FLORIDA YELLOWTHROAT 567 



Florida (Burleigh, 1937). In a later paper Burleigh (1944b) states 

 the Florida yellowthroat has an extremely limited range on the coast 

 of Mississippi. Specimens were taken every month of the year except 

 July along a narrow southeastern coastal area but it was noted only 

 once, during the summer, on any of the islands off the coast. Breeding 

 birds taken only 22 miles inland north of Gulfport were found to be 

 intermediate in their characters between the Florida and the Athens 

 yellowthroat. The Florida yellowthroat breeds throughout Florida 

 and is practically resident except in the more northern parts of its 

 breeding range. Possibly a few migrate south of Florida to Cuba, 

 since ignota as well as the two northern forms have been found dead 

 at stations in southern Florida during the migration season. 



According to Holt and Sutton (1926) it is abundant in all suitable 

 places throughout southern Florida, but particularly numerous at 

 " 'Gator Lake, in the salt-marsh inhabited by the Cape Sable Seaside 

 Sparrows at East Cape, and along New River near Miami. Common 

 also on the keys off East Cape." Frank M. Chapman (1907) writes: 

 "In Florida this resident form of the Yellow-throat is so commonly 

 found only in scrub palmettos that it is known as the 'Palmetto Bird.' 

 I have also found it about the bushy borders of 'bay-galls' surrounded 

 by scrub palmetto, while in the Kissimee region it lives in the lower 

 growth (largely young palms) of cabbage palms." According to 

 A. H. Howell (1932) : 



The Florida yellow-throat inhabits thickets and brier patches, being especially 

 partial to wet situations, such as the borders of streams, lakes, and sloughs. The 

 birds are common along the canals in the Everglades, and in the floating vege- 

 tation on the upper St. Johns River near Lake Washington, and are found in 

 smaller numbers in dry palmetto thickets on the prairies or in the forests. They 

 are rather shy, and on being disturbed take refuge in the depths of the thickets 

 in which they live, and voice their alarm with a characteristic burring chink. 

 In singing they usually come out to the edge of the thicket or fly to a low perch 

 on a bush or tree. 



In winter the Florida yellowthroat is common about cultivated lands, 

 in thick scrub and tall switch grass on the prairies and in grassy, 

 marshy situations. Since there is no marked increase in spring, it is 

 another indication that this form is not strongly migratory. 



Nesting. — The nesting habits of the Florida yellowthroat are similar 

 to those of the northern subspecies. It is interesting that it breeds as 

 late in the season (April 10 to June 9) as do the birds in the middle 

 Atlantic states. The nests are placed in clumps of grass in marshy 

 situations and sometimes in weeds, bushes, and thickets on dry ground. 

 They are loosely woven of dry grasses, stems, and bits of wide blades of 

 swamp grass, and lined with fine grasses ; they are seldom placed more 

 than a few inches above the ground. 



