Yellow-throated warbler

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Yellow-throated warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler 2.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Parulidae
Genus: Setophaga
Species:
S. dominica
Binomial name
Setophaga dominica
Dendroica dominica map.svg
Range of S. dominica
  Breeding range
  Year-round range
  Wintering range
Synonyms
  • Motacilla dominicaLinnaeus, 1766
  • Dendroica dominica(Linnaeus, 1766)

The yellow-throated warbler (Setophaga dominica) is a small migratory songbird species in the New World warbler family (Parulidae) [2] found in temperate North America.

Contents

Description

Upperside coloration Yellow throated Warbler joby.jpg
Upperside coloration
Yellow-throated warbler in Estell Manor, New Jersey. Yellow-throated Warbler on territory.jpg
Yellow-throated warbler in Estell Manor, New Jersey.

In summer, male yellow-throated warblers display grey upperparts and wings, with double white wing bars. Their throats are yellow, and the remainder of their underparts are white, and are streaked with black on the flanks. Their heads are strongly patterned in black and white, with a long supercilium; the different subspecies may display yellow and white superciliums. Remiges and rectrices are black. [2] They measure 14 cm (5.5 in) long. [3]

Other plumages of these birds – females immatures and non-breeding males – resemble washed-out versions of the summer males; in particular they have a less crisply defined strong head pattern. They also have less bright yellows, and dark grey feathers instead of black ones in the body plumage. Compared to many other New World warblers, sexual dimorphism is slight. [2]

The males' songs are clear, descending whistles. The calls are high sees or sharp chips. [2]

Measurements: [4]

Taxonomy

Yellow-throated warblers will occasionally hybridize with northern parulas (Setophaga americana), resulting in a hybrid species known as Sutton's warblers. [5] Sutton's warblers lack the black streaks bordering the breast indicative of yellow-throated warblers, and have a suffused greenish-yellow wash on their back, which is also not indicative of yellow-throated warblers. [6] The Sutton's warbler was first discovered in 1940 in West Virginia. [7]

Distribution and habitat

These birds breed in southeastern North America, and their breeding ranges extend from southern Pennsylvania and northern Missouri, to the Gulf of Mexico. One subspecies, from northwest Florida, is resident all year round. The other populations of this species are migratory, wintering at the Gulf Coast, eastern Central America, and the Caribbean. Vagrant wintering birds are sometimes seen in northernmost South America. [2] [8]

In the United States, the yellow-throated warbler's range differs from typical Setophaga warblers because they have a more expansive resident population in the South than other Setophaga warblers. Moreover, their breeding range is more southerly, and their wintering range more is northerly, than the other warblers in the genus. [9] According to McKay et al., "[t]he near absence of the species from the lower Piedmont of the Carolinas and Georgia ... presents a puzzle." [9]

The yellow-throated warbler is a woodland species with a preference for coniferous or swamp tree species, in which it preferably nests.

Diet

They are insectivorous, but will include a considerable amount of berries and nectar in their diet outside the breeding season. Food is typically picked off tree branches directly, but flying insects may be caught in a brief hover. [2] [10]

Breeding

These birds build cup-shaped nests which are built in trees, and are concealed amongst conifer needles or Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides). Their clutches consist of 3–5 (usually 4) eggs. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New World warbler</span> Family of birds

The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds that make up the family Parulidae and are restricted to the New World. They are not closely related to Old World warblers or Australian warblers. Most are arboreal, but some, like the ovenbird and the two waterthrushes, are primarily terrestrial. Most members of this family are insectivores.

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

The yellow-rumped warbler is a regular North American bird species that can be commonly observed all across the continent. Its extensive distribution range connects both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the U.S. as well as Canada and Central America, with the population concentrating in the continent's northern parts during the breeding season and migrating southwards to southern North and Central America in Winter. The species generally prefers coniferous forests or mixed coniferous-deciduous forests as its breeding habitat, while during the winter it can be found inhabiting more open areas such as shrublands that offer food resources. The diet of the yellow-rumped warbler is based primarily on insects, though the species does eat fruits such as juniper berries as well, especially in winter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audubon's warbler</span>

Audubon's warbler is a small bird of the family Parulidae.

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

The Cape May warbler is a species of New World warbler. It breeds in northern North America. Its breeding range spans all but the westernmost parts of southern Canada, the Great Lakes region, and New England. It is migratory, wintering in the West Indies. This species is a very rare vagrant to western Europe, with two records in Britain as of October 2013. The English name refers to Cape May, New Jersey, where George Ord collected the specimen later described by Alexander Wilson. This species was not recorded again in Cape May for another 100 years, although it is now known as an uncommon migrant there.

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

The Blackburnian warbler is a small New World warbler. They breed in eastern North America, from southern Canada, westwards to the southern Canadian Prairies, the Great Lakes region and New England, to North Carolina.

