Red warbler

The red warbler is a small passerine bird of the New World warbler family Parulidae endemic to the highlands of Mexico. It is closely related to, and forms a superspecies with, the pink-headed warbler of southern Mexico and Guatemala. There are three subspecies, found in disjunct populations, which differ primarily in the color of their ear patch and in the brightness and tone of their body plumage. The female lays three or four eggs in a domed nest, which she builds on the ground.

About Red warbler in brief

Summary Red warblerThe red warbler is a small passerine bird of the New World warbler family Parulidae endemic to the highlands of Mexico. It is closely related to, and forms a superspecies with, the pink-headed warbler of southern Mexico and Guatemala. There are three subspecies, found in disjunct populations, which differ primarily in the color of their ear patch and in the brightness and tone of their body plumage. Although this bird is considered to be a least-concern species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, its numbers are thought to be declining due to habitat destruction. The adult is bright red, with a white or gray ear patch, depending on the subspecies; young birds are pinkish-brown, with two pale wingbars. The female lays three or four eggs in a domed nest, which she builds on the ground. Both sexes feed the young and remove fecal sacs from the nest. The young fledge within 10–11 days of hatching. Unlike other species in the same genus, it has several common calls, including a high tsetii and a stronger pseetii, including high, thin, high-pitched warbles, interspersed with the same trills and chips in the former species.

It has been suggested that it should be split into a northern gray-eared and a southern white-eared species, but this has not been adopted by the International Ornithologists’ Union. As an adult, it is red overall, with either awhite or dark gray auricular patch on each side of its head. Its wings and tail are slightly darker, dusky red, and edged in pinkish red. Its legs are a dull red-brown and its thin bill is pinkish gray with a dark tip. The iris is dark brown to dark blackish. Adult pairs separate from August, and moult fully after the August breeding season. It tends to confuse any other bird species in its range; the scarlet tanager and summer tanager have similar plumage, but are larger with thick conical bills. The redwarbler is hard to confuse with any other birds in the range; its song is a mix of short trills, richer and richer than the other species, including the red-faced warbler and the blue-winged warbler. It can be found in Mexico, Guatemala, and the United States. The species is considered a least concern by the IUCN, but its population is thought to have declined due to the loss of habitat.