“But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10 NKJV)
Now for the last half of the New World Warbler Family. See the first half at Sunday Inspiration – New World Warblers I. The Parulidae family has 119 members presently. The Setophage genus is numerous with 37 species which are seen by many of here in the United States. Many of these had their genus changed from Dendroica to Setophage and some may still refer to them with the older genus name. Sibleyguides has a nice chart showing how they rearranged the taxonomy.
Flavescent Warbler (Myiothlypis flaveolus) by Dario Sanches
The next genus is the Myiothlopis group. The 14 here are best represented in Central and South America. This is one of only two warbler genera that are well represented in the latter continent. All of these species were formerly placed in the genus Basileuterus.
Collared Whitestart (Myioborus torquatus) by Reinier Munguia
The Basileuterus genus still has nine species. Again, they are mainly in the Central and South America areas. These are mainly robust warblers with a stout bill. The majority of species have olive or grey upperparts and yellow underparts. The head is often strikingly marked with a long broad supercilium, a coloured crown or crown stripes, and often other striking head markings.
Many species are not well-studied, but those for which the breeding habits are known all build a domed nest on a bank or on the ground, so this is presumably typical of the genus as a whole.
The Cardellina and the Myioborus (Whitestarts) round out the rest of the family. They have 5 and 12 species respectively. The 12 whitestarts are New World warblers in the genus Myioborus. The English name refers to the white outer tail feathers which are a prominent feature of the members of this genus (“start” is an archaic word for “tail”). They are from mainly northern South America and are spreading north to Central America and the USA. The five Cardellina are from South America. (Info from Wikipedia)
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A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold In settings of silver. (Proverbs 25:11 NKJV)
Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation. Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations. For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods. (1 Chronicles 16:23-25 KJV)
This week we will start checking out the New World Warbler family, the Parulidae. At present there are 119 species listed and we will divide them up into two weeks.
The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds which make up the family Parulidae and are restricted to the New World. They are closely related to neither the Old World warblers nor the Australian warblers. Most are arboreal, but some, like the Ovenbird and the two waterthrushes, are more terrestrial. Most members of this family are insectivores.
Tennessee Warbler (Leiothlypis peregrina) by Raymond Barlow
All the warblers are fairly small. The smallest species is the Lucy’s Warbler (Oreothlypis luciae), at about 6.5 grams and 10.6 cm (4.2 in). The largest species depends upon the true taxonomy of the family. Traditionally, it was listed as Yellow-breasted Chat, at 18.2 cm (7.2 in). Since this may not be parulid, the Parkesia waterthrushes, the Ovenbird, the Russet-crowned Warbler and Semper’s Warbler, all of which can exceed 15 cm (6 in) and 21 grams, could be considered the largest.
We will view the Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) down through the Setophaga genus. That is about 60 species and then cover the last of the family next week.
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Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. (1 Chronicles 16:9 KJV)
“How Can I Keep From Singing?” ~ Pastor Jerry Smith, Reagan, Caleb and Jessie
(I know this song has been used before, but these birds are so beautiful and love to sing, and it makes my heart want to sing with Praise to Our Creator Savior)
Prothonotary Yellow Warblers Birds by Illustrated by Color Photography, 1897
Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited
Vol 1. May, 1897 No. 5
*
PROTHONOTARY YELLOW WARBLERS.
Quite a long name for such small birds—don’t you think so? You will have to get your teacher to repeat it several times, I fear, before you learn it.
These little yellow warblers are just as happy as the pair of wrens I showed you in April “Birds.” In fact, I suspect they are even happier, for their nest has been made and the eggs laid. What do you think of their house? Sometimes they find an old hole in a stump, one that a woodpecker has left, perhaps, and there build a nest. This year they have found a very pretty place to begin their housekeeping. What kind of tree is it? I thought I would show only the part of the tree that makes their home. I just believe some boy or girl who loves birds made those holes for them. Don’t you think so? They have an upstairs and a down stairs, it seems.
Like the Wrens I wrote about last month, they prefer to live in swampy land and along rivers. They nearly always find a hole in a decayed willow tree for their nest—low down. This isn’t a willow tree, though.
Whenever I show you a pair of birds, always pick out the father and the mother bird. You will usually find that one has more color than the other. Which one is it? Maybe you know why this is. If you don’t I am sure your teacher can tell you. Don’t you remember in the Bobolink family how differently Mr. and Mrs. Bobolink were dressed?
I think most of you will agree with me when I say this is one of the prettiest pictures you ever saw.
HE Golden Swamp Warbler is one of the very handsomest of American birds, being noted for the pureness and mellowness of its plumage. Baird notes that the habits of this beautiful and interesting warbler were formerly little known, its geographical distribution being somewhat irregular and over a narrow range. It is found in the West Indies and Central America as a migrant, and in the southern region of the United States. Further west the range widens, and it appears as far north as Kansas, Central Illinois, and Missouri.
