Yellow Throated Warbler

Content for this page researched and created by Jocelyn Rueda

The Yellow-throated Warbler (Steophaga dominica) is small song bird thaat was originally described on thebird-3 island of Hispaniola (which is where the“dominica” part of its name comes from) (Birds of North America). Its name was originally Dendroica dominica but since has been changed to Steophaga dominica. There are three subspecies of S. dominica (Mckay, et al. 932).  Many people have suggested merging all the subspecies to its original continental species (Hess).

Dendrocia species are all very similar even though their morphologies and forging behaviors are different. This species have very unique plumage and songs (Lovette and Bermingham). Yellow-throated Warblers sing a Type A song but on rare occasion have been heard singing a Type B song (Mckay 2008).

There are three continental subspecies which are eastern (D. d. dominica) and western (D. d. albilora) and the third but more restricted (D. d. stoddardi) (Mckay 2007).  The eastern dominica has a longer bill, yellow lore and favors small pockets of loblolly pine for its habitat (Mckay 2007). The albilora has a smaller bill, white lore and favors sycamore bottomland forests (Mckay, The Condor). The third subspecies stoddardi has a slimmer bill than the other dominica. Stoddardi has a yellow lore and they actually favor a smaller habitats and are usually non-migratory (Mckay 2007).

bird-picBoth male and female S. dominica are about the same size. They are 5.1-5.5 inches long with wingspans of 8.3 inches. They weigh .3-.4oz (All About Birds). Male Yellow-throated Warblers have bluish-gray upper body parts with black streaked underparts. They also have white wing bars and white tails. S. dominica has a yellow throat and chest (which is where their name comes from), and they have thin long bills (USGS). Females and younger Yellow-throated warblers a duller colored plumage (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources). The Yellow-throated Warblers have a very specific facial pattern and because of their minimal back streaking are usually easily distinguishable from similar species.

Studying the Yellow-throated Warblers breeding and mating habits has been proven to be difficult because nests are often in high places or over water. Once Yellow-throated warblers  arrive in their breeding areas they begin to sing. This makes them quite easy to notice in their breeding habitats. Males sing a loud song to attract their mates. The song the males sing can be heard from the top of the canopy, sometimes 50 meters away (Widescreen Arkive).

Yellow-throated Warblers breed in the eastern and parts of the central United States. They live in cypress swamps, pine and oak forests and suburban parks. They avoid ash, hickory and maple trees. Some researchers say that these warblers are confined to pine forests (Bond).

During mating season, the pairs seem to be monogamous, having one sexual partner at a time. The pairs arebird-4 together throughout the mating season and leave when the young birds leave the nest. While the young birds are still in the nest both parents feed them. There are usually 4-5 eggs, which are a dull gray color, with spots of purple. Incubation periods are 12 to 13 days, and both male and females incubate the eggs (Audubon). It is rare for a yellow-throated warbler hybridize with another warbler species because warblers are extremely territorial and competitive (Gill). Outside of mating season these warblers  are found alone or mixed into flocks of different species (Widescreen Arkive)

They make their nests in a cup-shaped pocket made with Spanish moss, lined with grasses and weeds. Open nests are made with grasses, weed stems, and lined with plants and feathers (All About Birds). The female is mainly the one responsible for the construction of the nest with some help of the male.

Nests are usually at the highest part of the canopy. They especially breed in bottom land hardwood forests and riparian woodlands with sycamores. The nests are primarily 30 to 60 feet up and sometimes 4 to 120 feet above the ground (Audubon). Males defend their nests and young by singing. After the eggs have hatched the females takes care of her young for 10 days until fledging. Female and males both feed their young while they are still young. The families stay together for at least 2 to 3 weeks ( Mckay).

During the winter, Yellow-throated Warblers are found in palm groves.

Steophaga dominica are insectivorous and eat moths, flies, beetles, and insects with scales (Kaufman). They were given the nickname the Yellow-throated creeper because they creep along branches and leaning trunks (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources). They use their long bills to probe into tree bark and foliage to catch insects and they also fly out to catch insects on the wing. In the winter they search for insects by hanging off branches upside down (Audubon).

Yellow-throated warblers are very compbird-pic-2etitive but sometimes they meet their match especially in the winter when other birds get more territorial. Territorial level depends on the area (Emlen). Most Yellow-throated warblers prefer to be alone unless it’s mating season.They are usually in flocks with a mixture of different type of bird species. Sometimes they are affected by brood parasitism. There are four recorded cases of Yellow-throated Warblers having the eggs of different species of birds in their nests (Traina 161).

Yellow-throated Warblers are one of the earliest of the warblers to migrate. They typcially fly at night during their spring migration. Breeding S. dominica migrates to the eastern and central United States (as far as northern Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania). On occasion these birds have been seen breeding in early February in Maryland (Fricken, et al, 307). Winter migration for Yellow-throated Warblers usually occurs in August and September. Some fly south to the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Bahamas while others stay in the United States around Texas and east towards Florida.

