Canada Warbler
Encyclopedia
The Canada Warbler is a small 13 cm long songbird
of the New World warbler
family.
These birds have yellow underparts, blue-grey upperparts and pink legs; they also have yellow eye-rings and thin, pointed bills. Adult males have black foreheads and black necklaces. Females and immatures have faint grey necklaces.
They breed generally in dense secondary growth forests, red maple swamps or high elevation alpine forests. These forests may be located across Canada
, east of the Rockies
, and in the eastern United States
. The nests which these birds build are shaped like open cups and are placed on the ground in a damp, heavily wooded location, generally characterized by a sphagnum hummock, tree stumps or other woody debris.
These birds migrate
to northern South America
, and are very rare vagrants to Western Europe
.
They forage actively in vegetation or on the ground, and they often catch insects in flight. These birds mainly eat insects. They forage in flocks in their winter habitat.
The song of this bird is loud and highly variable, resembling chip chewy sweet dichetty. Their calls are low chups.
Canada Warblers' numbers have declined due to loss of suitable habitat and has recently been assessed as "Threatened" by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
Canada Warblers have been seen twice in Europe
. The first record was seen in Iceland
, and the second was of a first-winter female which was found in Kilbaha
, County Clare
, Ireland
in October 2006.
illustrates the Canada Warbler in Birds of America
(published, London 1827-38) as Plate 5 entitled "Bonaparte's Warbler - Muscicapa bonapartii". The single female (now properly identified as a Canada Warbler) is shown perched in a Great Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) branch that was painted by Joseph Mason. The final, combined image was engraved and colored by Robert Havell Junior at the Havell workshops in London. The original painting was purchased by the New York History Society where it remains to this day (January 2009).
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
of the New World warbler
New World warbler
The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds restricted to the New World. They are not related to the Old World warblers or the Australian warblers....
family.
These birds have yellow underparts, blue-grey upperparts and pink legs; they also have yellow eye-rings and thin, pointed bills. Adult males have black foreheads and black necklaces. Females and immatures have faint grey necklaces.
They breed generally in dense secondary growth forests, red maple swamps or high elevation alpine forests. These forests may be located across Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, east of the Rockies
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, and in the eastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The nests which these birds build are shaped like open cups and are placed on the ground in a damp, heavily wooded location, generally characterized by a sphagnum hummock, tree stumps or other woody debris.
These birds migrate
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
to northern South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, and are very rare vagrants to Western Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
They forage actively in vegetation or on the ground, and they often catch insects in flight. These birds mainly eat insects. They forage in flocks in their winter habitat.
The song of this bird is loud and highly variable, resembling chip chewy sweet dichetty. Their calls are low chups.
Canada Warblers' numbers have declined due to loss of suitable habitat and has recently been assessed as "Threatened" by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada ; French: Le Comité sur la situation des espèces en péril au Canada, is an independent committee of wildlife experts and scientists whose "raison d’être is to identify species at risk" in Canada...
Canada Warblers have been seen twice in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The first record was seen in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, and the second was of a first-winter female which was found in Kilbaha
Kilbaha
Kilbaha, County Clare, Ireland, is a small fishing village located on the Loop Head peninsula.-History:According to Parliamentary Gazeteer of Ireland 1845 the village had a population of 460 in 1831, and 531 in 1841.-Location and transport:...
, County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in October 2006.
In art
John James AudubonJohn James Audubon
John James Audubon was a French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He was notable for his expansive studies to document all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats...
illustrates the Canada Warbler in Birds of America
Birds of America (book)
The Birds of America is a book by naturalist and painter John James Audubon, containing illustrations of a wide variety of birds of the United States. It was first published as a series of sections between 1827 and 1838, in Edinburgh and London....
(published, London 1827-38) as Plate 5 entitled "Bonaparte's Warbler - Muscicapa bonapartii". The single female (now properly identified as a Canada Warbler) is shown perched in a Great Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) branch that was painted by Joseph Mason. The final, combined image was engraved and colored by Robert Havell Junior at the Havell workshops in London. The original painting was purchased by the New York History Society where it remains to this day (January 2009).
External links
- Canada Warbler videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
- Canada Warbler Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Canada Warbler - Wilsonia canadensis - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Canada Warbler Information - South Dakota Birds and Birding