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Mourning Warbler
(Oporornis philadelphia)
Banded Spring, 2004
Carmel, Indiana
General Information
The Mourning Warbler is a long distance migrant from southern Central
America and northern South America. It breeds in northern North America
including the Great Lakes region, and at higher altitudes in the Appalachian
Mountains south to West Virginia.
It is fairly common, and forms a superspecies with the very similar
MacGillivray’s Warbler that occurs in the Western US. Separation of the
Mourning and MacGillivray’s warbles in the field can be one of the most
difficult warbler identification problems. Although the Mourning Warbler
lacks the bold eye ring of the Connecticut Warbler, the similar grayish hood
of the Connecticut Warbler can also cause confusion in the field.
One wonders how this species came by the somewhat melancholy name
“Mourning.” Alexander Wilson (1766-1813), author and artist for American
Ornithology, came upon this species in a marsh near Philadelphia, and in
1810, because the black markings on its breast reminded him of someone in
mourning, suggested the name Mourning Warbler.
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The adult male has a dark gray
hood with extensive black mottling on the breast. The upper parts are olive
green. The under parts are bright yellow with a slight olive wash on the
sides. These birds are from 5 to 5.75 inches long. Weights range from 9.7 to
13.2 grams. |
Figure 1 - Mourning Warbler - Adult Male
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Figure 2 - Mourning Warbler - Adult Male
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There are no eye crescents such
as those found on the MacGillivray’s Warbler. Immatures and adult females,
however, show whitish eye arcs (see Fig. 8 below). |
This attractive warbler is a
skulking bird of dense undergrowth. During the breeding season, it favors
young secondary growth forest edges, and clearings with dense under story.
During spring migration, it follows the coast of the Gulf of Mexico rather
than flying across the Gulf. It is, along with the Connecticut Warbler, the
latest spring warbler to pass through on its way to its breeding grounds.
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Figure 3 - Mourning Warbler - Adult Male
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Figure 4 - Mourning Warbler upper wing
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The upper parts are olive
green. |
The under wing is more whitish,
but the undersides of the body are bright yellow. |
Figure 5 - Mourning Warbler under wing
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Figure 6 - Mourning Warbler upper tail
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The upper tail is also olive
green. |
The long bright yellow under
tail coverts extend well down the tail. |
Figure 7 - Mourning Warbler under tail pattern
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Figure 8 - Immature Mourning Warbler
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Note the whitish
eye crescents on this immature Mourning Warbler. The first year male is
similar in appearance to the first year non-breeding female. It has an
olive-brown hood, and a buffy throat with a yellow wash that breaks through
the hood in the center of the breast. The immature male also has some
indistinct black mottling on the sides of the breast.
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Nesting Behavior
The cup nest, built by both sexes of dead leaves, grasses, and weed
stems, is placed on or near the ground in a thicket where heavy undergrowth
occurs as on the edges of a swamp, secondary growth or a brushy thicket.
Three to five eggs, incubated by the female, hatch in 12 to 13 days. The
young, tended by both parents, leave the nest in 7 to 9 days, but are not
able to fly until the second week out of the nest.
Banding Recoveries
According to the web page of the Bird Banding Lab, a total of 32,398
Mourning Warblers were banded between 1955 and 2000. Of these, only 24 have
been encountered away from the area where they were banded.
If you should recover a banded bird, you can report the band number to
the Bird Banding Lab by calling 1-800-327-BAND.
Economic Importance & Conservation Status
This species consumes insects and spiders, and no doubt contributes to
the ecological control of insect pest species. The nests of this species are
rarely parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds, which is fortunate since forest
clearing has enabled Brown-headed Cowbirds to expand their range and
parasitize so many species once protected by the vast forests of North
America. Populations of this species appear to be stable. Because this
species prefers secondary growth and brushy habitats, forest clearing has
probably favored this species, and numbers may be higher than those prior to
the 1700’s.
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All images are courtesy of CWBO. All image copyrights are owned by CWBO.
Any use of these images must have permission of CWBO. |
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