EASTERN OVENBIRD 457 



SEIURUS AUROCAPILLUS AUROCAPILLUS (Linnaeus) 



EASTERN OVENBIRD 



Contributed by Alfred Otto Gross 



Plates 57, 5S 



HABITS 



The eastern ovenbird is an inhabitant of the woodUxnds and, during 

 the breeding season, is one of our commonest and one of the most 

 interesting warblers of our hardwood and coniferous forests. Be- 

 cause of its loud staccato^ with its crescendo ending, its somewhat 

 mysterious and secretive habits in the underbrush and on the leaf- 

 covered floor, and because its well-concealed nest is so different from 

 that of the other warblers, it is often one of the chief objectives of 

 those in quest of unusual bird lore on strolls through the woods in 

 May and June. 



The names that have been applied to this bird emphasize some of the 

 traits and markings of this most individualistic of all our warblers. 

 The generally accepted common name, ovenbird, was adopted because 

 of its peculiar nest that resembles a miniature Dutch oven. The song 

 has given origin to the names teacher-bird and accentor ; the peculiar 

 vibratory motion of its tail and body when walking has suggested the 

 names wood-wagtail, wagtail warbler, as well as the generic name 

 Seiurus. In Jamaica it is commonly known as the land-kickup; in 

 Florida the natives call it the night-walker, thus calling attention to 

 its method of locomotion by walking rather than by hopping. Its 

 golden-brown crown mark is revealed not only in the species name 

 aurocapillus but also in the common name golden-crowned warbler 

 and this marking is also coupled with other characteristics in such 

 names as golden-crowned wagtail, golden-crowned accentor, and 

 golden-crowned thrush. 



Sprnng. — In the spring migration the first arrivals appear on the 

 mainland of Florida in IMarch, single individuals have been noted 

 during the first week, but the migration in that State extends through 

 April to May. The average date of arrival in North Carolina, Vir- 

 ginia, and Washington, D. C, is April 24—26. They reach Pennsyl- 

 vania, New York, and southern New England during the first week 

 of Maj^, by the second week of that month they can be expected in 

 Maine, and hy the third week they reach New Brunswick and Nova 

 Scotia, arriving in Quebec during the first week of June. 



The dates of arrival in the Mississippi flyway are earlier than for 

 the same latitudes in the east. The first individuals reach Kentucky 

 on April 10, with extremes as early as April 3. They reach Michigan 



