tions); and (4) "genetic or evolutionary probl- 

 blems" (Hamel 1977a: R. Hooper personal com- 

 munications). 



PRIORITY INDEX 



Not assigned. 



DESCRIPTION 



The Bachman's warbler is 10 to 11 cm long, 

 with a small, sharp-pointed bill. Their color 

 pattern is somewhat variable. Males usually have a 

 bright yellow shoulder patch, forehead, eye ring, 

 chin, and belly and a black throat patch with 

 some black on crowm. Crown is otherwise gray 

 and black olive. Wings and tail aie dusky with 

 subterminal white patches on tail. Females 

 usually lack black on throat (although some may 

 be present); the breast is shaded with gray; white 

 markings on tail are reduced, and underparts are 

 often much less yellowish. 



Distinguishing field marks are the yellow un- 

 derparts and the black crown and throat. Color il- 

 lustrations appear in Howell (1932), the Decem- 

 ber 1977 cover of Birding, £ind the inside back 

 cover of South Carolina WUdlife 23(2), 1976. 



RANGE 



Bachman's warblers are known to have nested 

 in Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, and South 

 Carolina (Hooper and Hamel 1977). The last nest 

 known in Alabama was discovered in 1937 

 (Stevenson 1938). 



Their present range is unknown; the species 

 may be extinct (Hamel 1977b). Shuler (1977a) 

 reported sightings of individual males in South 

 Carolina's I'On Swamp (Francis Marion National 

 Forest) in 1974, 1975, and 1976, one in each 

 year. Shuler et al. (1978) reported sightings of a 

 male and a female in I'On Swamp in 1977, in- 

 cluding reported verification by subsequent 

 sightings by different individuals. Other recent 

 reported sightings include Berkeley County, S. C. 

 (1967), Louisiana (1973), Long County, Georgia 

 (1975), Kentucky (1977), Maryland (1977), and 

 Cameron Parish, Louisiana (1977). Hamel 

 (1977b) considers all of these sightings as uncon- 

 firmed and D. Urbston (personal communication) 

 considers them all 'questionable.' 



The last sighting accepted by Hamel (1977b) 

 as valid was in Charleston County, S. C. in 1962. 



If the Bachman's warbler still exists, most au- 

 thorities agree that it is most likely in the I'On 

 Swamp area in Charleston and Berkeley Counties, 

 South Carolina. 



RANGE MAP 



Not provided. 



STATES/COUNTIES 



South Carolina: Berkeley (?), Charleston (?). 



HABITAT 



Nested in bottomland hardwood swamps. 



FOOD AND FORAGING BEHAVIOR 



Five stomach samples contained caterpillars 

 and Hymenoptera (Meanley and Mitchell 1958). 



SHELTER REQUIREMENTS 



Dense understory of shrubs and vines within 

 hardwood swamps. 



NESTING OR BEDDING 



They nest in low bushes or vines, 0.7 to 1 m 

 off the ground (Wayne 1907), in nests con- 

 structed of dried weed and grass stalks and dead 

 leaves, lined with black threads of pendent lichens 

 {Ramalina sp.) (Widmann 1897). 



RITUAL REQUIREMENTS 



Not known. 



OTHER CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL 

 REQUIREMENTS 



Not known. 



POPULATION NUMBERS AND TRENDS 



Formerly locally abundant (Widmann 1897; 

 Embody 1907). Formerly abundant during migra- 

 tion along the Suwannee River, Florida (Brewster 

 1891). 



Present population, if any, unknowoi. 



REPRODUCTION 



Eggs are laid March through June with three 

 to five eggs per set (Wayne 1907). 



