Oven-Bird 461 



Mississippi Valley to southern Florida, the West Indies and Yucatan, 

 where it winters. 



It is a straggler to Colorado, only once recorded. H. G. Smith 

 observed but did not secure an example near Denver, June 20th, 1891. 



Genus SEIURUS. 



Warblers of large size — wing over 2-75 ; close to Dendroica in structure 

 but very different in plumage ; this is tlunish-like, with spotted under- 

 parts on a white ground. 



Three species, all found within the United States. 



For key, see p. 439. 



Oven-Bird. Seiurus aurocapillus. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 674— Colorado Records— Minot 80, p. 227 ; 

 Cooke 97, pp. 116, 219 ; 04, p. 99 ; Chapman 07, p. 219. 



Description. — Adult Male — Centre of the crown orange, bordered 

 on either side by two black stripes from the bill to the nape ; general 

 coloiu: above olive-green, without marks on the wings or tail ; below 

 white, the breast and flanks heavily streaked with black, and a narrow 

 black line along either side of the throat ; iris brown, upper mandible 

 dark brown, lower paler, legs pale flesh. Length 5-25 ; wing 3-0; tail 

 2-20 ; cuhnen -45 ; tarsiLS -80. 



The sexes closely resemble one another, but the orange crown is 

 generally a little paler and tipped with brown in the female. In the 

 fall the plimaage colours are somewhat richer, and so too in the case 

 of the young bird. 



Distribution. — The Oven-Bird breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland, 

 south to Kansas and the mountains of South Carolina, and winters 

 in southern Florida, the West Indies and western Mexico, south to 

 Columbia. 



It is a rare bird in Colorado, though it was first noticed by Dr. C. 

 Wemigk near Denver so long ago as June, 1862. The only other 

 definite record is that of Aiken, who obtained a single female, now 

 in the Colorado College Musetun at Ramah, in El Paso co., June 5th, 

 1898 ; the ovaries were enlarged, and it appeared hkely to be about 

 to breed, so that the bird may be regarded as a scarce resident. Minot 

 believed that he heard the notes of the Oven-Birds at Boulder and 

 Nederland, near by, in May, 1880. 



Habits. — The Oven-Bird is a distinctly terrestrial form, 

 seeking its food on the groyjid among decaying leaves, 

 and making its remarkable covered nest, from which 

 it gets its name, on the ground, generally under the shelter 

 of a bush. 



