Golden-crowned Warbler
Basileuterus culicivorus
Small, rather active warbler of tropical evergreen and semi-deciduous forest in foothills and lowlands. Often in pairs at low to middle levels in shady forests with fairly open understory. Regularly seen with mixed-species feeding flocks. Like other tropical warblers, sexes look alike: overall grayish above and yellowish below with weak blackish head stripes that border a dull and easily overlooked golden or dull orangish central crown stripe.
Identification
The golden-crowned warbler is 12.7 cm (5.0 in) long and weighs 10 g (0.35 oz). It has grey-green upperparts and bright yellow underparts. The head is grey with a black-bordered yellow crown stripe, a yellow or white supercilium and a black eyestripe. Sexes are similar, but the immature golden-crowned warbler is duller, browner and lacks the head pattern other than the eyestripe.
Taxonomy
Golden-crowned warbler has 13 geographical races, which fall into three groups. The Central American culicivorus group (known as the stripe-crowned warbler) is essentially as described above, the southwestern cabanisi group (known as Cabanis's warbler) has grey upperparts and a white supercilium, and the aureocapillus group (known as the golden-crowned warbler) of the southeast, which has a white supercilium and orange-rufous crown stripe. The three groups are sometimes considered to be different species.
- Scientific name
- Basileuterus culicivorus
- Authority
- (Deppe, 1830)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Parulidae
- Genus
- Basileuterus
Range and habitat
It breeds from Mexico and south through Central America to northeastern Argentina and Uruguay, and on Trinidad. It is mainly a species of lowland forests.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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