A medium-sized (5 inches) wood warbler, the male Prairie Warbler is most easily identified by its olive-green back, yellow breast, and streaked flanks with a conspicuous black eye-stripes. Female Prairie Warblers are similar to males, but are slightly duller on the back and head. Both sexes may be distinguished from the similarly colored Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus) and Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum) by those species’ plain flanks and lack of eye-stripes. The Prairie Warbler breeds across much of the eastern United States and extreme southern Canada. Within that range, this species is mostly or completely absent from interior New England, the Midwest, the Gulf coast, and higher elevations in the Appalachian Mountains. In winter, Prairie Warblers may be found in Florida, the West Indies, southern Mexico, and the Caribbean coast of northern Central America. Prairie Warblers breed in a variety of open habitats, including overgrown fields, grassland, and coastal dunes. In winter, this species may be found in scrubland, mangroves, and open edges of tropical forests. Prairie Warblers primarily eat small invertebrates, including insects and spiders, but may also eat fruits and berries at some times of the year. In appropriate habitat, Hooded Warblers may be observed foraging for insects in the undergrowth. Birdwatchers may also listen for this species’ song, a series of “zee” notes rising in pitch at the end. Prairie Warblers are primarily active during the day, but, like many migratory songbirds, this species frequently migrates at night.
The prairie warbler (Setophaga discolor) is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.
These birds have yellow underparts with dark streaks on the flanks, and olive overparts with rusty streaks on the back; they have a yellow line above the eye, a dark line through it, and a yellow spot below it. These birds have black legs, long tails, two pale wing bars, and thin pointed bills. Coloring is duller in female and immatures.
Prairie warblers have two categories of songs, referred to as Type A and Type B. Type A songs are typically a series of ascending buzzy notes. The B songs are an ascending series of whistled notes that often contain some buzzy notes. Compared to A songs, the B songs are lower in pitch, have fewer, longer notes. The total song length is longer as well in Type B songs. The use of these two song categories is associated with certain contexts. A songs are sung throughout the day when males first arrive on their breeding grounds. Once males are paired they begin to sing B songs during the dawn chorus and then will intersperse A songs in their singing during the rest of the day. During this later period of singing A songs are typically used near females, near the nest, and in the center of their territories. In contrast B songs are used when interacting or fighting with other males and near the borders of their territories.
Part of their call note repertoire is a tsip call. During dawn, chorus B songs are interspersed with rapid loud "check" calls.
These birds are permanent residents in the southern parts of their range. Other birds migrate to north-eastern Mexico and islands in the Caribbean.
Their breeding habitats are brushy areas and forest edges in eastern North America. The prairie warbler's nests are open cups, which are usually placed in a low area of a tree or shrub. Incubation period is 12 to 13 days.[2]
Prairie warblers forage actively on tree branches, and sometimes fly around with the purpose of catching insects, which are the main food source of these birds.
These birds wag their tails frequently.
The numbers of these birds are declining due to habitat loss; this species also suffers from nest parasitism by the brown-headed cowbird.
At Castellow Hammock, Miami, FL.
The prairie warbler (Setophaga discolor) is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.
