Oven-Bird 461 
Mississippi Valley to southern Florida, the West Indies and Yucatan, 
where it winters. 
It is a straggler to Colorado, only once recorded. H. G. Smith 
observed but did not secure an example near Denver, June 20th, 1891. 
Genus SEIURUS. 
Warblers of large size—wing over 2-75 ; close to Dendroica in structure 
but very different in plumage ; this is thrush-like, with spotted under- 
parts on a white ground. 
Three species, all found within the United States. 
For key, see p. 439. 
Oven-Bird. Seturus aurocapillus. 
A.O.U. Checklist no 674—Colorado Records—Minot 80, p. 227; 
Cooke 97, pp. 116, 219 ; 04, p. 99 ; Chapman 07, p. 219. 
Description.— Adult Male—Centre of the crown orange, bordered 
on either side by two black stripes from the bill to the nape ; general 
colour above olive-green, without marks on the wings or tail; below 
white, the breast and flanks heavily streaked with black, and a narrow 
black line along either side of the throat ; iris brown, upper mandible 
dark brown, lower paler, legs pale flesh. Length 5-25; wing 3-0; tail 
2-20; culmen -45 ; tarsus -80. 
The sexes closely resemble one another, but the orange crown is 
generally a little paler and tipped with brown in the female. In the 
fall the plumage colours are somewhat richer, and so too in the case 
of the young bird. : 
Distribution.—The Oven-Bird breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland, 
south to Kansas and the mountains of South Carolina, and winters 
in southern Florida, the West Indies and western Mexico, south to 
Columbia. 
It is a rare bird in Colorado, though it was first noticed by Dr. C. 
Wernigk near Denver so long ago as June, 1862. The only other 
definite record is that of Aiken, who obtained u single female, now 
in the Colorado College Museum at Ramah, in El Paso co., June 5th, 
1898 ; the ovaries were enlarged, and it appeared likely to be about 
to breed, so that the bird may be regarded as a scarce resident. Minot 
believed that he heard the notes of the Oven-Birds at Boulder and 
Nederland, near by, in May, 1880. 
Habits.—The Oven-Bird is a distinctly terrestrial form, 
seeking its food on the ground among decaying leaves, 
and making its remarkable covered nest, from which 
it gets its name, on the ground, generally under the shelter 
of a bush. 
