Painted

1911

Published

1929

Volume

12

Plate

747-747a

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Wrentit

Chamaea fasciata fasciata

DESCRIPTION

THO MEMBERS of this family have some Titmice characteristics, they are more closely allied to the Wrens, in plumage, manners and voice. First acquaintance is almost sure to come by ear as these remarkable birds are much more likely to be heard than seen. In dry plains and shrub-covered hillsides of the west Sierra Nevadas it is a common species where the first indication of its presence is a series of grating, harsh notes resembling the scolding repertoire of Wrens.

A combination of patience, sun endurance and quiet will arouse the bird's curiosity to a point where he will emerge from the brush and look you over. This inspection may be accompanied by a regular Chickadee intoned te-te-te-tee given with tail at about an angle of 45 degrees.

In Spring the males answer each other in a curiously distinctive chit-chit-chit followed with a prolonged trill, not unlike a Chipping Sparrow's tinkling and repeated with the same insistency. So solitary are the surroundings that any sound is welcome and the cheerful pipings do not become monotonous with their clear, bell-like descending scale.

BREEDING

NEST in low bushes, built of closely interwoven grass and twigs lined with finer grass and hair.

EGGS, 3 to 5, plain pale greenish blue.

RANGE

Upper Sonoran zone on eastern and southern shores of San Francisco bay and adjacent Santa Clara valley.

Pallid Wrentit

Chamaea fasciata henshawi

DESCRIPTION

The WRENTITS are most certainly well named, for their general appearance and shape at once remind one of a greatly magnified Bushtit. Add to this their wren-like fondness for haunting the ground and low brush, peering out at you with tail aloft, and the name forms an ideal combination. Occasionally, however, they may be seen gleaning insects among the topmost branches of a live-oak, the tit in them seeming to have asserted the mastery over the wren for the time being.

Eternal cheerfulness is theirs beyond a doubt, for they sing every day in the year, be it rain or shine. Their two songs differ completely, and here again they seem to demonstrate their right to a combined family name. The most common song is a rather loud and very pleasing wren-like trill, which, incidentally, nine people out of ten in southern California will tell you is that of the Canyon Wren. The other song is a succession of about six or eight, loud and somewhat chickenlike peeps, rapidly executed and hardly worthy of being called a song. It is quite different from anything else that I have ever heard, except that it forms a very fair elaboration of what some of the Tits consider their song notes.

In the matter of food they appear to be very nearly omnivorous. Their main staples are bugs, beetles, larvae and insects of all descriptions, but they are also fond of the smaller berries, such as those of the Poison Oak (Rhus diversiloba). For a time I made some attempts at trapping the smaller mammals, using dry bread or cheese as baits, but it was necessary to give this up, as upon every visit to the traps I found that one or more Wren-Tits had succumbed to the temptation of these new items on the bill of fare.

Around Santa Barbara they are resident throughout the year, and to the best of my belief remain mated for life. This theory is based upon the fact that they are almost invariably found travelling in couples; for, should you at any season come upon one bird, another is sure to be only a few feet distant. Nest building commences during the last two weeks of March, my earliest full set of fresh eggs being found on April 4. From that time, eggs may be found until at least the second week in May, but I have seen no evidence to conclude that more than one brood is reared in the season. A rocky hillside, thickly covered with live-oak bushes is the favorite nesting site in this locality, though they may sometimes be found nesting in the sage (Artemesia) of the lowland country. The nest, in both location and construction, is not in the least what the uninitiated oologist would expect in this type of bird. The first one I ever saw was building and, no birds being present, I felt sure it must belong to some kind of flycatcher that had escaped my notice, so closely did it resemble certain types of nests of the Traill Flycatcher (Empidonax trailli trailli) that I have found. It was a perfectly typical nest, both in location and construction, being placed about one foot from the ground in the crotch of a live-oak bush that stood in a dense thicket of the same. It is built externally of silky plant fibres, fine strips of bark and fine dead grass, the lining being mostly of horse hair. The measurements are externally four inches in diameter, by a little less than three inches in depth; internal dimensions being two and one-quarter inches wide, by one and three-quarters deep. I have seen one nest as high as five feet above the ground, but this is most unusual, three feet up being considerably higher than the average.

