WOOD WARBLERS: Family Compsothlypidae [ 507 ] 



Hermit Warbler: 



Dendroica occidentals (Townsend) 



DESCRIPTION. "Adult male in spring and summer: Top and sides of head bright yellow, 

 crown spotted with black, occiput usually mainly or wholly black; throat black; 

 rest of under parts white, sometimes streaked on sides; hind neck streaked black and 

 olive green; rest of upper parts gray, tinged with olive green and streaked with black; 

 wings and tail black, wings crossed by two white bands; tail with two outer pairs 

 of feathers largely white. Adult female in spring and summer: like winter male, but 

 forehead and crown largely yellow; streaks on back restricted; body less brownish; 

 throat and chest often with dusky patch. Adult male in jail and winter: like summer 

 male, but yellow of crown and occiput obscured by olive tips to feathers, black 

 streaks of back obscured by grayish edges to feathers, and black throat patch with 

 whitish tips. Adult female in jail and winter: upper parts plain grayish olive, crown 

 with traces of yellow; under parts brownish white, throat and chest with feathers 

 dusky below the surface. Young male in first jail and winter: like adult fall male, 

 but crown olive green, back more olive, streaking concealed or obsolete; sides of 

 head paler yellow washed with olive; throat and chest whitish or yellowish, 

 feathers black under the surface; rest of under parts soiled white; sides and flanks 

 tinged with olive brown. Male: length (skins) 4.41-4.80, wing 2.. 48-2.. 71, tail 1.93- 

 z.c>5, bill .37-. 43. Female: length (skins) 4.37-4.72., wing 1.44-1.48, tail 1.83-1.01, 

 bill .35-. 39." (Bailey) Nest: Usually in conifers, made of plant stems, pine needles, 

 wood-plant fibers, and cobwebs, lined with strips of bark. Eggs: 4 or 5, white or 

 grayish, spotted and blotched around the larger end with lilac and brown. 

 DISTRIBUTION. General: Breeds chiefly west of Cascades from Washington to south- 

 ern California. Winters in Mexico and Central America. In Oregon: Regular but 

 not abundant summer resident of Cascades and west to coast. 



ALTHOUGH TOWNSEND described the Hermit Warbler in 1837 from a pair 

 taken at Fort William (now Portland), Columbia River, May 2.8, 1835, 

 little has since appeared in print regarding the species as an Oregon bird. 

 It frequents the heavy timber, particularly dense stands of second growth, 

 and for that reason is difficult to detect except when in song during May 

 and June. Merrill (1888) took a specimen, May 12., 1877, at Fort Klamath. 

 Peck (1896) recorded the species from Salem. Woodcock (1902.) reported 

 it as a rare summer resident at Dayton on the authority of Hadley and 

 gave the following note from A. W. Anthony: "Both (D. townsendi and 

 D. occidentalis) are equally common, and in heavy second-growth fir are 

 not at all rare; they no doubt nest high as no nests were found." Bowles 

 (1912.) considered it a common breeder at Kerby. Jewett (191 6b) recorded 

 specimens from Tillamook and Nehalem. Shelton (1917) stated it was 

 found breeding above Oakridge and near Triangle Lake. 



In our Birds of the Portland Area (Jewett and Gabrielson 192.9) we pub- 

 lished two records for Multnomah County and stated we considered it a 

 rare summer resident, a statement that still seems to apply. It arrives in 

 May (earliest date, April 2.9, Washington County) and remains until 

 August (latest date, August 16, Tillamook County). Gabrielson (1931) 

 found it to be a fairly common summer bird about the base of Mount 

 McLoughlin, and we have found it to be most abundant in southern 



