FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
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Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
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A mourning warbler (Geothlypis philadelphia) is a species of bird that is famously hailed as a songbird from the regions of North and South America, Canada, and several other adjoining places. This bird can be distinguished from other similar species of warblers by their exceptional appearance. This species derived its name from its appearance as well. Male members of the family come with a dark black patch on their throat which is why the word 'mourning' (often associated with the color black) has been attributed to their name.
An interesting behavior of this species is that after laying the eggs, males and females indulge in pretentious moves in the presence of their predators where they act as if they are hurt or injured. In this manner, they guile the predators by distracting them. The bird is known to survive in areas of regrowth which thanks to conservation is not yet threatened. However, surveys have shown a steady decline in the population of this species.
If you enjoyed these exciting facts about mourning warblers, then you can also check out some more interesting facts about other bird species like the chestnut-sided warbler and Blackburnian warbler.
A mourning warbler is a species of bird of order Passeriformes and the family Parulidae.
Mourning warblers belong to the class Aves.
The exact number of mourning warblers is difficult to assess owing to the inadequate records and computations of the adult bird population. However, although these birds, belonging to the order Passeriforme and the family Parulidae, are not considered to be vulnerable, their population has been declining slowly.
This species of mourning warblers is originally from several parts of North America as well as Central America. They are also found specifically in places like Canada, South America, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and Belize.
These birds are mainly constricted to the forest habitat, especially areas with new regrowth caused by disturbances such as construction work, mining, and agriculture. A habitat comprising shrubs and dense thickets serves as ideal spots. Sometimes in their native habitat, this bird species flap their wings to distract predators.
This species of mourning warblers are solitary birds. Even during migration, these birds prefer to avoid flocking.
Mourning warblers normally have a life expectancy of seven to eight years in the wild.
Since North American mourning warblers are difficult to locate, their exact behavior during breeding is unknown. Their nest is built at a very low level and the clutch consists of two to five eggs. After the breeding process is completed, both males and females incubate, protect the nest from predators, and take care of the hatchlings until they can feed themselves.
The conservation status of a mourning warbler falls under the category of Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The birds are very common in several parts of America. However, the population trend of the species shows a steady decline.
This species can be identified by their appearance. A male usually has a yellow and olive-colored body. They have a black chest as well as a gray hood, but a mourning warbler female comes in a dull gray-brownish color. They have a small beak, long tail, and sturdy feet.
*Please note that this is an image of A Myrtle Warbler, not Mourning Warbler. If you have an image of Mourning Warbler please let us know at [email protected].
These birds are bright and beautiful. They might not exactly be defined as cute, but they are undoubtedly attractive. Their breeding and nest building also might be an area of intrigue.
This bird of the Parulidae family communicates by making distinct calls which include repetitive and churning sounds like 'chorry-chorry', 'teedle-teedle', 'chew-chew', and 'tsip'. Even if you are not able to see this bird hiding in the thickets of the forest, you will definitely identify its song. A mourning warbler song is extremely soothing to the ears.
On average, mourning warblers are small birds ranging from 3.9-5.9 in (10-15 cm) in length. They are larger than the goldcrest with a length of around 3.3-3.7 in (8.3-9.3 cm).
Mourning warblers show high amounts of agility and swiftness during flight. The speed limit is unknown and is yet to be ascertained.
The weight of a mourning warbler ranges from 0.4-0.5 oz (11-13 g).
Neither genders of the bird species have a special name. They are referred to as female and male mourning warblers, respectively.
A baby mourning warbler is generally called a 'hatchling' or 'nestling'.
These birds are known to be entomophagous which implies that the diet of mourning warblers primarily comprises different types of insects. Spiders, beetles, caterpillars, and even berries comprise the diet of these North American birds. These birds normally limit their foraging to a maximum range of 10 ft (30.5 cm) above the surface.
Mourning warblers are generally not known to be aggressive in nature. In the wilderness, apart from preying on various types of insects, these birds are gentle and quite self-contained.
It is unknown if these birds make good pets as mourning warblers are not commonly reared as pets. They are wild birds and must not be encaged.
A mourning warbler (Geothlypis philadelphia), also scientifically termed as Oporornis philadelphia, uses its wings to distract predators.
These birds remain close to the ground, often hopping about here and there foraging for food in the dense thickets. Even during the breeding season, this bird builds its nest at a low height. For this reason, they are very difficult to trace.
Mourning warblers sometimes follow ant trails and snatch away the insects manoeuvred by them.
Fall and spring are the seasons when this species of mourning warblers migrate.
These North American birds make several types of calls that distinctly include the primary call and the flight call, along with other sounds and calls. The rolling and rhythmic 'churry-churry-churry' is the primary call where each following sound gradually escalates to a higher pitch. The flight calls sound somewhat identical, but the notes alter with more swiftness and rapidity.
This species has been named warblers due to their singing or warbling potentialities. The term 'warbler' finds its roots in Old French, where the word denotes singing 'with trills and quavers'.
Warblers consist of several similar species. Nevertheless, they come with some minute distinctions. For instance, a male Connecticut warbler possesses a wider eye-ring that surrounds its entire eyes while the eye-ring of a female or an immature mourning warbler is much thinner. Moreover, females have a lighter shade of white in their throat region, while the Connecticut warbler has a darker shade of gray. Another similar species is the MacGillivray's warbler. A MacGillivray's warbler has white crescents around its eyes that is uncommon in other species.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including Palm warbler, or pine warbler.
You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Mourning Warbler coloring pages.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mourning_Warbler/lifehistory#nesting
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
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