The female appears to commence covering the eggs much of the time before the set is completed, as on two occasions I have found the bird sitting on three eggs, to which a fourth was added on the day following. Even under these circumstances the bird is exceedingly loath to leave the nest, and after incubation commences it is necessary to startle her very considerably, or remove her by hand, in order to examine the contents of the nest. She will then very often remain in the same bush, scolding in a low, harsh ch-ch-ch, continuously and very rapidly repeated. This usually brings up the male, who looks over the situation for a moment or two and then returns to his singing, feeling apparently not the least sympathy with the vigorous protests of his mate. I have noticed this habit in several other varieties of birds, and have often asked myself if it might not, instead of lack of sympathy, be another method of endeavoring to draw the attention of an intruder away from the nest. —Condor.

BREEDING

Nest and eggs similar to Wrentit.

RANGE

Upper Sonoran zone of foothills and valleys of interior and southern California from Shasta county south to northern Lower California, and along the coast from Monterey Bay, south.

California Nutmeg

Tumion californicum

DESCRIPTION

A tree 50–70, rarely 100, feet high, sparsely distributed on banks of streams in Mendocino county, on the Santa Cruz and western slopes of Sierra Nevada Mountains up to 5000 feet elevation.

wrentit-pallid-wrentit
cactus-wren-bryant-cactus-wren-san-lucas-cactus-wren
Cactus Wren, Bryant Cactus Wren, San Lucas Cactus Wren
713-713a-713b
rock-wren-san-nicolas-rock-wren-guadalupe-rock-wren
Rock Wren, San Nicolas Rock Wren, Guadalupe Rock Wren
715-715a-715b
white-throated-wren-canyon-wren-dotted-canyon-wren
White-Throated Wren, Canyon Wren, Dotted Canyon Wren
717-717a-717b
carolina-wren-florida-wren-lomita-wren
Carolina Wren, Florida Wren, Lomita Wren
718-718a-718b
bewick-wren-vigor-wren-baird-wren
Bewick Wren, Vigor Wren, Baird Wren
719-719a-719b
san-clemente-wren-guadalupe-wren
San Clemente Wren, Guadalupe Wren
719.1-720
texas-wren-san-diego-wren-seattle-wren
Texas Wren, San Diego Wren, Seattle Wren
719c-719d-719e
house-wren-western-house-wren
House Wren, Western House Wren
721-721a
winter-wren-western-winter-wren-kadiak-winter-wren
Winter Wren, Western Winter Wren, Kadiak Winter Wren
722-722a-722b
alaska-wren-aleutain-wren
Alaska Wren, Aleutian Wren
723-723.1
short-billed-marsh-wren
Short-Billed Marsh Wren
724
long-billed-marsh-wren-tule-wren
Long-Billed Marsh Wren, Tule Wren
725-725a
worthington-marsh-wren-western-marsh-wren-prairie-marsh-wren-marian-marsh-wren
Worthington Marsh Wren, Western Marsh Wren, Prairie Marsh Wren, Marian Marsh Wren
725b-725c-725d-725e
brown-creeper-mexican-creeper
Brown Creeper, Mexican Creeper
726-726a
rocky-mountain-creeper-california-creepeer-sierra-creeper
Rocky Mountain Creeper, California Creeper, Sierra Creeper
726b-726c-726d
white-breasted-nuthatch-slender-billed-nuthatch-florida-white-breasted-nuthatch
White-Breasted Nuthatch, Slender-Billed Nuthatch, Florida White-Breasted Nuthatch
727-727a-727b
rocky-mountain-nuthatch-san-lucas-nuthatch
Rocky Mountain Nuthatch, San Lucas Nuthatch
727c-727d
