Birds of the Pfeiffer Nature Center
Blackburnian Warbler Dendroica fusca
Blackburnian
Warbler Dendroica
fusca
(den-DROY-kah
FUSS-kah)
The
genus name Dendroica is a Latin name derived from the combination of the Greek
words dendron meaning ětreeî and oikein
meaning ěto dwell,î thus ětree dweller.î
The Latin species name, fusca, means ědarkî or ědusky,î so here the birdís name in
English is ěDusky Tree-Dweller.î
Blackburnian Warblers are in the Parulidae (par-YOU-lie-dee) Family from
the Latin diminutive for ěTitmouse.î
The common name honors Anna Blackburne, an eighteenth century English
botanist. The species name was for
a while given as blackburniae until it
was found that a Dutch scientist earlier had named the species fusca in his studies at a German university.
He must have been looking at a particularly drab specimen since the
plumage is so spectacular that other locally-common names are Fire-throat,
Fire-brand, and Torch-bird.
At 4-1/2 inches, a Blackburnian Warbler is smaller than a sparrow. In its breeding plumage, which we typically see in spring and summer on the Nature Center, the male warbler is brilliant orange about the head as well as on the throat and breast. It has black-and- white upper parts as well as white patches on the wings. The sides are streaked with black. The female is not so brightly colored, having a duller orange on the throat and white wing bars instead of patches. The songs are diagnostic; there are several different songs typically beginning or ending with a series of very high-pitched notes. However, for those of us who are aurally-challenged, these higher notes in the song are of such a high pitch that we canít hear them very well.
The
Blackburnian Warbler is a tree-top warbler associated with conifers and
particularly hemlock. It eats
caterpillars and beetles, hopping from limb to limb high in tall trees.
It also will hawk insects, flying from a perch to grab them in mid-air.
This
warbler arrives in the Southern Tier as early as April 26 but more typically May
1 (S.W. Eaton, Birds of Cattaraugus County
1981). Rick has located two
nests on the Nature Center, one in a Hemlock tree far out on a branch.
Interestingly, this nest was taken over by a wintering deer mouse.
We have also observed an adult feeding a fledgling so we know they breed
on the Nature Center. As we look for breeding birds for our New York State Atlas
2000 project as well as for our own information, we will be searching for a
deeply-cupped nest on a horizontal branch well out from the trunk of a tree.
The female lays four to five eggs in May or June and incubates for 11 to
12 days.
Prior to migrating to their winter home, Blackburnian Warblers molt into a more muted version of their breeding garb. In their fall migration, these warblers leave in September to winter mainly in the Andes of South America from Colombia and Ecuador to Peru. A smaller number choose to winter in Venezuela and Panama.
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