Tropical Parula (us-RGV)
From WikiBird
Contents |
Regional Information
Range, Abundance, and Seasonal Variations
Directions and Maps
General Information
Size
Length: 11cm (??in), Wingspan: ??cm (??in)
Field Marks
Small, active, insect-eating bird with a thin, pointed bill, blue-gray head, wings, rump and tail, greenish-olive back, two white wing bars, white belly and undertail coverts, yellow legs. The underparts are yellow, becoming orange on the breast. Male: Black patch from the bill to behind the eye. Orange wash on breast. Female: Slightly duller than the males and lacks black on the head. Juvenile: Dull plumaged, lacks the wing bars, and has a grey band on the breast.
Similar species
The very local (South Texas) Tropical Parula is similar in size to the Northern Parula but the lacks the broken eye ring and has more yellow on the underparts. Male Tropical Parula has a black mask that the Northern Parula lacks and has less marking on the breast. Other warblers lack the combination of an unmarked yellow breast and throat, wing bars, and a gray head.
Sounds
The song is a high buzzy trill, and the call is a sharp tsit.
Feeding & Behavior
Feed on insects and spiders and occasionally berries.
Habitat & Nesting
Mainly of hill forests, and does not occur in the Amazon basin. It nests in clumps of epiphytes, especially Spanish moss, in a tree, laying usually two eggs in a scantily lined domed nest. Incubation is 12-14 days, mainly by the female.
Range
Breeds from northern Mexico and south through Central America to northern Argentina, the Guianas, Trinidad and Tobago. Not migratory, but northern birds may make local movements. United States range restricted to South Texas
Resources
