Lucy's Warbler
Leiothlypis luciae
Tiny, nondescript warbler of mesquite woodlands and shrubbery. Plain gray with a whiter belly, faint white eyering, and rufous rump. Rufous crown patch is usually difficult to see. Active, constantly flitting around in brushy areas. Listen for sweet song similar to Yellow Warbler, but typically including sharper notes at the end. Mainly breeds in the southwest U.S.; departs breeding grounds early in summer and migrates to the Pacific slope of Mexico (rarely as far south as Oaxaca) for the winter. Most similar to Virginia’s Warbler, but Lucy’s totally lacks yellow. Also compare with Verdin, but note bill shape.
Identification
Lucy's warbler is the smallest species of New World warbler. It measures from 9 to 12 cm (3.5 to 4.7 in) in length and can weigh from 5.1 to 7.9 g (0.18 to 0.28 oz), thus being slightly smaller even than the warblers formerly placed in the genus Parula. Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 49 to 61 mm (1.9 to 2.4 in), the tail is 33 to 41 mm (1.3 to 1.6 in), the bill is 7.8 to 9 mm (0.31 to 0.35 in) and the tarsus is 15 to 17.5 mm (0.59 to 0.69 in).<p>It is rather nondescript compared to other wood-warblers, being perhaps the palest species in its family. Its head and upperparts are pale gray, while underparts are whitish. It has a white eyering and a small, pointed bill. Both sexes have a rufous rump, a diagnostic field mark. Adult males also have a small rusty patch on their crown. Juveniles are paler, with a tawny rump and buffy wingbars.<p>Lucy's warbler is closely related to Virginia's warbler, Nashville warbler and Colima warbler. The common name and binomial of this species commemorate Lucy Hunter Baird, daughter of ornithologist Spencer Fullerton Baird.<p>Lucy's warblers inhabit riparian mesquite and brushy country of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It can nest in the driest vegetated stretches of the Sonora Desert and nest in possibly the driest habitats of any New World warbler.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Leiothlypis luciae
- Authority
- (Cooper, JG, 1861)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Parulidae
- Genus
- Leiothlypis
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- NA, MA : sw USA and nw Mexico
- Non-breeding range
- w Mexico
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Choco Vireo
Vireo masteri
Rare vireo found only in lush Andean cloud forest in northwestern Ecuador and western Colombia. In contrast to the much more common Brown-capped Vireo, it has pale wingbars and may show an ochraceous wash on the throat and breast. Often accompanies mixed-species flocks high in the canopy, where it can be hard to see well. Song is a quick series of sweet-sounding notes that vary in pitch unpredictably.
Scarlet Robin
Petroica boodang
Large Australian robin. Males black above, with a black head and chin, and a large white spot above the bill. Breast and belly bright scarlet. Black wing shows extensive white panels. Females brownish above, pale below, with reddish breast patch, dark upperwing with pale panels, and large white spot above bill. In Tasmania, similar Dusky Robin lacks pale panels in the wing. Inhabits open woodlands as well as farmland and grasslands in southeastern and southwestern Australia and Tasmania. Perches low, snatching prey from the ground.
Andean Parakeet
Bolborhynchus orbygnesius
Small green parakeet with a yellow wash in the face and a gray bill. Found at high elevations in intermontane valleys, around semi-humid scrub and forest. Compared to the similar Mountain Parakeet, Andean has a shorter tail, a gray bill (not pale pink), and very little blue on the wing. Its calls are given in rapid series, sounding like a chuckled “juh-juh-juh.”
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