206 KIRTLAND'S WARBLER 



KIRTLAND'S WARBLER 



DENDROICA KIRTLANDI Baird Plate XI 



Distinguishing Characters. Kirtland's Warbler may be known by its large 

 size, slate-colored or grayish crown, brown, black-streaked back, pale yellow 

 underparts and streaked sides. Length (skin), 5.10; wing, 2.75; tail, 2.30; 

 bill, .42. 



Adult , Spring. Crown and nape slaty finely streaked with black; cheeks 

 and frontlet black or blackish, eye-ring with white on upper and lower por- 

 tions; back grayish broadly streaked with black; tail edged with grayish the 

 inner web of two outer feathers with white patches at end; wings fuscous-brown 

 edged with grayish; wing-coverts blacker margined with brownish or soiled 

 white; below pale yellow, breast slightly spotted, sides heavily streaked with 

 black; flanks tinged with brown. 



Adult $, Spring. Similar to adult <$ but lores and cheeks grayish; black 

 streaks less pronounced, less white in the tail. 



Adults in Fall. Fall specimens of both sexes have the upperparts much 

 browner than in Spring, the wings more broadly margined and browner, the 

 flanks with a stronger brownish wash. 



Nestling. Not seen. 



General Distribution. Southeastern United States; northwest to 

 Minnesota; west to the Mississippi River. 



Summer Range. All the known breeding records of Kirtland's 

 Warbler come from a restricted area in north central Michigan com- 

 prising Oscoda, Crawford, and Roscommon Counties. 

 Winter Range. The Bahama Islands. 



Spring Migration. This, the rarest of American Warblers, has 

 been taken at West Jupiter, Fla., April 19 and 27, 1897; Cumberland 

 Island, Ga., April 12, 1902; St. Helena Island, S. C, April 27 and May 

 3, 1886; St. Louis, Mo., May 8, 1885; Wabash, Ind., May 4, 1892, 

 May 7, 1895; Richmondjnd., May 13, 1905; near Chicago, 111., May 



17, 1894, May 22, 1899; Rockford, 111., May 25, 1894; Lake Kosh- 

 konong, Wis, May 24, 1893; Cleveland O., May ( ?) 1860, May 4 and 



12, 1880, May 13, 1851, May 15; Cincinnati, O., May 1872; Oberlin, 

 O., May u, 1900; May 9 1904; Kalamazoo, Mich., May 15, 1885; 

 Ann Arbor, Mich., May 14, 1902, May 15, 1875, May 16, 1879, May 



18, 1888; Battle Creek, Mich., May n, 1883; Mackinac Island, Mich., 

 May 21, 1885; Toronto, Ont; May 16, 1900; Minneapolis, Minn., May 



13, 1892. 



Fall Migration. In the fall this species has been noted near Iron- 

 ton, Ohio, August 28, 1902; Fort Meyer, Virginia, September 25, 

 1887; Chester, S. C, October 11, 1888; and at Mount Pleasant, S. C., 

 October 29, 1903. 



The Bird and its Haunts. Over fifty years have passed since this 

 species was discovered but it still remains the rarest of North American 



