Part 37

Nest.—A cup of grasses and slender weed-stalks, generally placed on the ground, rarely in a low bush, lined with finer materials, and usually located in the woodlands at the base of a small tree, under a May-apple plant, or in a bank. Eggs: 3 to 5, white, thickly, evenly, and finely spotted, and sometimes blotched with reddish brown, grayish, and black.

The Towhee’s interesting habit of scratching among the leaves is characteristic and rather amusing. Like a little hen, the bird bustles about on the ground, jumping back and forth as the leaf-mold flies and as the small terrestrial insects and fallen weed-seeds are exposed. A Towhee thus hunting for food may make a laughably big noise.

Its flight is jerky, not usually rapid, and the tail pumps and flashes considerably, showing the white tips of the outer feathers plainly. None of our woodland birds more clearly displays white in the tail than does this ground-inhabiting species, unless it is the smaller Junco.

Listen for the often-repeated, rather loud call-note of this bird, too-whee, as he elevates his crest and flicks his tail. The song is rather musical and resembles somewhat the following syllabization prit-tel-lee, lee, lee, lee, lee, the last part being run together so rapidly as to be scarcely pronounceable. The Towhee sings from the top of a bush or low tree and, while performing, lets his tail hang limp and lifts and throws back his head.

Young Towhees, carefully guarded by their voluble and agitated parents, are hard to find in their leafy home. They have heavily streaked underparts, and therefore look a good deal more like the race of sparrows, to which they belong, than do their parents.

CARDINAL Richmondena cardinalis cardinalis (Linnæus)

Other Names.—Redbird; Virginia Cardinal or Redbird; Cardinal Grosbeak.

Description.—Smaller than Robin; both sexes with high crests and huge, pink bills. Adult male: Bright, deep rose-red, richest on breast; back, wing and tail-feathers edged with grayish; region in front of eye and on throat black; bill orange-pink; eyes brown. Female: Grayish brown above, buffy white and grayish below, the crest, wings, and tail tinged with red, noticeable especially in flight. Young male: Like the adult female, but the under-wing linings are pink and the breast is blotched with red. Length: 8 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—An abundant permanent resident in southern and western Pennsylvania, and locally in the mountains. It is extending its range northward along the river valleys.

Nest.—A neat but rather thin cup of weed-stalks and grasses, scantily lined with rootlets and other fine materials. Eggs: 3 or 4, white, spotted and speckled with lilac and grayish.

Both the male and female Cardinal sing a loud, whistling song which may be variously written as poo-ree, poo-ree, reap-er, reap-er, whit you, whit you, or what cheer, what cheer, many times repeated. The call-note is a metallic chirp. Cardinals are sometimes familiar door-yard birds. Since they stay the year around, a special effort should be made to feed them corn, suet, nuts, sunflower seeds, and grit during the snowy spells.

Cardinals like to nest in shadowy places, and will sometimes rear their young in shrubbery or vines which grow about our porches.

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK Hedymeles ludoviciana (Linnæus)

Description.—Smaller than Robin, with very large beak. Adult male: Head, neck, and upperparts black, the wings, tail, and upper tail-coverts marked with white; triangular breast-patch and under-wing linings light rose-red; rest of underparts white, streaked on sides with black; bill white or pinkish white; eyes dark brown. Adult female: Sparrow-like in appearance, being dull brown, streaked with black above, the wings marked with two whitish wing-bars, the underparts buffy, streaked with brown on breast and sides. Young males: Like the females but with rosy under-wing linings. Adult male in winter: Like adult female, but the wings and tail more or less as in the spring plumage and rosy breast-patch showing to an extent. Length: 8 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A somewhat local and irregular migrant throughout, and a summer resident chiefly in the central and northern counties from late April to mid-September.

Nest.—A cup made of vegetable fibers and rootlets, often so thin that the eggs show through, placed in a thick tree, in a low, damp situation, 8 to 25 feet from ground. Eggs: 3 to 6, pale blue-green, spotted with brown.

The song of this bird is a bright, musical warble, resembling the carol of a Robin. Both sexes incubate the eggs, and the male may sometimes be heard singing softly or in a full-throated manner while at his domestic duties. These birds eat many destructive insect pests, including the much-dreaded Colorado potato beetle. The call-note may be written eek.

INDIGO BUNTING Passerina cyanea (Linnæus)

Description.—Adult male in spring: Bright, glossy green-blue all over, purplish on head, somewhat dusky on wings and tail, and the belly sometimes marked with a few whitish feathers; bill and eyes black. Adult female: Grayish brown, lighter below, the lesser coverts and edge of wing and tail-feathers bluish; two obscure grayish wing-bars. Young birds: Like the females. Adult males in winter: Similar to those in spring but all feathers tipped widely with brown, giving an effect much as in the female. Length: 5½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common migrant and summer resident from late April or early May to mid-September; sometimes very abundant in favorable localities.

Nest.—A rather firm, deep cup made of weed-stalks and plant fibers, placed a few feet from the ground in a raspberry or other low bush, usually at the edge of a woodland or in an open space among the trees. Eggs: 3 to 5, very pale blue or bluish white.

In the very top of a tree, along the hot midsummer roadside, sings the brilliant male during the lazy noon hours, his bright, rich music an accompaniment to the damp warmth which rises from the fields or to the dust that settles on the leaves near the road. Approach the singer carefully or he will fly before you get a good glimpse of him. The female is not easy to recognize unless she happens to be with or near her mate. She is very dull in color and is not often seen. Raspberry and blackberry thickets are the favorite haunt of this bird.

The larger Blue Grosbeak (Guiraca cærulea cærulea) should be looked for in southern counties. Records for this rare species are very desirable.

The Dickcissel or Black-throated Bunting (Spiza americana) is a very local summer resident which should be looked for in open fields. It is English Sparrow-like in appearance, but has a yellow breast. Its song may be written Dick, dick, chic, chic, chic.

SCARLET TANAGER Piranga olivacea (Gmelin)

Description.—Larger than the English Sparrow, with bill which is heavy like a sparrow’s but longer and not so conical. Adult male in summer: Bright scarlet, our brightest red bird, with black wings and tail, pale olive-green bill, and dark brown eyes. Adult female: Olive-green above, dull yellow below. Male in winter: olive-green, like the female, but with black wings and tail. Male birds in changing plumage, such as is found in late summer, are much blotched in appearance. Length: A little over 7 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common migrant and summer resident of the woodlands from late April and early May to mid-September.

Nest.—A rather shallow, thinly constructed cup made of rootlets and weed-stalks, placed from 20 to 40 feet from the ground, usually in a deciduous tree. Eggs: 3 to 6, pale blue-green, speckled with reddish brown.