THE KENTUCKY WARBLER. 



(Geothtyfiia formosa. ) 



The Kentucky Warbler has been called 

 a "distinguished warbler," for it is un- 

 like any other bird ; "its ways are its own, 

 and its personality most marked." An 

 exceedingly shy bird and possessing a 

 wild disposition, it frequents heavily 

 wooded localities which are also covered 

 with a dense undergrowth. Even in 

 these retreats it spends much of its time 

 walking upon the ground searching for 

 its insect food under leaves, stones and 

 other materials upon the forest floor. Its 

 habitat is in reality nearer the ground 

 than is that of almost any other bird. 

 Then, too, the Kentucky Warbler is loth 

 to exhibit its bright plumage and retreats 

 from the presence of an intruder. Only 

 the quiet and patient student of bird life 

 may hope to make its acquaintance and 

 know its habits. 



However, the male cannot resist the 

 pleasure of pouring forth its song, espe- 

 cially during the early days of the breed- 

 ing season. At times he will sing for 

 hours, though as a rule he is heard and 

 not seen, for his song perch is seldom 

 higher than the lower branches of the 

 forest trees. Mr. Chapman has de- 

 scribed the song as "a loud, clearly whis- 

 tled performance of five, six or seven 

 notes — tur-dle, tur-dle, tur-dle — resem- 

 bling in tone some of the calls of the 

 Carolina Wren. That he is a persistent 

 singer is well shown by the experience 

 of Mr. Chapman, who watched a male 

 for three hours. "During this period, 

 with the exception of five interruptions 

 of less than forty-five seconds each, he 

 sang with the greatest re^ularitv once 

 every twelve seconds. Thus allowing 

 for the brief intervals of silence, he sang 

 about 875 times, or some 5,250 notes. I 

 found him singing, and when I departed 

 he showed no signs of ceasing." He 

 finds so much pleasure in singing that 

 often when frightened from one perch 



he flies to another and resumes his song 

 as if no interruption had taken place. 



The range of the Kentucky Warbler 

 includes the eastern United States and 

 extends westward to the Great Plains. 

 Its breeding range extends from the Gulf 

 of Mexico northwards to southern New 

 England, southern Michigan and south- 

 ern Minnesota, and it winters in the 

 West Indies, eastern Mexico and Central 

 America. The nest of this delicate little 

 bird is a bulky affair, constructed with 

 leaves, grasses, twigs and rootlets. It 

 is usually lined with fine rootlets, and 

 sometimes with hair. Like the nests of 

 the other ground-nesting warblers that 

 of the Kentucky is quite difficult to lo- 

 cate. The site selected is on or near the 

 ground, and may or may not be con- 

 cealed by foliage, or the. roots of fallen 

 trees. Damp woods are usually chosen 

 for the nests and they are generally 

 placed near the bottom of ravines rather 

 than on the hillsides. 



While the Kentucky Warbler possesses 

 marked individual characteristics, it may 

 be easily mistaken for the Maryland yel- 

 low-throat. The two species are similar 

 in size and color, but the yellow line over 

 the eye, the black crown and the contin- 

 uous bright yellow under parts of the 

 Kentucky Warbler are sufficient marks 

 to distinguish it from the yellow-throat. 

 Then, too, it walks. 



Mr. Leverett M. Lopmis records, in 

 the Auk (April, 1890), the following 

 observations regarding the habits of the 

 Kentucky Warblers as he saw them in 

 Pickens county, South Carolina : "In- 

 different to elevation, these Warblers are 

 everywhere abundant in the wooded hol- 

 lows, coves, and ravines ; these shady re- 

 treats constituting their true haunts, 

 though during the cooler hours of the 

 day individuals stray from the near prox- 

 imity of the water courses to the sunny 



