Golden-winged Warbler
Encyclopedia
The Golden-winged Warbler, Vermivora chrysoptera, is a New World warbler
, 11.6 cm long and weighing 8.5 g. It breeds in eastern North America
, southeastern Canada
and the eastern USA. Golden-winged Warbler populations are slowly expanding northwards, but are generally declining across its range, most likely as a result of habitat loss and competition/interbreeding with the very closely related Blue-winged Warbler
, Vermivora cyanoptera.
In both sexes, extensive white on tail is conspicuous from below. Underparts are grayish white, bill is long and slender. Unlike most warblers, juveniles can be reliably sexed (using throat patch color) approximately 15 days after fledging.
, breeding in eastern North America and wintering in southern Central America
and the neighboring regions in Colombia
and Venezuela
; also Ecuador
. This is a very rare vagrant to western Europe
, with a single record of a bird wintering in a supermarket car park in Maidstone
, Kent
in 1989.
Golden-winged Warblers breed in open scrubby areas or wetlands, laying 4-5 eggs in a cup nest on the ground or low in a bush.
These birds feed on insect
s, and spider
s, most often leaf-roller caterpillars. Golden-winged Warblers have strong "opening" musculature for their bill, allowing them to uncover hidden caterpillars.
The song is a trilled bzzzzzzz buzz buzz buzz. The call is a sharp chip.
This species forms two distinctive hybrids with Blue-winged Warbler where their ranges overlap in the Great Lakes and New England
area. The commoner, genetically dominant Brewster's Warbler is gray above and whitish (male) or yellow (female) below. It has a black eyestripe and two white wingbars.
The rarer recessive Lawrence's Warbler has a male plumage which is green and yellow above and yellow below, with white wing bars and the same face pattern as male Golden-winged. The female is gray above and whitish below with two yellow wing bars and the same face pattern as female Golden-winged.
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....
, 11.6 cm long and weighing 8.5 g. It breeds in eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, southeastern 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...
and the eastern USA. Golden-winged Warbler populations are slowly expanding northwards, but are generally declining across its range, most likely as a result of habitat loss and competition/interbreeding with the very closely related Blue-winged Warbler
Blue-winged Warbler
The Blue-winged Warbler, Vermivora cyanoptera, is a fairly common New World warbler, 11.5 cm long and weighing 8.5 g. It breeds in eastern North America in southern Ontario and the eastern USA. Its range is extending northwards, where it is replacing the very closely related...
, Vermivora cyanoptera.
Description
Male has black throat; black ear patch bordered in white; yellow crown and wing patch. Females are similar but duller.In both sexes, extensive white on tail is conspicuous from below. Underparts are grayish white, bill is long and slender. Unlike most warblers, juveniles can be reliably sexed (using throat patch color) approximately 15 days after fledging.
Life history
Golden-winged Warblers are migratoryBird 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...
, breeding in eastern North America and wintering in southern Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and the neighboring regions in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
; also Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
. This is a very rare vagrant 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...
, with a single record of a bird wintering in a supermarket car park in Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
in 1989.
Golden-winged Warblers breed in open scrubby areas or wetlands, laying 4-5 eggs in a cup nest on the ground or low in a bush.
These birds feed on insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, and spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s, most often leaf-roller caterpillars. Golden-winged Warblers have strong "opening" musculature for their bill, allowing them to uncover hidden caterpillars.
The song is a trilled bzzzzzzz buzz buzz buzz. The call is a sharp chip.
This species forms two distinctive hybrids with Blue-winged Warbler where their ranges overlap in the Great Lakes and New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
area. The commoner, genetically dominant Brewster's Warbler is gray above and whitish (male) or yellow (female) below. It has a black eyestripe and two white wingbars.
The rarer recessive Lawrence's Warbler has a male plumage which is green and yellow above and yellow below, with white wing bars and the same face pattern as male Golden-winged. The female is gray above and whitish below with two yellow wing bars and the same face pattern as female Golden-winged.
External links
- Golden-winged Warbler - Vermivora chrysoptera - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Golden-winged Warbler Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Golden-winged Warbler Information - South Dakota Birds and Birding
- Golden-winged Warbler photo gallery VIREO