THE NORTHERN PARULA WARBLER. 131 



No. 58. 



NORTHERN PARULA WARBLER. 



A. O. U. No. 648a. Compsothlypis americana usnese Brewster. 



Synonym. — Bi,uE YelIvOW-backed Warbler. 



Description. — Adult male : Above and on sides of head and neck grayish 

 blue ; a large greenish golden patch on back ; wings and tail dusky with obscure 

 bluish bordering; tips of middle and greater coverts white, forming two con- 

 spicuous bars ; two outer pairs of tail-feathers with white blotches on the inner 

 webs ; lores broadly bluish black ; a white spot on lower eyelid ; chin and breast 

 yellow, — connection almost cut off by encroaching blue of sides ; a blackish or 

 blue-black dab on lower throat ; below this, in turn, a rich orange-brown patch, 

 each feather with a yellow tip, producing a shingled efifect ; below sordid white. 

 Adult female: Similar but the orange-brown and black of throat often absent; 

 paler everywhere. Young of the year: Upper parts tinged with olive-green, 

 thus giving a peculiar blue-green effect, especially on head ; yellow of lower parts 

 paler. Length of males about 4.75 (120.6) ; wing 2.38 (60.6) ; tail 1.67 (42.5) ; 

 bill .38 (9.7)1. 



Recognition Marks. — Smallest of American Warblers {usneae is however 

 the largest of the three allied forms) ; golden patch on back; the orange-brown 

 on the breast of high plumage male is distinctive. 



Nest, a pouch, formed oftenest of a bunch of pensile moss (Usnea), or high 

 water debris, gathered together at the bottom, felted, and carefully lined, and with 

 entrance at side. Bggs, 4 or 5, sometimes 6 or 7, glossy white or creamy white, 

 speckled with cinnamon-red, chestnut, and gray, usually in a wreath about larger 

 end. Av. size, .66 x .47 (16.8 x 11.9). The breeding bird is perhaps the next 

 form, C. a. ramalinac. 



General Range. — New England, New York and westward at least to Long. 

 82°, and north into the Maritime Provinces and Ontario, migrating southward 

 beyond the United States in winter. 



Range in Ohio. — Rather rare during migrations. 



A recent overhauling of this genus by one of the masters has left us 

 in temporary uncertainty regarding the Ohio forms, but it seems altogether 

 probable that the larger bird is strictly migrant. Dr. Wheaton, relying 

 upon the observations of Messrs. Read and Kirtland, gives the Parula War- 

 bler as a summer resident in northern Ohio. More recently Thomas Mc- 

 Ilwraith in his "Birds of Ontario," states that he has not heard of a nest's 

 being found in that province, since the majority of the birds pass still farther 

 north to breed. More lately still they have been found breeding by Fleming 

 in the districts adjoining Georgian Bay. No recent records of breeding are 

 at hand from the northern part of this state, and it v^rould appear at least 

 possible that the more robust form has pushed its way further northward 



1 Measurements of all but length are from Ridgway. See "The Birds of North and Middle America," 

 part II, p. 484. 



