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Gem of the Woods
Written By: William McReynolds - Highlands Plateau Audubon Society | Issue: 2020/05 - May | Photograph By: William McReynolds
The gifts of May, amidst the lingering trials of April, have been immortalized by poet Lucy Larcom:
When April steps aside for May,
like diamonds all the rain-drops glisten;
Fresh violets open every day,
to some new bird each hour we listen.
This little bird, like glistening rain-drops and fresh violets, can lift human spirits on a May day. The smallest member of an extended family of small perching birds, this warbler, the Northern Parula, is a spring migrant with an easily recognized song.
If you hear a repeated high-pitched and rapid twitter that is more buzz than chirp, ending in a single melodic note, you have just heard this little gem of the woods.
Phonetically, this fading song is zezzzzzzzzzzzzzzCHEEP followed by zezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzCHEEP.
Parulas are brightly attired in plumage of blue gray, yellow and white. The throat and breast are bright yellow, the dorsal head, back and tail are blue gray with a yellow saddle and white wing bars, and the ventral underside is pure white. Mature males sport a black and rufous necklace or breast band. Expect a bird no larger than a chickadee.
These birds are common in North America in the spring and summer. They winter in Mexico and the Caribbean. Their summer habitat favors trees full of Spanish moss, beard moss or lichen. They frequent the end of branches high in the canopy or sub-canopy of deciduous and coniferous forests where they glean insects, spiders and especially caterpillars. Their winter grounds are tropical pastures and plantations offering berries and seeds. They are rarely seen on our bird feeders.
Parulas raise one or two broods a season. The female takes the lead in building a nest in four days: a highly placed, hanging nest constructed of moss or lichen with an interior pocket lined with fur or feathers or pine needles. Three to seven eggs incubate in 12-14 days. Both parents sit on the nest and both feed the hatchlings.
Happy May birding from the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society. Look for these birds high in the trees. Listen for their buzzing song and distinctive endnote.
The mission of the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society is to provide opportunities to enjoy and learn about birds and other wildlife and to promote conservation and restoration of the habitats that support them. HPAS is a 501(c)(3) organization, a Chapter of the National Audubon Society. Visit highlandsaudubonsociety.org for information on membership and all activities.
