| Pine warbler | |
|---|---|
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| Adult male | |
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| Female | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Parulidae |
| Genus: | Setophaga |
| Species: | S. pinus |
| Binomial name | |
| Setophaga pinus (Linnaeus, 1766) | |
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| Range ofS. pinus (note: missing range onHispaniola) Breeding range Year-round range Wintering range | |
| Synonyms | |
Thepine warbler (Setophaga pinus) is a smallsongbird of theNew World warbler familyParulidae. It is a permanent resident in the southeastern United States and also breeds in southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States, where it is migratory. Unlike other wood-warblers, in addition to insects the pine warbler also sometimes consumes seeds.
The pine warbler wasformally described in 1766 by the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus in thetwelfth edition of hisSystema Naturae under thebinomial nameCerthia pinus.[3] Linnaeus based his entry on the "pine-creeper" that had been described and illustrated by the English naturalistsMark Catesby in 1731 andGeorge Edwards in 1760.[4][5] Edwards had doubts as to whether his specimen was the same species as illustrated by Catesby and included as a footnote "On a stricter examination I think it a species different from Catesby's".[5] Edwards' etching actually depicted ablue-winged warbler so that Linnaeus's name applied to two different species. This led to considerable instability in the nomenclature which was only resolved when in 2009 a new binomial name,Vermivora cyanoptera, was proposed byStorrs L. Olson andJames L. Reveal for the blue-winged warbler.[6][7] Thetype location was restricted to the state ofGeorgia by theAmerican Ornithologists' Union in 1931.[8] The pine warbler is now one of over 30 species placed in thegenusSetophaga that was introduced by the English naturalistWilliam Swainson in 1827.[9] The genus nameSetophaga combines theAncient Greek σης/sēs, σητος/sētos meaning "moth" with -φαγος/-phagos meaning "-eating".[10]
Foursubspecies are recognised:[9]
These birds have white bellies, two white wing bars, dark legs and thin, relatively long pointedbills; they have yellowish 'spectacles' around their eyes. Adult males have olive upperparts and bright yellow throats and breasts; females and immatures display upperparts which are olive-brown. Their throats and breasts are paler. The adult male pine warbler looks somewhat similar to theyellow-throated vireo which may cause some identification problems.
| Standard Measurements[11][12] | |
|---|---|
| Total Body Length | 5–5.75 in (127–146 mm) |
| Weight | 12 g (0.42 oz) |
| Wingspan | 8.75 in (222 mm) |
| Wing | 68.9–72.8 mm (2.71–2.87 in) |
| Tail | 52.9–56 mm (2.08–2.20 in) |
| Culmen | 9.9–11.6 mm (0.39–0.46 in) |
| Tarsus | 17.2–18.7 mm (0.68–0.74 in) |
The song of this bird is a musical trill. Their calls are slurredchips.
Their breeding habitats are openpine woods in easternNorth America. These birds are permanent residents in southernFlorida. Some of them, however,migrate to northeasternMexico and islands inBermuda and theCaribbean. The first record forSouth America was a vagrant wintering female seen atVista Nieve,Colombia, on 20 November 2002; this bird was foraging as part of amixed-species feeding flock that also included winteringBlackburnian andTennessee warblers.[13]
They forage slowly on tree trunks and branches by poking their bill into pine cones. These birds also find food by searching for it on the ground. These birds mainly eat insects, seeds and berries.
Their nests are deep, open cups, which are placed near the end of a tree branch. Pine warblers prefer to nest in pine trees, hence their names. Three to five blotched white eggs are laid.[11]
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