, one over the eye, the cheeks, throat, fore part and sides of neck bright yellow; the rest of the lower parts yellowish-white, the sides marked with narrow longitudinal dusky streaks; wings dusky brown, all the feathers edged with yellowish-white, the secondary quills more broadly, the first row of small coverts and the secondary coverts tipped with white, forming two conspicuous bands; tail brownish-black, the feathers edged with yellowish-green, the two outer on each side white in their terminal half.

Male , 41/12, wing 26/12.

Blue Mountains. Only one individual seen.

Blue-Mountain Warbler, Sylvia montana, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. v. p. 113.

Sylvia tigrina, Bonap. Syn. p. 83; but not of Gmelin or Latham, as the figure of Edwards, to which reference is made, has the tail not rounded, but emarginate.

Plate CXXXVIII. Male and Female.

Wings long, with the first quill longest, and exceeding the first secondary by eleven-twelfths of an inch; middle toe and claw longer than the tarsus; tail of moderate length, nearly even, with acuminate feathers. Male olive-green above; a ring of yellowish-white round the eye; the head, neck all round, and part of the breast ash-grey, the sides greyish-green; the rest of the lower parts bright yellow. Female olive-green above, yellow beneath, the sides of the neck and a band across the breast tinged with brown.

Male , 53/4, 8.

New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. Very rare. Migratory.

Connecticut Warbler, Sylvia agilis, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. v. p. 64.

Sylvia agilis, Bonap. Syn. p. 84.

Connecticut Warbler, Sylvia agilis, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 399.

This species forms a connecting link between Sylvicola and Trichas , having the long pointed wings of the former, and the general appearance of the latter, which it resembles, especially in its tail, which is neither emarginate, nor marked with the white spots seen on that of almost all the other Sylvicolæ, but which do not exist in the genus Trichas. Some of the Sylvicolæ are, in like manner, assimilated to Myiodoctes, and others to Vermivora. Of the former may be mentioned, Sylvicola Auduboni and S. coronata ; of the latter, S. Blackburniæ .

Bill of moderate length, similar in form to that of Sylvicola, differing only in being a little decurved. The general form does not differ materially from that of Sylvicola, the head being ovate and of moderate size, the neck short, the body rather slender; the feet of moderate length, slender; tarsus slender, much compressed, longer than the middle toe with its claw, anteriorly covered with eight scutella, of which the upper are blended; toes of moderate size, hind toe proportionally large, lateral toes equal, fourth adherent at the base; claws rather long, arched, much compressed, laterally grooved, very acute. Plumage soft and blended. Wings rather short, convex, considerably rounded, the third and fourth quills longest, the fifth little shorter. Tail of moderate length, rounded, always plain, or without white spots.

Plate CCCXCIX. Fig. 4. Male. Fig. 5. Female.

Wings rather short, the second quill longest, the fourth longer than the first, the tail long, considerably rounded, its feathers rounded; tarsus longer than the middle toe and claw. Male olive-green above; the head, hind part, and sides of the neck bluish-grey; the fore neck and part of the breast greyish-black, lunulated with greyish-white; a black loral band; a conspicuous white spot on each eyelid; the lower parts bright yellow. Female olive-green above, yellow beneath, the sides of the neck and a band across the breast ash-grey.

Male , 51/4, 61/2. Female , 5, wing 24½/12.

Columbia River. Common.

Macgillivray's Warbler, Sylvia Macgillivrayi, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 75.

Wings of moderate length, with the second quill longest, the fourth shorter than the first; the tail long, considerably rounded, its feathers scarcely pointed; tarsus longer than the middle toe and claw. Male olive-green above, the head, hind part and sides of the neck, bluish-grey; the fore neck and part of the breast deep black, lunulated with white; a blackish loral band, margins of eyelids dusky grey; the lower parts bright yellow. Female olive-green above, yellow beneath, the sides of the neck and a band across the breast ash-grey, the throat yellowish-white.