Continuing to share my warbler photos along with information about each species, from my latest book: "Warblers of Arizona, A Guide to Finding and Photographing Warblers in Southern Arizona."
If you are interested in purchasing it, please email me at exclusivelywildlifephotos.com or info@azuregate.com.
Prothonotary Warbler
Common Name: Prothonotary Warbler
Scientific Name: Protonotaria citrea
Conservation Status: Least Concern, though loss of 42% over the past 50 years, current population estimate at 1.6 million
Size: 5.5 inches
Description: male has bright orange-yellow head, chin, neck, and breast; black eye with no eyering; large black bill; green back; short broad white underttail with dark tips; blue-gray wings with no wing bars
Male/Female: female is duller with blue-gray face versus bright orange-yellow
Range: northern boundary Minnesota to New York then south along the Gulf Coast of Central and South America; rarely west of the Missouri River
Migration: summers (breeding) in the United States, winters in the Mexican Gult Coast and Atlantic/Pacific Coasts of Northern South America
Season for Arizona: rare to Arizona with about 60 reports; from May through October
Habitat: breed in flooded bottomland forests, wooded swamps, and forests near lakes and streams
Community Behavior: solitary
Feeding Behavior: forages by hopping around along branches, twigs, and ground
Diet: mostly insects including: ants, beetles, spiders, flies, caterpillars, snails, and mollusks; will eat seeds and berries if available
Nesting Behavior: along with Lucy’s Warbler the only warblers to nest in cavities usually created by woodpeckers, chickadees, or natural holes from fallen branches; nest anywhere from 2 to 30 feet off the ground; 3-7 white eggs with brownish spots; incubation 12-14 days; nestling 9-10 days
Where to Find in Southern Arizona: will need to look at ABA’s Birding News and Audubon’s Rare Bird Alert daily; unlike other rare birds to Arizona when they are reported it can be a different location each time (Tanque Verde Wash, Huachuca Canyon)
Comments: named from the bright yellow robes worn by papal clerks, known as prothonotaries
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