BIRD SPECIES

Nashville Warbler

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Leiothlypis ruficapilla

The Nashville Warbler is a small warbler with sharply pointed bill. It is closely related to the Orange-crowned Warbler.

It is a small songbird, compact with a round head, a plump body and a short tail. It measures about 4.3 – 5.1 inches in length, with a wingspan of 6.7 – 7.9 inches and weight of 6.7 – 13.9 grams.

It has a gray head and olive upperparts. It has a bold white eye ring, yellow throat, breast and belly, with a white area between yellow belly and yellow undertail.

Its crown shows a rufous patch, which is not easy to see in field. Eyes and legs are black. Bill is rather short, slender, nearly straight, and as deep as broad at the base.

Both sexes are similar, with females slightly duller.

Immatures are similar to adults, but they have brownish wash on back, and whitish throat patch

CALL: A musical, dry chip and a more metallic “tink”.

SONG: A series of high “see-weet” notes, and a lower short trill like “see-pit, see-pit, see-pit ti ti ti ti”. It usually has two distinct segments, with a pause between the phrases.

Feeds on insects, both adults and larvae, and caterpillars which are the majority of their diet.
It visits flowers, takes small berries and seeds, and gleans for small insects in their nonbreeding range.

Found in second growth woodlands, deciduous or mixed forests, with shrubby undergrowth. Rocky Mountains and prairies form a barrier between the two forms of this species.

Breeds in two distinct areas.

Eastern range extends from Central Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia, southward to Northern Minnesota, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Western range extends from Southwestern Alberta to Central California.

Winters mainly in southern Mexico, but also in lowlands along California coasts.

The female builds a small open cup- shaped nest which is located on the ground, usually in a brushy thicket in open woodland.

It is a low depression in moss, grass, ferns or under the bushes. It is made of leaves, ferns and bark strips, lined with grass, hair and needles with a rim of moss.

She lays 4 – 5 white eggs spotted with brown.

Incubation last for about 11 – 12 days, by the female fed by the male.

SOURCES:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org
http://www.oiseaux-birds.com
https://en.wikipedia.org