What Bird is That? Part 23

Next to the Mockingbird's medley, the rich, mellow whistle of the Cardinal is the most prominent bird voice in the choir of southern songsters. Pa.s.sing most of the time in the undergrowth, where, in spite of his brilliant colors, he readily conceals himself, he makes no attempt, when singing, to hide his fiery plumes, but selecting a conspicuous perch, challenges the attention of the world.

The female Cardinal also sings, but her song has much less volume than that of her mate, and is more rarely heard. The call-note of both s.e.xes is a minute; sharp, _cheep_, which one would attribute to a bird half their size. The Cardinal nests in bushes, laying 3-4 whitish eggs speckled and spotted with brown, in April.

The Florida Cardinal (_C. c. florida.n.u.s_), a slightly smaller, deeper colored (especially in the female) race of the preceding, inhabits the peninsula of Florida.

BLUE GROSBEAK

_Guiraca caerulea caerulea. Case 6, Figs. 52, 53_

Should be confused only with the Indigo Bunting, but it is larger and the male is darker and has brown wing-bars. L. 7.

_Range._ Nests from Florida to Maryland and southern Illinois; winters in the tropics, uncommon east of the Alleghanies.

Was.h.i.+ngton, very uncommon, S.R., May 1-Sept. 20.

Cambridge, A.V., one instance, May.

The Blue Grosbeak is an unfamiliar bird to most eastern students.

Ridgway states that its haunts resemble those of the Field Sparrow or Indigo Bunting. Its call is a strong, harsh _ptchick_, its song a beautiful, but rather feeble warble. The nest is usually built in bushes and the 3-4 pale bluish white eggs are laid in May.

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK

_Zamelodia ludoviciana. Case 7, Figs. 25, 26_

The male needs no introduction; the streaked plumage of the female betrays her Sparrow ancestry; the white stripe over her eye is a conspicuous mark. Young males in the fall resemble the female, but have a rose-tinted breast. L. 8.

_Range._ Nests from central Kansas and central New Jersey north to Canada, and, in the mountains, south to northern Georgia; winters in the tropics.

Was.h.i.+ngton, rather common T.V., May 1-30; Aug.

29-Oct. 6. Ossining, tolerably common S.R., May 3-Oct. 1. Cambridge, very common S.R., May 10-Sept. 10. N. Ohio, common S.R., Apl. 27-Sept.

15. Glen Ellyn, fairly common S.R., common T.V., Apl. 27-Sept. 28. SE. Minn., common S.R., Apl.

27-Sept. 23.

Distinguished alike by plumage and song, the Rose-breast is one of our most notable bird citizens. His song resembles in form that of the Robin, but has a more lyrical, flowing, joyous quality, and, unlike the Robin, he often sings while flying. The call-note of both s.e.xes is a sharp _peek_ which, like the Cardinal's _cheep_, seems too small for the bird.

The Rose-breast lives and nests in woodland, particularly second-growths, building a frail nest ten to twenty feet from the ground. The 4-5 blue, brown-marked eggs are laid the latter half of May.

INDIGO BUNTING

_Pa.s.serina cyanea. Case 7, Figs. 23, 24_

The male, well seen, is unmistakable. The female is very 'sparrowy' and, unless one gets a suggestion of blue in her plumage, can best be identified by her unsparrow-like, sharp _pit_. L.

5.

_Range._ Nests from Georgia and Louisiana to Canada; winters in the tropics.

Was.h.i.+ngton, common S.R., Apl. 29-Oct. 9. Ossining, common S.R., May 4-Oct. 17. Cambridge, common S.R., May 15-Oct. 1. N. Ohio, common S.R., Apl.

26-Oct. 10. Glen Ellyn, fairly common S.R., May 1-Sept. 22. SE. Minn., common S.R. Apl. 28-Oct. 2.

"July, July, summer-summer's here; morning, noontide, evening, list to me" the Indigo sings in rather hard but brilliant little voice. To me the words express the rhythm as well as the spirit of the song. We hear them most often in bushy fields and open second-growths, along hedge-rows or from briery clumps in which the bird's nest may be hidden.

The pale, bluish white eggs are laid the latter half of May.

PAINTED BUNTING

_Pa.s.serina ciris. Case 6, Figs. 49, 50_

The male is one of our most brilliantly colored birds, the female has the color of a Vireo but the bill of a Sparrow.

_Range._ Southern States north to southeastern North Carolina and southern Kansas; winters from southern Florida southward.

"Painted" Bunting he is called, but the brilliancy and l.u.s.ter of his plumage were not painted by human hands. 'Nonpareil' he has also been named, and, in the eastern United States, at least, he is without equal in the brightness of his colors. The bird's haunts are not unlike those of the Indigo Bunting, and its song is said to resemble the Indigo's but to be more feeble. It builds in bushes and low trees, laying 3-4 bluish white, brown-spotted eggs in May.

d.i.c.kCISSEL

_Spiza americana. Case 7, Fig. 20_

The yellow on the breast and, in the male, black crescent will distinguish this species from all its Sparrow kin. L. 6.

_Range._ Chiefly prairies of the Mississippi Valley, from Texas and Mississippi north to Minnesota and southern Ontario; now rare east of the Alleghanies.

Was.h.i.+ngton, formerly "very abundant," now seen only occasionally, May-Aug. Cambridge, casual, found nesting at Medford, June 9. 1877, where several birds were observed; not uncommon in 1833-34 (see Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, III, 1878, 45.

190). N. Ohio, rare S.R., May 1. Glen Ellyn, rather rare and local S.R., formerly common. May 3-Sept. 5. SE. Minn., common S.R., May 11-Aug. 20.

The d.i.c.kcissel is a bird of the fields who, from a weed-stalk or fence by the wayside, sings his unmusical _d.i.c.k-d.i.c.k cissel, cissel, cissel_.

The nest is built on the ground or in a bush and the 4-5 pale blue eggs are laid the latter half of May.

TANAGERS. FAMILY TANGARIDae

SCARLET TANAGER

_Piranga erythromelas. Case 7, Figs. 27, 28_

The black wings and tail of the male will distinguish him from our other two red birds--the Cardinal and Summer Tanager. The olive-green female may be known from all our other olive-green birds by her larger size. L. 7.

_Range._ Nests from northern Georgia and southern Kansas to Canada; winters in the tropics.

Was.h.i.+ngton, common T.V., less common S.R., Apl.

17-Oct. 15. Ossining, common S.R., May 4-Oct. 9.

Cambridge, rather common S.R., May 12-Oct. 1. N.

Ohio, common S.R., Apl. 28-Oct. 2. Glen Ellyn, not common S.R., Apl. 30-Sept. 29. SE. Minn., common S.R., Apl. 29-Sept. 11.