306 BIRDS OF ALABAMA 



is said to have several distinct songs, "all of which belong to 

 the whistling type and have the clear ringing quality of the 

 oriole's.''^ 



PINE WARBLER: Dendroica pimis pinus (Wilson),** 



State records. — The pine warbler is a common resident of 

 all sections of the State where pine timber occurs. It is one 

 of the few warblers that do not leave the United States in 

 winter. At that season the northern-breeding birds of the 

 species move southward and occupy the Gulf States in com- 

 pany with the breeding birds of the same region. The bird 

 has been seen in the breeding season at Jasper, Guntersville, 

 Talladega Mountains, Tuscaloosa, Greensboro, York, Seale, 

 Dothan, Castleberry, Mobile, Bayou Labatre, and Dauphin 

 Island. Nests with eggs have been found at Autaugaville, 

 April 3, 1911 (Golsan) ; Barachias, April 30, 1909 (Holt) ; 

 and on Sand Mountain (near Carpenter, April 26, 1914 

 (Graves). 



General habits. — Although never found far from pine tim- 

 ber, this bird occasionally descends to the ground and in win- 

 ter may frequently be seen feeding in cultivated fields. In the 

 forest it has much the habits of a creeper, and seeks its food 

 almost exclusively on the trunks and branches of the pines. 



Nathan Clifford Brown, writing from Coosada, says: 



For the first three or four weeks of my stay I found them 

 exclusively in the fields, forming large flocks with Bluebirds 

 and several kinds of Sparrows; and it was not until the latter 

 part of February that they frequented the woods commonly. 

 The females deposited their eggs about the last of March, judg- 

 ing from the appearance of specimens dissected at that time. 

 Young were flying generally by April 27. Throughout the six 

 weeks of winter which I spent at Coosada the Pine Warblers 

 were uninterruptedly tuneful. No other winter birds sang so 

 continuously * * *.t 



The song of this warbler is a soft, melodious trill, somewhat 

 like that of the chipping sparrow, but more musical, and easily 

 distinguished from that of any other bird. 



tWood, N. A., in Chapman, The Warblers of North America, pp. 207-208, 1907. 

 **Dendroica vieoTBii of the A. O. U. Checl<-list; for change of name see The Auk^ 

 Tol. S8, p. 280, 1921. 



tBrown. N. C, BulL Nutt. Ornith. Ciub, vol. 3, pp. 173-174, 1878. 



