This week’s Bird of the Week, compliments of the Weminuche Audubon Society and Audubon Rockies, is the Virginia’s warbler.
Although its name might have you thinking otherwise, this is a bird of the American southwest. The first one sent to the Smithsonian for classification was collected in 1858 in New Mexico and named for the wife of the collector. Its fairly small breeding range includes parts of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. In August they begin leaving their breeding grounds to spend the winter in the mountainous areas of Mexico.
This is another warbler to look for in the shrub layer, primarily in pinyon-juniper and scrub oak woodlands. The male is described as singing a musical song that sounds like “seedle-seedle-seedle, sweet, sweet.” Hearing and honing in on its song is one of the best methods of locating this shy bird. They are small and gray with yellow under the tail and on the chest, and have bold white eyerings. The yellow on the chest may be pale or not exist at all on female and young birds. A small patch of chestnut feathers on the crown is usually hidden.
Virginia’s warblers don’t hold still for long, wagging their tails up and down while hopping through the vegetation. Flying and terrestrial insects, and an occasional drink of flower nectar, are included in this bird’s diet.
For nesting they prefer steep slopes with shrubby ravines. Their nests, built on the ground and concealed by a clump of vegetation, are extremely difficult to find. For this reason, information on their breeding habits is incomplete, but it is known that males are involved during the whole cycle, from guarding the female on the nest through feeding young.
Partners in Flight includes the Virginia’s warbler on its list of birds that are most at risk for extinction without conservation actions designed to combat their declining numbers.
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