Page:Bird-lore Vol 04.djvu/145

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How to Name the Birds

STUDIES OF THE FAMILIES OF PASSERES av FRANK Mt CHAPMAN

FIFTH PAPER

FAMILY no VXREOS. I'in‘anitlw.

Rnge.—An exclusively American family containing some ﬁfty species, which are distributed from Hudson Bay to Argentina. Twelve of the number, all members of the genus Vina. reach the United States, and eight of these are found east of the lVIississippi.

Smson.—North of the sub-tropics Vireos are migratory birds, the \Vhite—eyed and Blue-headed Vireos alone, of our eastern species, win— tering as far north as Florida. In the lVIiddle States they are ﬁrst rep- resented by the Blue-headed Vireo, which comes in the latter half of Aprilr The remaining species appear in May, and the Red-eyed and Blue-headed Vireos are with us until the middle of October.

Cnlar-.!Olivergreen, without streaks or spots, is so characteristic a color among Vireos that they were formerly often spoken of as ” Green— lets.” This color is conﬁned to the upper surface, the under parts in most species being white or whitish. with often a yellow tinge, or some- times strong. clear yellowr

Exin’rml Strut/urz.—Our Vireos are small birds averaging somewhat less than six inches in length, with the bill rather slender, but cylin— drical, not tapering to a point. and distinctly [mole/l. The outer primary is usually very small or ‘spurioué,’ and in some cases is apparently absentr The base of the hill is beset with bristles, a fact which, in connection with its hooked tip, might lead to the confusion of Vireos and Fly— catchers, but in the latter family the bill is wider than deep at the base, and in the former as deep as or deeper than wide.

zlppmmm-r (uni HabitL’With the exception of the White-eyed and Bell's Vireos, which are thicket-haunters, our Vireos are tree-inhabitants, lawn, garden, orchard and woodland rarely being without some member of this group at the proper season, While, like the Flycatchers and Warblers. the Vireos are insect-eaters. they differ from the members of both these groups in their manner of securing footie They are not wing‘feeders like the Flycatchers, nor nervous. active ﬂutterers like the \Varblers. Comparatively deliberate in actions, they hop from limb to limb, carefully examining the bark and leaves in search of prey as they progress.

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