Bill shorter than the head, very much attenuated; wings with the outer four quills almost equal, the second longest; tail slightly emarginate. Upper part of the head, cheeks, hind part and sides of neck light bluish-grey; a patch of dull red on the crown, concealed by the grey tips of the feathers; upper parts of the body yellowish-green, lower parts greenish-yellow; quills and tail-feathers greyish-brown, edged with yellowish-green, the primaries with greyish-white. Female similar but paler, and with faint indications of red on some of the feathers on the crown. Young similar to the female.
Texas to Massachusetts. Inland to Kentucky. Columbia River. Rare. Migratory.
Nashville Warbler, Sylvia rubricapilla. Wils. Amer. Orn. v. iii. p. 120.
Nashville Warbler, Sylvia rubricapilla, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 412.
Nashville Warbler, Sylvia rubricapilla, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. i. p. 450.
GENUS V. MNIOTILTA, Vieill. CREEPING-WARBLER.
Bill rather long, straight, very slender, nearly as broad as high at the base, much compressed toward the end; upper mandible with the dorsal line very slightly convex, the edges a little inflected toward the end, the notches obsolete, the tip acute; lower mandible with the dorsal line straight, the sides convex, the edges involute, the tip attenuated. General form slender. Feet of moderate length, very slender; tarsus shorter than the middle toe and claw, much compressed, the upper scutella blended; toes rather long, extremely compressed, the first very long, the second shorter than the third, which is adherent at the base, claws rather long, well arched, extremely compressed, and acute. Plumage very soft and blended. Bristles obsolete. Wings long, with the second and third quills longest and about equal, the first slightly shorter, and exceeding the fourth. Tail of moderate length, nearly even. This genus connects the Sylvicolinæ with the Certhianæ.
114. 1. Mniotilta varia, Linn. Black-and-white Creeping Warbler.
Male with the plumage white, variegated with glossy black, longitudinally disposed; a band along the middle of the head and hind neck, a streak over the eyes, a band along the sides of the neck, two bars on the wings, the middle of the breast and abdomen, with a patch at the end of the outer two tail-feathers, white. Female with the upper parts similar, but with the black less deep, the lower parts greyish-white, the sides and lower tail-coverts marked with black. Young light brownish-grey above, paler beneath, with the abdomen white.