Evening star., 1946-09-20
This and That
By Charles Z. TraceUell.
"BETHESDA, Nd.

Dear Sir:
I saw a small bird walking around
in my yard today.
He seemed to be a thrush. but 7
never saw thrush walk before. 40 7
suppose he is something else.
He really did q grand Job of walking
very stately and dignifled.
He had stripes on his head and
spots on his chest, and altogether he
was beauty, but could not identifv
him
III you can, you will add immeasurab blv
TO my everyday happiness.
Sincerely, E. L. D."
X
ms was the oven bird, a famous
walker
Other walkers are the water thrushes
the larks, starlings and grackles.
We are so used to birds hopping that
sometimes We fail to note. in watching
strange species, that it walks
This is sure Identification to the
members OF very small group.
Just why they walk, instead of hop.
must be referred to specialized muscular r
conStruction, but there is more to 1t
tnan That. Birds have built up their
napits over centuries, and mostly it will
De found that the walking species do so
because in this way they can find the
sort OF food they like better than If
they hoped
II our correspondent had looked a
llttle closer, he would have seen that
the oven bird wagged his tail as he
walked
This is a pretty trick INDUCED in
also by the water thrushes
The Louisiana water thrush is the
same size, slightly over inches. Both
1t and the oven bird are warblers, and
large for warblers)
Both are called wagtails. Other COM
mon names for the oven bird are teacher,
teacher bird, golden-crowned thrush,
nightingale, golden crowned wagtail and
wood wagtail.
Inc Louisiana water thrush Is some
times called water wagtail.
1t is an odd thing, that these birds
should be called thrushes, and it ac-
counts for much confusion.
Oven bird Is a good name 1t comes
from the nest, made in the ground
and arched over with dead leaves. The
arch" shows very little, so that the
nest is seldom discovered unless the
mother bird is seen leaving it.
The bird is sometimes called teacher
because to some ears its song is Teacher
teacher, teacher" each stronger than
the last, with the accent on the second
syllable. Often the bird ends with
teach"
The oven bird has what is called a
night song, that is. it goes up through
tree, then flies straight up and when
it reaches about IS feet above the top.
it bursts into song, quite different from
the call outlined.
Then it closes its wings, and drops
down. 1t Is this habit that gives 1t in
some sections the name of nightingale
although 'skylark" would come closer
to it. The song, however, is not long
enough to justify a real comparison
with that famous bird.
The oven bird really is better named
wood wagtail, although he no longer
goes In for woody places as much as
he used to. another trait in which he
resembles the wood thrush.
You are just as likely to see him in a
suburban yard as in the forests, and
the most favored place is along the
driveway. Watch for this one these
days. and do not be content to think
he Is thrush, because he is much
smaller. and really does not look like q
thrush at all.
The oven bird in spring may sing
another trait he shares with the wood
thrush. He also likes to sing In the
| evening. also thrlshliks.