Paul Sterry - Warblers and Other Songbirds of North America: A Life-Size Guide to Every Species

Contents

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Warblers and Songbirds of North America is a photographic field guide to the regions richly varied songbirds. The geographical area covered by the book extends from the Arctic in the north, south to the Mexican border. More than 250 species have been included in the book, this range covering the most regularly encountered songbirds in the USA and Canada. The photographs used throughout the book have been chosen to show important identification features and to depict a birds typical posture, be that perched or standing. As many plumage variations as possible have been included. For every species entry, at least one image shows the bird in question, or the head and bill in the case of large species, depicted life-size.

The images are gloriously detailed, and the text that complements the photographs has been written as much with the beginner in mind as the experienced birdwatcher. For each species, the main text contains descriptions of plumage and structural features that are useful for identification, plus further information about habits and behavior. In addition, a fact file section covers key details for each species: common name; scientific name; length (an average, measured from bill tip to the end of the tail); food; habitat (or habitats, if these differ seasonally); status; and voice. A typical species description from the book.

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Apart from bats, birds are the only vertebrates capable of flight. The ancestors of modern birds took to the air some 150 million years ago, and since that time the ability to fly has allowed them to occupy almost every terrestrial habitat on Earth, and many aquatic ones too.

For birds, flight would not be possible without feathers, but these lightweight, tough and resilient structures are also vital for thermal insulation. In addition, contours, shapes, patterns and colors confer species and gender identity on their owners, and camouflage is also important for many species. Unsurprisingly, there are different feathers on a birds body that fulfill a range of functions, those associated with flight being structurally different from those that insulate. In common with their reptilian ancestors, birds lay eggs, inside which their young develop. Eggs are laid in a nest; in the case of songbirds, the location and structure of the nest can range from a rudimentary cup-shaped structure sited in a cavity on the ground or in a treehole, to an intricately woven basket suspended from foliage.

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Songbirds are members of the order Passeriformes.

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Songbirds are members of the order Passeriformes.

This group of birds, commonly known as passerines, comprises a range of bird families; it is our most varied group of birds both in terms of numbers of species and diversity of appearance and habit preferences. Songbird members range in size from the tiny Golden-crowned Kinglet (our smallest bird) to the massive Common Raven. Songbirds have feet that allow them to perch with ease. Three toes point forward and one faces back; this provides support and allows the bird in question to stand upright on level ground, and enables it to grasp comparatively slender twigs and branches with a sure grip. As their name suggests, songbirds areto a greater or lesser degreeextremely vocal, and males of some species are among the finest songsters in the bird world. Many territorial males advertise ownership of breeding grounds and attract and retain mates by loud and diagnostic songs.

And all species have a repertoire of calls that serve a variety of behavioral functions, including alarm (for example, at the presence of a predator) or contact (with other members of the species in feeding flocks or on migration). Songbird diet is as varied as the appearance of the birds themselves, but for many species small invertebrates are important for at least part of the yeartypically the spring and summer months, when nesting is taking place. Some songbird families, such as warblers, feed almost exclusively on invertebrates, while sparrows and buntings rely to a great degree on seeds as a source of nutrition, particularly during the winter months. Many crow family members are arch scavengers that, to a certain extent, have predatory habits too. But in shrikes, the predilection for live prey reaches its apogee, the birds behaving like miniature raptors and even having hook-tipped bills to aid dismembering victims. Most songbirds lead rather solitary lives during the breeding season and nest in relative isolation from pairs of the same species.

However, outside the breeding season some form sizable flocks that migrate, feed, and roost together. There is some truth in the saying that there is safety in numbers, because there are plenty of eyes on the lookout for danger. In some songbird species, visual differences between the sexes are subtle (to our eyes at least). Behavioral differences obviously play an important role in gender recognition for the birds themselves, but in the case of certain species it is only when a male is heard singing or when nesting behavior is observed that we as observers can be certain of the sex of a bird. However, among many songbird groups there are striking differences in plumage, although often these differences are more apparent in breeding plumage than during the winter months.

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Birdwatchers give precise names to distinct parts of a birds body, both to the bare parts (legs and bill, for example) and areas of feathering (wing coverts, primaries, and the like).

These terms have been used throughout this book to ensure precision and to avoid ambiguity about what is being described or discussed. An understanding of this terminology helps the reader interpret the descriptive text in the book. It is also helps when talking about bird identification with other birdwatchers, and is useful in the process of identification in the field. The annotated photograph below shows the important anatomical and topographical features of a typical songbird, and a glossary of terms overleaf helps with the learning process. A Blackburnian Warbler with annotations showing key structural features. Bill The beak. Coverts Areas of contour feathers found on the upperwing, underwing, uppertail, and undertail. Eyering A ring of feathers, often colorful, that surrounds the eye. First-winter A birds plumage in its first winter after hatching. Forewing The leading edge of the upperwing. Immature A bird that is any age younger than an adult. Juvenile A young bird with its first set of full feathers. Lores The area between the eye and the bill. Malar A band or stripe of feathers on the side of the throat, in front of and below the submustachial stripe. Mandibles The two parts of a birds bill: upper and lower. Mantle Feathers covering the back. Migrants Birds that have different, geographically separate breeding grounds and winter quarters. Mustachial stripe A stripe that runs from the bill to below the eye, fancifully resembling a mustache. Nape The hind neck. Orbital ring Ring of bare skin around the eye, often brightly colored. Primaries The main flight feathers found on the outer half of the wing. Scapulars A group of feathers that form the shoulder of the bird between the back and folded wing. Secondaries A group of relatively large flight feathers that form the inner part of the wing.

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