Amalia Klayznika (G8)

Science and Technology

Published Issue 4 2022-2023

Introduction

Lots of birds are called “warblers”, and all warblers are passerines, four toed birds. However, the wood-warblers, in the family parulidae, are the warblers in North America. The warbler families are not closely related, and to differentiate between them the best way is to look at the scientific names for the families. There are multiple genera in the family parulidae, and though there is a great variety of warblers, all of the parulidae  share quite a few similarities, making it occasionally difficult to distinguish the individual species. Let’s dive into warblers! 

Warbler Species of North America

There are 117 bird species in the family parulidae, with 53 living in North America. There are 18 genera in this family in the whole world, however, there are only 5 main genera in North America. These are setophaga, vermivora, oreothlypis, cardellina and geothlypis. There are 

and/or black. For example, let’s look at the Kentucky warbler, geothlypis formosa. It is yellow with a bit of black, and though it is not as active as some other warblers, its coloring is very similar to that of many other warblers in the family. All warblers are essentially named after their song, and the calls and songs of many of the parulidae are beautiful and distinctive. Warblers are also very active, and they do not sit still for long. They are active foragers, gleaning insects from trees and occasionally flycatching, which is catching insects mid-flight. 

Identifying Warblers 

Identifying warblers can be tricky, because many of them have similar markings and colors, however, there are some tips and tricks that you can use. Some songs are incredibly distinctive, so if you learn the songs they can be helpful with ID. Also, all warblers have some distinctive characteristics, so you need to learn to recognize the little details, like wing bars or throat patches. Are there any surprising colors or features? Some warblers, like the painted redstart, have very distinctive colors that immediately tell you what bird you are looking at. Check out this warbler cheat sheet for all the warblers in North America. https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/0eeE56eg2hJEXLMRYkr0i5QSw#Warbler_cheatsheets