Olive Warbler
Encyclopedia
The Olive Warbler is a small passerine
bird
. It is the only member of the genus Peucedramus and the family
Peucedramidae.
This species breeds from southern Arizona
and New Mexico
, USA, south through Mexico
to Nicaragua
. It is the only bird family endemic to North America
(including Central America). It was in the past classed with the Parulidae (New World warbler
s), but DNA studies suggest that it split early from the other related passerines, prior to the differentiation of the entire New World warbler/American sparrow
/Icterid
group. It is therefore now given a family of its own.
It is an insectivorous species of coniferous forests. Though it is often said to be non-migratory
, most New Mexican birds leave the state from November to late February. It lays 3–4 eggs in a tree nest.
, a group which it closely resembles, particularly in having nine primaries
and similar skin. In spite of being assigned to its own genus in 1875, its affinities were a source of contention. The shape of the basihyal bone in the skull, and aspects of its behaviour led to the suggestion that it was instead an Old World warbler
in the family Sylviidae. That it was not in the family Parulidae was supported by the arrangement of muscles in the legs. DNA-DNA hybridization placed the Olive Warbler as an early branch of the finch
clade (which included the finches, cardinals and Hawaiian honeycreeper
s) and the New World sparrow clade (which includes the tanager
s, icterid
s and New world warblers), and a 1998 study of mitochondrial DNA
confirmed its status as being far removed from the New world warblers.
The generic
name of the Olive Warbler, Peucedramus, is derived from the Greek
peuke for a fir tree and dromos for runner, (from trekho, meaning run), a reference to its feeding habitat and behaviour. The species name, taeniatus, is from the Latin
taenia for a headband, and atus for possessing, a reference to its facial markings. The original specific name for the species was olivaceus; however that name was preoccupied
and the name was changed.
, 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in) in length and weighing 9.5 to 12 g (0.335102639998564 to 0.423287545261344 oz). It shows clinal variation in size, with more northern populations being larger than southern ones, a phenomenon known as Bergmann's rule
. The Olive Warbler is a long-winged bird. The plumage
of the male is mostly grey body with some olive-green on the wings and two white wing bars. The male's head and breast are "tawny-orange", and there is a black patch through the eye. In the female and juvenile, the orange is replaced by yellow, and the black mask is more diffuse. In addition to differences in size, plumage varies geographically as well, with southern birds having more brightly coloured plumage.
The song consists of clear whistles rendered as hirrJI hirrJI hirrJI, plida plida plida chir chir, etc. The male sings throughout the year, with the frequency of the singing increasing in late winter and reaching a peak in early spring. During the year the male sings the most during the midmorning, but during spring the male sings constantly during mornings and late afternoon. Song is usually delivered from the canopy or other tall trees.
to Nicaragua
, making it the only bird family
endemic to North America. In the northern part of its range it has a continuous distribution from Yavapai County, Arizona
and the southwestern tip of New Mexico
along central Mexico to southern Mexico
. There are also isolated populations in Tamaulipas
, Coahuila
and Sonora
and Chihuahua. Further south it occurs in southwest Guatemala
and from northern El Salvador
and central Honduras
to northern Nicaragua.
The Olive Warbler is a bird of mountains and highlands. In northern areas of its range it occurs from 2,600 m above sea level or more, in some parts of its range it may not occur below 3,500 m. In Oaxaca
in Mexico it occupies a range of between 1,700–3,000 m further south in Guatemala it ranges down to 1,850 m and at the southern end of its range it can be found as low as 1,000 m in Honduras and in Nicaragua it occupies a belt of forest from 1,070 and 1,370 m. They typically inhabit conifer forests, such as ponderosa and sugar pine forests in Arizona, Abies common fir forests, oak
, and pine forests in central Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. These forests range from humid to semi-arid. In coastal regions stands of palms may be used, and in the Valley of Mexico
pine and alder forests are inhabited.
Over most of its range the species is resident, but there is evidence that the most northerly populations are partial migrants
. Birds in Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico apparently move away from their breeding grounds, although what exact movements are made is unclear. It has been suggested that they are either "down slope migrants", moving to lower elevations, or dispersive, as some records show their presence in Texas
. Birds attributed to the northern race P. t. arizonae have been recorded near Tepic
, in Nayarit
. Nevertheless some birds remain in the northern areas of their range year round.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
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...
. It is the only member of the genus Peucedramus and the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Peucedramidae.
This species breeds from southern Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, USA, south through 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...
to 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...
. It is the only bird family endemic to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
(including Central America). It was in the past classed with the Parulidae (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....
s), but DNA studies suggest that it split early from the other related passerines, prior to the differentiation of the entire New World warbler/American sparrow
American sparrow
American sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming part of the family Emberizidae. American sparrows are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns....
/Icterid
Icterid
The Icterids are a group of small to medium-sized, often colorful passerine birds restricted to the New World. Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange or red. The family is extremely varied in size, shape, behavior and coloration...
group. It is therefore now given a family of its own.
It is an insectivorous species of coniferous forests. Though it is often said to be non-migratory
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...
, most New Mexican birds leave the state from November to late February. It lays 3–4 eggs in a tree nest.
Taxonomy
The Olive Warbler was originally placed in the New World warbler (family Parulidae) genus DendroicaDendroica
Dendroica is a genus of birds of the New World Warbler family Parulidae. It contains 29 species. The males in breeding plumage are often highly colorful...
