2o6 kirtland's warbler 



Kirtland'S Warbler 



DENDROICA KIRTLANDI Baird Plate XI 



Distinguishing Characters. — Kirtland's Warbler may be known by its large 

 size, slate-colored or grayish crown, brown, black-streaked back, pale yellow 

 underparts and streaked sides. Length (skin), 5.10; wing, 2.75; tail, 2.30; 

 bill, .42. 



Adult &, Spring. — Crown and nape slaty finely streaked with black; cheeks 

 and frontlet black or blackish, eye-ring with white on upper and lower por- 

 tions; back grayish broadly streaked with black; tail edged with grayish the 

 inner web of two outer feathers with white patches at end; wings fuscous-brown 

 edged with grayish; wing-coverts blacker margined with brownish or soiled 

 white; below pale yellow, breast slightly spotted, sides heavily streaked with 

 black; flanks tinged with brown. 



Adult ?, Spring.— Similar to adult c? but lores and cheeks grayish; black 

 streaks less pronounced, less white in the tail. 



Adults in Fall. — Fall specimens of both sexes have the upperparts much 

 browner than in Spring, the wings more broadly margined and browner, the 

 flanks with a stronger brownish wash. 



Nestling. — Not seen. 



General Distribution. — Southeastern United States; northwest to 

 Minnesota; west to the Mississippi River. 



Summer Range. — All the known breeding records of Kirtland's 

 Warbler come from a restricted area in north central Michigan com- 

 prising Oscoda, Crawford, and Roscommon Counties. 

 Winter Range. — The Bahama Islands. 



Spring Migration. — This, the rarest of American Warblers, has 

 been taken at West Jupiter, Fla., April 19 and 27, 1897; Cumberland 

 Island, Ga., April 12, 1902 ; St. Helena Island, S. C, April 27 and May 

 3, 1886; St. Louis, Mo., May 8, 1885; Wabash, Ind., May 4, 1892, 

 May 7, 1895; Richmond.Ind., May 13, 1905; near Chicago, 111., May 



17, 1894, May 22, 1899; Rockford, 111., May 25, 1894; Lake Kosh- 

 konong, Wis, May 24, 1893 ; Cleveland O., May ( ?) i860, May 4 and 



12, 1880, May 13, 1851, May 15; Cincinnati, O., May 1872; Oberlin, 

 O., May 11, 1900; May 9 1904; Kalamazoo, Mich., May 15, 1885; 

 Ann Arbor, Mich., May 14, 1902, May 15, 1875, May 16, 1879, May 



18, 1888; Battle Creek, Mich., May 11, 1883; Mackinac Island, Mich., 

 May 21, 1885; Toronto, Ont; May 16, 1900; Minneapolis, Minn., May 



13, 1892. 



Fall Migration. — In the fall this species has been noted near Iron- 

 ton, Ohio, August 28, 1902; Fort Meyer, Virginia, September 25, 

 1887; Chester, S. C, October 11, 1888; and at Mount Pleasant, S. C, 

 October 29, 1903. 



The Bird and its Haunts. — Over fifty years have passed since this 

 species was discovered but it still remains the rarest of North American 



