WarblerWatch

Got wood-warbler questions? If so, I have answers for you. I'm Daniel Edelstein — biologist, birding guide, birding instructor (www.warblerwatch.com and danieledelstein@att.net) — who ponders: Are there any wonders in our world more fascinating than the elegant beauty of wood-warblers? (All photos © Martin Meyers unless otherwise noted.) By the way, my upcoming new adult college birding class is featured at: http://danielsmerrittclasses.blogspot.com/

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Warbler Guy, how did so many kinds of wood-warblers evolve?

Joe (in Kincaid, OR), I'll answer that excellent question more fully soon, but first let me point you to an
excellent related article in a birding blog:

http://dendroica.blogspot.com/2008/07/evolution-of-wood-warblers.html

Posted by Daniel Edelstein, M.S. at 9:53 AM

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: When will you post a new article about ww evolution? I'm interested!

Joey D.; Dec 13, 2010, 4:25:00 PM
Anonymous said...: Thanks for this post! Deangelo; Dec 17, 2010, 3:28:00 PM

"No more quizzes, Warbler Guy?"

Answer: Sorry, I know you're angry, my friend, but: Blogger deleted this feature on the right column (BELOW), so it's a Technical Difficulty Beyond My Control. Epitaph I'm sorry to write: Rest In Peace, pop quizzes....I enjoyed posing them to my blog's readers for 10 years.

www.warblerwatch.com danieledelstein@att.net

Daniel Edelstein, M.S.: Novato, CA, United States; Above, Consulting/Freelance Avian Biologist and Certified Wildlife Biologist Asc. Daniel Edelstein riding an ATV while conducting raptor surveys at a proposed wind energy turbine site in the Wilson Range of Nevada. Feel free to view his resume at warblerwatch.com where you can also review his "Birding Tours" options where he regularly leads year-round birding forays for individuals and groups to view common and rare bird species in the San Francisco Bay area, the Sierra Nevada mountains, the Monterey/Big Sur coast, and the Midwest (primarily, Wisconsin). Contact him at danieledelstein@att.net Conducting field surveys since 1985 for common & special-status bird, mammal, amphibian, & reptile species (in addition to common plant species), Daniel performs diverse consulting roles related to biological, regulatory, and permitting elements. His status as a Certified Wildlife Biologist Associate (warblerwatch.com) includes earning a M.S. in Natural Resources in 1985. His permits: USFWS Endangered Species Recovery Permit for Ridgway's Rail, California Red-legged Frog, and California Tiger Salamander (TE101743-0). His resume is present at warblerwatch.com

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From top to bottom, can you ID the wood-warblers in the 2/18/13 article?

Which North American warbler nests in South, Central, and North America?

Which warbler species eats fish occasionally?

In the "Fab Five Warbler Photo Quiz #6," what is the ID of the warblers from top to bottom?

How many wood-warblers annually occur in the United States?

Pretend for a moment you're a breeding Tennessee or Bay-breasted Warbler. Which annual bloom of insect larvae ensures you're likely to find plenty of food to feed your newborns?

During many years, which warblers tend to be later arriving migrants than other warbler species?

In northern climates in early 2012, which warbler is the most likely to be seen?

From top to bottom, what's the name of each warbler in the 11/5/11 quiz?

Which wood-warbler species is shown in the 9/28/11 article?

Beyond insects, which is another primary food source for warblers (especially in non-breeding, Latin American territory)?

What's the ID of the West Coast newborn in the photo below the 7/17/11 article?

Which is the largest wood-warbler in size?

Which wood-warblers are among the earliest to leave the nest (i.e., dispersal and/or migration)?

In the May 21, 2011 article on the left, can you ID the three warblers from left to right on the top line only?

(Myrtle) Yellow-rumped Warbler are one of the initial wood-warblers to return at northern latitudes in the USA because:

Unlike the majority of USA warblers that are trans-gulf migrants, the following species shuns over-water flight and, instead, uses C. Am. & Mexico to reach USA breeding grounds:

Which wood-warbler is documented to periodically eat fish?

Our largest current warbler is also the most likely ousted one from its family, if a classification proposal passes vote with the Am. Orn. Union

By the first week of March, which returning wood-warbler is the second or third most abundant wood-warbler species in the USA?