, a group which it closely resembles, particularly in having nine primaries
Flight feather
Flight feathers are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges while those on the tail are called rectrices . Their primary function is to aid in the generation of both thrust and lift, thereby...
and similar skin. In spite of being assigned to its own genus in 1875, its affinities were a source of contention. The shape of the basihyal bone in the skull, and aspects of its behaviour led to the suggestion that it was instead an Old World warbler
Old World warbler
The "Old World Warblers" is the name used to describe a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. The family held over 400 species in over 70 genera, and were the source of much taxonomic confusion. Two families were split out initially, the cisticolas into...
in the family Sylviidae. That it was not in the family Parulidae was supported by the arrangement of muscles in the legs. DNA-DNA hybridization placed the Olive Warbler as an early branch of the finch
Finch
The true finches are passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. They are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere, but one subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics, one to the Hawaiian Islands, and one subfamily – monotypic at genus level – is found...
clade (which included the finches, cardinals and Hawaiian honeycreeper
Hawaiian honeycreeper
Hawaiian honeycreepers are small, passerine birds endemic to Hawaii. Some authorities still categorize this group as a family Drepanididae, but in recent years, most authorities consider them a subfamily, Drepanidinae, of Fringillidae, the finch family...
s) and the New World sparrow clade (which includes the tanager
Tanager
The tanagers comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has an American distribution.There were traditionally about 240 species of tanagers, but the taxonomic treatment of this family's members is currently in a state of flux...
s, icterid
Icterid
The Icterids are a group of small to medium-sized, often colorful passerine birds restricted to the New World. Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange or red. The family is extremely varied in size, shape, behavior and coloration...
s and New world warblers), and a 1998 study of mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria, structures within eukaryotic cells that convert the chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, adenosine triphosphate...
confirmed its status as being far removed from the New world warblers.
The generic
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
name of the Olive Warbler, Peucedramus, is derived from the Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
peuke for a fir tree and dromos for runner, (from trekho, meaning run), a reference to its feeding habitat and behaviour. The species name, taeniatus, is from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
taenia for a headband, and atus for possessing, a reference to its facial markings. The original specific name for the species was olivaceus; however that name was preoccupied
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals...
and the name was changed.
Description
The Olive Warbler is a medium sized warblerWarbler
There are a number of Passeriformes called "warblers". They are not particularly closely related, but share some characteristics, such as being fairly small, vocal and insectivorous....
, 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in) in length and weighing 9.5 to 12 g (0.335102639998564 to 0.423287545261344 oz). It shows clinal variation in size, with more northern populations being larger than southern ones, a phenomenon known as Bergmann's rule
Bergmann's Rule
Bergmann's rule is an ecogeographic principle that states that within a broadly distributed genus, species of larger size are found in colder environments, and species of smaller size are found in warmer regions. Although originally formulated in terms of species within a genus, it has often been...
. The Olive Warbler is a long-winged bird. The plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
of the male is mostly grey body with some olive-green on the wings and two white wing bars. The male's head and breast are "tawny-orange", and there is a black patch through the eye. In the female and juvenile, the orange is replaced by yellow, and the black mask is more diffuse. In addition to differences in size, plumage varies geographically as well, with southern birds having more brightly coloured plumage.
The song consists of clear whistles rendered as hirrJI hirrJI hirrJI, plida plida plida chir chir, etc. The male sings throughout the year, with the frequency of the singing increasing in late winter and reaching a peak in early spring. During the year the male sings the most during the midmorning, but during spring the male sings constantly during mornings and late afternoon. Song is usually delivered from the canopy or other tall trees.
Distribution and habitat
The Olive Warbler is distributed from the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to 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...
, making it the only bird family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
endemic to North America. In the northern part of its range it has a continuous distribution from Yavapai County, Arizona
Yavapai County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*89.3% White*0.6% Black*1.7% Native American*0.8% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.5% Two or more races*5.0% Other races*13.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
and the southwestern tip of New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
along central Mexico to southern 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...
. There are also isolated populations in Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
, Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
and Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
and Chihuahua. Further south it occurs in southwest Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
and from northern El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
and central Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
to northern Nicaragua.
The Olive Warbler is a bird of mountains and highlands. In northern areas of its range it occurs from 2,600 m above sea level or more, in some parts of its range it may not occur below 3,500 m. In Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
in Mexico it occupies a range of between 1,700–3,000 m further south in Guatemala it ranges down to 1,850 m and at the southern end of its range it can be found as low as 1,000 m in Honduras and in Nicaragua it occupies a belt of forest from 1,070 and 1,370 m. They typically inhabit conifer forests, such as ponderosa and sugar pine forests in Arizona, Abies common fir forests, oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, and pine forests in central Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. These forests range from humid to semi-arid. In coastal regions stands of palms may be used, and in the Valley of Mexico
Valley of Mexico
The Valley of Mexico is a highlands plateau in central Mexico roughly coterminous with the present-day Distrito Federal and the eastern half of the State of Mexico. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, the Valley of Mexico was a centre for several pre-Columbian civilizations, including...
pine and alder forests are inhabited.
Over most of its range the species is resident, but there is evidence that the most northerly populations are partial migrants
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...
. Birds in Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico apparently move away from their breeding grounds, although what exact movements are made is unclear. It has been suggested that they are either "down slope migrants", moving to lower elevations, or dispersive, as some records show their presence in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Birds attributed to the northern race P. t. arizonae have been recorded near Tepic
Tepic
Tepic is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Nayarit.It is located in the central part of the state, at.It stands at an altitude above sea level of some 915 meters, on the banks of the Río Mololoa and the Río Tepic, approximately 225 kilometers north-west of Guadalajara, Jalisco....
, in Nayarit
Nayarit
Nayarit officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its capital city is Tepic.It is located in Western Mexico...
. Nevertheless some birds remain in the northern areas of their range year round.