Adelaide's warbler (Setophaga adelaidae), or reinita mariposera (in Puerto Rican Spanish) is a bird endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico belonging to the genus Setophaga of the family Parulidae (New World warblers).

Adelaide's warbler
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Parulidae
Genus: Setophaga
Species:
S. adelaidae
Binomial name
Setophaga adelaidae
(Baird, 1865)
Synonyms

Dendroica adelaidae Baird, 1865

Taxonomy

edit

The S. adelaidae complex was originally considered a single species, with three populations occurring in Barbuda, Puerto Rico and St. Lucia. Each of these populations were regarded as a subspecies, S.a. subita, S.a. adelaidae and S.a. delicata respectively. These subspecies were later elevated to species rank as the Barbuda warbler (Setophaga subita), the St. Lucia warbler (Setophaga delicata) and Adelaide's warbler.[2]

In 2011, the American Ornithologists' Union reclassified the Parulidae, which resulted in D. adelaidae being transferred to the genus Setophaga.[3]

The species is named after Maria Antoinette Adelaide Florentia del Carmen Swift Washburne (1829-1884), daughter of Robert Swift, the person who obtained the first specimen.[4][5]

Description

edit

Adelaide's warbler has gray upperparts with yellow underparts. The species has a yellow line above the eye and a white half-moon below it. Its average length is 12 cm (4.7 in) and its average weight is 7 g (0.25 oz).

Distribution and habitat

edit

Adelaide's warbler occurs only in the main island of Puerto Rico and in the island municipality of Vieques. The species occurs mainly in dry forests in the southern region of Puerto Rico such as the Guánica State Forest, with some occurrences in the northern moist forests and the central mountain range, the Cordillera Central.

Diet and ecology

edit

Adelaide's warbler is an insectivore which gleans insects from the mid-top areas of the forest. It is also known to eat, although very rarely, spiders and small amphibians such as coquís. The species usually travels in mixed flocks which commonly include Puerto Rican todies, vireos and other New World warblers.

Reproduction

edit

Adelaide's warblers build nests at heights of 1 to 7 m in which the female deposits anywhere from 2 to 4 white eggs. The eggshells usually have small brown spots.

External audio
Bird Call
  Click here to listen to Adelaide's warbler Vocals

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Setophaga adelaidae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22721711A94725147. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22721711A94725147.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ Staicer, Cynthia A. (October 1996). "Acoustical features of song categories of the Adelaide's Warbler (Dendroica adelaidae)" (PDF). The Auk. 113 (4): 771–783. doi:10.2307/4088856. JSTOR 4088856.
  3. ^ Chesser, R. Terry; Richard C. Banks; F. Keith Barker; Carla Cicero; Jon L. Dunn; Andrew W. Kratter; Irby J. Lovette; Pamela C. Rasmussen; J. V. Remsen; James D. Rising; Douglas F. Stotz; Kevin Winker (2011). "Fifty-second supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-List of North American Birds". Auk. 128 (3): 600–613. doi:10.1525/auk.2011.128.3.600. S2CID 13691956.
  4. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2020-03-19). The Eponym Dictionary of Birds. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4729-8269-8.
  5. ^ Sellers, Edwin Jaquett (1897). Genealogy of the Kollock Family of Sussex County, Delaware, 1657-1897. Press of J.B. Lippincott Company.

Further reading

edit