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A Synopsis of the Birds of North America · John James Audubon — chapter 34 of 168 · ~766 words · public domain

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Yellow Red-poll Warbler, Sylvia petechia, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. ii. p. 259, Adult Male and Young; p. 360, Adult Male and Female.

91. 16. Sylvicola Americana, Lath. Blue Yellow-backed Wood-Warbler,--Yellow-backed Warbler,--Blue Yellow-back Warbler.

Plate XV. Male and Female.

Bill much attenuated; outer three quills nearly equal, first or second longest; tail almost even, with the feathers pointed. Male with the upper parts light blue, the fore part of the back yellowish-green; two broad bands of white on the wing, formed by the tips of the secondary coverts, and first row of small coverts; quills and tail-feathers dusky, margined with blue; a white spot on the outer three of the latter; loral space black; both eyelids with a white spot; throat yellow, with whitish patches, a lunular band of blackish on the fore neck; breast yellow, spotted with dull orange, the rest of the lower parts yellowish, fading into white, the sides pale greyish-blue. Female similar but paler; the loral band wanting; throat, fore neck, and breast yellow, without the black lunule.

Although the bill of this species is much attenuated, it is not essentially different in form from that of S. Blackburniæ, and others of this genus; the wings are similar to those of the rest, and there seems no reason for setting it apart to form a genus, as has been done by Bonaparte.

Male, 4-1/6, 6-1/2.

From Texas, generally distributed. Exceedingly abundant. Migratory.

Blue Yellow-back Warbler, Sylvia pusilla, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. iv. p. 17.

Sylvia Americana, Bonap. Syn. p. 33.

Blue Yellow-backed Warbler, Sylvia Americana, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. i. p. 78.

92. 17. Sylvicola Townsendi, Nutt. Townsend's Wood-Warbler.

Plate CCCXCIII. Fig. 1. Male.

Wings of moderate length, rather pointed, with the second and third quills longest, the first and second nearly equal and very little shorter; tail scarcely emarginate. Upper parts light greenish-olive, more yellow behind, all the feathers dusky in the centre; cheeks, ear-coverts, and throat black; a band over the eye, a broader band on the side of the neck, and the fore part of the breast bright yellow; the rest of the lower parts white, but the sides marked with oblong dusky spots; wings blackish-brown; the secondary coverts and first row of small coverts largely tipped with white, the quills margined with light grey; tail-feathers blackish-brown, edged with grey; outer two on each side almost entirely white, the next with a small white spot.

Male, 4-10/12, wing 2-8/12.

Columbia River, northward. Migratory.

Sylvia Townsendi, Townsend's Warbler, Towns. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philadelphia, v. vii. p. 191.

Townsend's Warbler, Sylvia Townsendi, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 36.

93. 18. Sylvicola occidentalis, Towns. Hermit Wood-Warbler.

Plate CCCXCV. Fig. 3. Male. Fig. 4. Female.

Wings of moderate length, the outer three quills almost equal, the third longest; tail slightly emarginate. Male with the upper parts bluish-grey, spotted with black; the upper part of the head, which is similarly spotted, the cheeks, and sides of the neck, bright yellow; throat black; breast and abdomen white; ground and tail-feathers greyish-dusky; two white bands on the wing formed by the tips of the secondary coverts and first row of small coverts; two outer tail-feathers on each side almost entirely white. Female with the upper parts of a duller grey, the yellow of the head less extended and not so bright; throat whitish, spotted with dusky.

Male, 3-5/12, wing 2-8/12.

Columbia River. Migratory.

Sylvicola occidentalis, Hermit Wood-Warbler, Towns. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philadelphia, v. vii. p. 190.

Hermit Warbler, Sylvia occidentalis, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 55.

94. 19. Sylvia nigrescens, Towns. Black-throated Grey Wood-Warbler.

Plate CCCXCV. Figs. 5 and 6. Male.

Wings of moderate length, with the outer three quills nearly equal, the second longest, the first shorter than the fourth; tail slightly rounded and emarginate. Male with the upper parts bluish ash-grey, the middle of the back and tail-coverts streaked with black; the upper part of the head and neck, the loral space and cheeks, and the fore part of the neck, with a small portion of the breast black; a band from the nostril to near the eye yellow; a band over the eye, and another from the lower mandible along the side of the neck white; breast and abdomen white, the sides tinged with grey, and streaked with black; wings blackish-brown, with two white bands formed by the tips of the secondary coverts and first row of small coverts; quills edged with light grey; tail blackish-brown, the two outer feathers on each side almost entirely white, the next with a white patch on the inner web.

Male, 5, wing 2-8/12.

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