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Yellow Warbler; Canary; Summer Warbler; Yellow-bird
Adult--Upper parts bright greenish yellow; under parts bright yellow, more or less streaked, chiefly on the sides, with chestnut. Length--5.10.
Breeding Range--Throughout the Eastern States.
The nest is made chiefly of silver-coloured plant fibre, with leaves, grass, and caterpillars' silk, lined with hairs, feathers, and the downy material from fern stems. It is a beautiful, compact nest, placed usually in a low bush or in a tree, but by no means always within ten feet of the ground. 3 to 5 eggs are laid; they are white or whitish, with a wreath of spots and blotches of chestnut and lilac or lavender, and a few very dark irregular markings round the larger end; the region enclosed by the wreath sometimes is light brownish with reddish spots, and there are a few spots of chestnut scattered over the rest of the surface. Size--.65 x .46. See Fig. 14, Plate D.
This is one of our commonest warblers; it is usually to be found in rather swampy thickets or in orchards. The nests, which are made early in May, are exquisite examples of bird architecture; they are very frequently placed in elder bushes, and are usually at no great distance from water. They may be easily found by watching the conspicuous yellow birds as they gather the down from the young fern-stalks; this they collect in large quantities and fly directly to the site of their building operations, attracting attention during flight by their oft-repeated chee-wee. The parent birds are very solicitous for the welfare of their young and become greatly excited if the nest is threatened.
The breeding season lasts from early May to about the middle of June and as a rule only one set of eggs is laid.