Golden-winged Warbler

Vermivora chrysoptera

This gem of a warbler is in precipitous decline over much of its range. Distinctive if seen well; note black-and-white face pattern with yellow crown and large yellow patch on wing. Female is a washed-out version of male. Frequently hybridizes with Blue-winged Warbler. Found in shrubby habitats near the edge of taller forest, often close to water. Sings a high-pitched buzzy song usually 3-4 notes with first note highest, but variable; occasionally identical to Blue-winged Warbler but typically higher and finer. Feeds on insects.

Identification

This is a small warbler, measuring 11.6 cm (4.6 in) long, weighing 8–10 g (0.28–0.35 oz), and having a wingspan range 20 cm. The male has black throat, black ear patch bordered in white, and a yellow crown and wing patch. Females appear similar to males, with a light gray throat and light gray ear patches. In both sexes, extensive white on the tail is conspicuous from below. Underparts are grayish white and the bill is long and slender. Unlike most warblers, juveniles can be reliably sexed (using throat patch color) approximately 15 days after fledging. [citation needed]

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Vermivora chrysoptera
Authority
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Parulidae
Genus
Vermivora

Range and habitat

Breeding range
NA : nc, ne USA and se Canada
Non-breeding range
Guatemala to n SA
Migration
Complete migrants

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Papuan King-Parrot

Papuan King-Parrot

Alisterus chloropterus

A brightly-colored, long-tailed parrot of forest and clearings from the foothills to the mid-mountains. Males have a red head and underparts, blue rump and back of the neck, dark wings and a pale green shoulder bar. Females in the east have green head and upperparts with a red belly. In the west they more resemble the male. Similar to Moluccan King-Parrot but where the ranges meet, but Papuan King-Parrot has a pale green shoulder bar. Call, a series of clear, high, piping notes given at slightly different pitches.

Black-eared Sparrow-Lark

Black-eared Sparrow-Lark

Eremopterix australis

A small, compact finch-like sociable lark that is nomadic, and often irrupts in large numbers after good rains. The sexes differ in plumage: the distinctive male is mostly black, including under the wings, with chestnut-sprinkled upperparts; the female is reddish-brown above and streaked underneath. Small to medium-sized flocks (often mixed with Gray-backed Sparrow-Lark) can appear in grassy shrubland in the Karoo and Kalahari, where dark males are conspicuous when they fly up on broad wings and flap slowly in the fashion of a butterfly. They drop to the ground and land on bare patches, where they shuffle along foraging for seeds and insects. The female Black-eared Sparrow-Lark is told apart from other female sparrow-larks by its all-dark underwings in flight and the lack of a black belly patch.

Cinnamon Woodpecker

Cinnamon Woodpecker

Celeus loricatus

One of several species of mostly rufous woodpeckers with a crest. On Cinnamon, look for pale off-white belly with black scaling, and uniformly rufous head and back. Sexes mostly similar; male has red mustache stripe. Mainly a forest bird, found singly or in pairs, usually at middle levels or in the canopy. Listen for series of loud breathy whistles descending in pitch, similar to several other species in this genus.

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