IOWA ORNITHOLOGIST. 



The Acadian Flycatche] 

 Pottawattamie Co. 



Ill 



BY E. E. IRONS COUNCIL BLUFFS. 



Paper read before the Second Congress 

 of I. O. A. 



ri^HE Acadian or Small Green- 

 i crested Flycatcher was first 

 brought to my notice m the 

 spring of 1891, at which time, 

 two nests of three eggs each were 

 found. Then, for three succes- 

 sive years, although I searched 

 diligently, no sign of the species 

 was to be discovered. In 1895, a 

 number of nests v/ere found and 

 examined, most of which con- 

 tained eggs. Again in the pres- 

 ent year, (1896) I found this Fly- 

 catcher to be fairly abundant. 



While not a common bird, it is 

 probably of more frequent occur- 

 rence than is generally known, 

 and some few notes may prove of 

 interest to memberp of the I.O. A. 



The A<3adian Flycatcher is rare 

 in New England, and seems rather 

 to be a bird of the middle portion , 

 of the United States, embracing 

 the territory drained by the Mis- 

 sissippi river system. The bird 

 breeds throughout the northern 

 portion of its range, and winters 

 south to Mexico. The name also, 

 Acadian, is not geographically 

 correct, as may be seen from the 

 foregoing habitat. 



In form and general coloration 

 it is similar to Traill's Flycatcher 



but the wing bars are not so 

 light in color, a ad the under 

 parts contain more of a yellowish 

 tinge. In size the Acadian is 

 somewhat larger than the Traill's 

 but might be easily mistaken for 

 the latter. 



Like the Traill's Flycatcher, it 

 is of retiring habits, and is even 

 more seclusive, frequenting dark 

 shady woods, and deep ravines. 

 The thought of this bird, always 

 brings to my mind, recollections 

 of pleasant hours, spent in the 

 moist refreshing coolness of the 

 deep woods, where the dense 

 shpxle is broken only here and 

 there by a ray of sunshine which 

 has penetrated the thick leafy 

 canopy. 



Although generally regarded 

 as a shy bird, on several occa- 

 sions I have found it to appar- 

 ently lose its accustomed shyness 

 and flit about from branch to 

 branch within fifteen feet of me, 

 very much after the manner of 

 the Wood Pewee. 



With one exception, all the 

 nests I have examined were situ- 

 ated in bushes or small trees on 

 the side near the bottom of a ra- 

 vine. The bird seems to give 

 the preference to iron-wood sap- 

 lings, for the reason, I suppose, 

 that the tree affords specially fa- 

 vorable branches for the con- 

 struction of nests. Two nests 

 however were found in hickory 

 saplings. One of these was in a 



