Black-throated
Green Warbler
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Common Name:Black-throated Green Warbler
Class:Aves
OrderPasseriformes
Family:Parulidae
Genus:
Setophaga
Species:Setophaga virens
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Photo: Sara Morris |
TAXONOMY
The Black-throated Blue Warbler is a
small bird in the order Passeriformes, the order that
includes the songbirds, and is a part of the family parulidae. This species, like many of the other
songbirds, is sexually dichromatic. This means that the
males and the females do not look the same in the
outward appearances, their plumage coloration varies
greatly between the sexes. In general, these birds weigh
approximately 8.8g and are about 5 inches in body
length. The males and the females are difficult to tell
apart from first glance. They are both bright green
above on the top of the head and running down the back
of the neck. Both sexes have a yellow face with olive
cheeks and streaked black and white wings with streaks
down their sides. To tell the males from the females is
easier when viewing from the front. Adult males have
thicker black streaks down their sides as well as the
expected black throat.
Photo: Sara Morris
HABITAT/DIET
Black-throated Green Warblers can be found in their
breeding grounds in the Northeastern United States and Southern
parts of Canada to Eastern British Columbia. Breeding grounds may
also include Alberta, Quebec Newfoundland, along the Atlantic
seaboard to New Jersey as well as the Appalachian mountains. They
travel south to their wintering ranges, which include places such as
Mexico and Central America to central Panama.
This species prefers to live in relatively
undisturbed woodlands, boreal coniferous forests or mixed deciduous
and coniferous forests and have been found in all deciduous forests.
Often found in areas containing white pines and hemlocks. They live
in forested areas where the food that they need is relatively
abundant. During the breeding season a majority of the diet consists
of insects, especially caterpillars. They will consume berries if
need be, but they prefer insect species and they are very efficient
foragers who can hover to catch prey or pick insects off of the
underside or top of a leaf. This species has been seen drinking from
water collected on needles.
BEHAVIOR
Black-throated Green Warblers can usually be found
hopping along the forest vegetation as well as on the ground. When
they fly they make short, rapid movements and fly directly between
trees, less often do they fly above the trees. They tend to spend a
majority of the day foraging with the remainder of the time spent
singing, resting, or preening.
This species is territorial and during the breeding
season the males will search out territories, in early spring
several days before the females arrive, and often there are male
agonistic interactions for the acquisition of good territory. The
males have elaborate displays of chasing one another and fleeing,
there is much energy expended to do this while in flight. Males will
also sing, mostly at dawn and dusk, to help them maintain their
territories as well as to attract a female. The breeding territories
are where the male and female will spend mostly all of their time
and territory size can vary depending on the habitat. Once males
have attracted a female, by performing courtship displays such as
fluffing out his feathers, the male will try to guard his mate
especially during the nest building stage and the time directly
before egg laying. Other than interacting with their mates,
Black-throated Green Warblers will usually keep a fair distance one
another, especially during the breeding season.
Females are the main nest builders of the species and
are often seen, in the spring, foraging for nesting materials, such
as small twigs, mosses, feathers, and grasses. Females will make a
cup shaped nest out of pieces of vegetation and these nest are
usually situated in low, 1-3m above ground, vegetation in a fork to
support the nest and often near the trunk of a tree, often
coniferous, for added stability. Once the nest is complete females
will begin to lay one egg a day ending with an average clutch size
of 3-4 eggs, speckled and cream with tones of grey in color. Females
then incubate their eggs for approximately 12 days until altricial
chicks hatch and then parents care for them until they fledge
approximately 11 days after hatching.
WHERE TO FIND THEM
The Black-throated Green Warbler can be found along
the trails at the
Tifft Nature Preserve located outside of Downtown
Buffalo. They have recently also been sighted at
Sprague Brook State
Park,
Amherst State Park (formerly Glen Park), and
Forest Lawn
Cemetery.
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Photo: Sara Morris
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