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

The blackpoll warbler is a New World warbler. Breeding males are mostly black and white. They have a prominent black cap, white cheeks and white wing bars. The blackpoll breeds in forests of northern North America, from Alaska throughout most of Canada, to the Adirondack Mountains of New York as well as New England in the Northeastern United States. They are a common migrant through much of North America. In fall, they fly south to the Greater Antilles and the northeastern coasts of South America in a non-stop long-distance migration over open water, averaging 2500 km, one of the longest distance non-stop overwater flights ever recorded for a migratory songbird. Rare vagrants to western Europe, they are one of the more frequent transatlantic passerine wanderers.

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

The chestnut-sided warbler is a New World warbler. They breed in eastern North America and in southern Canada westwards to the Canadian Prairies. They also breed in the Great Lakes region and in the eastern United States.

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

The magnolia warbler is a member of the wood warbler family Parulidae.

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

The bay-breasted warbler is a small species of songbird in the New World warbler family, Parulidae. It is one of thirty-four species in the diverse genus Setophaga. Like all songbirds, or passerines, the species is classified in the order Passeriformes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern parula</span> Species of bird

The northern parula is a small New World warbler. It breeds in eastern North America from southern Canada to Florida.

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

The black-and-white warbler is a species of New World warbler, and the only member of its genus, Mniotilta. It breeds in northern and eastern North America and winters in Florida, Central America, and the West Indies down to Peru. This species is a very rare vagrant to western Europe.

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

The hooded warbler is a New World warbler. It breeds in eastern North America and across the eastern United States and into southernmost Canada (Ontario). It is migratory, wintering in Central America and the West Indies. Hooded warblers are very rare vagrants to western Europe.

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

The American redstart is a New World warbler. It is unrelated to the Old World (common) redstart.

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

The black-throated blue warbler is a small passerine bird of the New World warbler family. Its breeding ranges are located in the interior of deciduous and mixed coniferous forests in eastern North America. Over the cooler months, it migrates to islands in the Caribbean and Central America. It is very rarely found in western Europe, where it is considered to be a non-indigenous species. The black-throated blue warbler is sexually dimorphic; the adult male has a black face and cheeks, deep blue upperparts and white underparts, while the adult female is olive-brown above and light yellow below.

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

The cerulean warbler is a small songbird in the family Parulidae. It is a long-distance migrant, breeding in eastern North American hardwood forests. In the non-breeding season, it winters on the eastern slope of the Andes in South America, preferring subtropical forests.

<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">Townsend's warbler</span> Species of bird

Townsend's warbler is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.

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

The hermit warbler is a small perching bird. It is a species of New World warbler or wood-warbler. They are a migratory bird, the breeding range spanning the majority of the west coast of the United States. Their winter range includes parts of Mexico and Central America as well as parts of the southern California coast.

<i>Parula</i> Genus of birds

Parula was formerly a small genus of New World warblers which breed in North and South America.

<i>Setophaga</i> Genus of birds

Setophaga is a genus of birds of the New World warbler family Parulidae. It contains at least 33 species. The males in breeding plumage are often highly colorful. The Setophaga warblers are an example of adaptive radiation with the various species using different feeding techniques and often feeding in different parts of the same tree.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2018). "Setophaga dominica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22724793A132177086. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22724793A132177086.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jon Curson; David Quinn & David Beadle (1994). New World Warblers. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN   0-7136-3932-6.
  3. Scott, Shirley L., ed. (1994). Field Guide to the Birds of North America (2nd ed.). The National Geographic Society. pp.  366–367. ISBN   0-87044-692-4.
  4. "Yellow-throated Warbler Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology". www.allaboutbirds.org. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  5. Anich, Nicholas; Swelstad, Jack; Pierce, Brian (2012). "The First Report of Sutton's Warbler(Northern Parula × Yellow-throated Warbler) in Wisconsin". The Passenger Pigeon. 74 (2): 149–154.
  6. Devore, Leland S. "Sutton's Warbler in West Virginia" (PDF). Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  7. Bent, Arthur Cleveland (1963). Life histories of North American wood warblers. New York: Dover. ISBN   0-486-21153-3. OCLC   782188.
  8. Ralf Strewe & Cristobal Navarro (2004). "New and noteworthy records of birds from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta region, north-eastern Colombia" (PDF). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club . 124 (1): 38–51. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-12-31. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
  9. 1 2 McKay, Bailey; Hall, George A. (2020). "Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica), version 1.0". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.yetwar.01.
  10. Storrs L. Olson; Helen F. James & Charles A. Meister (1981). "Winter field notes and specimen weights of Cayman Island Birds". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club . 101 (3): 339–346. hdl:10088/6535.