Golden-winged Warbler 443 



Genus VERMIVORA. 



Bill short, slender and acute, with nearly straight culmen ; rictal 

 bristles not evident ; wings moderate but longer than the tail, which 

 is even, and with rather narrow, rounded feathers, not marked with 

 white (in the Colorado species) ; tarsus longer than middle toe and claw. 



About ten species ; the breeding range is confined to North America 

 (for key, see p. 439). 



Golden- winged Warbler. Vermivora chrysoptera. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 642— Colorado Record— Cooke 09, p. 314. 



Description. — Male — General colour grey with a slight tinge of olive- 

 green ; cheeks and throat black ; a large and conspicuous patch of 

 yellow on the wings ; below white ; iris brown ; bill black ; legs dark 

 brown. Length 4-3; wing 2-45; tail 1-90; culmen -35; tarsus -65. 



The female has the cheeks and throat grey, not black. 



Distribution. — Breeding from Wisconsin and New Hampshire, south 

 to northern Illinois and Georgia in the mountains ; south in winter 

 across the southern Mississippi Valley to Guatemala and Colombia. 



The Golden-winged Warbler has once been noticed in Colorado, 

 by Miss Patten at Yuma, on May 25th, 1906. 



Virginia's Warbler. Vermivora virginice. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 644 — Colorado Records — Aiken 72, p. 196 

 Henshaw 75, p. 189 ; Minot 80, p. 226 ; Allen & Brewster 83, p. 155 

 Drew 85, p. 15 ; Cooke 97, pp. 113, 218 ; 04, p. 37 ; Henderson 03, p. 237 

 09, p. 239 ; Warren 06, p. 23 ; Chapman 07, p. 98 ; Rockwell 08, p. 176. 



Description. — Male — General coloiu* above dark slaty-grey ; crown 

 with partly concealed patch of dark chestnut ; a conspicuous white 

 orbital ring ; riunp and upper tail-coverts, a patch on the breast paling 

 off towards the throat, and imder tail-coverts bright yellow ; wings 

 and tail dusky, unmarked ; below pale grey except for the yellow ; 

 iris brown, bill horn, paler on the lower mandible, legs dusky horn. 

 Length 4-30 ; wing 2-5 ; tail 1-75 ; culmen -40 ; tarsus -72. 



In fall and winter the plumage has a much browner tinge, the yellow 

 breast-patch is less conspicuous and the crown-patch completely con- 

 cealed by the long grey tips of the feathers. The female resembles 

 the male, but is duller in colour generally, especially as regards the 

 chestnut of the crown and the yellow patches, all of which are more 

 restricted. The young bird has the wing-coverts tipped bxifiy, forming 

 two obscm-e wing-bars, and at first hardly any traces of chestnut or yellow. 



Distribution. — Breeding in the Rocky Mountains region from Colorado 

 and Nevada south to New Mexico and Arizona ; in winter through 

 Mexico as far south as Guerrero. 



In Colorado Virginia's Warbler is of common occurrence along the 

 eastern foothills of the mountains up to an elevation of about 7,500 



