Belding's yellowthroat

Last updated

Belding's yellowthroat
Belding's Yellowthroat.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Parulidae
Genus: Geothlypis
Species:
G. beldingi
Binomial name
Geothlypis beldingi
(Ridgway, 1883)
Geothlypis beldingi map.svg

Belding's yellowthroat (Geothlypis beldingi) is a New World warbler. It is a resident breeder endemic to the southern Baja California Peninsula (Mexico).

It is closely related to common yellowthroat, Altamira yellowthroat and Bahama yellowthroat, with which it forms a superspecies, and was formerly considered conspecific.

The breeding habitat is freshwater marshes and lagoons, usually with cattails. It builds a cup nest of dead cattails which is usually attached to low on the stem of a living cattail. It lays 2-4 eggs, usually 3. Like other yellowthroats it forages low in vegetation and feeds on insects and other small invertebrates.

The Belding's yellowthroat is 14 cm long with an olive-green back and bright yellow belly. The adult male of the southern nominate race G. b. beldingi has yellow underparts, a black facemask and yellow forecrown. The female is similar, but lacks the black mask and has an olive crown. It is similar to Altamira yellowthroat, but separated from it by the width of Mexico. This race has been drastically affected by habitat loss, and is now restricted to several small marshes in southernmost Baja California [the estero at San Jose del Cabo and the lagoon at Todo Santos; August, 2007].

The male of the northern subspecies G. b.goldmaii has a pale belly and grey forecrown, making it very similar to some non-migratory southwestern races of common yellowthroat, which, however, do not overlap in range. It is larger and slightly brighter than the migratory races of common yellowthroat which winter in Baja California, and the male's mask extends further onto the nape than is the case with the visitors. This race is still fairly common, but its range is shrinking through habitat loss.

The song of Belding's yellowthroat is a loud wichety wichety wichety wich, similar to that of common yellowthroat but deeper, fuller, and with some buzzes. The call is a soft jip, again similar to common yellowthroat.

This species is named for Lyman Belding, a prominent Californian naturalist.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savi's warbler</span> Species of bird

Savi's warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the grass warbler genus Locustella. It breeds in Europe and the western Palearctic. It is migratory, wintering in northern and sub-Saharan Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savannah sparrow</span> Species of bird

The Savannah sparrow is a small New World sparrow. It used to be the only member of the genus Passerculus and is now the only widely accepted member. Comparison of mtDNA NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 and 3 sequences indicates that the Ipswich sparrow, formerly usually considered a valid species, is a well-marked subspecies of the Savannah sparrow, whereas the southwestern large-billed sparrow should be recognized as a distinct species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American yellow warbler</span> Species of bird

The yellow warbler is a New World warbler species. Yellow warblers are the most widespread species in the diverse genus Setophaga. The species can be found throughout most of North America and migrates to wintering grounds from southern California to the Amazon region, Bolivia, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common yellowthroat</span> Species of bird

The common yellowthroat, also known as the yellow bandit or Maryland yellow-throat, is a New World warbler. It is an abundant breeder in North America, ranging from southern Canada to central Mexico. The genus name Geothlypis is from Ancient Greek geo, "ground", and thlupis, an unidentified small bird; thlypis is often used in the scientific names of New World warblers. The specific trichas is also from Greek; trikhas is a kind of thrush, the word being derived from trikhos, "hair".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mourning warbler</span> Species of bird

The mourning warbler is a small songbird of the New World warbler family. Mourning warblers are native to eastern and central North America as well as some countries in Central America. They are neotropical migrants and tend to be found in dense second growth forests. They are under the Wood-warbler category, which consists of arboreal and terrestrial colorful passerines. Wood warblers are in the order Passeriformes, which are perching birds including more than half of all bird species, and the family Parulidae which also includes the Common Yellowthroat, Black and White Warbler, Nashville Warbler, ovenbird, and American Redstart. They are very similar to the MacGillivray's Warbler in appearance, especially in females and immature birds, but their breeding range does not overlap into the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-throated gray warbler</span> Species of bird

The black-throated gray warbler or black-throated grey warbler is a passerine bird of the New World warbler family Parulidae. It is 13 cm (5.1 in) long and has gray and white plumage with black markings. The male has the bold black throat of its name, and black stripes on its head, as well as black streaks on its flanks; the female is a paler version of the male, with a white throat and less distinct black markings on the flanks and wings. It breeds in western North America from British Columbia to New Mexico, and winters in Mexico and the southwestern United States. The habitats it prefers are coniferous and mixed forests and scrubland, especially those with pinyon pines, junipers, sagebrush, and oaks. Its nest is an open cup of plant fibers lined with feathers, built a few metres from the ground in the branches of a tree or shrub. Three to five eggs are laid, and young are fed by both parents. Common in its breeding range, it does not seem to be seriously threatened by human activities, unlike many migratory warblers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky warbler</span> Species of bird

The Kentucky warbler is a small species of New World warbler. It is a sluggish and heavy warbler with a short tail, preferring to spend most of its time on or near the ground, except when singing.

The masked yellowthroat is a New World warbler. It has a number of separate resident breeding populations in South America. The black-lored yellowthroat and southern yellowthroat were formerly considered subspecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellowthroat</span> Genus of birds

The yellowthroats are New World warblers in the genus Geothlypis. Most members of the group have localised ranges in Mexico and Central America, but the masked yellowthroat has an extensive South American distribution, while the common yellowthroat breeds over much of North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altamira yellowthroat</span> Species of bird

The Altamira yellowthroat is a New World warbler. It is a resident breeding bird endemic to the Gulf slope of northeastern Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahama yellowthroat</span> Species of bird

The Bahama yellowthroat is a New World warbler. It is a resident breeder endemic to the Bahamas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baird's junco</span> Species of bird

Baird's junco is a species of junco, a group of small, grayish New World sparrows. It is endemic to the forests in the higher elevations of the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range of the southern Baja California Peninsula in Baja California Sur, Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ridgway's rail</span> Species of bird

Ridgway's rail is a near-threatened species of bird. It is found principally along the Pacific Coast of North America from the San Francisco Bay Area to southern Baja California, as well as in some regions of the Gulf of California. A member of the rail family, Rallidae, it is a chicken-sized bird that rarely flies. Its common name and Latin binomial commemorate American ornithologist Robert Ridgway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-polled yellowthroat</span> Species of bird

The black-polled yellowthroat is a species of bird in the family Parulidae.

The salt marsh common yellowthroat,, is a subspecies of the common yellowthroat, a New World warbler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-lored yellowthroat</span> Species of bird

The black-lored yellowthroat is a New World warbler. It has a number of separate resident breeding populations in South America from western Ecuador to western Peru. It was previously considered a subspecies of the masked yellowthroat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiriqui yellowthroat</span> Species of bird

The Chiriqui yellowthroat is a New World warbler. It has a number of separate resident breeding populations in Central America from southwestern Costa Rica to Panama. It was previously considered a subspecies of the masked yellowthroat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern yellowthroat</span> Species of bird

The southern yellowthroat is a New World warbler. It has a number of separate resident breeding populations in South America from southeastern Peru, eastern Bolivia, and south Amazonian Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay. It was previously considered a subspecies of the masked yellowthroat.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2017). "Geothlypis beldingi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T22721839A118502506. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22721839A118502506.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.

New World Warblers by Curson, Quinn and Beadle, ISBN   0-7136-3932-6