These warblers are not limited in the winter. However, their limiting factors are not well known. When there is a loss in sycamore and pine-oaks trees there is a negative impact on the species (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources). We may even be experiencing a decrease in birds because the effects of global warming changes where birds are willing to migrate (Hitch).

S. dominica spend most of their time in mid to upper canopy. Due to the restoration of areas where deforestation has occurred these birds are expanding their habitat ranges.bird5 Preventing pollution in rivers, swamps, and lakes would bring more prey for these birds. Helping trees grow to their full potential would bring more birds to the area.

 

References:

Amanda, Elizabeth M., Frank R. Thompson III. “Forest bird response to regeneration practices in central hardwood forests.” The Journal of Wildlife Management (1997): 159-171. Web. 2 Oct 2016.

Bond, J. “The resident West Indian warblers of the genus Dendrocia.” Proceeding of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 82 (1930): 329-337. Print.

Emlen, John T. “Territorial aggression in wintering warblers at the Bahama agave blossoms.” The Wilson Bulletin 85.1 (1973): 71-74. Web. 1 Oct 2016.

Fricken, Robert W., Millicent S. Fricken, and Douglass H. Morse. “Competition and character displacement in two sympatric pine-dwelling Warbler (Dendrocia, Parulidae).” Evolution (1968): 307-314.

Gill, Frank B. “Hybirdization in birds.” The Auk 115.2 (1998): 281-283.

Gough, Gregory. “Yellow-throated Warbler.” Yellow-throated Warbler. USGS, n.d. Web. 5 Oct. 2016.

Hess, Paul. “Yellow-throated Warbler Subspecies.” Birding 41 (2009): 26

Hitch, Alan T., and Paul L. Leberg. “Breeding distribution of North American bird species moving north as a result of climate change.” Conservation Biology 21.2 (2007): 534-539.

Latta, Steven C., and Joseph M. Wunderle Jr. “The composition and forging ecology of mixed-species flocks in pine forests of Hispaniola.” Condor (1996): 595-607.

Lovette, I. J., and Bermingham, E. “Explosive speciation in the New World Dendrocia Warbler” Proceeding of the Royal Society of London 266 (1999): 1629-1636. Print.

Kaufaman, Kenn. “Yellow-thorated Warbler.” Guide to North American Birds. National Audubon Society. Web. 7 Oct 2016.

Kendall, William L., Bruce G. Peterjohn, and John R. Sauer. “First time observer effects in the North American breeding bird survey.” The Auk (1996): 823-829.

Mckay, Bailey D. “A Recording of a Type B song of the Yellow-throated Warbler.” The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 120.2 (2008): 401-03. Web, 24 Sept. 2016

Mckay, Bailey D. “Evolutionary history suggests rapid differentiation in the Yellow-throated Warbler Dendrocia dominica.” Journal of Avian Biology 40 (2009): 181-190. Print.

Mckay, Bailey D. “Phenotypic Variation is Clinical in the Yellow-throated Warbler.” The Condor, 569-574 30 June 2008. Web. 23 Sept. 2016

Mckay, Bailey D., Bryant, J M., William K Reynolds., Hayes, and S. Lee David. “Evidence for the Species Status of the Bahama Yellow-throated Warbler (Dendrocia “Dominica Flavescens”).” The Auk 127.4 (2010): 932-939. Print.

Tiersch, T. R., and S. S. Wachtel. “On the Evolution of Genome Size of Birds.” Journal of Heredity 82.5 (1991): 363-368.

Trania, Joseph A. “Evidence of Cowbird Parasitism on Yellow-throated Warbler at Starved Rock State Park, Illinois, USA.” Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science 104.3-4 (2011): 161-162. Print.

“Yellow-throated Warbler (Dendrocia Domincia).” Widescreen Arkive. Web. 7 Oct 2016.

Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga Dominica) Species Guidance.” Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, n.d. Web. 7 Oct 2016.

Images:

(Used via creative commons)

Yellow Throated Warbler 1(Tony Hisgett)

Flickr. Jan 8, 2009. Web. 2 Oct 2016

http://flic.kr/p/5SvesS

(Used via creative commons)

Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophanga dominica) (Dominic Sherony)

Flickr. May 1, 2008. Web. 2 Oct 2016

https://flic.kr/p/5T9X3b

(Used via creative commons)

Yellow-throated Warbler (Matthew Studebaker)

Flicker. April 19, 2012. Web. 2 Oct 2016

https://flic.kr/p/bzTE3f

(Used via creative commons)

“Sycamore” Yellow-throated Warbler (Steophaga dominica albilora)(Paul Hurtado)

Flicker. April 22, 2012. Web. 2 Oct 2016

https://flic.kr/p/bATdEG

(Used via creative commons)

Yellow-throated Warbler (Clyde Barrett)

Flicker. November 6, 2014. Web. 2 Oct 2016