Hooded Warbler
Setophaga citrina
Rather small, yellow warbler that habitually flashes its white outer tail feathers. Males have distinctive black hood with yellow face; females duller with only a shadow of hood (some lack it completely). Most similar to Wilson's Warbler; always look for white in the tail on Hooded. Generally a bird of the understory in mature forest, often around patches of rhododendron. Song similar to Magnolia Warbler but stronger; "weeta-weeta-weeTEEyoo". Call sounds like two shot glasses being chinked together.
Identification
The hooded warbler is a small bird and mid-sized warbler, measuring 13 cm (5.1 in) in length and weighing 9–12 g (0.32–0.42 oz). The hooded warbler has a wingspan of 6.9 in (17.5 cm). It has a plain olive/green-brown back and yellow underparts. Their outer rectrices have whitish vanes. Males have distinctive black hoods which surround their yellow faces; the female has an olive-green cap which does not extend to the forehead, ears, and throat. Males attain their hood at about 9–12 months of age; younger birds are essentially identical to (and easily confused with) females. The song is a series of musical notes which sound like: wheeta wheeta whee-tee-oh, for which a common mnemonic is "The red, the red T-shirt" or "Come to the woods or you won't see me". The call of these birds is a loud chip.
Taxonomy
The French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon described the hooded warbler in 1779 in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux from a specimen collected in Louisiana. The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Muscicapa citrina in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées.<p>The hooded warbler was formerly placed in the genus Wilsonia. A molecular phylogenetic study of the family Parulidae published in 2010 found that the hooded warbler was embedded in a clade that contained species then assigned to Dendroica as well as two of four species of Parula and the monotypic genera Catharopeza and Setophaga. To create a monophyletic genus, all members of the clade were placed in the expanded genus Setophaga, which under the rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, had priority. The genus Setophaga was introduced by the English naturalist William Swainson in 1827.The species is monotypic; no subspecies are recognised. The genus name Setophaga is from Ancient Greek ses, "moth", and phagos, "eating", and the specific citrina is Latin for citrine.
- Scientific name
- Setophaga citrina
- Authority
- (Boddaert, 1783)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Parulidae
- Genus
- Setophaga
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- NA : c, e, se USA
- Non-breeding range
- MA
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Pale-billed Hornero
Furnarius torridus
Chunky, chestnut-colored bird found only near large rivers in the western part of the Amazon basin. Plumage is chestnut-brown with pale eyebrow, throat, and belly. Separated from Pale-legged Hornero by darker breast, face, and crown; from Lesser Hornero by larger size, darker breast, and pale (not dark) legs. Inhabits understory of densely wooded and seasonally flooded forest along rivers and on river islands. Song is a descending whinny.
Bertoni's Antbird
Drymophila rubricollis
Medium-sized antbird with a long, dusky-colored tail and an orange-rufous body that contrasts with its dark mask, white eyebrow, and white cheeks. Males have a black crown, which is brown in females. Very similar to Ferruginous Antbird, but Bertoni’s have more black on the back and females have a brown (not gray) crown. Found in the lower and middle levels of wet forests with bamboo. The song is a nasal series of descending notes.
Red-winged Starling
Onychognathus morio
A large glossy-black starling with a graduated, pointed tail and brick-red windows in the wings that are striking in flight. The male and female have black and gray heads respectively. Pairs and flocks prefer rocky outcrops and gorges, but have adapted to buildings in urban areas; they avoid forests. The species gives a characteristic loud liquid oriole-like “wher-teooo” contact call and other musical whistles and warbles. It is often the default “red-winged” starling within its range, where it is most easily confused with Slender-billed Starling, but the latter’s weaker bill and longer graduated tail identify it.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.