Like jewels strewn through the woods, our native war-colors. Twenty-se - PDF document

Like jewels strewn through the woods, our native war-colors. Twenty-seven warbler species breed commonly inmigrate through Penn’s Woods for breeding grounds far-trickles off until it ends in late May—by which time thesylvania, it’s somewhat later. In August warblers start mov-and ending in October, although stragglers may still comethrough into November. But by now most species haveThe wood warblers (subfamily Parulinae) are found onlyin the New World. The group includes 110 species, withmore than 50 found regularly in North America. Woodcertainly, most developed in the tropics and extended theirThe name “warbler” is a misnomer, because few speciespossess warbling voices and many have thin, scratchy, un-tory, and a shorter call to attract a mate and to communi-cate with her.Wood warblers breed in May and June, in woods andbrushland, in areas that may be dry, moist or wet. Theynectar. When several species inhabit the same area, theirfeeding strategies are usually different enough that they don’tcompete directly with one another. Nesting habits varywidely. The prothonotary warbler (), a rarenia, builds its nest in a tree cavity, often an old downy wood-Vermivora ruficapillais one of several species that nest on the ground. Somewarblers nest exclusively in conifers; others use hardwoodare whitish with dark spots. Typically the female does mostWe know less about warblers’ habitat requirements andspecies. Wood warblers tend to shun lowland rain forests,species (the yellow-rumped warbler, one) stay in North America all winter.Warblers are small birds with limited fat reserves, andYucatan Peninsula across the Gulf of Mexico to Louisiana,ocean and drown. Tremendous numbers of warblers and Yellow WarblerWildlife Note—47 and owls. Warblers have been documented to live for moreSome wood warbler populations are holding their own.When northern woodlands are broken into smaller patchesfragmented woods, native birds and mammals, includingthey are raised by the host adults, whose own smaller,slower-to-develop young usually don’t survive.Following is a closer look at eight common wood war-Yellow Warbler)—This showyall-yellow bird has a rufous-streaked breast. The male’s songof all wood warblers, the species breeds statewide in Penn-woods edges, orchards, parks and gardens; they’re oftenCaterpillars may make up two-thirds of the diet. Yellowdown or fur. Yellow warblers are often parasitized by cow-Yellow warblers arrive in Pennsylvania in April and MayChestnut-Sided Warbler)—Into the yellow warbler’s and has been rendered as numbers after Pennsylvania’s virgin forests were logged.and then to intercept prey in midair. The nest is built inlow, dense shrubs or blackberry tangles, and is woven out ofBlack-Throated Blue Warbler)—One of the handsomest birds in the forest,cally nests in deep woods, often in cove forests well stockedspider webs. Males sing a buzzy, drawn-out zur, zur, zreeThe nest is a bulky cup hidden in a rhododendron, laurel,or shrubby conifer. The species nests commonly in theWarbler Redstart Black-and-White Warbler)—This abun-dant bird acts more like a nuthatch or a creeper than a war-bler, foraging methodically in tree bark, circling trunks andobserved before the leaves push out. They often feed low intrees and usually nest on the ground in deciduous woods.rock. Cowbirds often heavily parasitize black-and-white war-states, the West Indies, and from Mexico south into South)—Males are anmouth to help it catch flying prey. The song is a series of notes. American redstarts in-habit sapling woods, river groves, forest edges and treelinedcreek banks. A Wisconsin study found the species to be threewoodlots comprising less than 14 acres. In Pennsylvania theair. Some males breed with more than one female in their)—This bird gets its namebird looks like a little thrush, olive-brown above and with amature deciduous woods, but they also inhabit other forestwooded tracts. Ovenbirds feed on the ground, taking beetles,Teacher! Teacher! Teacher!The species nests statewide, although it’s absent from heavilyovenbird nests that he monitored one summer, but researchOvenbirds arrive here in April and May, depart in Sep-tember and October, and winter in Mexico, CentralLouisiana Waterthrush)—In April,and flitting out over the water to catch prey. A Louisianawaterthrush looks like a thrush and acts like a sandpiper,legs, stabilized by large, long-toed feet. Waterthrushes eatmoist hillsides, always in woods. Pairs build their nest in a Common YellowthroatLouisiana Waterthrush Common YellowthroatWitchity,witchity, witchity sings this bird with the gray back, blackmask, yellow throat and whitish belly. (Females lack the black Nests are built on or near the ground, hidden in tus-socks, weed stalks and shrubs; they’re bulky, made of dryleaves and coarse grasses lined with finer plant matter. Yel-Illegal draining and filling of wetlands—even very smallones—harms yellowthroats and many other forms of wild-life. Yet the population of this spunky, active bird has in-Ovenbird tucky, mourning, hooded and Canada, and the northernblackpoll, prothonotary and Swainson’s warblers. Sevenother warblers migrate through Pennsylvania: Tennessee,orange-crowned, Cape May, bay-breasted, palm, Connecti-cut and Wilson’s. Wildlife Notes are available from theHarrisburg, PA 17110-9797www.pgc.state.pa.us