Grace's Warbler
Encyclopedia
Grace's Warbler, Dendroica graciae, is a small perching bird
and a species of New World warbler
.
Grace's Warbler was discovered by Dr. Elliott Coues
in the Rocky Mountains
in 1864. Coues chose to name the new species after his 18-year-old sister, Grace Darling Coues, and his request was honored when Spencer Fullerton Baird
described the species scientifically in 1865.
Grace's Warbler is a small bird, growing to 11–13 cm long. It is mostly gray on top, with broken black streaks across the back and flanks and two white bars on the wings. The throat and breast are a bright and vibrant yellow, and it has a yellow half-eye ring under the eye and a long yellow "eyebrow
" stripe that starts at the base of the beak and runs above the eye, fading to white after it passes the eye. The rest of the underparts are white.
Grace's Warblers are locally common in open mixed pine-oak woodlands above 2,000 m (7,000 feet). Grace's Warblers summer in the south-western United States
and northern Mexico
and migrate
into Central America
for the winter, traveling as far south as Nicaragua
.
The nesting habits of Grace's Warblers are largely unknown, as nests are very rarely found. The nest is a compact cup of plant fibers, the inside lined with hair and feathers, placed high above ground on a tree branch, usually pine
. The female lays 3 to 5 white or cream-colored eggs, speckled with brown, and ringed at the larger end.
Like the vast majority of warblers, Grace's Warbler is totally insectivorous
. It will often hover to inspect pine cones
for insect larvae.
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Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
and a species of New World warbler
New World warbler
The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds restricted to the New World. They are not related to the Old World warblers or the Australian warblers....
.
Grace's Warbler was discovered by Dr. Elliott Coues
Elliott Coues
Elliott Coues was an American army surgeon, historian, ornithologist and author.Coues was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He graduated at Columbian University, Washington, D.C., in 1861, and at the Medical school of that institution in 1863...
in the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
in 1864. Coues chose to name the new species after his 18-year-old sister, Grace Darling Coues, and his request was honored when Spencer Fullerton Baird
Spencer Fullerton Baird
Spencer Fullerton Baird was an American ornithologist, ichthyologist and herpetologist. Starting in 1850 he was assistant-secretary and later secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C...
described the species scientifically in 1865.
Grace's Warbler is a small bird, growing to 11–13 cm long. It is mostly gray on top, with broken black streaks across the back and flanks and two white bars on the wings. The throat and breast are a bright and vibrant yellow, and it has a yellow half-eye ring under the eye and a long yellow "eyebrow
Supercilium
The supercilium is a plumage feature found on the heads of some bird species. It is a stripe which runs from the base of the bird's beak above its eye, finishing somewhere towards the rear of the bird's head. Also known as an "eyebrow", it is distinct from the eyestripe, which is a line which runs...
" stripe that starts at the base of the beak and runs above the eye, fading to white after it passes the eye. The rest of the underparts are white.
Grace's Warblers are locally common in open mixed pine-oak woodlands above 2,000 m (7,000 feet). Grace's Warblers summer in the south-western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and northern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and migrate
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
into Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
for the winter, traveling as far south as Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.
The nesting habits of Grace's Warblers are largely unknown, as nests are very rarely found. The nest is a compact cup of plant fibers, the inside lined with hair and feathers, placed high above ground on a tree branch, usually pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
. The female lays 3 to 5 white or cream-colored eggs, speckled with brown, and ringed at the larger end.
Like the vast majority of warblers, Grace's Warbler is totally insectivorous
Insectivore
An insectivore is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures. An alternate term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of eating insects....
. It will often hover to inspect pine cones
Conifer cone
A cone is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta that contains the reproductive structures. The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds. The male cones, which produce pollen, are usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous even at full maturity...
for insect larvae.
Books
- Stacier, C. A, and M. J. Guzy. 2002. Grace’s Warbler (Dendroica graciae). In The Birds of North America, No. 677 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
Thesis
- Burgoyne PC. Ph.D. (1980). BIRD POPULATION CHANGES AND MANIPULATION OF A PONDEROSA PINE FOREST ON THE KAIBAB PLATEAU, ARIZONA. Brigham Young University, United States, Utah.
- Greene FP. Ph.D. (1989). Food resources, interspecific aggression, and community organization in a guild of insectivorous birds. Princeton University, United States, New Jersey.
Articles
- Chris K, Courtney JC & Patricia BJ. (2006). Distribution and Relative Abundance of Forest Birds in Relation to Burn Severity in Southeastern Arizona. Journal of Wildlife Management. vol 70, no 4. p. 1005.
- Craig AM. (1970). 2 California Records of Graces Warbler. California Birds. vol 1, no 2. pp. 77–78.
- Halbach U. (1976). Population Models and Syn Ecological Models in Ornithology. Journal fuer Ornithologie. vol 117, no 3. pp. 279–296.
- Johnson NK & Garrett KL. (1974). Interior Bird Species Expand Breeding Ranges into Southern California. Western Birds. vol 5, no 2. pp. 45–56.
- Maurer BA. (1983). Overlap and Competition in Avian Guilds. American Naturalist. vol 121, no 6. pp. 903–907.
- Rusterholz KA. (1981). Competition and the Structure of an Avian Foraging Guild. American Naturalist. vol 118, no 2. pp. 173–190.
- Staicer CA. (1989). Characteristics Use and Significance of Two Singing Behaviors in Grace's Warbler Dendroica-Graciae. Auk. vol 106, no 1. pp. 49–63.
- Staicer CA & Guzy MJ. (2002). Grace's Warbler: Dendroica graciae. Birds of North America. vol 677, pp. 1–19.
- Zinkl JG, Mack PD, Mount ME & Shea PJ. (1984). Brain Cholin Esterase Activity and Brain and Liver Residues in Wild Birds of a Forest Sprayed with Acephate. Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry. vol 3, no 1. pp. 79–88.
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