Which subspecies' breeding range is larger?: Audubon's Yellow-rumped or Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warbler

Can you identify the correct order (top to bottom) of wood-warblers in the five photos on the left from the 11/10/10 posting?

In how many states does Kirtland's Warbler regularly nest?

With a clutch of six or seven eggs, this wood-warbler lays the largest clutch:

Which are three of the earliest dispersing/migrating wood-warblers?

How many New World wood-warbler species exist?

Can you identify the correct order (top to bottom) of wood-warblers in the five photos on the left from the 3/2/10 posting?

Which wood-warbler is typically the earliest long-traveling migrant back on the East Coast? West Coast?

Which wood-warbler species has gained the most population by percentage in the last 20 years?

FAB FIVE QUIZ: From top to bottom, can you correctly ID the species in order from the following choices?

Approximately how many miles are trans-oceanic migrating Blackpoll (Warbler) traveling if they begin in New England and arrive in northern S. America (For help, see the 9/29/09 article)?

Pretend you're attending an upcoming Christmas Bird Count (CBC) in any of the lower 48 states. Which two wood-warbler species are the most likely ones MOST people would see?

Can you name two wood-warbler species that are breeding endemics to one USA state?

Beyond it now being the most likely viewed wood-warbler from the Upper Midwest to the upper Eastern Seaboard/upper New England area, the Yellow-Rumped Warbler holds the following distinction from most other USA wood-warblers (& other songbirds):

In terms of sheer numbers, which wood-warbler is the most common on our beautiful, amazing, avian-filled planet?

How many wood-warblers in North America look similar year-round because they don’t undergo a prealternate molt?

Given the "Dendroica" genus hosts the greatest number of North American wood-warbler species, which member of this genus is the largest in the continental USA?

Can you name the two hybrid forms that sometimes result when Golden-Winged and Blue-Winged Warbler mate?

On the West Coast, which wood-warbler is one of the earliest dispersing species after nesting?

Among the species listed in the 5/29/09 article (on the left), which one is considered extinct?

Common Yellowthroat was often previously named differently in many field guides as XXXXXX Yellowthroat?

Beyond Michigan's breeding population, where else do researchers believe the Kirtland's Warbler regularly to periodically breeds?

Which common wood-warbler's breeding range is split into an eastern and western subspecies breeding population?

Which sequence of weather conditions typically result in a "fallout" of wood-warblers during the spring on the Gulf Coast?

Yellow-Breasted Chat

If it's not a wood-warbler, then into which taxonomic placement has Yellow-breasted Chat previously been proposed?

Which "New World" wood-warbler species has the most extensive breeding area?

Unlike Blackpoll that undertake a long migration (see 1/8/09 article), which wood-warbler has populations that do NOT migrate?

What behavior displayed by American Redstart is different than most other songbird order members?

Which wood-warbler species spends the winter in large numbers in higher latitudes than any other wood-warbler?

(Audubon's) Yellow-Rumped Warbler

. . . is one of the four subspecies of Audubon's Yellow-Rumped Warbler, while another two are considered "Myrtle's" Yellow-Rumped Warbler. According to Jon Dunn and Kimball Garrett's "Warbler" field guide, subtle variations in the pitch (frequency level) of the call notes help distinguish an Audubon's vs. a Myrtle's subspecies (in addition, of course, to assessing their different field marks).

Is the song or call of the Yellow-Rumped Warbler subspecies (Myrtle and Audubon's) the best way to tell them apart?

Warbler Guy, do you provide us the answers to your quizzes (scroll down the page to see each new one)?

What distinction does the nearby Black-Throated Blue Warbler hold?

Which female wood-warbler species is shown here during the spring?

The "eastern" wood-warbler photographed on 5/26/07 near Dyer, NV is a female Black-Throated Blue Warbler. Among various field marks, a good distinguishing one is the small white spot on the secondary feathers, although this tiny white area is absent on a hatch year individual. (photo credit © Martin Meyers)

Given most songbirds hop on the ground, how many wood-warblers possess as an important field behavior the ability to walk?

Which wood-warbler species are some the most improbable and/or rare to see on the West Coast? (Answer at end of related article on left.)

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)

Next to the Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat is the next most likely non-breeding season wood-warbler to overwinter in extreme, northern latitude states, especially if a micro-habitat or mild winter exists.