red-breasted-nuthatch
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
728
brown-headed-nuthatch
Brown-Headed Nuthatch
729
pygmy-nuthatch-white-naped-nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch, White-Naped Nuthatch
730-730a
tufted-titmouse
Tufted Titmouse
731
black-crested-titmouse-sennett-titmouse
Black-Crested Titmouse, Sennett Titmouse
732-732a
plain-titmouse-gray-titmouse-ashy-titmouse
Plain Titmouse, Gray Titmouse, Ashy Titmouse
733-733a-733b
bridled-titmouse
Bridled Titmouse
734
chickadee-long-tailed-chickadee
Chickadee, Long-Tailed Chickadee
735-735a
oregon-chickadee-yukon-chickadee
Oregon Chickadee, Yukon Chickadee
735b-735c
carolina-chickadee-plumbeous-chickadee-florida-chickadee
Carolina Chickadee, Plumbeous Chickadee, Florida Chickadee
736-736a-736b
mexican-chickadee
Mexican Chickadee
737
mountain-chickadee-bailey-mountain-chickadee
Mountain Chickadee, Bailey Mountain Chickadee
738-738a
alaska-chickadee
Alaska Chickadee
739
hudsonian-chickadee-acadian-chickadee
Hudsonian Chickadee, Acadian Chickadee
740-740a
chestnut-backed-chickadee-california-chickadee-barlow-chickadee
Chestnut-Backed Chickadee, California Chickadee, Barlow Chickadee
741-741a-741b
bushtit-california-bushtit-grinda-bushtit
Bushtit, California Bushtit, Grinda Bushtit
743-743a-743b
lead-colored-bushtit-lloyds-bushtit
Lead Colored Bushtit, Lloyd Bushtit
744–745
verdin-cape-verdin
Verdin, Cape Verdin
746-746a
wrentit-pallid-wrentit
Wrentit, Pallid Wrentit
747-747a
coast-wrentit-ruddy-wrentit
Coast Wrentit, Ruddy Wrentit
747b-747c
golden-crowned-kinglet
Golden-Crowned Kinglet
748
western-goden-crowned-kinglet
Western Golden-Crowned Kinglet
748a
ruby-crowned-kinglet
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
749
sitka-kinglet
Sitka Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
749a
dusky-kinglet
Dusky Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
749b
blue-gray-gnatcatcher-western-gnatcatcher
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Western Gnatcatcher
751-751a
plumbeous-gnatcatcher-black-tailed-gnatcatcher
Plumbeous Gnatcatcher, Black-Tailed Gnatcatcher
752-753
townsends-solitaire
Townsend’s Solitaire
754
wood-thrush
Wood Thrush
755
veery
Veery
756
willow-thrush
Willow Thrush
756a
gray-cheeked-thrush-bicknells-thrush
Gray-Cheeked Thrush, Bicknell’s Thrush
757-757a
russet-backed-thrush
Russet-Backed Thrush
758
olive-backed-thrush
Olive-Backed Thrush
758a
alaska-hermit-thrush
Alaska Hermit Thrush
759
audubons-hermit-thrush
Audubon’s Hermit Thrush
759a
hermit-thrush
Hermit Thrush
759b
dwarf-hermit-thrush-monterey-hermit-thrush-sierra-hermit-thrush
Dwarf Hermit Thrush, Monterey Hermit Thrush, Sierra Hermit Thrush
759c-759d-759e
robin
Robin
761
western-robin-southern-robin
Western Robin, Southern Robin
761a-761b
san-lucas-robin
San Lucas Robin
762
varied-thrush
Varied Thrush
763
northern-varied-thrush
Northern Varied Thrush
763a
wheatear-greenland-wheatear
Wheatear, Greenland Wheatear
765-765a
bluebird
Bluebird
766
azure-bluebird
Azure Bluebird
766a
western-bluebird
Western Bluebird
767
chestnut-backed-bluebird
Chestnut-Backed Bluebird
767a
san-pedro-bluebird
San Pedro Bluebird
767b
mountain-bluebird
Mountain Bluebird
768

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