Mourning Warbler
Geothlypis philadelphia
Robust warbler found near the ground in thick vegetation. Yellow below with blue-gray head and olive back. Adult males show black chest patch. Females are paler gray on the head; immatures are more olive-toned with a yellowish throat. Breeds in brushy, weedy clearings within mixed or coniferous forest. Often favors raspberry thickets. Tends to stay hidden in low vegetation, so can be difficult to see. Listen for its rolling song, “churry churry churry chew.” Most similar to MacGillivray’s Warbler, but little range overlap, and Mourning has somewhat shorter tail and lacks bold white eye-arcs. Also frequently confused with Common Yellowthroat, especially in fall, but Mourning is larger, with heftier pinkish bill, and brighter yellow underparts.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Geothlypis philadelphia
- Authority
- (Wilson, A, 1810)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Parulidae
- Genus
- Geothlypis
Range and habitat
Mourning warblers have breeding ground in southern Canada, and are commonly seen during migration in the central and eastern United States, Belieze, Bonaire, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Panama, and other Central American Islands. These birds migrate to Central America and northern South America. Mourning warblers are low or ground nesters, and prefer disturbed forests with a thick under-story and covered canopy. In the winter they prefer wet lowland habitat with dense vegetation.
- Breeding range
- NA : c Canada to se Canada and ne USA
- Non-breeding range
- Nicaragua to n SA
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Mourning warblers forage low in vegetation, sometimes catching insects in flight. These birds mainly eat insects, also some plant material including fruiting bodies from the Cecropia tree in winter. Their diet is not well documented but also includes insect larvae and spiders that they pick from the branches of shrubs. They are also known to remove the legs and wings of the insects before consuming.<p>Mourning warblers breed in southern Canada. Their breeding habitat is thickets and semi-open areas with dense shrubs across Canada east of the Rockies and the northeastern United States. The nest is an open cup placed on the ground in a well-concealed location under thick shrubs or other vegetation. Their nest is usually made out of grass, leaves and bark and lined with roots or other thin material.<p>Mourning warblers typically lay 2-5 eggs, which are white or speckled brown and black in appearance. Incubation is 12 days long and both adult males and females utilize a distraction technique of pretending to have broken wings to distract predators from their nest. Mourning warblers have young with gray tufts on their head and red mouths. Adult females are also known consume their eggs after their young hatch. The number of days for young to fledge is 7–9.<p>The song of this bird is a bright repetitive warble. The warble consists of rolling phrases that sound that typically lower in volume at the end and can sound like "chirry, chirry, chirry, chorry, chorry." The call is a sharp chip. There are usually two different pitched calls, with one higher than the harsh chip.
Conservation
According to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, Mourning Warbler populations have declined by about 43% in the last 50 years. However, they are still categorized as a species of least concern with 17 million estimated as a global breeding population by Partners in Flight. As they have a preference for disturbed forests, they may be benefitting from human development that may be negatively effecting the habitats of other bird species.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Somali Crow
Corvus edithae
An entirely black crow with a fairly thick, raven-like bill. Found in a variety of dry country habitats, including savanna, thornscrub, desert, towns, and cultivated areas. Often in small flocks. Similar to Fan-tailed Raven, but has a different shape, especially in flight, with a much longer tail. Very similar to Brown-necked Raven, but smaller, and there is little overlap in range. Typical birds look very different from Pied Crow, but these two species sometimes hybridize, producing birds with white blotching on the back and underparts. The calls are typical rough cawing notes.
Red-and-black Grosbeak
Periporphyrus erythromelas
Medium-sized shy bird of tall forest. Both sexes easily recognizable by thick conical bill and contrasting black head; male’s red plumage renders it essentially unmistakable. Female similarly patterned, but with red replaced by yellow and olive. Found in middle and lower levels of rainforest, especially in hilly regions and premontane forests around the tepuis; locally distributed and nowhere common. Sometimes follows mixed-species flocks. Gives thin, lisping contact calls that are easily overlooked. Male’s song is a slow, rich, inflected warble, usually ending on a higher note; distinctive once learned.
Kori Bustard
Ardeotis kori
A massive, long-legged, terrestrial bustard with a black-and-white checkered pattern on the wing bend. It is conspicuous and encountered regularly in semi-arid shrubland, grassland, and savanna. Singles and pairs march slowly and purposefully, feeding on plant matter, large insects, and small vertebrates. Flies low, flapping with slow shallow wing beats. The males display in loose leks by puffing out their throat plumes and cocking their tails. Similar Arabian Bustard is smaller than Kori Bustard and has white and black checkered pattern at wing bend.
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