134 



BIRI^S OF AMERICA 



feathers with inner webs extensively white terminally, 

 that on the exterior feather occupying the terminal 

 half, or more; wings, black with yellowish olive-green 

 edgings (becoming grayish on primary coverts), the 

 middle and greater coverts, broadly tipped, the latter 

 also edged, with sulphur-yellow ; lesser coverts, mar- 

 gined with gray or olive-gray ; bill, blackish ; iris, 

 brown; legs and feet, dusky-brown. Adult Female: 

 .Similar to adult male, but duller in color, the forehead 

 and crown, light olive-green rather than olive-yellow, 

 the black areas on sides of head, less deep black often 

 much broken by grayish streaking or mottling, some- 

 times replaced by grayish, and much more restricted; 

 chestnut of sides averaging less extensive; greater 

 wing-coverts witliout chestnut-yellow edgings. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest ; Usually placed in low 

 bushes or small trees, in or close to clearings or edge of 



woods ; rather loosely woven of coarse grass, strips of 

 bark, and plant down and rather sparsely lined with 

 liair and fine grass. Eggs: Generally 4, rarely 5, vary- 

 ing from white to crcainy. speckled with rusty-umber, 

 reddish-brown, and lilac. 



Distribution. — Eastern United States and more 

 southern British Provinces ; north to Nova Scotia, 

 northern Ontario, and Manitoba; west to edge of the 

 Great Plains, casually to eastern Wyoming; breeding 

 southward to Connecticut, northern New Jersey, Penn- 

 sylvania, northern Ohio, central Illinois, Missouri, and 

 eastern Nebraska, and along Allegheny Mountains to 

 western Nortli Carolina (2000 to 4000 feet), north- 

 western South Carolina, and eastern Tennessee (Roan 

 -Mountain, 3500 to 4000 feet ) ; in winter south through 

 eastern Mexico and Central .America to Panama; acci- 

 dental in Greenland. 



The Chestnut-sided Warbler is one of the 

 Warblers of intermediate range, neither very 

 northerly nor very southerly. It is a characteristic 

 summer bird of the latitude of southern New 

 England and of the northern Middle States. 

 Scrub pastures and open second-growth wood- 

 land are its characteristic haunts. Not only does 

 it wear the color of chestnut, but it is partial to 

 the real article, and wherever, in its range, there 

 is second-growth chestnut, it is likely to be found, 

 flitting through the foliage, ever on the lookout 

 for its insect prey. Tt is an active bird, yet a 

 gentle one. easy to ajiproach. 



Its song, while rather simple, is quite conspic- 

 uous in the scrub which it frequents, and on 

 roadside borders of pasture-land. Sometimes, if 

 one should follow up the song, the male will be 

 found perched in the sunshine at the very top of 

 a young tree, or on a dead branch, singing away 

 at a great rate. 



Whereas growing scarcity of birds is usually 

 the prevailing plaint, the Chestnut-sided Warbler 

 is a species which must have had notable increase 

 during the past century, for Audubon only met 

 it once in all his indefatigable searches after 

 birds. Now he could readily find it on thousands 

 of farms. 



The nest usually has its quota of four or five 

 eggs about the last of May or first of June in 

 southern New England. It is built with rather 

 ooser te-xture than some other Warblers employ, 

 the Redstart, for example. Yet it is quite a neat 

 little structure, placed in a fork of a bush in its 

 favorite jiasture haunts, quite low down, usually 



Drawing by R. I. Brasher 



CHESTNDT-SIDED WARBLER (; nat. size) 

 One of the easiest birds to photograph at the nest 



