Yellow Warbler 449 



Genus DENDROICA. 



Bill variable but generally rather conical, the basal width and depth 

 about equal ; culmen slightly decurved ; rictal bristles quite obvious ; 

 wing with the four outer primaries about equal ; tail shorter than the 

 wing, about even or slightly rounded ; plumage in most cases with 

 white wing-bars and white patches on the tail. 



This is the largest genus of the family ; it contains about thirty-four 

 species, twenty-three of which have been found in the United States, 

 the others inhabiting Mexico, Central America and specially the West 

 Indies. For key, see p. 439. 



Yellow Warbler. Dendroica cestiva. 



A.O.U. Checkhst no 652— Colorado Records— Allen 72, pp. 148, 

 175 ; Trippe 74, p. 232 ; Henshaw 75, p. 192 ; Minot 80, p. 226 ; Allen 

 & Brewster 83, p. 158; Drew 85, p. 15; Beckham 85, p. 141; Bren- 

 ninger 88, p. 64 ; Lowe 92, p. 101 ; H. G. Smith 93, p. 244 ; Cooke 97, 

 pp. 19, 114, 218 ; 04, p. 52 ; Dille 03, p. 74 ; Henderson 03, p. 237 ; 

 09, p. 239 ; Warren 06, p. 23 ; 08, p. 24 ; 09, p. 17 ; Chapman 07, p. 113 ; 

 Oilman 07, p. 194 ; Markman 07, p. 158 ; Rockwell 08, p. 176. 



Description. — Male — Above yellow with an olive wash on the back, 

 clearer and richer on the head and rump ; wings and tail dusky, mostly 

 edged and tipped with yellow ; below rich yellow with chestnut streaks 

 on the chest and flanks ; iris brown, bill dusky horn, legs light homy. 

 Length 4-50 ; wing 2-55 ; tail 2-0 ; culmen -42 ; tarsus -70. 



The female resembles the male, but is rather duller in colour through- 

 out ; the head is like the back and the chestnut streaks are iisually 

 absent, or if present quite indistinct. Size smaller — wing 2-30. Young 

 birds are very similar to the females. 



Colorado birds are, some of them, intermediate between the typical 

 eastern form and the more yellowish form, with narrower and less 

 marked chestnut streaks below (D. ce. sonorana), which occurs in New 

 Mexico and Arizona, but on the whole it is perhaps safest to refer them 

 to the typical race. The Yellow Warblers of the west have been also 

 distinguished from those of the east imder the name of D. ce. morcomi 

 or D. ce. brewsteri, but for this there hardly seems to be any justification. 



Distribution. — Breeding throughout the greater part of Canada and 

 the United States, except Florida, Georgia and the south-western states 

 from Texas to Arizona, south in winter across the Gulf of Mexico to 

 south Mexico, central and South America as far as Peru and the Amazon 

 Valley 



In Colorado the Yellow Warbler is perhaps the commonest of its 

 family in summer. It arrives from the south the first week in May, 

 Pueblo May 4th (Beckham), El Paso co. same date (Aiken), and leaves 



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