CHAPTER NINE 



WOOD WARBLERS 



American Museum of Natural History 



FIG. 183. A group of warblers. From left to right : black- throated green 

 warbler, Nashville warbler, Maryland yellowthroat, and parula or blue yellow- 

 backed warbler. 



AMERICAN warblers are not remarkable for vocal 

 power. They get their name from their resemblance to 

 the warblers of the Old World, although they belong to a 

 different family from these famous songsters. They are 

 not so small as kinglets, but, with a few exceptions, are 

 smaller than most of our other birds. Many of them 

 show some yellow color ; one of the most common 

 kinds, the yellow warbler, is nearly all yellow. Other 

 kinds are mainly olive-green above and white or 

 pale below. Some are black and white. Orange, blue, 

 and red are less common colors in this family of 

 birds. 



For the most part the warblers of America nest in 

 Canada and winter in tropical America, being seen in the 

 United States principally when migrating. However, in 

 most places a few species of the warbler family may be 

 seen through the summer. About fifty-five species of 

 wood warblers are found in the United States. Some of 

 them are beautiful birds. 



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