HALIFAX RIVER AUDUBON
A Florida Chapter of the National Audubon Society
Serving greater Daytona Beach area
Founded 1923

 

May 4, 2013  PRAIRIE WARBLER...  This tail-wagging yellow warbler with black streaks on its sides is not found in the prairies but in scrubby fields and forests throughout the eastern and south-central US.  The northern race of the Prairie Warbler is a familiar summer breeder in forest edges in much of the eastern US.  It winters in coastal South Carolina south throughout peninsular Florida and the Bahamas to the West Indies. 

The Florida race, considered to be a separate subspecies from the northern migratory race, lives in the mangrove woodlands on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.  Florida birds are slightly larger and have larger white spots on their tails.  The Florida sub-species is a permanent resident.  They feed mostly on insects, perching or hopping on branches to pick their prey from the undersides of leaves.  They will feed occasionally by hanging upside down from the tips of twigs, hawking insects by hovering in mid-air or dropping to the ground to snag a bug.

The bird is about 4.75 inches long and weighs about 0.27 oz.  He has a round head and long, narrow tail.  His bright yellow underparts and dark semicircle under the eye make him distinctive. 

The male Prairie Warbler has two song types which are very similar but differ in volume and speed.  The faster song is directed at attracting the female during courtship and to maintain the pair bond.  The slightly slower song is sung to warn other males that they are entering his territory.  Both songs are a series of high-pitched, slightly musical buzzes which generally steadily rise in pitch.

Males may have more than one mate, breeding in loose colonies.  Migratory males return to the same breeding ground (or stay in the same area in the case of permanent residents) while females move from one area to another.  During courtship, males perform slow butterfly-like display flights and chase the females. 

In coastal Florida mangrove habitat, the nest site is selected by the female.  She builds an open cup made of densely felted plant materials.  She lays 3-5 off-white eggs with brown spots concentrated at the larger end of the egg.  She incubates the eggs for 11-14 days.  The male does assist in feeding the offspring which leave the nest 8-11 days after hatching.  Fledglings remain with their parents for 40-50 days when they become independent.  Prairie Warblers often raise two broods per season.

Most surveys show declining numbers of Prairie Warblers over the past few decades.  This has been attributed to declining habitat which requires frequent fires to maintain brushy areas.  Parasitism by cowbirds is also a problem.

Our thanks to Chuck Tague for providing the above photo taken during an HRA field trip to Wekiwa Springs State Park in April.

Information above was gathered from The Sibley Guide to Birds, Lives of North American Birds by Kaufman and the 1986-1991 Florida Breeding Bird Atlas data maintained by Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.