Birds of the Pfeiffer Nature Center

Ovenbird  Seiurus aurocapillus

Ovenbird     Seiurus aurocapillus

              (sigh-YOU-rus aw-roh-kah-PILL-us )

    Seio means ìto shakeî; oura is ìtail,î so ìshake tailî is the genus name from its habit of wagging its tail as it walks. The species name is easy to figure out if you remember from your high-school chemistry that aurum means gold and then just add cap for the gold cap (capillus means hair) on the crown of the Ovenbird. The name Ovenbird is derived from the resemblance of its domed nest to an old style dutch oven.

     At the Pfeiffer Nature Center you will normally hear this bird from very early May into October, but you will probably only rarely see it. However, you should be aware that it can be surprisingly tame and may come very close to you on the ground as you walk one of the trails. We have also seen it singing from a branch about 20 feet high. You might spot an adult bird flying to its leafy, domed nest located on the ground close to one of the trails.

      The Ovenbird's vocalization is usually written as "teacher, teacher, teacher" but some would argue that the bird really sings "cher-tea, cher-tea, cher-teaî.  Another vocalization is "teach, teach, teach". He (the females donít sing) starts loud and the phrases increase in loudness as the song progresses. This loud, ringing song is probably the easiest I.D.

     If perchance you do come upon this House-sparrow-sized bird (or it upon you) the features that can be immediately noticed are its brownish back, the thrush-like streaks on the whitish breast and the large white eye ring surrounding the large, dark eye. If it is agitated, most typically because someone is "pishing" at it, the black-edged orange stripe on its crown  from which it gets its name may become apparent.   Males and females have similar plumage, though the female may be duller.  Perhaps surprisingly for a bird that looks so much like a thrush, the Ovenbird is considered to be a species of wood warbler, Family Parulidae (Par-you-LIE-Dee). The Latin family name is the diminutive form for Titmouse.

      Ovenbirds forage on the ground, looking for insects, snails, slugs, and the like. The nest is built on the ground sometime between May and July and the female incubates 3-6 eggs for 12-14 days.

  By Michael J. DeSha

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