The Prothonotary Warbler is
not your typical Block Island critter, as
it does not linger here long or often. But
it is representative of the many birds that
may land on this island during spring or fall
migration, often as the result of powerful
weather fronts coming from a westerly direction
pushing birds off-shore. At times like this,
Block Island acts as a life raft at sea, offering
a weary bird respite and food.
Prothonotary Warblers in Rhode Island and Block Island
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Prothonotary
Warblers are known to be rare and accidental
migrant visitors in Rhode Island, and
are more likely in spring than in fall.
Generally they are not recorded every
year and there may be several years
between each sighting.
There is only one record of nesting
Prothonotary Warblers in RI, this occurred
in 1992.
At the Block Island Banding Station,
a Prothonotary Warbler has been mist
netted and banded in 1975, 1976, 1979,
2002 and 2004. |
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Prothonotary Warblers:
- are small song birds (5.5 inches, described below) who prefer wooded swampy
areas.
- eat insects, larvae and insects.
- migrate from wintering areas in Central America and northern South America, to suitable habitats in the eastern United States and southern Ontario, Canada.
- are the only North American warbler that builds its nest in cavities. (See below about nest box designs.)
- nests are subject to parasitism by Brown-headed
Cowbirds.
Suitable habitat for the Prothonotary Warbler in the United States is the swampy forests of the Mississippi Valley and it's tributaries. Over the centuries, Prothontary Warblers have expanded their breeding range. The current range includes the Great Lakes area to the Gulf coast, generally along the axis of the Mississippi River, and southeastern United States northward to Delaware.
When reviewing the descriptions of the Prothonotary
Warbler and its range, written by ornithologists
over the years, two of the primary rewards
of bird watching are evident. First, the facts:
the written record of the bird with descriptions
of its range and distribution changes, behavior,
habitat and food preferences, and migration
patterns are observations that over time contribute
valuable scientific information. The second
reward - the fulfillment of the innate human
desire to affiliate with life and nature (E.O.
Wilson calls it biophilia) is illustrated
by the writings.
From Frank Chapman's Birds of Eastern North
America (1895):
| ".To thoroughly appreciate
the Prothonotary's radiant beauty,
one should float quietly in a canoe
past its haunts. Its color shows to
best advantage against the dark background
of its home, and its every movement
is a delight to the eye." |
From F. Schuyler Mathews' Field Book of
Wild Birds and Their Music
(1904):
| ".in the strong sunlight,
the wonderful orange cadmium hue of
the Prothonotary Warbler, a common
species of the Mississippi valley,
is like a gleam of gold against the
somber setting of the southern jungle.
.the gloom of the cypress swamp is
a foil for the flash of the Prothonotary
who is ever on the move; no Oriole
or Tanager out shines him. But his
song does not equal his costume."
|
From A. C. Bent's Life Histories of North
American Wood Warblers: Part 1 (1953):
| "Field marks. - The
golden swamp warbler could hardly
be mistaken for any thing else. The
rich, brilliant yellow of the head
and breast, sometimes almost orange
on the head, only slightly paler in
the female, the absence of wind bars,
and the large amount of white in the
tail will distinguish it." |
To find out more about building a nest box
for Prothonotary Warblers:
www.birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/bhbasics/prowplans.html
www.birds.cornell.edu/publications/birdscope/Spring2001/alive.html
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Prothonotary?
Protonotary and prothonotary, each with
two different pronunciations, are interchangeable.
The early American ornithologists John
James Audubon and Alexander Wilson called
the golden swamp warbler "Protonotary
Warbler, a name seemingly first given
to the bird by Louisiana Creoles." (A.C.
Bent, 1953).
Protonotarius: proto notarius:
first notary or clerk
citrea: pertains to citron, which
is yellow
"Protonotarius is the title of papal
officials whose robes are bright yellow."
(A.C. Bent, 1953).
Protonotary (or Prothonotary) apostolic:
"a priest of the chief college of the
papal curia who keeps records." (Webster's
New Collegiate Dictionary, 1974)
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Connecting People and Nature