Buzzy, Black and Yellow ... Birds!
6/23/20262 min
Golden-cheeked Warblers, Black-throated Green Warblers, Townsend’s Warblers, and Hermit Warblers share similar songs and plumage. Though they all breed in different areas of North America, they can often be found flocking together on wintering grounds in Central America. Genetic studies have confirmed what their family resemblance suggests: these four warblers are closely related and likely shared a common ancestor before the last Ice Age. And as sister species often do, they all put a unique twist on that bright, buzzy song.
More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMichael Stein· Host0:00
[music playing] This is BirdNote. [warbler singing] Hear that? There's something small, black, and yellow buzzing in the trees. Is it a bug? A bee? No, it's a bird. [warbler singing] A Golden-cheeked Warbler, to be exact. He's smaller than a sparrow, with a white belly, yellow face, and black throat. On a summer day in Central Texas, Golden-cheeked Warblers are unmistakable. But on their wintering grounds in Central America, these songsters aren't the only buzzy black and yellow warblers around. They may form mixed flocks with Black-throated Green Warblers that nest in the eastern U.S. and Canada. [warbler singing] As well as Hermit Warblers that breed in the Pacific Northwest. [warbler singing] Or Townsend's Warblers that summer in British Columbia. [warbler singing] Genetic studies have confirmed what their similarities suggest. These four warblers are closely related and likely shared a common ancestor before the last ice age. And as sister species often do, they all put a unique twist on that bright,