Yellow-headed Warbler
Teretistris fernandinae
A gregarious resident of dense tangles and thickets in otherwise open habitats; not found in dense forest or mangroves. The gray body contrasts sharply with its yellow head, but note that some birds have yellow on the chest as well. Prothonotary Warblers are somewhat similar, but are mostly yellow below with a green (not gray) back. Pine Warblers have a green back, white wingbars, and are usually more extensively yellow below. Song is a series of raspy buzzy notes. Call notes similar to song, but are given singularly or without pattern.
Identification
The yellow-headed warbler is about 13 cm (5.1 in) long and weighs 6 to 18.5 g (0.21 to 0.65 oz). Its entire head is yellow, with an olive tinge on the crown and nape. Its upperparts are gray and its underparts a lighter grayish white.
Taxonomy
The yellow-headed warbler shares its family and genus with the Oriente warbler (T. fornsi). They were originally placed in the New World warblers (Parulidae) but phylogenetic studies of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA led to reassessment of several genera and in 2017 the Cuban warblers were moved to their own family. Their closest relatives are the four members of family Spindalidae, the yellow-breasted chat (Icteria virens), and the New World blackbirds of family Icteridae.<p>The yellow-headed warbler is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Teretistris fernandinae
- Authority
- (Lembeye, 1850)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Teretistridae
- Genus
- Teretistris
Range and habitat
The yellow-headed warbler is found in far western mainland Cuba, Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Pines), and the nearby Cayo Cantiles. It inhabits all available forest types as long as they have a relatively undisturbed understory, and also scrubby thickets in drier areas. In elevation it ranges from lowlands to high mountains.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The yellow-headed warbler is a year-round resident throughout its range.<p>The yellow-headed warbler forages from the ground to the forest mid-level, gleaning rocks and foliage for insects and other invertebrates. It is also believed to take small lizards. It often forages in flocks.<p>The yellow-headed warbler's breeding season is from March to July, with eggs laid in April and May. It makes a cup nest of grass, rootlets, and other plant fibers and usually places it fairly low in a bush, vine, or sapling. The clutch size is two or three eggs. The incubation period and time to fledging are not known.<p>The yellow-headed warbler's song is "a series of buzzy grating notes interspersed with sweeter, more musical notes". Its calls include "a rapid, high-pitched, staccato chattering" and "various other buzzy and grating notes".
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
White-tailed Tyrannulet
Mecocerculus poecilocercus
A small, pale, and active tyrannulet with a small bill. No bright colors; look for bold white eyebrow, pale yellowish rump, and two off-white wingbars. Tends to perch horizontally, often with its tail cocked up slightly. Flits actively, usually in the canopy and often part of a mixed-species flock. Occurs in cloud forest and edges from Colombia to Peru, from around 1,500 to 2,500 m. Similar to White-banded Tyrannulet, but smaller and found at lower elevations; also note White-banded’s thicker white eyebrow, gleaming white wingbars, and generally more contrasting plumage than White-tailed. Often detected by series of three or four squeaky “psee” notes coming from a canopy flock.
Mussau Fantail
Rhipidura matthiae
A beautiful bird, mostly reddish with a black head and chest. Face is mostly bright white with a thick black eye mask. Cinnamon below. Long tail is often fanned. The only fantail in its range. Reliant on forest, but tolerates degraded areas. Song is an explosive melodic “pwit-pwit-chiddley-diddley.” Most common call is a soft, chattering “tchu-tchu-tchu.”
White-eared Hummingbird
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