Whistling Warbler
Catharopeza bishopi
A small charming inhabitant of woodland tangles and dense undergrowth. Plumage striking slate and white with a bold white eyering. Note distinctive pattern of black chin, white upper breast and blackish lower breast. No similar species within its range. Often has tail cocked upright. Song is a cascade of loud whistled notes, with pace typically slowing towards end as notes grow louder; sometimes given in rapid succession resulting in a more jumbled pattern.
Identification
The whistling warbler is often compared to a wren in appearance. It has a dusty-black plumage, with a dark head and bill. Some interpretations of the whistling warbler have stated that they have a medium-brown plumage. A bright white ring surrounds the eye, with a hazel iris. There is also an off-white color on a minor portion of the chin and on the ends of feathers on the upper throat. The breast has a black and white stripped-like pattern, with the black between two white bands. The underside of the tail goes from a blackish ash gray to an off-white. The tail's two distal feathers have a white triangle at the end of them. The tarsus and toes are a light orange color, and they also have a small manubrium-sternum bridge. Females have the same plumage.<p>The whistling warbler's length ranges from 5 ½ inches to 5 ¾ inches. Their wings are around 2 ¾" long, the tail is about 2 ½ in", the tarsus is ~7/8 inches, and their wingspan is approximately 8 ½ inches in length.<p>The immature whistling warbler has black feathers emerging on the crown and has the same appearance of the tail's feather tips as the adult, with the overall tail feather color being black. There is a dark greenish brown color on the top, and lighter color on the bottom. In place of the white marks in an adult, a light reddish-brown is present. The quills are brown.<p>The whistling warbler's song has a rapid rhythm, with an increasing intensity that is comparable to the Troglodytes rufescen, with less variation. The call is compared to a weaker olive-backed thrush song. In Andrle and Andrle's study in 1986, they found that the average of the most common songs were about 4 to 6 second. They also found that the Whistling Warbler's songs could be heard from morning to late afternoon, unless it was heavily raining.
Taxonomy
The whistling warbler was originally given the genus, Leucopeza bishopi, but it was later changed to Catharopeza bishopi because of its stoutness in many areas of its body.<p>There are competing beliefs on who the closest relative to the whistling warbler (Catharopeza) is between Phaeothlypis and Dendroica. A 1976 study argued that Phaeothlypis was Catharopeza’s closest relative. Catharopeza’s foraging, morphology, and song are more similar to Phaeothlypis than Dendroica. Other studies have shown Dendroica to be Catharopeza’s closest relative. The closeness in relationship between Dendroica and Catharopeza has been widely recognized. When sorted taxonomically, they are often adjacent due to their similarities in morphology and song. A phylogenetic study of Dendroica and Catharopeza found that Catharopeza’s closest relative in the Dendroica genus was the Dendroica plumbea species.
- Scientific name
- Catharopeza bishopi
- Authority
- (Lawrence, 1878)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Parulidae
- Genus
- Catharopeza
Range and habitat
Whistling warblers inhabit the hills and mountains of St. Vincent island, including Richmond Peak, and Grand Bonhomme. St. Vincent is 18 miles in length and is located 13 degrees 10’ north latitude, and 60 degrees 57’ west longitude. There are also active and inactive volcanoes present on the island. There is no dry season on the hilltops and they are considered rainforests due to their 3800 mm of rain annually. These rainforests range from 300 m to 500 m in elevation.<p>Whistling warbler distribution has changed over time. Before a volcanic eruption in 1902, whistling warblers were usually found around 300 m above sea level, but they are now found in areas 300 m to 600 m above sea level, with more of them found at lower elevations. This higher density of whistling warblers at lower altitudes is due to there being more ravines, gorges, and valleys in those areas and more wet slopes at higher altitudes.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The whistling warbler's cup-shaped nests are found at low heights and spotted eggs have been seen in them. Nesting has been found to occur in July in one observation, and April in another. Chicks with developed wings from only a few days to a week old were seen out of the nest.<p>Whistling warblers forage at low heights usually from the ground to 4 m, and at most 15 m. They can be found foraging on large rocks along streams, boulders, and decayed logs. They feed on insects, herbaceous plants, and occasionally lizards. While foraging they hop from branch to branch with a “cocked tail”. The whistling warbler often flicks this "cocked tail" swiftly when observed foraging.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Pink-breasted Lark
Calendulauda poecilosterna
An unusual lark with a slim bill and pinkish-brown markings on the face and underparts. Unlike many larks, shows no white in the outer tail or rufous in the wing in flight. Found in dry savanna. More likely to be confused with a pipit than other larks, but separated by the pinkish plumage. The song is usually given from the top of a bush, and often repeated: a simple, tinkling series of high notes that accelerates and drops in pitch.
Newton's Fiscal
Lanius newtoni
A long-tailed, upright shrike with black upperparts, a bold white bar on the wing, and yellow-buff underparts. Juvenile is brownish and barred. Very rare; the only resident shrike on São Tomé and the only fiscal that occurs in forest. Singles and pairs forage at middle levels and in the understory of undisturbed lowland and mid-altitude forest, where they are surprisingly secretive. Song is an unusual incessant ringing “teeeew” uttered once a second for about 30–60 seconds; also gives a more typical shrike-like grating “ker-ker-ker.” The similar-looking Common Fiscal does not co-occur.
Boat-billed Tody-Tyrant
Hemitriccus josephinae
Tiny, inconspicuous flycatcher with an oversized bill. Plumage generally olive above and yellow below, with faint breast mottling; most readily identified by its large, long bill with entirely pale mandible. A rare resident of tall rainforest, where it seems to prefer areas with many dense vine tangles. Usually encountered alone, sitting deep inside a vine tangle in the mid-story and making short sallies to foliage for insects. Almost always first detected by voice: a series of two or three short hollow notes, somewhat musical and descending in pitch. Unlikely to be confused if seen well, on account of its large bill. Voice is somewhat similar to that of Pelzeln’s Tody-Tyrant but is deeper and seldom exceeds three notes; the two species occupy entirely different habitats.
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