Nombre en español: Reinita Galana

Nombre en inglés: Prairie Warbler

Nombre científico: Setophaga discolor

Familia: Parulidae

Categorías: Errática / Migratoria / Boreal

La reinita galana (Setophaga discolor),​ también denominada chipe galán o de pradera, cigüita de los prados y mariposa galana,​ es una especie de ave paseriforme de la familia Parulidae que cría en el oriente de América del Norte y pasa el invierno en el Caribe.

Descripción

Los adultos miden entre 12 y 13 cm en promedio del pico a la cola. Hay un ligero dimorfismo sexual. La especie se distingue por el patrón facial de los adultos: cara amarilla, con dos rayas oscuras (negras en el macho, pardas en la hembra) una atravesando el ojo y una bigotera curvada hacia arriba.

En los machos las partes dorsales y la zona auricular son verde olivo; la cola y las alas son más oscuras, y en estas últimas hay dos rayas color amarillo limón. La garganta y las partes ventrales son amarillas, con negro en los flancos. En la espalda hay algunas manchas castañas, visibles de cerca.

La hembra es similar al macho, pero de coloración más opaca; en la espalda no hay manchas o son escasas.

Los individuos inmaduros también son más opacos que las hembras, y la zona auricular es gris azulada.

Distribución

Anida en el oriente de América del Norte, desde el extremo sur de Canadá (sur de Ontario) hasta la zona norte del Golfo de México. En otoño migra al sur, para invernar en Florida, las Antillas (desde Bahamas hasta Puerto Rico) y en la costa caribeña del continente, desde la península de Yucatán hasta Nicaragua.

Hábitat

Habita en bosques abiertos con arbustos; también en campos de cultivo y en zonas abiertas. Durante la migración prefiere zonas arbustivas.

Cuando está posado, balancea rápidamente la cola, de modo similar al chipe playero (D. palmarum).

Prairie warbler

The prairie warbler (Setophaga discolor) is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.

Description

These birds have yellow underparts with dark streaks on the flanks, and olive upperparts with rusty streaks on the back; they have a yellow line above the eye, a dark line through it, and a yellow spot below it. These birds have black legs, long tails, two pale wing bars, and thin pointed bills. Coloring is duller in female and immatures.

Vocalizations

Prairie warblers have two categories of songs, referred to as Type A and Type B. Type A songs are typically a series of ascending buzzy notes. The B songs are an ascending series of whistled notes that often contain some buzzy notes. Compared to A songs, the B songs are lower in pitch, have fewer, longer notes. The total song length is longer as well in Type B songs. The use of these two song categories is associated with certain contexts. A songs are sung throughout the day when males first arrive on their breeding grounds. Once males are paired they begin to sing B songs during the dawn chorus and then will intersperse A songs in their singing during the rest of the day. During this later period of singing A songs are typically used near females, near the nest, and in the center of their territories. In contrast B songs are used when interacting or fighting with other males and near the borders of their territories.

Part of their call note repertoire is a tsip call. During dawn, chorus B songs are interspersed with rapid loud «check» calls.

Distribution and habitat

These birds are permanent residents in the southern parts of their range. Other birds migrate to north-eastern Mexico and islands in the Caribbean.

Behaviour and ecology

Breeding

Their breeding habitats are brushy areas and forest edges in eastern North America. The prairie warbler’s nests are open cups, which are usually placed in a low area of a tree or shrub. Incubation period is 12 to 13 days.

Feeding

Prairie warblers forage actively on tree branches, and sometimes fly around with the purpose of catching insects, which are the main food source of these birds.

Behaviour

These birds wag their tails frequently.

Status

The numbers of these birds are declining due to habitat loss; this species also suffers from nest parasitism by the brown-headed cowbird.

Fuentes: Wikipedia/eBird/xeno-canto