Prairie Warbler
Setophaga discolor
Small warbler, yellow overall with black streaks on sides and unique face pattern. Upperparts are duller olive. Reddish streaks on back are distinctive, but can be difficult to see or absent on immatures. Long tail is often pumped up and down, but not as consistently as Palm Warbler. Forages for insects in a range of shrubby habitats, from cedar-studded fields to regenerating woods to mangroves in Florida. Winters in Florida and the Caribbean.
Identification
These birds have yellow underparts with dark streaks on the flanks, and olive overparts with rusty streaks on the back; they have a yellow line above the eye, a dark line through it, and a yellow spot below it. These birds have black legs, long tails, two pale wing bars, and thin pointed bills. Coloring is duller in female and immatures.<p>Prairie warblers have two categories of songs, referred to as Type A and Type B. Type A songs are typically a series of ascending buzzy notes. The B songs are an ascending series of whistled notes that often contain some buzzy notes. Compared to A songs, the B songs are lower in pitch, have fewer, longer notes. The total song length is longer as well in Type B songs. The use of these two song categories is associated with certain contexts. A songs are sung throughout the day when males first arrive on their breeding grounds. Once males are paired they begin to sing B songs during the dawn chorus and then will intersperse A songs in their singing during the rest of the day. During this later period of singing A songs are typically used near females, near the nest, and in the center of their territories. In contrast B songs are used when interacting or fighting with other males and near the borders of their territories.<p>Part of their call note repertoire is a tsip call. During dawn, chorus B songs are interspersed with rapid loud "check" calls.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Setophaga discolor
- Authority
- (Vieillot, 1809)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Parulidae
- Genus
- Setophaga
Range and habitat
These birds are permanent residents in the southern parts of their range. Other birds migrate to north-eastern Mexico and islands in the Caribbean.
- Breeding range
- NA : e, se USA
- Non-breeding range
- West Indies
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Their breeding habitats are brushy areas and forest edges in eastern North America. The prairie warbler's nests are open cups, which are usually placed in a low area of a tree or shrub. Incubation period is 12 to 13 days.<p>Prairie warblers forage actively on tree branches, and sometimes fly around with the purpose of catching insects, which are the main food source of these birds.<p>These birds wag their tails frequently.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Stripe-throated Wren
Cantorchilus leucopogon
Fairly small dark wren. Look for black-and-white stripes on throat and cheek, warm brown underparts, and barred wings. Sexes similar. Found in humid forest from eastern Panama to northwest Ecuador. Singles or pairs are found in the lower to middle levels, sometimes accompanying a mixed-species flock. Listen for song consisting of high pure whistles.
LeConte's Sparrow
Ammospiza leconteii
This strikingly beautiful sparrow is found in wet meadows with tall grass. Look for the bright orange-buff face with a silvery cheek, spotted purplish-gray nape, and crisp black streaking on buffy underparts. Secretive; difficult to see well unless a male is perched up singing. Most similar to Nelson's Sparrow but typically found in slightly drier habitats; also note white stripe down center of crown on LeConte's. Sings a dry, hissing trill with sharp introductory notes.
Blue-billed Curassow
Crax alberti
Impressively large bird restricted to lowland rainforest in northern Colombia. It is critically endangered due to deforestation and hunting pressure. Male is black with a white belly and tail tip, shaggy crest, and blue bulges at the base of the bill. Female has a chestnut belly, a variable amount of white barring on body and crest, and a hint of blue at the base of the bill. Younger birds have less blue in the bill. Mostly terrestrial, but may ascend to low branches to sing or when threatened. It is only likely to be encountered in protected areas such as El Paujil Bird Reserve and Tayrona National Park.
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