True or False: More wood-warbler (Parulidae family) species nest in the USA & Canada than in the tropics?

Hermit Warbler (Dendroica occidentalis)

Like many resident tropical wood-warbler family members, the Hermit Warbler displays little seasonal change in plumage. Interestingly, young and adult birds in low elevation sites leave breeding territories before the start of prebasic molt (after the breeding season) and presumably move to higher elevations to molt.

Kirtland's Warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii)

Like all Dendroica genus members, the Kirtland's Warbler displays a characteristic feeding behavior that is termed "hover and glean" as it searches for insects during the breeding season.

In my opinion, the most challenging autumn/basic plumage wood-warbler to ID is:

Wilson's Warbler (Wilsonia pusilla chryseola)

Among the three subspecies within the Wilson's Warbler species, the subspecies shown here may be found from s. CA to British Columbia. Unlike the two other subspecies, this West Coast subspecies displays an interesting behavior: males may entertain more than one female at high altitudes, thereby ensuring the greater sharing of the species' gene pool in response to uncertain and extreme weather conditions present at high elevations. (Photo credit: Martin Meyers ©)

Daniel's "Wood-Warbler" Upcoming Birding Tour at The Ridges "Festival of Nature"

Canoeing Fun is one of many workshops/activities you can attend at the Festival, AFTER you come on my "wood-warbler" birding outing :-)

American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) (italics)

Is this species of wood-warbler the correct answer to the quiz (below)? Yes, but it's only half the answer. At least two singing female wood-warbler species occur. Note the image here is NOT a (singing) female Am. Redstart. That's because the photo is a first-year male Am. Redstart. That ID is based on the auburn sides/flanks and the equally orange-tinge seen in the tail. (Photo credit: Martin Meyers ©)

Which females among wood-warbler species have been documented to sing?

MacGillivray's Warbler

Among songbird species returning to the Bay Area (CA) for the breeding season, MacGillivray's Warbler is an annual nester that is typically never common (ala the Yellow Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, and Orange-crowned Warbler -- all of which have a presence that is usually more obvious as breeders in the Bay Area. That is to say, McGillivray's is indeed present as a breeder, but only locally common in suitable habitat, such as within Mitchell Canyon in the Clayton/Walnut Creek-based Mt. Diablo State Park.) (Photo credit: Martin Meyers ©)

In the upper Midwest, what's typically the largest important factor that helps determine when arriving night-traveling migrants will initially appear on the landscape?

Townsend's Warbler

A winter resident in northern California (where I live), Townsend's Warbler (Dendroica townsendi) populations leave to breed elsewhere, including northern latitudes as far away as Alaska. Interestingly, before the species leaves our area, you may hear them singing now (April), in suitable habitat, if you're birding where selected trees and/or forested areas occur. Photo: Martin Meyers ©

Kirtland's Warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii)

Unlike some breeding seasons when this species is ONLY documented to be breeding within as many as six Michigan counties, in 2007 and 2008 Kirtland's Warbler was found breeding at sites in Wisconsin by professionals who monitored and, thus, confirmed its presence. (photo credit: Scott D. Walker ©)

Yellow-breasted Chat

Often identified initially by its voice, the YBCH(at) is considered secretive, with much of its preferred habitat depleted throughout its breeding range in the USA (especially in the west and southwest). Long-term downward population trends are evident in Breeding Bird Survey data suggesting this species is uncommon to rare in former parts of its range where it was once common to abundant. (Photo credit: makeupanid ©)

Which is the single wood-warbler species that nests in the USA, but is not in the Parulidae family like all the other 51 other regularly-occurring wood-warbler species existing north of Mexico in North America?

by Daniel Edelstein

danieledelstein@att.net

www.warblerwatch.com

(My Web site, above #, contains free, print-friendly bird information for CA and the USA -- in addition to my annual phenology/"Nature Watch" calendar; my Biologist resume; my Birding Tour details; and my adult birding Classes/Slide Shows.)

Warbler Watch Blog Log By Date

Audubon's Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Dendroica coronata audubonii is one of the four subpecies in the "Audubon's" group within the Yellow-Rumped Warbler species that live in North America. Another two subspecies occur in the Myrtle's Yellow-Rumped Warbler group, so there's six total subspecies within the Yellow-Rumped Warbler species. Photo: Martin Meyers ©

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