Its favorite resorts are creeks and lagoons overshadowed by large trees, as well as the borders of sheets of water and the interiors of forests. It returns early in March to the Southern states, but to Kentucky not before the last of April, leaving in October. A single brood only is raised in a season.
A very pretty nest is sometimes built within a Woodpecker’s hole in a stump of a tree, not more than three feet high. Where this occurs the nest is not shaped round, but is made to conform to the irregular cavity of the stump. This cavity is deepest at one end, and the nest is closely packed with dried leaves, broken bits of grasses, stems, mosses, decayed wood, and other material, the upper part interwoven with fine roots, varying in size, but all strong, wiry, and slender, and lined with hair.
Other nests have been discovered which were circular in shape. In one instance the nest was built in a brace hole in a mill, where the birds could be watched closely as they carried in the materials. They were not alarmed by the presence of the observer but seemed quite tame.
So far from being noisy and vociferous, Mr. Ridgway describes it as one of the most silent of all the warblers, while Mr. W. Brewster maintains that in restlessness few birds equal this species. Not a nook or corner of his domain but is repeatedly visited during the day. “Now he sings a few times from the top of some tall willow that leans out over the stream, sitting motionless among the marsh foliage, fully aware, perhaps, of the protection afforded by his harmonizing tints. The next moment he descends to the cool shadows beneath, where dark, coffee-colored waters, the overflow of a pond or river, stretch back among the trees. Here he loves to hop about the floating drift-wood, wet by the lapping of pulsating wavelets, now following up some long, inclining, half submerged log, peeping into every crevice and occasionally dragging forth from its concealment a spider or small beetle, turning alternately its bright yellow breast and olive back towards the light; now jetting his beautiful tail, or quivering his wings tremulously, he darts off into some thicket in response to a call from his mate; or, flying to a neighboring tree trunk, clings for a moment against the mossy hole to pipe his little strain, or look up the exact whereabouts of some suspected insect prize.”
By them the birds of the heavens have their home; They sing among the branches. (Psalms 104:12 NKJV)
Another one of the Lord’s neat little birds, the Prothonotary Warbler is a member of the Parulidae Family. The Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) is a small songbird of the New World warbler family. It is the only member of the genus Protonotaria. This bird was named after officials in the Roman Catholic Church known as the “protonotarii”, who wore golden robes. It was once known as the Golden Swamp Warbler.
The Prothonotary Warbler is 5.1 in/13 cm long and weighs 0.44 oz/12.5 g. It has an olive back with blue-grey wings and tail, yellow underparts, a relatively long pointed bill and black legs. The adult male has a bright orange-yellow head; females and immature birds are duller and have a yellow head. In flight from below, the short, wide tail has a distinctive two-toned pattern that is white at the base and dark at the tip.
The preferred foraging habitat is dense, woody streams, where the Prothonotary Warbler forages actively in low foliage, mainly for Insects and snails. There are only two Warblers that make nest in tree cavities, this one and the Lucy’s Warbler. They like to use abandoned Woodpecker holes in or near water. They usually lay 3-7 eggs and only one clutch per year.
The song of this bird is a simple, loud, ringing sweet-sweet-sweet-sweet-sweet. The call is a loud, dry chip, like that of a Hooded Warbler. Its flight call is a loud seeep.
The above article is the first article in the monthly serial that was started in January 1897 “designed to promote Knowledge of Bird-Live.” These include Color Photography, as they call them, today they are drawings. There are at least three Volumes that have been digitized by Project Gutenberg.
Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. (Genesis 2:19 NKJV)
When I wrote the article about our trip to S. Lake Howard Nature Park this week, I was not exactly sure which of the Old Yellow-rumped Warblers I had seen. Since the 2.4 Version of the I.O.C. (International Ornithologist Congress) list, they split the “Butterbutt” into four species. Hadn’t looked into it too much, but now is the time to try to figure out which one is which.
The four birds are the:
Myrtle Warbler (Dendroica coronata) – Eastern U.S. Mostly
Audubon’s Warbler (Dendroica auduboni) – Western U.S. Mostly
Black-fronted Warbler (Dendroica nigrifrons)
Goldman’s Warbler (Dendroica goldmani)
After doing quite a bit of research, I was wrong about the Audubon Warbler. Not only do I not live in the west, but after studying lots of photos, it is the Myrtle Warbler not the Audubon’s Warbler, as I first thought, that we saw.
Here are some of the traits of the Myrtle Warbler (from USGS about the Myrtle and Audubon’s Warblers):
Ian’s Bird of the Week – Wilson’s Warbler ~ by Ian Montgomery
Newsletter – 09-21-10
Here is the attractive Wlson’s Warbler one of the New World Wood-Warblers (family Parulidae) that is quite common in Canada and the western United States. We encountered this one at Point Reyes, an pleasant coastal area and good birding spot just north of San Francisco. With a length of only 12cm/4.75in, the specific name pusilla (small) given to it by Alexander Wilson in 1811 is appropriate.
