• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Valley Citizen

Pursuing truth toward justice

The Valley Citizen

Pursuing truth toward justice
  • Arts
  • Education
  • Environment
  • History
  • Nature
  • Politics
  • Wit
  • About

Learn 100 Valley Birds #20: Two Warblers and a Vireo (#30, 31, and 32)

April 17, 2023 By Jim Gain 1 Comment

Jim Gain is one of the San Joaquin Valley’s most accomplished amateur naturalists and photographers. His Reflections of the Natural World website is trove of spectacular nature photography, including  species from places like Belize and Yucatan. We’re proud to present Jim’s “Learn 100 Common Valley Birds” series here. ed.

Wilson’s Warbler – Species #30

The Wilson’s Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) is a small, brightly colored songbird that can be found in the Central Valley of California during its migration season. These birds are about 4.5 inches long and have a wingspan of approximately 6 inches. They are bright yellow in color with a black cap on their head and black wings. Females and immatures are drabber with a less distinctive black cap.

Wilson's Warbler by Jim Gain
Photo by Jim Gain

Wilson’s Warblers are insectivores and are often found flitting through vegetation in search of insects. They are known for their distinctive song, which is a series of high-pitched notes that sound like “tee-hee-tee-hee-tee-hee.”

Wilson's Warbler by Jim Gain
Photo by Jim Gain

Despite their small size, Wilson’s Warblers play an important role in the Central Valley’s ecosystem by helping to control insect populations. However, like many bird species, they face threats from habitat loss and climate change, making conservation efforts crucial for their continued survival. Protecting the habitats that these birds rely on, such as riparian areas and wetlands, is essential to ensuring that they can continue to migrate through the Central Valley and beyond.

Yellow Warbler – Species #31

The Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) is a small, brightly colored songbird that inhabits the Central Valley of California during the breeding season. These birds are easily recognized by their bright yellow plumage, which is accented by rusty red streaks on the breast and flanks, and by their black wings with white wing bars.

Yellow Warbler by Jim Gain
Yellow Warbler by Jim Gain

Yellow Warblers are typically found in riparian habitats such as streamside woodlands, hedgerows, and willow thickets. During the breeding season, they construct cup-shaped nests made of grasses and other plant materials, which are often lined with spider webs and feathers. Females typically lay 3-5 eggs, which hatch after a 10-12 day incubation period.

Yellow Warbler by Jim Gain
Photo by Jim Gain

Yellow Warblers are insectivorous and feed primarily on small insects such as caterpillars, beetles, and spiders. They are also known to occasionally feed on fruit and nectar. These birds migrate south to Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean during the winter months. The conservation status of Yellow Warblers is currently listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but habitat loss and degradation are potential threats to their populations.

Warbling Vireo – Species #32

The Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) is a small, olive-gray bird with a white underbelly and faint wing bars. It measures about 4.75 inches in length and has a wingspan of approximately 8 inches. The species is known for its distinct, high-pitched warbling song, which it uses to communicate with its mate and establish its territory.

Warbling Vireo by Jim Gain
Warbling Vireo by Jim Gain

In the Central Valley of California, the Warbling Vireo is a fairly-common neotropical migrant, passing through in late April or early May and making its return trip back south in August or September. The bird breeds in higher elevation riparian habitats, including streams, rivers, and creeks, where it builds a cup-shaped nest in the fork of a tree or shrub.

Warbling Vireos are famous for their distinctive, warbling song, which is often described as sounding like “three eight, three eight, three eight.” They are a migratory species and spend the winter in Mexico, Central America, and South America before returning to their breeding grounds in the spring. Overall, Warbling Vireos are an important and fascinating part of the avian community in this region, and their presence is a sign of a healthy and diverse ecosystem.

 

 

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Birding in the San Joaquin Valley, Central Valley birding, Learn 100 Common Valley Birds by Jim Gain, Learn 100 Valley Birds

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. LOU VALERO says

    April 23, 2023 at 1:25 pm

    Warblers have colors only skilled artists could mix. That would require a lot of mixing, then only to copy these lovely examples of Creation’s designer.

    I will be on the lookout for these avians coming to, visiting, and going from our Central Valley environments. I appreciate that Jim Gain described them with such meticulous detail. I will be listening for each of their songs.

    We are so blessed to have Jim Gain whose interest in these avians is so pronounced.

    Thank you, Jim

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Note: Some comments may be held for moderation.

Primary Sidebar

Off The Wire

Oath Keepers leader Rhodes sentenced to 18 years for Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy
Oath Keepers leader Rhodes sentenced to 18 years for Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes faces a prison sentence up to 25 years in the first punishments for seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
www.washingtonpost.com
Opinion | America?s Poverty Is Built by Design
Opinion | America’s Poverty Is Built by Design
How did the U.S. become a land of economic extremes with the rich getting richer while the working poor grind it out? Deliberately.
www.politico.com
Republican Jewish Coalition Blasts Gosar Over Staffer's Ties To White Supremacist: Fuentes Has 'No Place' In Congress
Republican Jewish Coalition Blasts Gosar Over Staffer’s Ties To White Supremacist: Fuentes Has ‘No Place’ In Congress
The Republican Jewish Coalition slammed Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) following a  TPM…
talkingpointsmemo.com
Newsom restores floodplain funds, adds $290 million to flood control budget
Newsom restores floodplain funds, adds $290 million to flood control budget
After widespread, bipartisan criticism, the governor revised his budget to include $40 million to restore San Joaquin Valley floodplains.
calmatters.org
New Study Finds a High Minimum Wages Creates Jobs
New Study Finds a High Minimum Wages Creates Jobs
Conventional wisdom had long suggested the opposite.
nymag.com
Spiraling in San Francisco?s Doom Loop
Spiraling in San Francisco’s Doom Loop
What it’s like to live in a city that no longer believes its problems can be fixed.
www.curbed.com
San Diego to open homeless camp sites at two parking lots near Balboa Park
San Diego to open homeless camp sites at two parking lots near Balboa Park
The two lots could accommodate about 500 tents and would be an alternative to congregate shelters
www.sandiegouniontribune.com
K-12 enrollment: Does the increase in homeless students indicate a worsening trend?
K-12 enrollment: Does the increase in homeless students indicate a worsening trend?
California’s overall K-12 enrollment declined, but a lack of affordable housing may be fueling an increase in homeless students.
calmatters.org
Sugar Justice: The Clarence Thomas Story
Sugar Justice: The Clarence Thomas Story
Did you see the latest Clarence Thomas bombshell? To head off any…
talkingpointsmemo.com
California's colossal snowpack has yet to melt: 'Less and less places for that water to go'
California’s colossal snowpack has yet to melt: ‘Less and less places for that water to go’
Only about 12 inches of Caliornia’s snow water equivalent melted in April, leaving most of the Sierra Nevada snowpack poised to flow down downhill.
www.latimes.com
The fastest-growing homeless population? Seniors
The fastest-growing homeless population? Seniors
Included in the increasing number of homeless seniors are those experiencing homelessness for the first time after age 50.
calmatters.org
Perspective | The greatest bird artist you?ve never heard of
Perspective | The greatest bird artist you’ve never heard of
Rex Brasher painted more birds than Audubon, and he never owned slaves.
www.washingtonpost.com

Find us on Facebook

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Footer

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Subscribe for Free

* indicates required

Search

• Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 The Valley Citizen

Dedicated to the memory of John Michael Flint. Contact us at thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Editor and publisher: Eric Caine

Website customization and maintenance by Susan Henley Design