- Chestnut-sided Warbler
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Chestnut-sided Warbler 
Adult female in summer plumage Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Parulidae Genus: Dendroica Species: D. pensylvanica Binomial name Dendroica pensylvanica
(Linnaeus, 1766)The Chestnut-sided Warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica) is a New World warbler. They breed in eastern North America and in southern Canada westwards to the Canadian Prairies. They also breed in the Great Lakes region and in the eastern USA.
Contents
Migration Range
These birds are migratory, wintering in Central America south to northern Colombia,[1] with an unconfirmed sighting from as far south as Ecuador; they are also very rare vagrants to western Europe. They arrive in their breeding range in May and depart by mid-September.[2]
Description
Adult male, summer (top)
Young male (center)
Adult, winter (below)In the summer, male Chestnut-sided Warblers are unmistakable in appearance. They display dark-streaked gray backs, white faces, black eyestripes and greenish crowns. Their underparts are white, with chestnut flanks, and they also have two white wing bars. The adult females resemble washed-out versions of the summer male, and in particular, the females lack the strong head pattern, and also have less chestnut coloring on their flanks.
Non-breeding birds of both sexes have greenish heads, and greenish upperparts which are usually unstreaked. They also have unstreaked pale grey breasts. Their wing bars are always present in their plumages. Their lack of streaking helps to distinguish this species from the Blackpoll Warbler outside the breeding season.
Sound
The songs are whistled pleased, pleased, pleased to meecha lines. Their calls are harsh chips.
Breeding and Habitat
The Chestnut-sided Warbler has benefited from the clearing of mature forests. They make use of the abundant second growth habitats.[3] Their cup-shaped nests are placed in a low bush, which is usually located in young deciduous woodland or scrub. These birds lay 3-5 eggs. Their species is frequently parasitized by cowbirds.
Population
This bird's numbers have increased as second growth forest became more common in the east in the late 19th century; their numbers have declined slightly since then.
Food
Chestnut-sided Warblers are insectivorous, but will include berries in their winter diets.[4] They forage actively in shrubs and small trees, and sometimes will attempt to catch insects in mid-air.
Footnotes
- ^ Strewe & Navarro (2004)
- ^ Sage, Louis Bennett; Bishop (1913), Bulletin No. 20, Connecticut geological and natural history survey: The Birds of Connecticut, Hartford, Connecticut: State Geological and Natural History Survey, p. 156, http://books.google.ca/books?id=Sz90v2XX4j4C&pg=PA191&dq=%22Dendroica+pensylvanica%22#v=onepage&q=%22Dendroica%20pensylvanica%22&f=true, retrieved May 22, 2011
- ^ Greenberg, Russell (March 1984), The winter exploitation systems of bay-breasted and chestnut-sided warblers in Panama, Zoology, 116, Berkeley, California: University of California Press, p. 6, ISBN 0-520-09670-3
- ^ E.g. those of Cymbopetalum mayanum (Annonaceae); such trees can be used to attract wintering birds into gardens and parks: Foster (2007)
References
- BirdLife International (2004). Dendroica pensylvanica. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Curson, Jon; Quinn, David & Beadle David (1994): New World Warblers. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 0-7136-3932-6
- Foster, Mercedes S. (2007): The potential of fruiting trees to enhance converted habitats for migrating birds in southern Mexico. Bird Conservation International 17(1): 45-61. doi:10.1017/S0959270906000554 PDF fulltext
- Strewe, Ralf & Navarro, Cristobal (2004): New and noteworthy records of birds from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta region, north-eastern Colombia. Bull. B.O.C. 124(1): 38-51. PDF fulltext
External links
- Chestnut-sided Warbler videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
- Chestnut-sided Warbler - Dendroica Pensylvanica - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Chestnut-sided Warbler Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Chestnut-sided Warbler Information and Photos - South Dakota Birds and Birding
- Chestnut-sided Warbler photo gallery VIREO
- Chestnut-sided Warbler at Animal Diversity Web
Categories:- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Dendroica
- Birds of North America
- Birds of Canada
- Birds of the United States
- Birds of Appalachia (United States)
- Native birds of Southern Mexico
- Birds of Central America
- Birds of the Greater Antilles
- Birds of Venezuela
- Birds of Colombia
- Eastern North American migratory birds
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