315 
are too insignificant or too well hidden to receive the attention of larger 
birds. 
Creeping Warblers 
There is but one genus and one species of this group within our domains 
and it is so well characterized by habit and coloration as to be recognized 
at sight. 
636. Black and White Warbler, black and white creeper. MniotUta varia. 
L, 5-30. Plate LXVIII A. A sharply striped black and white Warbler of pronounced 
creeping habits. 
Distinctions. With its strong black and. white striping, most likely to be confused with 
the spring Black-polled Warbler. Besides smaller size, more intense contrasts of black 
and white, and creeping Woodpecker habits, its crown with a white median stripe instead 
of being solid black will separate it easily from that species in the spring. In the autumn, 
the two birds are quite different. Autumn and spring adult Black and White Warblers are 
practically alike, but juveniles are slightly overwashed with buff and have less black on 
the throat. On the southern coast of British Columbia where the Black and White is 
not known to occur, is another black and white coloured Warbler, the Black- throated 
Grey Warbler, that bears a general resemblance to it ( See page 322). 
Field Marks. Strong black and white striped coloration and median crown stripe. 
Creeping habits like a Woodpecker. It is the only black and white Warbler to be seen in 
autumn east of the southern British Columbia coast. 
Nesting. On the ground, at the base of stump, log, or rock, in nest of strips of bark, 
grasses, etc., lined with rootlets and long hair. 
Distribution . Eastern North America and northern South America. In Canada, 
across the Dominion to the foothills, north into Mackenzie valley, breeding in the 
northern wooded sections. 
This is one of the first Warblers to arrive in the spring and one of 
the easiest to identify at any time as it is always well marked and there is 
little difference in seasonal or sexual coloration. 
Worm-eating Warblers 
The genera Vermivora and Composthlypis may be roughly grouped 
under this title. They are small, slightly built Warblers. Their bills are 
small, sharply pointed, almost spine-like with the culmen straight, rather 
than convex or slightly arched (Figures 283-286). 
642. Golden-winged Warbler. Vermivora chrysoptera. L, 5- 10. A blue-grey 
Warbler. Male: white or very light grey below, darkening on the flanks, with yellow cap 
and wing patch and black cheeks and throat (Figure 
283). Female: similar to male, but somewhat 
reduced in brightness and the blacks represented by 
dark prey. There is little age or seasonal plumage 
variation. 
Distinctions. The blue-grey body, yellow wing 
patch, and black throat and eye patches are distinc- 
tive. 
Field Marks. The above marks are easily recog- 
nizable in life. The black throat somewhat suggests 
the Chickadee, but the other marks make it easy to 
separate them. 
Nesting. On the ground or in bushy fields or 
second growth in nest much like that of the Blue- 
winged Warbler. 
Distribution. Eastern North America. In Canada of regular occurrence only in a 
small area in southern Ontario. Reported tvrice from southern Manitoba. 