The Wood-Warblers, so named to distinguish them from the unrelated Old World Warblers, are justifiably popular with American birders, particular during the spring and fall migrations. They come in a wide variety of shapes and colours, with over 50 species (out of a family total of near 120) occurring in North America. Most species spend the winter in Central and South America, a few in the warmer southern states such as California and Florida and during the migration, many birders are on the lookout for Warblers occurring outside their breeding range.
Wilson's Warbler (Wilsonia pusilla) by Ian
Alexander Wilson moved from Scotland to Pennsylvania in 1794 at the age of 28, became interested in ornithology in 1801 and decided in 1802 to publish a book illustrating all the North America birds. This appeared as the nine volume American Ornithology between 1808 and 1814, though Wilson died in 1813 and the ninth volume was completed by his friend George Ord. He met John James Audubon in 1810 and probably inspired him to publish his own book of illustrations, even though Audubon’s reaction to Wilson is described as ‘decidedly ambiguous’. (He declined to subscribe to American Ornithology, felt his own illustrations were much better and, in 1820, decided to publish the ‘greatest bird book ever’.) Seven species of birds are name after Wilson, including two on the Australian list, Wilson’s Phalarope and Wilson’s Storm-Petrel.
I have had a report of a list member having trouble accessing the Birdway website. If you have encountered any such difficulties recently, I’d like to hear from you. Recent additions to the website include:
Best wishes,
Ian
—
Ian Montgomery, Birdway Pty Ltd,
454 Forestry Road, Bluewater, Qld 4818
Phone: +61-7 4751 3115
Preferred Email: ian@birdway.com.au
Website: http://birdway.com.au
Lee’s Addition:
Another winner for Ian. What a pretty little warbler. I like that black cap it is wearing. As he said, they are in the Parulidae Family. You can see his photos of the Parulidaes and then check out the whole family here at the Parulidae Family. There are 120 members in the family at this time.
By them the birds of the heavens have their home; They sing among the branches. (Psalms 104:12 NKJV)
Named for the male’s unique blue color, the cerulean warbler is a small, migratory bird that weighs about 0.3 oz. During migration, cerulean warblers pass through the southern United States, flying across the Gulf of Mexico to the highlands of Central America and on to South America….
They winter in broad-leaved evergreen forests within a narrow band of middle elevations (1,600 to 6,000 ft.) in the Andes Mountains of northern South America from Columbia to Peru and Venezuela….
Recent findings show that the birds begin their spring migration to the breeding grounds by flying approximately 1,000 miles over the Caribbean Sea to reach Nicaragua and Belize.
Are you feeling small and insecure?
Just remember, these birds are so small, yet GOD has given them the energy to cross not only over the Caribbean sea but also such long distance…
GOD loves to use small things to do great works…
Like David to bring down goliath, a girl to bring healing to an army commander and a small boy to feed the multitudes…
The little one shall become a thousand, and the small one a strong nation; I, Jehovah, will hasten it in its time. (Isaiah 60:22)
Cerulean warblers nest and raise their young in large tracts of deciduous hardwood forest that have tall, large-diameter trees and diverse vertical structure in the forest canopy from early spring to late summer. .
Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea) female by Steve Slayton
They prefer uplands, wet bottomlands, moist slopes, and mountains from less than
100 feet to more than 3,500 feet in elevation.
The Cerulean Warbler is a flagship species for conservation due to its attractiveness, high conservation concern and life history. The Cerulean Warbler often inhabits areas that are of global importance for conservation, yet are highly threatened. Therefore, conserving the Cerulean Warbler is not only about a shared migratory species, but also the lives of local peoples who will determine its future.
GOD has trust in us and that’s why HE has chosen us to be the flagship species for the conservation and extension of HIS kingdom…
HE is faithful to finish the good work that HE had started in us, but, are we faithful?
A faithful man shall abound with blessings; …… (Proverbs 28:20)
The female has her own fascinating behavior: with wings tucked, the bird purposefully tumbles off the side of her lofty nest. Although not quite in a freefall, just before she hits the ground—like a bungee jumper on a cord—she stops short. Instead of shooting back skyward, however, her open wings whisk her along the forest floor in search of insects, including bees, caterpillars and wasps.
The copyright holder of the chorus of cheerful trills coming from high in the forest canopy is that of the male, as he only sings. The males are also persistent singers who sing at intervals of one and a half minute to two minutes for nearly and hour each morning. Most of the singing is done in the morning and some good songs can be heard in the afternoon also..
The 0.3 oz Cerulean Warbler sings for one hour each morning. If the same bird is of the size of a human, it would be singing all day long…
I think GOD also expects us to sing all day long and that is the reason HE created us..
Anyway, we have to keep singing day and night non-stop in heaven….
If we don’t sing here on earth, is it possible for us to sing for HIM in heaven?
the people which I formed for myself, that they might set forth my praise. (Isaiah 43:21)
Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus 
