Week 7: Advanced Mid Elevation
Scroll down to study the birds by sight and sound, and then take the quiz.
Week 7 Birds
Lazuli Bunting, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Virginia’s Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, MacGillivray’s Warbler
Yellow warbler
Bird Code: YEWA
Identify this bird by…
Small, evenly proportioned songbirds
Straight, thin, bill is relatively large
Both males and females flash yellow patches in the tail
Unmarked face that accentuates black eye
Yellow-green back
Tell males and females apart by…
Males: Bright, egg-yolk yellow with reddish streaks on underparts
Females: Yellow overall with unstreaked yellow underparts
Look for…
Behavior - Look for them near the tops of tall shrubs and small trees. They forage restlessly, with quick hops along small branches and twigs to glean
Listen for…
Song: Song has a very sweet tone. It is a series of 6-10 whistled notes that accelerate over the course of the song and often end on a rising note. A mneumonic to help remember the rhythm and sweet tone is “sweet-sweet-I’m-so-sweet!”
Call: a variety of short chip notes, some with a metallic sound and some with a lisping or buzzing quality.
Resources:
lazuli Bunting
Bird Code: LAZB
Identify this bird by…
Small, stocky, and finchlike
Cone shaped bills and a gently sloping forehead
Tail is notched or slightly forked
Tell males and females apart by…
Males: Breeding males are brilliant blue above with a pumpkin colored breast and a white belly. They also have a white should patch. Non-breeding males and juveniles have a pumpkin colored breast, but their backs and heads are mottled blue and tan
Females: Warm grayish brown above, with a blue tinge to wings and tail, two buffy wingbars, and an unstreaked pale tan breast
Look for…
Perch upright and sing from exposed perches
Listen for…
Song: A high series of warbled phrases. Listen for the buzzy quality to the notes at the end of the song, which will help to distinguish it from the Yellow Warbler
Call: Sharp, metallic pik
Resources:
yellow-rumped warbler
Bird Code: YRWA
Identify this bird by…
Fairly large, full-bodied warblers
Large head with a sturdy bill
Long, narrow tail
Both sexes are gray with flashes of white in the wings and yellow on the face, sides, throat, and their distinctive rump
Tell males and females apart by…
Males - Very strikingly shaded
Females -Are duller and may show some brown
Look for…
Behavior - They're active, and you'll often see them sally out to catch insects in midair, sometimes on long flights
Regional differences…
Audubon’s - of the mountainous West
Myrtle - of the eastern U.S. and Canada's boreal forest
Fun fact! These used to be considered separate species, but are now considered subspecies
Listen for…
Song: A soft, loosely spaced trill which mostly stays on an even pitch, but may end with more up and down notes. The song lasts about 1-3 seconds
Call: a sharp chek
Resources:
Virginia’s warbler
Bird Code: VIWA
Identify this bird by…
Small birds with thin, pointy bills
Tail is long and relatively thin compared to other warblers
Males and females look alike (for the most part, see below)
Tell it apart by…
Gray with yellow highlights on the chest and under the rump
Vivid white eyering marks the plain gray face
Males and sometimes females have a small chestnut patch on the crown that is usually hidden
Amount of yellow under the chest varies and can be absent all together, especially in females/juveniles
Look for…
Behavior - They often pump their tails up and down while foraging
Listen for…
Song: A loose, colorless notes on nearly the same pitch. It is similar to the Yellow Warbler, but sounds less emphatic
Call: A high-pitched, flat, tic or chip
Resources:
Wilson’s Warbler
Bird Code: WIWA
Identify this bird by…
One of our smallest warblers! They have long, thin tails and small, thin bills
Both sexes are bright yellow below and yellowish olive above
Black eyes stand out on their yellow cheeks
Tell males and females apart by…
Males - Males have a distinctive black cap
Females - Adult females are similar in color but show variations in the amount of black on the top of the head, from a few blackish feathers to a small dark cap
Juvenile females have an olive crown and a yellow eyebrow
Look for…
They flit restlessly between perches and make direct flights with rapid wingbeats through the understory. Unlike most warblers, they spend most of their time in the understory
Listen for…
Song: A rapid series of notes, usually with a chattering quality, that often speeds up and/or drops in pitch at the end
Call: A chip that sounds similar to someone giving a loud puckering kiss
Resources:
macgillivray’s warbler
Bird Code: MGWA
Identify this bird by…
Compact, small songbird with a full body for a warbler and a thick neck
Bill is straight and thin overall
Tell males and females apart by…
Males - rich golden-olive above, bright yellow below, with a dark gray hood extending down to the chest.
The face has white crescents (arcs) above and below the eye and blackish lores (the area between eye and bill)
Females - Adult females are similar but duller in color
Immature are mostly olive brown above, with whitish eye arcs and a grayish or brownish version of the hood, broken up by a pale throat
Listen for…
Song: The MGWA song is slower than the WIWA, with a vibrant, rolling quality. It often changes in pitch and speed at the end. Written as churry churry churry churry cheery cheery
Call: A distinctive tsik call note
Resources:
Feeling ready? Take the quiz!