Friday's Foto

Most of the New World Warblers can be found flitting about in shrubs or other vegetation in the mid and understory or hawking for insects in the trees. However, much like us humans in the Big Apple, the Kentucky Warbler prefers strolling on the ground. This relatively large, ground-dwelling warbler with bright yellow underparts and olive-green upperparts prefers moist, leafy woodlands, where it spends most of its time walking around in the leaf-litter and thickets searching for insects. Discovered in 1811 by ornithologist Alexander Wilson it was named for the state in which it was identified. A somewhat short distance migrant, they winter in lowland forests of Central America from southern Mexico to Panama. A rare but regular Spring overshoot around NYC, they breed from southern Iowa and eastern Kansas east to New Jersey, and south from eastern Texas to Georgia. They are surprisingly difficult to see in the forest and are more often heard, making a loud, rolling "churry, churry, churry, churry" song which is somewhat similar to the Carolina Wren. Listen to their song:



Their IUCN Red List status is "Least Concern", however their numbers are declining and they are included on the 2014 State of the Birds Watch List as a species in need of significant conservation action.

Their scientific name, Geothlypis formosa, means "Beautiful Ground Warbler".