The Tennessee Warbler is a small songbird found in North America. Its scientific name is Oreothlypis peregrina. It is named after the state of Tennessee, where it was first discovered and described by ornithologists in the early 19th century. The Tennessee Warbler breeds in the northern forests of North America and migrates to wintering grounds in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. In this article, we will discuss the taxonomy, appearance, habitat, distribution, behavior, diet, and conservation status of the Tennessee Warbler.
Taxonomy
The Tennessee Warbler is a member of the wood-warbler family Parulidae. This family consists of around 120 species of small, colorful songbirds found exclusively in the New World. Parulids are sometimes called the “true” warblers to distinguish them from the “Old World warblers” of the family Sylviidae.
Within the wood-warbler family, the Tennessee Warbler belongs to the genus Oreothlypis. This genus contains around 9 species of warblers that were formerly classified in the genus Vermivora. Based on genetic analysis, ornithologists determined that Vermivora was not a monophyletic group and split it into several genera, including Oreothlypis.
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Parulidae
Genus: Oreothlypis
Species: O. peregrina
The Tennessee Warbler has no recognized subspecies.
Appearance
The Tennessee Warbler is a small songbird, measuring 4.5-5 inches in length and weighing about 0.3 ounces.
Plumage
Adult Tennessee Warblers have olive-green upperparts and wings. The head is gray with faint olive tones. They have a prominent white eye-ring. The throat and chest are gray, transitioning to yellow underparts. The belly is bright white. The undertail coverts are also white with dusky streaking at the sides.
Males and females have similar plumage. Immature birds are duller in color and lack the bold head pattern. Their underparts are more buffy than bright yellow. By their first spring, immature birds molt into adult-like plumage.
Bill and Legs
The Tennessee Warbler has a thin, pointed bill that is dark gray to black in color. The legs and feet are also blackish.
Body Part | Color |
---|---|
Bill | Dark gray to black |
Legs | Blackish |
Feet | Blackish |
Habitat
The Tennessee Warbler breeds in moist, dense forests across Canada and the northern United States. Coniferous and mixed forests are preferred, with a dense shrub layer. They are often found along forest edges and openings.
On the wintering grounds in Mexico down through Central America, Tennessee Warblers occur in tropical forests, second growth, scrub, and plantations. They are usually found in the understory and mid-levels of the forest.
Breeding Habitat
– Coniferous forests
– Mixed forests
– Brushy, shrubby understory
– Forest openings and edges
Wintering Habitat
– Tropical forests
– Second growth
– Scrub vegetation
– Shade plantations
– Forest understory and mid-levels
Distribution
Breeding Range
The breeding range of the Tennessee Warbler extends across Canada from British Columbia to the Maritime provinces. In the United States, they breed from the Pacific Northwest through the northern Midwest to northern New England.
Region | States/Provinces |
---|---|
West | British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana |
Midwest | Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, northern Ohio |
Northeast | Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, upstate New York |
Canada | Yukon, Northwest Territories, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador |
Wintering Range
The wintering range stretches from southern Mexico through Central America to northern South America. Most winter along both slopes of Mexico and in Guatemala, with smaller numbers reaching Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. A few may get as far south as Venezuela.
Region | Countries |
---|---|
Mexico | Southern Mexican states on both Pacific and Gulf slopes |
Central America | Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama |
South America | Venezuela |
Behavior
Song
The song of the Tennessee Warbler is a repetitive, ringing series of “tsip” or “weets” notes. It resembles the song of the Orange-crowned Warbler but is faster-paced and more hurried. Males sing persistently when defending their breeding territories.
Feeding
Tennessee Warblers forage actively in shrubs and trees for insects and other small arthropods. They glean insects from leaves and branches and sometimes hawk flying insects. They are regular members of mixed-species feeding flocks during migration and on the wintering grounds.
Migration
Tennessee Warblers are long-distance migrants that undertake an arduous round-trip journey each year between their northern breeding grounds and tropical wintering areas. They migrate at night and habitat edges, forests, and parks during the day. Spring migration occurs April-May and fall migration is August-October.
Diet
The diet of the Tennessee Warbler consists primarily of insects and other small arthropods. A variety of prey is taken depending on habitat and season, including:
Type | Examples |
---|---|
Caterpillars | Moth, butterfly, sawfly larvae |
Beetles | Weevils, leaf beetles |
Flies | Midges, crane flies |
Spiders | Wolf spiders, crab spiders, orbweavers |
Hemipterans | Leafhoppers, treehoppers, planthoppers, aphids |
Bees and wasps | Bees, parasitic wasps |
Dragonflies and damselflies | – |
They also eat some seeds, berries, and nectar, especially during fall migration and on the wintering grounds when insect numbers decline.
Breeding
Tennessee Warblers arrive on the breeding grounds in May. Males establish territories and attract mates with persistent singing. They are serially monogamous, pairing with one female per season.
The female builds the nest low in a bush, tree sapling, or vines. The nest is an open cup made of grass, bark strips, twigs, and other plant fibers. It is lined with hair, fine grass, and moss.
The female lays 3-6 white eggs with brown speckling. She incubates the eggs for 11-12 days while the male defends the territory and brings her food. The chicks hatch blind and helpless. Both parents feed the young a diet of insects and spiders. They fledge from the nest about 9-12 days after hatching. First-year birds reach sexual maturity and attempt to breed the following spring.
Conservation Status
The Tennessee Warbler has a large breeding range estimated at 4.7 million square kilometers. The global population size is unknown but is suspected to number in the tens of millions of individuals. Partners in Flight estimates a breeding population of 67 million. Population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for a threatened or endangered listing. For these reasons, the Tennessee Warbler is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Major threats on the breeding grounds include habitat loss from logging and development. Climate change may also affect boreal breeding habitat. Predation by cats takes a heavy toll on migrating and wintering birds. But overall, the Tennessee Warbler appears to be flourishing across a wide geographic distribution. Maintaining healthy breeding habitat and addressing predation threats will be key conservation priorities going forward. With appropriate habitat protection and management, the future outlook for the Tennessee Warbler remains promising.
Conclusion
In summary, the Tennessee Warbler is a small, colorful wood-warbler named after the state where it was first discovered. It breeds in northern forests and migrates long distances to overwinter in Mexico and Central America. Identification features include olive-green upperparts, a gray head with white eye-ring, yellow underparts, and a repetitious song. Tennessee Warblers forage actively for insects in trees and shrubs. They are a locally common species with a large population that does not appear to be under imminent threat. Continued monitoring and habitat conservation will help ensure this warbler remains a vibrant part of our forest ecosystems.