Miscellaneous Notes on Behavior 



GROUND LOCOMOTION 



The gait of the Swainson's Warbler is different from that of 

 any other ground-feeding parulid. In searching for food, usually 

 in dry leaf litter, its gait is described by Brewster (1885a, p. 74) 

 as "distinctly a walk." Norris (1963, p. 47) also observed that it 

 walked, and that its "gait was rather rapid and jerky, suggestive 

 of that of the starling." He further stated that the Swainson's 

 Warbler may hop "when traversing leaf litter." After 25 years 

 of observing this species for many hours each spring, I would 

 say that it hops some of the time, though mostly it moves in a 

 rather rapid step that is a sort of a cross between a walk and a 

 hop, suggesting a canter. 



In searching for food on the ground it moves along hurriedly, 

 often turning from side to side, and sometimes making a complete 

 turnabout (180°) in a single hop or jump. 



Another characteristic peculiar to this species while foraging 

 on the ground is the quivering or tremulous movement of the 

 posterior part of its body which sometimes occurs. This is not 

 just a tail movement, but a part of the lower trunk of the body 

 also is involved. I have observed this movement in both sexes. 



PREENING 



"This species often sits and engages in preening and scratch- 

 ing — apparently more so than does any other warbler of my 

 acquaintance." So writes Norris (1963, p. 47), a Georgia orni- 

 thologist who knows this warbler well. I once observed a male 

 preening continuously for 7 minutes. They seem to do a lot of 

 preening in the center of the breast ; this behavior must be related 

 to the method of foraging, wherein the breast constantly is coming 

 in contact with leaves and soil. 



HEAD SCRATCHING 



Ficken and Ficken (1968, p. 136) have suggested that the 

 "head scratching method may prove a valuable addition to the 

 set of complex characters that can be used in defining genera." 

 In the course of a series of observations of Swainson's Warblers 

 in the Dismal Swamp in Virginia, I observed head scratching in 



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