54 



PROTHONOTARY WARBLER 



the rictal bristles are barely evident. The wing is rather broad, not 

 especially pointed, the tail is short, square, or even somewhat rounded, 

 the outer feather being slightly the shortest; the under tail-coverts 

 are long, reaching to within half an inch, or less, of the end of the 

 tail ; the hind-toe is shorter but stouter than the middle toe. 



In color the sexes closely resemble each other, the male having 

 the head brighter. 



PROTHONOTARY WARBLER 

 PROTONOTARIA CITREA (Bodd.) Plate III 



Distinguishing Characters.— The prevailing orange-yellow color, grayish 

 wings and absence of wing-bars will always distinguish this species. Length 

 (skin), 4.90; wing, 2.85; tail, 1.85; bill, .55. 



Adult ^, Spring. — Whole head orange-yellow; back yellowish green; rump 

 and upper tail-coverts gray; tail margined with gray, all but the central pair 

 of feathers white on the inner web except at the tip, which is black; wings 

 black, externally margined with gray, lesser coverts like the back, greater cov- 

 erts tinged with same, first primary covert blackish margined with whitish, 

 bend of wing yellow ; below orange-yellow changing to white on the crissum ; 

 bill black. 



Adult 3, Fall. — Similar to adult ^ in Spring, but hind-head always washed 

 with dusky; bill brownish. 



Young c?. Fall. — Similar to adult S in Fall but white on inner webs of 

 tail-feathers more restricted and more or less mottled with blackish ; first 

 primary covert grayer. 



Adult ?, Spring. — Resembles adult c?, but crown duller, greenish yellow or 

 orange, back the same changing to gray on the rump ; tail with less white, the 

 black areas duller ; below averaging paler than the adult and with more white 

 on the lower belly. 



Adult 5, Fall. — Resembles adult $ in Spring. 

 Young $, Fall. — Resembles adult $ in Fall. 



Nestling. — Above dusky olive-green varying markedly to brown ; below 

 dusky grayish tinged with yellow or brown on the breast and sides, whiter 

 on the belly. 



General Distribution. — Eastern United States, north to Virginia 

 and Minnesota, west nearly to the Plains. 



Summer Range. — The Prothonotary Warbler is pre-eminently a 

 bird of damp woods in the immediate vicinity of water, and, in 

 general terms, it can be said that its principal summer home is the 

 bottom lands of the Mississippi River and its tributaries to an altitude 

 of one thousand feet ; north to northwestern Ohio ( St. Mary's Reser- 

 voir), northeastern Indiana (Steuben County), southern Ontario 

 (Hamilton), southeastern Michigan (Lansing), central Wisconsin 

 (Shiocton), southeastern Minnesota (Hastings) ; west to central 



