| The Prairie Warbler is olive green above with two faint rust-colored streaks on the back behind the eyes. The bright yellow underparts have dark streaks and spots on the sides, not unlike those of the Kirtland's Warbler. The face has yellow crescent shaped yellow stripes above and below the eye. The female is similar but has fewer streaks. While perched or foraging the Prairie Warble will pump or twitch its tail. The song is a series of ascending "buzzy" notes.
The Prairie Warbler is not found on the prairie but finds itself in the open woodlands near the forests edge or in low brushy second growth areas of the eastern half of the United States. They migrate to tropical islands in the winter, but some will remain year round in the mangrove swamps of southern Florida. This warbler avoids dense woods and has benefited as abandoned farmland has been allowed to grow into open woodlands. As you might expect this preferred habitat makes this warbler like other warblers a frequent Cowbird host, however they often will abandon a parasitized nest and start another brood.
The numbers have been declining as successional habitat grows into more mature forests. The species is considered fairly safe from extinction, because of the variety of breeding habitat. Like the Golden-winged Warbler, this bird would benefit from controlled burned or intermittent logging or farming. Decline of the winter habitat can also play a role as well as the Cowbird parasitism.
The male shows a strong site tenacity, arriving in the northern part of its range in April and May. The male will usually claim 50 to 100 acres. During courtship the male will chase the female, sometimes pausing for a short fluttering display. The females do not show the same site tenacity but sometimes breed with the same males from year to year. Never the less, if the displays are successful the female will select a nesting site.
The clutch consists of 4 white eggs with brown spots. The eggs are laid in a compact cup of grass, bark, and leaves and lined with finer materials such as hair and feathers and usually takes about 4 days to build. The nest is generally in a shrub or low in a tree usually in an upright fork or on a branch near the trunk. The eggs are incubated by the female for about 12 days. The hatchlings are brooded by the female and fed mostly caterpillars until they leave the nest about 9 or 10 days later. The adults will perform a fluttering distraction display with vocalizations when the nest is threatened. Snakes and chipmunks cause about 80 percent of the nest failures, with the Brown-headed cowbird claiming the rest. After a nest failure the female may breed with an already mated male in a nearby territory. Once the young fledge the nest, they are separated and be cared for by both parents for another month and a half.
This warbler forages near the ground and seldom flies higher than 10 feet or so while it searches for insects and spiders.
Length 4 1/2 to 5 inches
|
