Among Friends

[Bird mama]

Happy New Year and welcome old friends and new visitors to the Bird's Nest for January.  

It snowed yesterday afternoon and evening and I was outside shoveling at 5:30 this morning.  I use a snow joe polycarbonate shovel and it doesn't have a metal edge that makes lots of noise when I clear the sidewalks and driveway. 

It was a nice and peaceful way to start my morning. 

[just bee]

Where can I get one of these?

[just bee]

[just bee]

[meallen616]

[Bird mama]

The Bird of the Day is the Golden Winged Warbler.

Current conservation status is Near Threatened and the population trend is decreasing (2018). 

The following information is provided on Wikipedia:  The Appalachian population has declined 98% since the 1960s and is significantly imperiled.  The US Fish and Wildlife Service has been petitioned to list the species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and is currently reviewing all information after issuing a positive finding.  Upon review, the US Fish and Wildlife Service found that the petition to list the species to as endangered or threatened presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing the Golden Winged Warbler may be warranted.

I was so encouraged to read that the US Fish and Wildlife Service was involved that I went to their website to find out how things were going for the little warbler.

"We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list the golden-winged warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). Based on our review, we find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing the golden-winged warbler may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this notice, we are initiating a review of the status of the species to determine if listing the golden- winged warbler is warranted. To ensure that this status review is comprehensive, we are requesting scientific and commercial data and other information regarding this species. Based on the status review, we will issue a 12-month finding on the petition, which will address whether the petitioned action is warranted, as provided in the Act.  Published June 2, 2011.  There have been no updates.

The Golden Winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) is a small migratory insectivorous bird in the New World Warbler family Parulidae.  It breeds in southeastern and south-central Canada and in the Appalachian Mountains in the northeastern to north-central United States.  The majority (~70%) of the global population breeds in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Manitoba. Golden Winged Warbler populations are slowly expanding northwards but are generally declining across its range. This is most likely as a result of habitat loss.  Populations are now restricted to two regions: the Great Lakes and the Appalachian Mountains.

The Golden Winged Warbler is a small songbird, typically measuring 4.6 inches long, weighing 0.28–0.35 oz.  The male has a black throat and a black mask bordered in white. Females resemble males but have a light gray throat and mask. Both sexes display a yellow crown, a yellow patch on the wing, and extensive white on the tail, which is conspicuous from below. The grayish white underparts contrast the darker gray back, and the bill is long and slender. Juvenile individuals appear similar to females, regardless of sex.

Golden Winged Warblers are migratory.  There are two populations, one which breeds in the Appalachian and Northeast, and another that breeds around the Great Lakes. Birds from the Appalachian population tend to migrate to South America to winter, while birds from the Great Lakes population tend to migrate to Central America and Mexico.  A study has found that the difference in wintering location is linked to a genetic difference in the Z chromosome.  They are also encountered rarely as vagrants outside of their native range.  Golden Winged Warblers are neotropical-nearctic migrants, and their habitat selectivity varies seasonally. Those wintering in Costa Rica select premontane evergreen forest rather than tropical dry forest plant communities. Golden Winged Warblers forage in hanging dead leaves, which are often a result of intermediate disturbances to the forest plant community.

During the breeding season, they nest in shrubland and regenerating forest communities created and maintained by disturbance. This dependency on early-successional plant communities is part of the reason golden-winged warbler populations are declining.  Five

geotracked golden-winged warblers in Tennessee were observed migrating hundreds of miles south, presumably avoiding tornadic storms, in April 2014. Individuals left prior to the arrival of the storm, perhaps after detecting it using infrasound.

They breed in open scrubby areas and wetlands, as well as mature forest adjacent to those habitats. They lay 3–6 eggs (often 5) in a concealed cup nest on the ground or low in a bush. Incubation of eggs, from laying to hatch, lasts 11–12 days.  Nestlings are fed almost entirely on caterpillars delivered by their parents.  Adult diets are less thoroughly described, but it is assumed they subsist heavily on caterpillars, and occasionally spiders.  They have strong gaping (opening) musculature around their bill, allowing them to uncover hidden caterpillars.

Male Golden Winged Warblers use their brilliant yellow crowns, black throats, and white tail feather patches to signal habitat quality. Birds with showier ornaments protect higher quality territories and are typically less aggressive than their less brilliantly-colored conspecifics. However, ornamentation has not been shown to be linked with overall reproductive success. This is likely because Golden Winged Warblers less ornamentation likely compensate with increased aggression.

Male

Female

Nest 

[Bird mama]

@just bee   I know.  I see so many precious birds and think, wow if you lived with me you would outlive your life expectancy.  

[Bird mama]

Happy New Year @meallen616 

[geezerette]

[geezerette]

This is really neat!