Hints to AiLdtibon Workers. 



51 



2. About half as large. — Swift, red-eyed vireo, oven- 



bird, crossbills, wood pewee, purple finch, song 

 sparrow, junco, indigo bird. 



3. More than half as large. — Phoebe, bluebird, wax- 



wing, downy woodpecker, barn swallow, bank 

 swallow, cliff swallow, vesper sparrow, white- 

 crowned sparrow, fox sparrow, white-throated 

 sparrow, bobolink, oriole, scarlet tanager, snow 

 bunting. 



ABOUT THE S.'^.ME SIZE AS THE ROBIN. 



Rose-breasted grosbeak, cowbird, red-headed wood- 

 pecker, hairy woodpecker, yellow-bellied wood- 

 pecker, chewink, great crested flycatcher, red- 

 winged blackbird, catbird, thrushes, kingbird. 



LARGER THAN THE ROBIN. 



Yellowhammer, kingfisher, crow, grouse, orown 

 thrasher, whippoorwill, meadowlark, cuckoo, 

 nighthawk, keel-tailed blackbird, bluejay. 



III. Colors. 



COLORS STRIKING OR BRIGHT. 



1. Blue backs. — Bluejay, bluebird (azure blue), nut- 



hatch (slate blue), kingfisher (slate blue) indigo 

 bird, black-throated blue warbler. 



2. Chestnut or red breasts. — Bluebird, robin, cross- 



bills (male), scarlet tanager (male), chewink. 



3. Yellow or orange throats. — Blackburnian warbler, 



Maryland yellowthroat, summer yellowbird. 



4. Yellow or orange breasts. — Yellow-throated vireo, 



summer yellowbird, goldfinch, oriole, meadow- 

 lark, Blackburnian warbler, Maryland yellow- 

 throat. 



5. Red patch on top or back of head in males. — Ruby- 



crowned kinglet, woodpeckers, kingbird. 



6. Red heads (entire head and neck red onnadder-pink . 



— Purple finch (old males), crossbills (males). 



7. Birds wholly or largely black {males). — Blackbirds, 



crow blackbird, red-winged blackbird, cowbird, 

 redstart (salmon patches on breast, wings and 

 tail), bobolink (whitish patches on nape of neck 

 and back ), rose-breasted grosbeak ( carmine 

 patch on breast, belly white), crow. 



COLORS DULL OR PLAIN. 



1. Upper parts olive-green. — Breast unspotted: King- 



lets (patch of red or yellow in crown), warbling 

 vireo (top of head unmarked), tanager (female), 

 crossbills (females). Breast spotted: Ovenbird 

 (crown patch orange-brown bordered with black) 



2. Upper parts olive-gray. — Cuckoos (tail verj' long, 



bill curved). 

 3 Upper parts dusky grayish-olive. — Phoebe (length 



about 7 inches), wood pewee (length about 6 

 inches), least flycatcher (length about 5 inches). 



4. Upper parts brown. — 



a. Back without markings of any kind: Indigo 

 bird (female), brown thrasher (breast spotted, 

 tail very long), Wilson's thrush (breast spot- 

 ted, tail short), hermit thrush (breast spotted, 

 tail short and red), winter wren (back barred). 



b. Back more "or less streaked : Meadowlark 

 (below yellow with black collar), female rose- 

 breasted grosbeak (rose of male replaced by 

 saffron yellow), bobolink (female and male in 

 winter, buffish-yellow below), purple finch 

 (female).. 



Sparrows : 



c. Breast unspotted in adult : Chipping (crown 

 brick red), white-throated (yellow spot in 

 front of eye). 



d. Breast spotted or streaked : Song (no white 

 on tail). 



5. General color chiefly black and white. — 



a. In large patches or areas : Snowflake, bank 

 swallow, rose-breasted grosbeak (male), red- 

 start (male). 



/'. In stripes : Black and white creeper. 



c. In spots (above, white below) : Hairy wood- 

 pecker, downy woodpecker. 



6. Yelloiv band across end of tail. — Waxwing (high 



crest). 



7. White band across end of tail.- — ^Kingbird (low 



crest). 



8. Crown and throat black {size small). — Chickadee 



(back dull ash-gray), 

 g. Genei-al color sooty. — Chimney swift. 

 ID. General color slate. — Junco (belly and outer tail 



feathers white). 



BRILLIANT MALES CHANGING TO DULL COLORS OF 

 FEMALES IN AUTUMN. 



Bobolink (becomes almost sparrowy in appearance), 

 goldfinch (becomes flaxen-brown above and 

 jDrownish-yellow below), scarlet tanager (be- 

 comes greenish-yellow), yellow-rumped warbler 

 (becomes brownish). 



BIRDS SHOWING WHITE ON TAIL FEATHERS IN 

 FLIGHT. 



Meadowlark, vesper sparrow, junco, chewink, rose- 

 breasted grosbeak, several warblers. 



IV. Songs. 



SINGERS. 



1. Particularly plaintive. — Bluebird, white-throated 

 sparrow, hermit thrush, meadowlark, wood pe- 

 wee. 



