GROUP FIVE--THE YELLOW AND OLIVE-GREEN WARBLERS 1. THE YELLOW WARBLER, OR SUMMER YELLOW-BIRD

Length: About 5 inches.

Male: Olive-green above, bright yellow below; breast streaked with brown; wings edged with yellow; tail dark brown, with yellow on inner web; no black on head, throat, wings, or tail; bill slender.

Female: Similar; with fainter streaks on breast, or an unstreaked breast.

Song: A sweet chee-chee-chee-chee-chee'-a-wee?

Habitat: Orchards, gardens, and shade trees, rather than woods.

Nest: A beautiful cup lined with felt. This bird’s nest has been recorded as a favorite depository for cowbirds’ eggs.

Range: North America. Breeds from northern Canadian and Alaskan tree-regions to southern Missouri and northern South Carolina; winters from Yucatan to Brazil and Peru.

The Yellow Warbler is one of the best known of its tribe. It is an attractive, lovable little bird, a useful destroyer of small insects that feed upon the leaves of trees, and a charming addition to any orchard or garden, as it flits among the trees like a ray of sunshine.

It is frequently confused with the goldfinch; but careful observation of markings, of flight, and of song will show decided differences. The goldfinch has a black crown, wings, and tail, an unstreaked breast, undulating flight, and a sustained song. This little olive and yellow bird has no black in its plumage; it makes short flights, and sings a simple strain. It is not a seed-eater, like the finches, but is insectivorous.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

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