Prairie Warbler

Prairie Warbler, male

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Prairie Warbler, female, FL, May

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A tail-wagging yellow warbler with black streaks down its sides, the Prairie Warbler is found in scrubby fields and forests throughout the eastern and south-central United States, not on the prairies.

Description

• Small songbird.
• Olive-green upperparts.
• Yellow throat and belly.
• Black streaks on face, sides and flanks.
• Wags tail.

• Size: 11 cm (4 in)
• Weight: 6-9 g (0.21-0.32 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes similar. Male has rufous streaks on back. Female lacks such streaks, has olive, not black face streaks, and is duller overall.

Sound

Song is a rapid series of ascending buzzes. Calls vary; most common is a "chek" note.

Conservation Status

Declining throughout most of range. Declines largely attributable to loss of breeding habitat through development and natural change of shrubby habitat to forest.

Other Names

Fauvette des prés (French)
Verdín des las praderas (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• The male Prairie Warbler sings two song types, which closely resemble each other but differ subtly in volume and speed. The faster "Group A" song is directed at the female, for courtship and maintenance of the pair bond. The "Group B" song is sung at territory boundaries to deter other males.
• Female Prairie Warblers commonly eat the eggshells after their young hatch, consuming the shells in 15 to 90 seconds.

• The Prairie Warblers living in the Florida mangroves are considered to be a separate subspecies from the more widespread migratory ones. The Florida birds are slightly larger and have larger white spots in their tails.

Sources used to construct this page:

Nolan, V., Jr., E. D. Ketterson, and C. A. Buerkle. 1999. Prairie Warbler (Dendroica discolor). In The Birds of North America, No. 455 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.