What kind of bird lays eggs on yellow warblers?
Bird Bite: The brown-headed cowbird frequently lays its own eggs in the nest of yellow warblers. The victimized bird seems to take this in stride by building another nest on top of the freshly laid cowbird eggs.
Why does a cowbird eat a yellow warbler?
This beautiful Yellow Warbler is a frequent target of the cowbird’s unwelcome eggs. But it has developed a way to reject the role of foster parent. When a cowbird lays its egg in the warbler’s nest, the warbler may weave another layer – or more – of grasses over the top of the cowbird egg, preventing its incubation.
What kind of song does a yellow warbler sing?
[Yellow Warbler song] When a cowbird lays its egg in a Yellow Warbler’s nest – a tidy, compact cup woven of plant fibers – the warbler weaves another layer of grasses over the top of the cowbird egg, preventing its incubation. Sometimes a cowbird returns and lays another egg in the same nest – and now the Yellow Warbler covers over the second egg.
Where can I find a yellow warbler nest?
Yellow Warbler. The bright, sweet song of the Yellow Warbler is a familiar sound in streamside willows and woodland edges. This is one of our most widely distributed warblers, nesting from the Arctic Circle to Mexico, with closely related forms along tropical coastlines. Their open, cuplike nests are easy to find,…
Can a yellow warbler lay eggs in a cowbird nest?
Sometimes a cowbird returns and lays another egg in the same nest – and now the Yellow Warbler covers over the second egg. Amazingly, one Yellow Warbler nest in Ontario grew six layers deep. Cowbirds developed their habit of palming off their eggs on other birds, because they followed migrating herds of bison.
Why is the yellow warbler in the wild?
In one case, persistent cowbirds returned five times to lay more eggs in one nest, and an even more persistent warbler built six layers of nest floors to cover up the cowbird eggs. Because it favors second growth and edges, not as vulnerable to loss of habitat as some warblers. Current populations probably stable.
How many subspecies of yellow warbler are there?
Another superlative associated with the Yellow Warbler is the species’ incredible diversity: 37 subspecies are recognized, divided among four groups. Subspecies vary mostly in plumage color and pattern. The Yellow Warbler nests throughout most of Canada, Alaska, and at least two-thirds of the area covered by the lower 48 U.S. states.
How often does a yellow warbler sing in a day?
In fact, one Yellow Warbler may sing more than 3,000 times in a day to attract a female! Once paired, the male attends his mate closely as she builds her nest, wary for other males, which often invade established territories and attempt to mate with resident females.
